We started our journey in November 2007. We were the proud parents of 3 girls, but felt that our family wasn't quite complete. Since we could no longer have any biological children, and adoption had been something we had considered and talked about for years, we decided that we would complete our family through adoption.
We researched MANY agencies. We like to be very informed before we make a decision that can affect our lives so much. Adoption ARK answered our questions quickly and thoroughly. We felt very comfortable with our final decision of Adoption ARK as our agency.
Throughout the process we continued to be grateful to have such a knowledgeable team helping us prepare our dossier and getting us ready to travel. We received our region assignment to Taraz, Kazakhstan on October 30, 2008. When we finally received our LOI to travel to Taraz in April we were so excited! We were met at the Almaty airport and were driven (all night!) to Taraz. We were well taken care of throughout our stay in Kazakhstan. Our coordinator and translators were very knowledgeable about the process in Taraz and helped us through it very efficiently. We didn't always know what was going on, but it was obvious they did!
We met our daughter on April 19, 2009. Our first trip was 28 days. Our second trip for court was mid June and only lasted 1 week. We returned July 19th to bring her home and were in Taraz and Almaty a total of 2 weeks. Since we brought her home almost 3 months ago she has gained almost 5 pounds, learned to walk and run, and is very healthy. We were told at the baby house that she was a premature baby, had had pneumonia at age 2 months, and had a failure to thrive, physical developmental delays, and neurological psychosis. She is now very healthy! A few months of good food, vitamins and lots of love have turned her into a different child! She is very different from the shy, quiet, reserved little girl we brought home in July. She is an active and energetic toddler who loves chasing after her sisters.
Please feel free to use us as a reference or refer people to our blog! We can't thank you enough!
Kara and Quentin Docter