Adoption # 2

Sometime it's hard to put into words all that I'm feeling. We're starting the paperwork for our adoption from Poland again very soon and I am so SO excited about that. When you feel elation as you fill out endless forms, knowing that they lead to your second little boy in the end, you were meant to adopt. I don't care if it takes a while- it will happen. Lev came to us after a year long wait, and most of a pregnancy. And it flew by. And so will this. It's hard, but in the very best way possible.

At the same time, there is some slight pressure from the parentals to adopt a little girl. I'm not opposed to little girls, but I read about how international adoptions of little girls vastly outnumber those of little boys, and how in eastern Europe especially, little boys languish in orphanages waiting for families. I am a huge fan of noisy, rowdy little boys, and I want there to be one less little boy languishing. I wish I could adopt more of them. It hurts my heart to see little boys not have the opportunity to learn to become men.

Next, people always ask if we are adopting from someplace in Africa. That would be cool, but in the end, we love eastern Europe. I'm a remiss eastern European. I can name most of the former soviet republics, and I understand and laugh at Breshnev jokes. But as much as I try, I'm not skinny enough or cool enough to ever be authentic. My Russian has improved somewhat, but is laughable. My borsht is NEVER deep red, ever, even when actual Russian women tell me how to make it red. In the end, I'm really a disaster of a Russian. But Alex and I love what he is, and what I might (should a miracle occur) become, and so from Eastern Europe we adopt.

Finally, people ask why we arent adopting domestically again. And that friends is a long story. We had a good experience with our adoption agency and Lev's birthmom. I highly recommend our agency to people all the time. But we will never do that again. It's complicated to explain, but it has to do with people we met along the way, desperation on the part of some other people, and the general distaste of "pimping ones self." It wasn't for us. But it brought us Lev, and we are deeply grateful the Lord took us on that journey.

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If you made it through all of that, you get to enjoy a photo. I had an engagement shoot last week, and this is my favorite shot. It's different from the stuff I've done before. I told the couple to be themselves, and I just took pictures. I'm not close to awesome, but I feel like I've been improving a little.