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| IAG Parent Comments |
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This page is dedicated to existing IAG parents and provides them with an opportunity to describe their experiences directly to prospective parents.
Prospective Parents may contact the IAG parents directly, using the email addresses indicated. Existing IAG Parents wishing to add their comments below should email jwilson@iagadoptions.org. Please send your comments attached to the email in Microsoft Word format. Also, if you agree to be contacted directly by prospective parents please indicate the email address you'd like us to print. April 16, 2008 Dear IAG,
Love, The Paylo's
Mary Graber
Dear Mary,
I completed my 3rd placement interview with Steve Malawski Sunday, February 24th. I am sending recent photos of Joseph to accompany the post placement report. We've had a great year. I can't believe it will be two years that we've been a family on March 6th. As much as the time has flown by, it's hard to remember a time without him. I wake up each day so thankful that Joseph is in my life and I am thankful to IAG every day for having made us a family. Joseph and I recently watched his video from Russia. I look at him now and it's hard to believe he is the same child in the video. Thank you and everyone at IAG for what you do to bring families together. Sincerely, Stacy Benson December 2006 It is hard to believe that six months have passed since we first brought Slava home. It has been an amazing time watching our son as he has grown in our family. He is an extraordinary boy. He loves to be read to, he loves to sing, and he loves to be cuddled. He also loves to play anything with this brother and sisters. His personality is like his eyes - they both sparkle and capture your heart. We often reminisce about the manner in which he came into our family. We remember fondly our first meeting at IAG, especially the time spent with you. We really appreciate the time you took to get to know our family, and truly believed you would find our son. It is true that our adoption path was not what we thought it would be initially, due to circumstances beyond the control of IAG. Our journey was difficult at times. However, we always had faith that IAG would take care of everything that needed to be done to help us bring home our son, wherever he would be. Our trips to St. Petersburg are still the stuff of daydreams. Sometimes we still wonder if it all really happened. Of course, with Slava in our home we know that it did! The days and nights were pure magic, most importantly meeting our son for the first time, but also other things like seeing Swan Lake at the Marinsky and walking the beautiful streets of our son's city of birth. We felt we had such an incredible opportunity to experience the true beauty of the Russian culture that will always be a part of our son. We can tell him how much we loved the people, the culture, and the beauty of his birthplace. We also really appreciate the opportunities we had to visit the baby home where our son was. We were welcomed by staff and caregivers that so obviously had the children's well being as their greatest priority. The director, Dmitri, is an extraordinary man who has done great things for all the children there. We were amazed also by the physical facilities, especially the therapy room, sensory room, and music area. The first time we played music at home, Slava started to dance. He remembered that special time from the baby home. When we brought Slava home, the adoption doctor was surprised that he was developmentally on target in every area, except for a mild speech delay. He continues to amaze us on a daily basis, whether in gymnastics class or learning new words when we read. He also is starting to know his shapes and colors. He is one bright boy! More importantly, he has a kind heart, a gentle soul, and an adventurous spirit. He keeps us laughing every day, and just the other night when Steve leaned in for a goodnight hug and kiss Slava said, "Daddy, I love you!" and the next night he said the same thing to Mommy. It doesn't get any better than that! The entire staff at IAG has been incredibly, but there are two people whom we got to know especially well, and whom we must mention. First of all, Alison has been an incredible source of support during the process, and I know that during some difficult times that could not have been easy for her. She is a true professional, but also knew how to provide a gentle ear when we needed it. She was always honest and upfront, and because of that we trusted her completely. She was the embodiment of everything we had heard that IAG was. In short, the best. We also must mention Andrei, our driver and translator in St. Petersburg. From the moment we met him, it was like an extension of our experience with Alison. He is an absolute professional, and went out of his way, we are certain, to make sure that our time in St. Petersburg went flawlessly. We were able to complete our adoption, as well as get to know the city of St. Petersburg, because of him. He and Alison are incredible assets to IAG. We also understand that you, Larisa, had a serious hand in making sure that our court date was able to happen as scheduled. We were never worried about anything. We knew that IAG would come through for us and for our son. IAG enjoys a reputation as a top adoption agency because it is richly deserved. We can't imagine ever trusting anyone else with something so important. We'll never be able to thank you enough for all that you have done for our family. The entire IAG team will be in our hearts forever. Sincerely,
