Douglas and Cheralynn
Fairfield, CA
Adoption completed in April 2004
cabbott@pivotalresources.com

   It is with great pleasure that I share our adoption story and our experience with Alaska International Adoptions.

   It was summer 2003 when my husband and I began discussing Int'l adoption as a means to growing our family. We are incredibly blessed to have 3 wonderful biological sons. You guessed it - we longed to have a little girl to finish our family! With so many children around the world needing families, we decided to adopt. It didn't take long realize our daughter was in Russia, but finding an agency proved a bit more difficult. After extensive research and communications with other adoptive families we chose AIA from a very long list. AIA was the only agency I felt 100% comfortable with from the very beginning. I couldn't find any negative experiences regarding their services and I trusted Olga from the first moment I talked with her. She didn't make lofty promises or sugar coat things. She was honest and up front about the process and that was exactly what I was looking for.

   And so the journey officially began. We applied in September 03 and began our home study at the same time. By early December 03 we were in Russia meeting our beautiful little girl. Madison had spent her entire childhood in Khabarovsk Baby Home #2. She was just 18 months old when we first met. We knew she was ours within the first five minutes of meeting her. There was just something about her that grabbed us. In April 04, we returned to Russia and brought her home. During both trips, we were very well taken care by Alaska's wonderful in-country staff. Every little detail was taken care of. I never had to worry about anything as Olga and/or the staff in Russia let us know exactly what to do, how to do it and when to do it. Even Andrei in Moscow was the picture of organization - we breezed in and our of medical appointment and our Embassy Interview while I watched frazzled parents anxiously filling out papers or not knowing what to do. Throughout the process, Olga kept us well informed about our case and everything that was happening. Things can be unpredictable at times so I appreciated being in the know. It really made a world of difference.

   We are home now and our family is finally complete! We have a daughter who is an absolute joy and our boys finally have a sister. Madison fits in so well with our family... I can hardly remember life before her. She has been doing wonderful since day day one! While there have been challenges along the way, the rewards are far greater. In the first month alone I've seen her change from the reserved child we met in the orphanage to the happy, loving and outgoing child she is today.

   I would recommend Alaska International without any reservation at all! I think they are the best and I am thankful each and every day we chose them to make our adoption dreams come true. Thank you to Olga, Irina, Natasha, Alex, Lena and Andrei for all of your hard work!

Troy and Heather
State of Oregon.
Adoption completed in June 2004 in Sakhalin

   My husband Troy and I started our adoption journey about fifteen months ago. We began to research the different options. We knew from the beginning that we wanted to go overseas. We looked into several different areas but felt most attracted to Russia. We knew we would want to try to adopt more than one child at the same time. Russia seemed to have the best opportunity for that. I did some research on the Internet searching for an agency. Once I had a small list of agencies I began to call. The first time I talked with Natalia from Alaska International I knew this was the agency we would use.
Natalia seemed to have a greater knowledge of the whole adoption process in Russia. That was only my first impression. It only got better from there. She was so professional to work with. She made things as easy as possible. She was great at answering all of our questions and helping us through the paperwork. I remember thinking the paperwork would never end but it did.

   We had requested two boys under the age of three, brothers if possible. I really didn't figure they would find us brothers. In February of 2004 Natalia called us to ask if we might consider older children because the coordinator in Russia was having trouble finding us the younger two. We talked it over and decided our minds were set. The very next day Natalia called us to tell us they had found us brothers one three the other thirteen months. Their names were Maxim and Nikolai. We were so happy. We wrote our acceptance letter the next day.

   We started on the court dossier right away. We were hoping to go get the boys as soon as possible. We finished the court dossier on May 4th. We did not expect to go to Russia until the end of June and possibly not until July. My husband and I are lucky to be Christians and to have many family and friends who also are. We all prayed for the process to speed up. Maxim was going to turn four on June 14th and I really wanted to be with him by that time. I trusted the Lord would take care of it and he did. We received a call from Natalia that our court date would be June 15th. We were thrilled. We started to work on the travel arrangements. Then we got a call and our court date had been changed to June 9th.

   Natalia found us a wonderful travel agent in Seattle who we worked with to get our Visa's and travel arrangements.

