Saturday, March 03, 2007

Where Do We Go From Here???

Right now I wish I could close my eyes and let someone else do all the decision making for me. We can get a flight out of here on Sunday at 3 am. About six hours after losing Stephen Almagul called and said they had other children for us to see. Joe wanted no part of it…but I went. I cried in the car – I cried in the director’s office – I just want to cry forever.

They showed me a Kazakh baby boy, a Russian three year old boy and a Kazakh baby girl. The Russian boy was cute and sweet, but we did not imagine an older child. They called to say they have another boy to show us in the morning. Again, Joe wants nothing to do with this, so I will go without him. Please pray for my husband…he is inconsolable. He is a sensitive man – not to be misconstrued for weakness, but he loves deeply when he allows someone in and Stephen captured his heart completely. I have not allowed myself to really think about this and grieve out of fear I will break in a million pieces. I feel numb.

I don’t know what to do. I could say “Fine, let’s get on the plane and never look back.” But what would we have at home? An empty nursery, a year of hopes and dreams, not to mention thousands of dollars – all gone, lost, for nothing? How would we move on from the magnitude of that loss? I can’t force my husband to feel anything right now. I can’t imagine he will bond with another baby. I need to have strength and clarity for both of us right now. I need a miracle.

I saw another baby boy this morning that I can't say too much about due to confidentiality issues. He is under a year old and healthy. He is cute. I am trying hard to see past my pain and not compare this baby to Stephen, but it is near impossible. My husband has agreed to see this child tomorrow. We just do not know what the right thing is to do from here.

33 comments:

Susan Grossman said...

Dawn,
Although I didn't go through exactly the same thing so I really don't know how you feel, I want to encourage you and Joe to stick with it. I adopted with Orson and AIP in 2004. The baby we bonded with from afar for over 6 months was no longer available before we went (this happens a lot in Kazakhstan since referrals are not legal). We were devastated, but took a new referral and now love our baby girl so much we can't imagine life without her. Please, take some time (a few days????) to grieve and then select another healthy child. In a short time you will not imagine life without your son/daughter. Please, please don't go home empty handed.
Susan Grossman
You can email me susan@gans.org

Susan Grossman said...

Sorry, my email was wrong.
susan@ganas.org

The Cook said...

Dawn, give it some time. Spend a few days with the new child. I know how hard it is. Please do not go home. I want you to know I support any decision you make.

The Hollands said...

Dawn, don't come home without a child, to an empty nursery. That would be like going thru the pain of a still-born child. But you and Joe have the ability to find another child, and they're all God's children in need of a mother and father's love. You and Joe have so much love to give! Maybe a baby girl who looks more like your husband? I am praying for you, and may even get to meet you, since I'm going to Ust with my husband and three year old daughter in a couple of weeks to adopt (hopefully) a three year old boy. Praying for the Holy Spirit to give you and Joe the peace of God, a peace that is beyond our understanding. Stephanie Holland

meena said...

As I read your email I thought, what strength you have for being able to carry on with new choices and decisions. I can see it could be very easy to fall into a million pieces and I give you so much credit for being strong enough to handle this for you and Joe. I agree with Susan. I am sure there is a child in Kazakhstan that is waiting for you to be his/her parents. I know this will work out for all of you. I would stay until I find my child. You are there for a reason, to become parents. I am wishing you both everything you need to make it through this.

Sarah said...

We too were told the children we had begun visiting and bonding with were not available afterall. It was completely devastating and very, very hard to try and move on. You can't have that magical "this is MY child" feeling over and over again. It just doesn't work that way. We too compared every child to our initial experience because you can't help but do it. We met some really wonderful kids and there were a couple that we knew were really special. It wasn't the same though. We did end up adopting the original siblings because they convinced the father to sign off, he was dying and completley out of their lives. I know our story didn't end the same, but for three days we experienced the very same thing you are and I know very much what you are going through right now. You heart's not in it, meeting these other kids, they don't feel like they could be your son, because you already met your son. I said this when it happened to us, "Everyone tells you that when you meet your child you'll just know. No one talks about what happens when you meet your child and you do just konw, and then they aren't available." We were determined though, as we met the other children and believed with all our hearts we would not be adopting our children, that we would choose a child and not come home without one.

