FAQ #2

We're frequently asked "Why Ethiopia?" which is a very valid question considering there are tons of options out there, everything from going through additional IF treatments in hopes of having a biological child to becoming foster parents. There's no real answer other that it felt right, but here are some thoughts:

1. Additional fertility probing ceased to be an option. It's a very personal thing that's hard to articulate, but we just felt the toll on ourselves and our relationship was too great. We stopped at a logical fork in the road. Had we continued I'm not sure we would have quit, which is too painful to even begin to think about. Secondly, from the moment Tim and I started talking about marriage and kids, which wasn't too far into our now seven-year relationship considering we moved in together eight months after we first met, we talked about adoption. We always knew adoption would be part of our life, we just didn't know when.

2. For various reasons, many of which are simply in our head, we didn't feel comfortable with domestic adoption.

3. Thus, we wanted to adopt from a country that took wonderful care of their children and that we could travel to, and Ethiopia fit the bill. These folks love children. In every picture the agency's sent us the staff is obviously smitten with these kids... trust me, it's not a publicity shot. Additionally, Ethiopia has a beautiful history and culture. And most importantly, these children need loving homes.

4. (Cue Stevie Wonder's "We Are the World") I grew up watching the famines of Ethiopia on the evening news and always wondered why we couldn't just bring a child to our house and feed them? When I found out that Ethiopia embraced adoption by Americans (few African countries do) I was so jazzed. - Sarah