   We left on June 5th from Portland, Oregon. We flew to Seattle and then caught a plane for Seoul, Korea. The flight to Korea was about 10 hours. We flew Asiana Airlines and spent that night in Seoul. The next day we flew from Seoul to Sakhalin on Asiana Airlines. It was about a three-hour flight.
The first day we saw the boys was June 7th. We were so excited. The boys were both a little shy at first but it didn't take long for them to warm up. We brought some small gifts for each of them and within twenty minutes they were both playing with us. We went outside and played. Later we went back and visited more. We also went and got their passport pictures taken. It was a great day. The next day we didn't get to see the boys because it was our court date. I was so relieved when the judge said she was giving us the boys.

   Later we were able to pick up the boys and take them to our hotel. The first two days in the hotel our youngest son was very quiet. The oldest was a firecracker from the beginning. Troy and I had learned a little Russian and thank goodness. We were able to understand most of what he was saying. He just talks and talks and talks. He also loves music. The little one after the couple of days started to babble and he also loves music.
We flew to Moscow. The flight to Moscow was about nine hours. Unfortunately Nikolai decided it was a prime opportunity to push through a new tooth. It was a pretty hard flight. We were very thankful to get to Moscow. Our interpreter met us at the airport. He was fantastic. The driver was also wonderful. Both were so helpful with the children, luggage and anything else we needed. We were looking forward to the hotel because we had booked the Marriott. At last, American style accommodations. It was like a little piece of heaven. We were close to everything that we wanted to see. Moscow is a beautiful city. We went to Red Square and walked around many other parts of the city. The boys loved riding in their stroller. In fact we could hardly get them out of it. They always wanted to go. Our hotel in Moscow was $199.00 per night. This also included breakfast. This breakfast was a wonderful buffet.
The day of our doctor's visit we were picked up in the lobby. Our interpreter went with us. The doctor said they were both healthy boys. She said Nikolai was a big boy. I agreed since he often wants me to carry him. Later that day we went to the embassy. The embassy visit was very smooth. It took no time at all. The Moscow team really does a fantastic job.
A few days later we were on our way home. We flew from Moscow to Prague then on to New York. The flight from Moscow to Prague was about 3 hours. From Prague to New York was 9 hours and New York to Seattle was 6 hours. We traveled on Czech Airlines from Prague to New York. I would highly recommend them. They cater to families. They gave us diapers for Nikolai and toys for Maxim. It was a great flight. Both kids slept most of the way. (Our total cost for the flights home was $2407.35.)

   We have been home now for two weeks. We love our boys. They have just adjusted wonderfully. It was even better than I expected. If I go again I will be using Alaska International. They made everything so easy. I was never stressed out because I knew everything either was or would be taken care of. Natalia was so wonderful to work with. I now feel like I have a new friend in her. I cannot say enough for her and Alaska International. We spoke with other parents in Moscow who had used other agencies and they did not have such an easy time. A lot of them were in country for a month or more. I would highly recommend Alaska International Adoption agency.

Troy and Heather.

Toby and Michael
State Ohio,
second adoption finished in Magadan
on July 23, 2004

   In July 2004, we completed our adoption trip to Magadan. We have now traveled to Sakhalin (1999) and Magadan (2004) to adopt our daughters. Both trips went perfectly! What a great job Natalia Kokaurova and everyone at Alaska International and in Russia did. Everything went as scheduled with no surprises or unexpected expenses. The Marriott in Moscow was a wonderful place to stay. We met many families there who were adopting. All of them had stories to tell of problems with their adoption agency's communication and paperwork (some causing long delays in their adoptions!). We felt very happy that we had no such problems at all with Alaska International. For us, everything went as stated in our contract and as scheduled for our trip.

   The best part of all is the wonderful daughter who came home with us. She is 10 years old and was required to go to court to declare that she wanted to be adopted. When the judge asked her if she understood all that adoption meant, she said yes. She said she would miss her friends but she wanted a family of her own! She liked her mother, sister, and especially her new father. She has been true to her words. She is a loving, happy, light hearted child. She is adjusting well at home and at school. Her teacher tells me that everyone in her class loves her and wants to help her. We feel so fortunate to now have added two wonderful daughters to our family.