I have faith that the next few days will bring you peace and I am in awe of your will and your heart right now to try and go on after such a devastating loss. Your faith will be rewarded with a million moments as you begin a lifetime with the child that is to be yours.

With Respect,
Sarah

Kristan and Mark said...

Dawn,

Please stay!! I know you are grieving and you would not be human if you were not. I came home from Russia with out finding our daughter. After turning down three unhealhty children they would not show us any more. It was extremely heartwrenching!!

I know there is no understanding why this is happening, but I will continue to pray that during this difficult time you and your husband will have the strength to open your heart to find the child that is truly meant to be yours. My prayers will continue for you all! Kristan

Kathy said...

Dawn, you are such a strong and brave woman to be able to get this awful news and still continue to find the child that will complete your family. I will pray for you and Joe. Kathy

Suz and Matt said...

Dawn-
I've been sitting here crying for both of you. This is devistating. Your feelings are justified. Take some time for yourselves there. Talk, cry, breathe. Remember - you deserve a family. There is another child there that needs your love, time, and guidance. Come back as a family. We are praying for you. Suzanne and Matt

Bekah said...

Dawn, I have been crying since I read what you are going through. I cannot imagine the pain. And again, I have never met you but through your blog but I was up multiple times last night praying for you. I also think if you came home the emptiness would be unbearable. I am praying for wisdom, discernment, strength and the love that you need to find another son/daughter. Again, I can't imagine the pain and it would be hard to move on but I have to believe that the Lord has another child for you to love and bring into your family. Praying for you, Bekah

Beckie said...

Oh Dawn and Joe, my heart seemed to hurt even more today for you....and so I sit here weeping....praying that somehow the Lord will help you and Joe love this new little boy.....and that someday all of this devastation will make sense....have NO idea how....but weeping and praying for the two of you.

keoghclan said...

I read your BLOG entry and like everyone else I felt so much emotion, pain for what you are going through, pride in you and your efforts to hold it together (big hugs) sadness of the thought of you crying in the car on your way back to the BH on your own, and compassion for Joe and his pain, I really wish you both could be wrapped in a big hug, no judgements made, only the desire that you both should know, whatever you chose to do, you are not alone. Adoption is a journey and we all know it can have lots of ups and downs but you and Joe have been put through more than is fair to expect someone to go through. First of all I have to say I am so sorry for the loss of Stephen, I am heartbroken for the 3 of you that Stephen's joining your family was not meant to be. I want to share a little of our story which is not exactly the same but there are definite parallels that could be drawn, because we are ahead in the our journey I hope it can help you in a way. We have one bio daughter Ashling who is almost 7 and is our fertility treatment miracle, we almost lost her a couple of times in pregnancy but she was quite simply 'meant to be' in our family. When she was 2 we got pregnant the old fashioned way (this was after many fertility treatment cycles that had not worked) I had a great pregnancy until my 5th month when one day my water broke without any warning and our son Ronan was born too early to survive outside of me. My husband and I were heart broken, how could something that had felt so right or someone (Ronan) who was so perfect (we got to see and hold him and have photos of him, he was in a word beautiful)quite simply not be meant to be?? While everyone was wonderful there was also a lot of 'don't worry you will have another' comments made to us, inside I cried I don't want another, I want Ronan..........this is how I think you and Joe feel right now. It is so hard to put yourself 'out there' again, you put yourself out there already, experienced the joy of being Stephen's Mommy and Daddy for almost two weeks, only to have that joy cruelly taken away from you............your loss of Stephen is real and you need to grieve that loss, however you are unfortunately in the position where you do not have the luxury of taking the time to do so right now. When we lost Ronan I swore that was it, our family was complete and I would never put myself 'out there' again for another child (bio or adopted) even though I knew if we did manage to add to our family the joy would be wonderful, but I also felt that I could never love another child like our little man Ronan that we lost. I am here now to tell you I was wrong. Orin joined our family almost a year ago through adoption and I am so thankful that we did not give up, this little boy has completed us and our family. There were many days that I wanted to let go of my dream of a second living child, not because I didn't want one but quite simply I was weary and running on empty emotionally, those were the days my husband and close friends 'carried me' until I was able to carry myself. Dawn, you and Joe will NEVER forget Stephen, he will always hold a special place in your heart, however, the human heart is huge and trust me when I say you have more than enough room in your hearts for another wee one. You will learn to love the next little one for themselves, their personality and their spirit. You put it so eloquently in your BLOG, if you go home without a wee one now, you will still have an empty nursery there, someone missing in your lives. The fact that Joe is handling this differently to you is normal, men and women deal with everything in life differently so why not grief??? You carry him now, there will be days he will carry you in this journey. The fact that he is willing to go with you to see this new little one is HUGE. Joe has a big heart which has been shown before in his ability to love Stephen, he will love the new little one also, just give him a little time.

