Love At First Sight

Adam Sodowick and Isabelle Lousada of Lincoln were familiar with international adoption since bringing home their children Iris and Joey from Vietnam. The couple looked to Ethiopia for daughter Tessa.

Adam Sodowick and Isabelle Lousada on meeting Tessa

"We were let in, and everyone was still asleep or just starting to wake up. We were ushered to a room while one of the nannies went to get Tessa up and dress her. I had hoped that we could just look in and see her sleeping, but they wanted to get her dressed to meet us. After what felt like an eternity she was brought in by the nanny and left with us. It is hard to imagine how terrifying for her it must have been. She knew that I was going to take her away. She was very shy and guarded. A beautiful little girl with braided hair and enormous eyes. She stared at the ground, and took a few brave sideways glances at us. The relief and excitement I felt that this perfect little beautiful person was my new daughter. For the last 24 hours in Ethiopia I took custody of her. We stayed in a fabulous hotel, she lapped up the luxury, slept curled up in my arms, paddling in the swimming pool and laughing and flirting with all the attention she got from everyone."

Tracy on meeting Zari

"The orphanage was very small, you could see that the staff was excited that her new parents had arrived and they brought me into a room and showed me my daughter. I had some pictures … and was able to spot her amongst the other children. She was very tiny, and not a smiling child at all. She did not want to be held and wanted nothing to do with me. She actually screamed her head off when I held her. So I didn't push it, I just hung out in the room with the nannies and kids, and I had brought some toys so that helped. She was quite shy compared to the other children. After a while we all went outside … and then at one point I held out my hand and she took it and we walked into the main house where they had a living room area and played quietly with toys with her. THEN she let me hold her, and eventually she fell asleep in my arms for at least one hour, which was awesome. She was tiny, stubborn, and at first very sad … but we were able to get her to smile and laugh fairly quickly."

Alison Noyce on meeting Jemberu

"He knew we were on our way and he was waiting. He stood under lines of drying clothes. He was wearing the Red Sox shirt we had sent to him. He ran to us as soon as he spotted us ... and he took one nervous look and kept running right into the arms of the guard who stood at the gate. Jemberu was clearly excited and nervous ... just like his new parents. I went to him and hugged him; there was no hesitation in his strong hug back. He hugged Kurt too and, like his older brother, bonded with his new dad by kicking the soccer ball with him. It was the exact same instant love and awe that we felt when our girls were born and when we met Mikias. We felt enormously blessed. Jemberu was very possessive of us. When the other children were around us he spoke to them strongly ... although we couldn't understand him, he was clearly lecturing them and telling them to get away from us. He needed to be touching one of us at all times. He loved being held and carried by us. Jemberu had waited quite a while for a family and he clearly was thrilled that his turn had finally come. As we were with Mikias, we were taken with how handsome Jemberu was. The photos, while great, didn't do him justice."

-- As told to Freelance Writer Jamie Bosso 

Assessing the Health of the Child

Among the many issues parents need to consider in planning for international adoption, health concerns are paramount.

All countries with available children must provide medical reports and as Vicki Peterson at Wide Horizons for Children, in Waltham, points out, "parents here need to expect that health care in other places is not as good as here and we need to appreciate the risks. But dealing with health issues is part of being a parent."

The majority of children placed are healthy and have the potential for well-being even if there are treatable conditions to address.

Adopting parents agree that finding an agency with a good history of placing healthy children is a top priority, along with choosing a pediatrician who is experienced in dealing with children in the country you're considering.

Still, it can be disconcerting and even frightening to learn that you might have to be prepared to accept a referral of a child who may have suffered from malnutrition, HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis.

Here are some medical resources that will help you find answers to your questions:

• Laurie C. Miller, MD: Dr. Miller is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the International Adoption Clinic at Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston. http://www.tufts-nemc.org/OurServices/SpecialServicesandCenters/InternationalAdoptionClinicResearch/InternationalAdoptionClinicResearch

• Lisa H. Albers Prock, MD, MPH: Dr. Albers Prock is Director of the Adoption Program in the Developmental Behavioral Pediatric Services area of Children's Hospital in Boston. http://children.photobooks.com/directory/profile.asp?dbase=main&setsize=5&last=Albers&pict_id=9901160

• Boris Skurkovich, M.D.: Dr. Skurkovich is the Director of the International Adoption Clinic at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. http://adoptionsinternational.com

• Carol Cohen Weitzman, MD, FAAP: Dr. Cohen Weitzman is Director of the Yale International Adoption Clinic in New Haven, Connecticut http://www.yalepediatrics.org/adoption/index.html

Ethiopian Adoption Resources

• As one of the few agencies accredited by the Ethiopian government to assist with adoption, Wide Horizons for Children is the best first step to learning more. The Ethiopian program is based in Waltham, and agency's Web site features an informative webinar to help begin any journey to Ethiopia. Learn more at www.whfc.org

• For general information on Ethiopian adoption, adoptive families, travel and tourism visit www.ethiopia.adoption.com

• For insight into what help the U.S. State Department can offer regarding international adoptions, visit travel. state.gov/family/adoption/adoption_ 485.html

• For an overview on Ethiopian adoption from Adoptive Families, the award-winning national adoption magazine, visit www.adoptivefamilies.com/ethiopia_adoption.php