Spending the time with Evelyn was an amazing experience. We were able to meet her foster mother, whom was another blessing. She took amazing care of Evelyn. Evelyn was home in September of this year at 7-1/2 months. She has only been home with us for two months, yet it seems like she has been with us forever. We can't imagine our family without her. She is our "princess" and big brother and sister adore her. Mary was so wonderful to work with. She always kept in touch via phone or e-mail and responded to any questions and concerns immediately. We can't say enough good things about Mary and IAG and we highly recommend their Guatemala program. Susan Stinson IAG came highly recommended and made it possible for my husband and me to adopt our daughter Ksenia. We brought her home August 27, 2005. She turns 3 on April 9th, is happy and healthy and truly a joy. We consider ourselves very lucky. Ksenia is adjusting extremely well to her new life and rapidly learning the language. The requirement of a personal interview with IAG staff is key. We did not want to work with an adoption agency without first meeting and talking with the agency's representatives. This is a huge step in anyone's life, and prospective parents want and need to feel comfortable with the staff. IAG (through our conversations with Barbara) did an excellent job preparing us for our two trips to St. Petersburg and Moscow and left no details to chance. IAG staff in Russia is exceptional and makes sure you are where you need to be when you need to be there. No question is too insignificant - no concern too trivial. Alison, our case worker, is a true gem. She responds quickly and completely to every question and was critical to the successful completion of our adoption. She understands the emotional roller coaster that is the adoption process and knows just what to say and when to say it. IAG is fortunate to have her. I have agreed to work as a mentor for IAG and look forward to talking about our specific experiences with prospective parents. Adopting dear Ksenia is the best decision my husband and I could make. There is nothing more beautiful than Ksenia's sweet, little voice and her infectious laugh. Life is so very good. Kim Lowry and Bill Neufeld
My husband and I have adopted twice through IAG. We were delighted with our experience and highly recommend IAG to others interested in adopting from Eastern Europe. In 2002, we adopted a son from St. Petersburg, Russia. He was 10 mos. old at the time of placement and in good health. He is a cheerful, clever, curious little charmer. We credit the excellent care he received in St. Petersburg for his sound physical and psychological health. In 2004, we adopted a little girl. She was 13 mos. old, in excellent health, and developmentally on track. Both children continue to do well and are great joys for us and our two older (also adopted) children. You can be confident that IAG will be completely forthright with you throughout the adoption process. This relieves a lot of stress during your wait. Both adoptions were completed under the two-trip system. Although this adds considerable expense and time to the process, the staff in St. Petersburg made the extra time we had available worth the trouble. We were immersed in Russian history and culture. The time in-country is invaluable for connecting with your child's heritage. |
 IAG accredited in Russia | 
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Oh gosh, where do I start? I just want to thank each and every one of you for making our dreams come true. I know there are people behind the scenes that process and interpret paper work and we never meet them. We have two little miracles at home that are true gifts from God. I am only assuming all of you are working on his behalf as angels. All your hard work and dedication has given my husband and I a future we use to only dream about. I just want you to know that all your hard work and stressful days changed our lives forever. Our children are the center of our life and bring joy not only to us, but our families too. Mary and Alison (please tell her if you see her) thank you for always being there for me and keeping me sane. I am not sure what I would have done without your support. You make people feel like family and not just a "client" or "customer." You both have a special gift with people; please continue to utilize that gift. Also whoever places the children with families needs to be commended. We have people stop us all the time and tell us what a nice looking family we have. They say Alex looks identical to my husband and my daughter is petite and has big brown eyes like me. Keith and I just chuckle and agree. This is how I truly know that all of you are angles at IAG. The work all of you do for the children and parents is something you should carry in your hearts forever. God bless all of you and please continue to make miracles happen.
I hope your new year is off to a good start. Hard to believe it's almost March.
My husband and I recently adopted our beautiful baby girl, Evelyn, from Guatemala. Our family is extremely blessed that Mary Graber and IAG helped in so many ways to bring our forever family together. We initially started the Russian adoption program in September of 2005. On Valentines Day of 2006 we received a letter from IAG that forever changed our lives. IAG indicated that they had recently opened their Guatemala program if any families were interested in switching. The shorter travel times made the decision easy, especially with two other children at home. One other factor that appealed to Curt and I was that we could travel to visit our child during the adoption process- -something we took advantage of and would highly recommend every family to do.