We look at our Orin now and thank God for the gift of him, he quite simply is a gift I at one stage wanted to turn my back on..........how glad I am we persevered. I KNOW you will one day feel the same about a new little one

Sorry this is so long.

Mary Keogh

Kim said...

I also don't know what to say. I hope you can open your heart enough to look for another baby. I can't imagine what you are going through. When I saw Alex for the first time, I didn't get that feeling of "oh - this is my son!" I felt something for him, but it wasn't immediate. 6 months after holding him for the first time, I can say that I love this little man with all that I am. It reminded me of the Janette Oke series - When Love Comes Softly.

Ok - now I'm rambling - but just know that we are all here for you and will support you no matter what your decision is.

Anonymous said...

When we lost our first referral (who I had named, and printed pictures for my entire family) I was devastated. Then they showed me a pic of Grace. We turned her down! Can you believe it? Who in their right mind would turn her down????? Its because we were so set on having the other child; it was what we were used to, what we expected, what we had grown to love. Thank god we didnt have the chance to meet her. You are going through WORSE pain having met Stephen. But I am SO glad I opened my mind and heart and went anyway and "picked" another baby and bonded with her...because right now, I cannot imagine having ANYONE other than GRACE. SHE IS MY WORLD. And you will feel the same when you open your mind and heart to love. Love, Tam

makandaddie said...

Dawn and Joe, I can't imagine how hard it must be to have to move on so quickly, but you are there now, and you have to! Stephen will ALWAYS hold a place in your heart, but there is a child there who is looking for a family. Who needs a family, and you and Joe are that family. You will love this new child, because despite everything that has happened, this child is "meant to be. Hold strong…

Lisa Masse

Derek & Kristin said...

There are no words I can type to comfort you. I want to make sure that you know that while the staff the people in Kazakhstan may not be grieving Stephen's loss people all across America are. I think if you put all the people who are hurting for you in a room you would not recognize many of the faces.

I have followed your blog and your ups and downs. I know from reading it that your hearts are big. It may not feel like it now because you are hurting. But there is so much love left to give.

If you go home now all the money and time will still have been an investment. The return on that investment will be heartache and loss. If you find another child to adopt then the return on that investment will improve dramatically. It will not remove the heartache and loss, but it will help you to heal.

All across America thoughts and prayers are with you in this dark time.

Kristin

Unknown said...

OMG!!! Dawn I have been away from the internet for a few days and I just found out what happend. I can even come up with words to say how sorry I am! Nothing I say could help you right now anyway. I know it will be hard to move forward and trust in anything. There is no justification for what has happened to you. I pray that you find some peace and I do believe that you should not give up and walk away without a son. Give this other boy a chance. You and Joe are so deep in my thoughts right now. I wish I were there to help you through this right now. Our trip was delayed and now I am even more sorry that we will not be arriving tomorrow.

Lauren & Cupcake said...

sending you love and strength!

Thad and Ann said...

Dawn & Joe,
I can't imagine the pain you have right now, I will just beg you to take some time to grieve & then find another baby, please don't go home with empty arms. You both have so much love to give a child, we weren't able to adopt the baby boy we saw pic's of for 6 months & it was so hard losing him, but in losing him we have Jabari, who we love more then anything. I have been thinking & praying for you. Sending you a hug...
Love-
Ann

Suz said...

(((Oh Dawn))) I am praying so hard for you and Joe right now. I am praying that you will both know the right steps to take and that if this boy is meant to be yours, that Joe will be able to move forward.

As hard as it is, maybe Stephen was brought into your life so that you can always lift him up to pray for him throughout his lifetime.

I am just praying God's best for you right now.

CA Momma said...

Just came across your blog.

I know it is hard but I agree with susan and the hollands. You are right... you will come home to an empty nusery.

Give it some time. I am sending you guys positive thoughts.

Maggie said...

