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Bringing Sarah home

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tammie Moore
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  As one mother in China prays for a good life for the baby girl she cannot keep, thousands of miles away, an American mother in Germany is praying for the same baby girl she hopes to hold. They're both praying for Sarah.

Seven years before Sarah was born, Master Sgt. Allen and Dawn Orahood had two boys and another on the way. Dawn always dreamed of a large family and a daughter to adorn in dresses and ribbons. During her third pregnancy; however, the Orahoods learned Dawn would not be able to have any more biological children. So shortly after their son's birth, they began talking about adoption to complete their family.

Both came from large families, a tradition they wished to continue. Dawn grew up in a family of six and Sergeant Orahood's family had five members.

Researching the options

The Orahoods spent numerous hours on the Web researching adoption and, based on what they learned about adoption laws, decided to adopt a daughter from China. A typical adoption from China at the time took about eight-to-nine months.

There were several Web sites they found helpful in their information quest including support groups for adopting and another that helped coordinate their two-week trip to China to bring Sarah home. They also found organizations online that provided grants to help alleviate the cost of adoptions, as well as learning about financial institutions offering loans specifically for adoptions.

"There are numerous organizations out there you can apply to get grants from, you just need to do a little research," said Sergeant Allen, a load standardization crew chief assigned to the 52nd Maintenance Group here.

Besides looking online, the Orahoods also did research by talking to other people who adopted and what their adoption experiences were.

"Their stories and support put us at ease and gave us a good feel for what we would go through," Dawn said.

Taking the next step

The couple started the adoption application process in August 2005; however, because of a backlogged adoption system in China, the nine-month point in the adoption process came and passed, followed by more waiting.

The Orahoods said that the paperwork -- some of which they had to complete and pay for more than once -- was actually not the most frustrating part of the process; it was uncertainty that loomed over them.

And then the long wait...

"That time was the most challenging part," Dawn said. "Once we got the referral, time went by fast. In March we got a photo of Sarah. That made it all seem surreal. When we finally got the call that we had a daughter, the past 26 months just melted away. All we could think was 'We have a daughter. We really have a daughter.'"

After they received their referral, the Orahoods were put into contact with the other 11 families who would be traveling with them to China to finalize their adoptions.

"By the time we all met, we already knew each other fairly well," Allen said. "We also have very close friends stationed at Luke (Air Force Base, Ariz.,) who have four adopted children -- one of whom is also from China -- so we were in constant contact with them for advice and support."

Everyone in the Orahood family was thrilled at the thought of having a baby girl in the family.

"All three boys were excited from the very start, and at the same time were getting discouraged at how long it was taking to get her," Sergeant Orahood said. "They couldn't understand why it was taking so long.

After a while, he said they started wondering if Sarah was really ever going to come.
Once word came that Sarah was coming, "Caleb, our oldest, stated that he 'hoped that she would be a 'girly-girl' wanting to wear dresses and do 'girly' things because he already has two brothers and if she was tom-boy, it would be like having another brother.'"

Preparing for the arrival

Like with the birth of a new baby, part of the preparation process for the Orahoods was to pick out a name for their perfectly chubby-cheeked baby.

"All of our children's names came from the Bible and all of them have an 'A' for their middle initial: Caleb Allen, Joshua Adam, Daniel Aaron and Sarah AlisonMei," Sergeant Orahood said. "We capitalized both the 'A' and 'M' in Sarah's name because in Chinese, Mei-mei means Little Sister."

Even before being notified of their referral, the Orahoods had begun preparing for the arrival of their daughter.

"It's different preparing for a one-year old than preparing for a newborn," Dawn said. "With a newborn, your wait is seven-to-eight months after you find out you're pregnant, but with our adoption, our wait started out at eight-to-nine months and lasted 26 months. During that time, we tried to get familiar with her birth country and its customs. We also read about different things that she may experience, such as Reactive Attachment Disorder, which is a bonding issue some children experience who have been adopted. Sarah bonded with us by the next day, but some of the families in our group had a rough time for the first three to four days."

When the Orahoods boarded the plane to meet their daughter, they both said a million different thoughts raced through their minds. But, they said they felt excitement and disbelief that their dream was finally coming true.

Love at first sight

Even though there is no way Sarah could have known, the moment the Orahoods put their final signature on her adoption paperwork, the toddler's life would never be the same.

"We were in love with her from the moment we laid eyes on her," Dawn said.

During their stay in China to complete the adoption paperwork, the Orahoods received some unexpected attention.

"We got a lot of strange stares from the local Chinese people when we were traveling with Sarah and our in-country coordinator explained to us that they were wondering why Americans were holding a Chinese baby," Sergeant Orahood said. "Our agency printed up a letter in both English and Chinese that stated we adopted her, we promised to love her forever and never leave her. They were good with that and some even thanked us for adopting her."

When they first picked up Sarah at 13-months old, she was unable to sit herself up or crawl -- a typical baby can sit up alone between seven-to-nine months and begins crawling around six-to-10 months. After working with Sarah for only two weeks, she was sitting up alone and walking with the assistance of others.

"She has adapted very, very well," Dawn said. "We know she understands Chinese; we have a friend who speaks it to her. But she is picking up English words quickly. She is awesome."

When they reflect on the time that the adoption process took, the Orahoods said they realize the wait is what brought this sparkling brown-eyed toddler, who was not even born during the eight-to-nine month wait they originally anticipated, into their lives -- proving to them that good things come to those who wait.

"The most rewarding part is knowing that we were able to make a difference in the life of one child," Dawn said. 

More information 

"There is so much information out there about international adoption," Dawn said. "Each country is different and has different requirements. Anyone interested in more information can contact us directly. We have a wealth of information that is too much for an article. It does cost a lot to adopt, but look at it this way. The cost of adoption is about the same as having a baby without Tricare (or so we've been told). We like to say it's about as much as a new car, only the car will only last five-to-ten years, but a child will be with you for a lifetime."

Local legal offices and the Airman and Family Readiness Centers also have information about adoption.

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