With five children, our home was busy and full. We enjoyed life and loved spending each day growing and learning together as a family. However, even with a full house, we felt like something or someone was missing. Adoption was not new to our family. We had adopted one of our beautiful daughters from Kazakhstan almost 10 years ago. The feeling that we were missing a family member became overwhelming and we knew that it was time to search for our child.
Knowing that it is often difficult for children with special needs to find their forever families, we desired to open our hearts and home to one of these precious children. We began to look at lists of medical and cognitive disabilities that children who are waiting to be adopted could possibly have. We examined what we truly love about being parents. As most parents, we love the innocence of a child, the unconditional love that they show others, and watching them marvel at the world around them as they learn and grow daily. We realized that the qualities that we most loved about children were especially magnified in children with Down Syndrome. We began searching waiting child lists on the internet for children with Down Syndrome and very quickly found our son, Jacob, in an orphanage in China. Upon seeing his picture, there was an instant connection with this sweet little boy and we approached our children to get their feelings on bringing him to our home. We explained to them what it would be like to have a sibling with Down Syndrome—the difficult and the wonderful. Each of our children indicated that they knew that there would be difficult times, but that they very much wanted Jacob to join our forever family.
Jacob has been home for close to six months now and it has truly been a wonderful time for our family. He bonded with us immediately and absolutely adores his brothers and sisters, as they do him. He feels loved and is so quick to return that love. We have been pleasantly surprised at the ease in which Jacob was absorbed into our family, community, and culture. His personality is so endearing and we adore the special qualities that he has that are associated with his Down Syndrome. Jacob has taught our family to relish in the simple things of life. He has taught us about unconditional love and trust. He has taught us to have joy in the experiences of everyday. 
Our children are more patient, loving, and kind because of him. They have learned to see the world through Jacob’s eyes and therefore have more joy and happiness. They have learned of the blessing it is to have the close association of someone with special needs and that those special individuals have so much to offer us. Jacob is a “superglue” that has bonded our family in a way that only he could and we will be forever grateful that he is our son.Now we are anxiously working to bring Michael home--Jacob's best friend from their orphanage in China. Despite Michael's special needs, Michael cared for Jacob and watched out for him like a big brother during their time together in the orphanage. Now it is time for Michael and Jacob to become true brothers by bringing Michael home to our forever family.