Oh, Dawn, I'm just heartbroken for you. After I lost Peanut I at least was able to take my time letting him go. Having to see another child on the same day... I can't imagine.

You've struggled so hard to become parents, I truly hope you can find your way to accepting another child. But I can only imagine your grief and conflict. I'll stand behind no matter what you choose.

Deb said...

Dawn, I'm so sorry to hear about this. I will be praying for both of you.

U.N. Mama said...

Just found your blog through Suz, and wanted to let you know I am praying tonight for you! Please know you are covered in prayer all over the states tonight!
I will be praying for your husband and I do pray that you are able to move on with the child God has for you.

Chris Goeppner said...

Dear Joe and Dawn,
My heart breaks for you. I can't imagine the heartache you must be experiencing. Please know that I will be praying for you and the very important decisions you will be making regarding your future. May God give you the peace that surpasses all understanding and may He wrap His loving arms around you right now.
-Penny

Esther said...

Again, you are in my prayers. I forgot to mention earlier, we traveled to Russia, completed our court paperwork, legally changed our little girl's name, etc., yada yada yada, and we lost her.

Yes, empty bedroom, emotionally devastating, financially crushing (especially with international travel as you and I have in common). I realize what you are going thru is devastating and you are so correct and valid in everything you say. This just happened to us less than a year ago, so very fresh in our memory. That child is not just replaced.....you are wise and correct. You will have another child and you will always remember Stephen.

Best wishes.

Corey, Erik, Siena & Alistair Halls said...

I'm crying as I type. We lost our referral of two months after her birthmother came back for her. I had eye ticks and almost felt like passing out several times a day from the anxiety. It's NOTHING compared to what you're going through. On the day they called to tell us our beloved Katya would not be our daughter they asked us if we wanted another little girl referral. How do you think about another child while in such an emotional mental state? However, I reasoned (keeping the heart out of it) that our goal was a healthy infant. We said we would look at the other girl referral. We did and our hearts felt dead. But we let our heads take over and had her medical and video evaluated. Our Dr. gave us a go and we said yes to her, still with our hearts not in it. We met her, and well, she is our lovely, perfect, 3-year-old daughter today.

I guess I'm telling you you're probably going to have to think with your logical head, not your heart right now.

You probably thought your child would come from your body and he didn't. You thought this child you were visiting in Kaz would be your child and he won't be. I guess you're just going to have to trust that the child who is actually meant to be your child will find you where and when he was meant to.

My thoughts are with you and your husband during this extremly difficult time.

Corey Halls
challs@comcast.net

Susan said...

I found your blog through Suz's and reading your news broke my heart. I pray that God will give you the strength to see this through. So many people have left such gracious words and I only echo them.

God bless.

Susan

JR's Mom said...

Dawn and Joe -

This is heartbreaking, but you will get through this. I have a friend who had a similar experience - although the birthmother in her case appeared before the two weeks visitation, so she had not had as much time to bond as you had with Stephen. She persevered and brought home a lovely baby girl who is now 3 years old and very much part of her family and her heart.

We still think about the referral we turned down (is he okay, did he find forever family) so I'm sure that Stephen will live in your hearts forever - but the amazing thing about our hearts is that they have infinite capacity to love. So cry, grieve, but do not give up hope that God has a child waiting for you and that you will find your child soon.

Heidi said...

I cannot imagine the emotions you are going through right now. I'm sure it is difficult for both of you to look at other children now. Just remember- bonding takes time, no matter what the situation. It took us a few months until we felt Elijah had truly bonded to us. I guess what I am saying is don't worry if the "love at first sight" feelings aren't there. Love takes time, and time heals all/(most) wounds. I'll be praying for you.

Hannah's Mom said...

Dawn,

I'm so very sorry for your loss. While there are no words that will take away the pain you are feeling, please know that we are praying that God will give you comfort, grace, and strength sufficient to carry you through this.

I know your journey has been tough, but please try not to let this stop you from realizing your dream of becoming parents.

Regina
Mom to Hannah a.8.26.04

Calico Sky said...

I can't imagine what you are going through. I am so sorry. What about the 2 kazak babies you mentioned? Are they not available either? I can't imagine how hard this is for you. I hope that you have your child soon...

Wendy said...

Dawn, I don't even know what to say as I have never know the pain of losing a child! My heart goes out to you! My family and I will be praying!