Adoption Series 2015 - Koren and Chris- International Adoption

Our guests today on the blog are a young couple that grew their family through international adoption.  They made the journey to Korea after waiting a long time.  The following post is authentic in facts and emotions and I appreciate them being willing to share their story with us.  

I'd like to introduce you to Koren, Chris, and their son Logan.  

Koren and Chris' story began back in their college days, which eventually led them to be married in 2005.  After three years into the marriage they decided it was time to grow their family!  For a year they attempted to became pregnant which was not successful.  They met with a fertility doctor. Koren would not be able to carry a child without assistance.  They attempted three times, using all the eggs gathered to become pregnant through IVF.  This was not successful so rather than gamble, they chose to make their way into the land of adoption!

Koren shared with me that they chose international adoption because they felt leery of the US adoption process. The other reason is that they did not want to share their child.  She wanted their child to be fully a part of their family.  I commend Koren for being honest and sharing her true feelings.  Koren and Chris were truthful from the beginning and stayed the course to what they knew was right for their family.  Each family and what works for them is different.  

Choosing South Korea for an international adoption was done so because at the time there was not a long waiting period.  The children are placed in foster care at the beginning of their lives.  The thought is that while they will be attached to their foster parents, they are given all the love and attention they need and it's an easier transition.  This in comparison to orphanages that is.

Logan was six months old when Koren and Chris signed up for the program.  The process was to take a year and a half and for an additional fee they could have someone from Korea accompany him over here to the United States.  

After a few months in, the process Korea had in place changed.  The entire  process was shut down while Korea re-wrote the rules.  They were finally informed that Korea had decided to add a few more steps.  Not only would social workers there be reviewing the files more thoroughly, but after their approval the file would be sent to a family law judge in Korea for review! There were a great deal of people  waiting for their paperwork to be approved and then also for a court date.  The court dates were only done twice a week and they only had two judges!

Another change in the course of this families adoption journey was that they would have to travel to Korea twice.  On the first trip they met their child and then would go to the court date where the judge would ask them a series of questions.  Most wait times for approval were two weeks.

From the time they signed up with the adoption agency to when they actually brought Logan home it was a two year wait.  Logan came home with them when he was 2.5 years old. That was December of 2014.

Adoption is not always an easy journey as we can see from Koren and Chris' story.  The stress levels were increased by the change of S. Korea policies and the wait time in any adoption is hard.  But they made their way through and it created a family with a beautiful little boy they can call their own!

Be sure to check out Wednesday's post where we share some advice that Koren offers when adopting!

Thanks for stopping by!
Julie