Final Approval

We got an email last night saying that we officially have final approval. Each step along the way has been pretty anti-climatic just because you’re waiting so long. So when something finally happens, you whisper an underwhelming wow. Plus everything comes from the Korean government. So by the time the news gets from the courts to the Korean adoption agency and then to the U.S. agency, it’s already a few days past the day it actually happened. But I’m happy. Our little boy is ours.

Throughout this entire process I’ve been preparing, waiting, and anticipating possible scenarios. And although we have final approval of our Korean adoption, once our son gets back to the U.S. we will still have lots more to do (applying for SSN, certificate of citizenship, medical visits, name change etc.). In these past months we’ve dealt with so many ignorant comments. I try to be understanding because I know these individuals are not familiar with adoption. The one that has gotten to me and still gets me to this day is, “Now that you’ve adopted, you’ll have one of your own!” They have no idea how hurtful this comment is. It totally diminishes adoptive mom’s past/painful experience with infertility. It negates my child, who my husband and I have prayed and fought for years, not only in the struggle to adopt, but in the road to the decision to adopt. He is my own and I love him for his own experiences that led him to our family.

The comments will not stop when he is here. People have their own ideas about things, but I cannot let that weaken me. I am going to do whatever it takes to make sure my child feels that his life is validated and that he knows he is loved. If I am around people who judge my family for our decisions I will not spend time with those people anymore. We are happy in knowing we made the right decision for our family. There is no room for negativity here.