the database

The Russian database for orphans is a huge Russian website that lists many many children that are up for adoption. I find this a little odd since Russia is so fussy about not leaking photos of the orphans. I guess they think if the site is in Russian we will leave it be. However, google translate can help you read anything! For a large number of parents adopting, from Russia, this is where you will find a photo of your child at their youngest...unless you are lucky and get one from court or the orphanage.

When we received our first referral, last February, I went straight there to find a picture of his younger self. It was sweet and I recognized him right away. I'll admit I was a little jaded after we lost our referral. I was thrilled he was adopted by a Russian family that also adopted his older brother, but it was still a little of a loss for us.

When we received our current referral I didn't go search for him. When we arrived in Kemerovo, this summer we were taken straight to some adoption worker at some important office building (jet lag and lack of sleep make the details a bit foggy) I can't remember her title, but her job is to look intimidating in a tweet suit, not smile, and check through your paperwork then decide if she is going to give you a referral. She decided we were good enough to be offered a referral then went rambling though his brief medical history and flashed us a small grainy photo and asked if we were interested....um yes!

Tonight, I finally decided to go search for him on the database. I wanted a closer look at that grainy image of his younger self. Besides a photo they have a section that says character. His character description says lively and smiling, well that was the translation according to google. Man, if only the U.S. government could get it together we could be on our way to our seeing our lively and smiling under two year old before he turns eight.