FAQ's

Frequently asked questions regarding our adoption

Whenever we go out and run into someone we know we usually get asked the same questions regarding our adoption. I'm realizing that I haven't been doing a very good job of explaining our process and where we are at. So I've decided to dedicate this post to answering the many questions we get asked on a daily basis, because chances are, you might be wondering about at least one of them. I know I will miss some, but I'll try to cover all that come to mind :)

Are your boys brothers? Although our boys are soon to be "forever brothers", they are "not" biologically related in anyway. We originally chose to adopt both of them because they were in the same orphanage. They have since been transferred to "different" orphanages, but are still in the same region as each other.

How long until you get them? We were originally thinking we would be traveling in June, but the process is taking longer in their country right now so our expectation has changed to July or August. Please be praying that the process will speed up so that we can get to them asap.


How long will you be gone? Both Ryan and I will travel to country. Once we officially accept both of our boys' referrals and meet them we will receive a court date. Usually about three weeks after arrival we will have court. After court we have a 10 day wait period. Ryan will go home during this time. I will stay in country and visit the boys as much as possible. After the 10 day wait is up, the paper-chasing begins!! I will then travel around getting the boys' birth certificates, passports, visas etc. My amazing friend is going to fly over and help me bring the boys home :)

Ryan will be gone for 3 weeks. I will be gone for possibly two months.

Who will be taking care of Landon while we are gone? Landon will stay with his grandparents in MN until Ryan returns. Once Ryan is home Landon will go to daycare during Ryan's workdays and stay at home with his daddy the rest of the time. Being away from my baby, will be the hardest thing for me, but I constantly remind myself that Landon knows he is safe and loved. He will be well taken care of while I am gone. The boys, on the other hand, have never had anyone make sacrifices on their behalf. Knowing the conditions they are living in, make me confident that staying with them the whole time is the right decision (not to mention, me staying the whole time will cut down on our expenses).

Do both of the boys have cerebral palsy? This is a hard question for us to answer because our knowledge of them is extremely limited. Once we get to their country will have access to their medical records (although that does not mean they even have any). We are very sure that Ivan has cp, based on the small amount of information we have, and the pictures we have seen. Levi, on the other hand, has only been diagnosed with cp, but has no further details or symptoms listed that would explain what has led to this diagnosis. Ryan and I have been preparing for life with two children with cp, but we are praying and believing that Levi only suffers from deep neglect, which is no less harmful or life altering.

How old are the boys? We have been telling most people that we are adopting two six year olds because the boys will likely be six by the time we get them home, but as of now, they are 5.

Will the boys go to school? We are still praying through all of this and there is so much, we will not know until we get them home, but the plan for now is to home school the boys and take one step at a time. People must understand that although the boys are six years old they are at the level of infants developmentally. They have spent the majority of their life laying in a crib. They have had little stimulation and zero love. They are likely still drinking out of a bottle! Our main focus and goals are going to be in regards to two things #1 Healthy attachment and #2 nutrition and physical growth. Education will come later. We WILL be focused on getting them the therapy they need, so that they can grow and be all that God created them to be. Like I said, we will just be taking things one step at a time, with LOVE (1 John 4:8) as our Guide.

Can the boys speak? We do not know if Ivan is speaking. We have a video of him when he was two and he was not speaking then (at least from what we could tell). Levi has been described as "mostly non verbal". If the boys can speak at all, they will speak Russian. We are working on learning some Russian now and, as you would expect, it is not easy.

What are you waiting on now? Right now we are waiting to be "submitted". What that means is all of our paperwork is now in the process of being translated and then it will be submitted to our boys' government. Once we are submitted we can expect a travel date in 6 to 12 weeks (pray for 6!!).

Well those are the biggies that I can think of, if you have any other questions please feel free to leave a comment :)

We covet each and every prayer. Although we are reaching the end of our adoption journey, the waiting never gets any easier. Please pray that God prepares the hearts and minds of our boys for the love and affection that comes with belonging to a family :)