Selection Process

On the way to the baby house the first day, we stop by the Ministry of Education and pick up a representative of the Ministry. It’s our understanding that a representative must be present when families first meet their child. For us, this woman was wonderfully friendly.

Upon arriving at the baby house, we waited briefly outside the Director’s Office (full of anxiety). A few minutes later, we were escorted into the office. In the room was our translator, coordinator, the representative from the Ministry, the Director of the Baby House (who is often referred to as the Head Doctor), and the two of us. The Director and the Ministry rep. talked for about 5 minutes (which seemed like an hour). Our translator kept reassuring us that they were discussing other business and that we were not a topic of their discussion.

Minutes later, the Director called up to a room and down came a caregiver with a little boy. We each held the boy for a couple of minutes, but neither of us felt as if this boy was meant to be our son. He didn’t seem very healthy or alert and the Director told us that we should expect this of children from an orphanage and that they’d give him a massage and feed him and present him to us again. Our guts told us that although he’ll be a wonderful addition to someone’s family, he wasn’t right for ours. We communicated this via our translator and stood in the hall while another woman (from Spain we were told) entered the Director’s office to select her little girl. She selected the 2nd girl brought to her. We were then invited back into the Director’s office.

In came 2 care givers, one behind the other, each carrying a little boy. We turned to one another and in unison told one another that we wanted to hold the 2nd of the 2 boys. I’m not one who typically subscribes to love at first sight, but this was different. A second after laying eyes on him, we both knew that this boy was family.

Michelle held him for a second and then Jason approached him. He screamed bloody murder and didn’t stop for 20 minutes. Everyone in the room was so supportive, reassuring us that this reaction was a good sign. An indicator that he recognized that we are different. In fact, Jason may have been the first man that he’d ever interacted with.

After a LONG, break we returned and the break made all the difference. As you can see from the photos, this boy is no longer the screaming, crying boy. We are one happy family.