It began like all adoptive families’ journey.  It started from search for an agency. The first seminar we went to was Adoption Pros’ seminar on International adoptions. We knew that day that Larissa was the one to help us on our quest to become parents. She was warm and caring yet very knowledgeable. It was a perfect combination. We also felt that she was easy to talk to and open to answering any questions we had. Throughout our “paper chase” and the days leading up to travel she was always available. That meant so much to us. We really can't say enough about how happy we were to have chosen Adoption Pros.

We began the paper work in the fall of 2003. Then the waiting began. We were told that the wait would be approximately 8-10 months. But we were pleasantly surprised to learn that China was trying to speed up the process and our wait from the time our dossier was sent until we got the
phone call was only 6 months!  We'll never forget that day that Larissa called. October 13th at 4:27 pm we learned that we were the parents of a beautiful 6 and a half month old baby girl named Ruo Yu Lu waiting for us in Nanfeng. I could hardly speak! Larissa was kind enough to email me all of the information and said that she would email pictures as soon as she could. Getting those pictures was just so incredible. We stared at them endlessly and could hardly believe that such a precious child was ours.

In the days leading up to travel, we were concerned about the trip. Would the guides be there to meet us at the airport? Would we have any trouble with the language barrier? So many questions and so many worries! Larissa assured us many times that we did not have to worry about a thing. We would have the best group of guides and facilitators in China. She could not have been more right! When we landed in Beijing, our guide was there with a sign waiting for us. There was never a time that we were without a guide willing to help us with whatever we needed. Day or night they were there for us. They are a wonderful group of people and their love for the children is obvious.

Our sightseeing trip in Beijing was awesome. The sights there are amazing and it was wonderful to get to know our travel group. On December12th we left Beijing to go to Nanchang to get our babies. The anticipation was something you have to experience to fully understand. On the morning of the 13th we all traveled by bus to the office where the babies would be. The moment our Kathryn was put in our arms was just...well, there are no words. She was the most beautiful, healthy baby we could have ever dreamed of. All of our wishes had come true. The many years of longing for a child were over. All of the waiting and the days of paper chasing were a distant memory. I had been told that the minute that child is given to you, you forget all   the     heartache. It's so true! We were a family and we couldn't have been happier.

The remaining days of our visit to China were filled with sightseeing, getting to know our babies and getting to know their culture so we can share it with them when they are older. We learned so much and, oh my gosh, the shopping! The hotels were more beautiful than we could have imagined. We truly had the trip of a lifetime and hope to take Katie back when she is older. We were given the option of visiting the orphanage while we were there. Even though Katie had been in foster care from the age of 2 weeks, I decided to take her anyway. I'm so thankful that I did.

Her foster mother was there. It turned out to be one of the most emotional days of my life. To meet her and to be able to talk to her with the help of our guides was an incredible opportunity that I am very thankful for. I was able to thank her for loving our little Katie and for giving her such a great start in life. In turn, she was able to tell me that she was happy that her little Ruo Yu would have so many opportunities in America that she simply wouldn't have had in China. I'll never forget the sad look on her face as we left. We have many pictures of that day and lots of video footage to share with Katie.

We have had Kathryn Li Yu for one month now and it seems she has been with us forever. She has brought us more joy than we ever could have imagined. She is happy, healthy and the answer to our prayers.

Thank you, Larissa, for playing such a big part in making our family whole. You will always have a special place in our hearts.

Sincerely,
Karen, Tom and Katie