Our Decision to Adopt

By Andry & Ursulyn H.

We are the Harrigans and this is our story.

After our first son A'shon was born in 1996, we tried several times again to conceive another child. Unfortunately, one pregnancy ended in a miscarriage and the other four were ectopic pregnancies which had to be terminated. We had no luck over the next couple of years and finally decided to adopt in 2007 after deciding against in-vitro fertilization and any more fertility treatments.

We heard about Wide Horizons through a co-worker who had adopted two girls from Korea and chose the Domestic program. We chose this program because we felt that children in the U.S. needed parents just as much as children abroad. We were really hoping to adopt a child from Connecticut so that we wouldn't be away from our son for any extended period of time.

Slowly, we began to fill out the paperwork and started the process. Having one person take the lead worked well for us. We were able to complete everything in a timely fashion without too much impact on our weekly routine. Setting aside specific time during the week was key to our success. We kept our family and friends informed and couldn't wait for that phone call.

In August 2007, the phone call came. A birthparent read our profile and selected us to be the adoptive parents for her newborn son. It is difficult to describe all of the feelings we experienced and what went through our minds at the time.

Shortly after the phone call, we met the birthmother. We were excited but nervous at the same time. Meeting the birthmother was a wonderful experience. It gave us a chance to ask and answer questions. We also took the opportunity to visit our son at his foster parents' home before we brought him home. He was so adorable and we immediately fell in love with him. We could hardly wait for the coming weekend to bring him home.

One week later we brought Aaron home. This was a nervous time for us as we chose to bring him home before the adoption was final. Before we knew it, time went by abd we completed the balance of the requirements to finalize the adoption in April 2008. It took a little over a year from the time we started the paperwork to the time the adoption became final.

Looking back, we would do it all over again. It has been a joy to have Aaron in more ways than one. Aaron has acclimated well into our interracial family and we feel he will continue to do well. Aaron, who is now 20 months old, is now a big brother.

After trying for so many years, we conceived Aidan naturally which was quite a surprise because we were not trying to have another baby. We see it as a nother blessing and gift from God that we have to be thankful for. One can say that we were somehow rewarded for adopting Aaron.

Today, we couldn't be happier with our decision to adopt. It's a wonderful act to open your heart, family, and friends to a child that needs love and care. Our families and friends love Aaron and he is a part of our family as if we conceived and gave birth to him. We continue to send pictures and write to Aaron's birthmother and hope that one day Aaron and his birthmother and sister can reunite.