Why Kazakhstan?

We looked at many countries and "Kaz" just seems right for us for many reasons. First, Kazakhstan requires a 14-day bonding period which means we will be required to visit our child for 2 weeks at the orphanage -- 2 hours, twice a day -- to make sure the match is working out. This makes for a longer trip than any other country we considered. While this is difficult in more than one way, we feel it will give us time to learn about our child's birth-country, culture and give us uninterupted time bonding with and learning about our child. We will actually have to travel twice to Kaz; the first trip lasting about 3 weeks and the second trip to bring the baby home lasting about a week. Usually there is 3 or 4 weeks between trips. Some families choose to do it in one trip, but this means being in-country for approximately 7-8 weeks. With our jobs and family, this is not an option for us. We're sure we'll be ready to get back home after 3 plus weeks being away! Another thing we like about Kaz is the ability to travel "blind", that is, without a referral. We will be able to travel there and choose our child from a group of available children. Although, we have heard on many accounts that the child usually picks you, instead of the other way around. From what we can tell, most of the kids seem healthy and transition well once home. This makes sense that the bonding period may help significantly with this transition, even with the month in between trips. As mentioned previously, Kazakhstan is known for it's high standard in child care and the baby houses are impressive in terms of cleanliness and genuine love for the children. Finally, I felt drawn to Kaz for reasons not totally explainable, maybe it is part of a higher plan, not yet revealed, but it definitely feels like the "right place and way" for us to expand our family. Stay tuned for more on our "anticipated" timeline from start to finish.

Fawn