Family Stories

Shawn and Melissa Tyrrell



After years of infertility we decided to adopt. I am not sure why it took so long to make the decision and looking back we wished we would have made the move sooner, some children are born in the heart instead of from the womb. We have a great marriage, a wonderful home, and very caring friends and family - shame on us for not sharing that with a child that needs a home.

 

The day before Thanksgiving in 2004 our journey sped up. We received a call from our social worker - she had a referral for us! We were so excited. We jotted down the information and started on a trip to my parents house for the holiday. We had our social worker e-mail the picture and detailed medical to my parents' home. We tried not to get too excited on our trip as we waited for the details. When we arrived at my parents and opened the e-mail we saw our future son. The minute we saw him he was ours.  His baby picture was identical to my husbands - something we were not expecting. At that moment we just knew.

 

We waited anxiously for word of our first trip but learned that it would not be in February 2005 due to the new data bank law changes. Still, we plugged on knowing that he would be ours. The holidays kept us busy and before we knew it it was time to go. We got three weeks notice for our first trip and on March 26, 2005, we boarded an Aeroflot flight for Moscow then on to the snowy Artic Circle - Arkhangelsk, Russia.

 

When we arrived at the orphanage we were amazed. The facility was well run and the children were cared for attentively. When the caretakers brought Eli into the room, he immediately smiled and took right to us, something else we were not expecting. During the week we became attached to the little boy soon to be our son. We returned home and even more anxiously waited for the call for our second trip.

 

The time between our first and second trip seemed to drag on and on. We have to admit it was very hard waiting every day for the infamous phone call. Looking back we wish we would have done more with that time.

 

We returned for our second trip in July 2005. It was almost four months between our trips and we wondered if Eli would remember us. He was now walking and into everything. It took him a few minutes but he suddenly lit up and smiled - it was almost like we hadn't left.

 

We were very nervous for court but it lasted only about an hour and the judge pronounced Eli ours. We were overjoyed, and suddenly the end seemed in sight. Our second trip was very long - 12 days. The first week seemed to go by quickly but after that we were all ready to go home. Spending two weeks in a foreign country with a baby was tough, and the 11 hour plane ride home was even worse. Finally on July 20, 2005, we arrived at the airport in the United States. We were never so happy to be home. We had a welcoming party at the airport and even though Eli hadn't slept in almost 24 hours he was all smiles.

 

The first week after we arrived home was a big adjustment. We kept telling everyone that Eli is doing great but we are exhausted. I guess he made the adjustment better than we did. Today he is toddling around and into everything. It seems like he is growing every day.

 

Our journey was a long one, but now, all of the paperwork, frustration, waiting and wondering is over and faded into a distant memory. We couldn't be happier. Cradle had us well prepared for everything overseas and our paperwork was in order. We often say that Eli was ours from the beginning, God just made a mistake and delivered him to the wrong person - we just had to find him. Cradle helped us do just that.