Ecuadorian Adoptions Create a Family
By Joan Yenawine

If you ask little Katie Sennett where babies come from, she will tell you with assurance that they come from Ecuador. It would be hard to contradict her, after all, she is living proof. Katie, now four years old, was born in Ecuador and brought to the United States by her adoptive parents, David and Donna Sennett of West Warwick. If you ask David and Donna about how international adoption works, they also give unexpected answers.

"Most of the time, you hear the horror stories of adoption, you never hear the good stories," says David. Twice now, he and his wife have gone through the process with surprising ease. David believes their adoptions went so smoothly in part because they approached it with flexibility and openness. "We came to the decision that having a child was the most important thing to us. It really made no difference to us what the child looked like. If you are open, you will be guided to the right country and the right child."

Their agency, The Alliance for Children in Pawtucket, recommended that they consider adopting from Ecuador. Taking that advice, their journey toward parenthood began. In the spring, they dove into a wave of paper-work that detailed every aspect of their lives for the Ecuadorian authorities who would assign them a child. By late summer they learned that they would be parents to a baby girl. By Thanksgiving, they were in Ecuador, where they spent two weeks exploring the country, completing the final paperwork and bonding with their new baby.

David and Donna viewed their trips to Ecuador as opportunities for adventure and new experiences. They spent their first Thanksgiving dinner as a family with American missionaries who were living in Ecuador. During their free time they explored the countryside, barreling down the Pan American highway in a 4x4 "They really don't have any rules of the road, you just use your horn a lot" laughs David. Mostly, though, their time was spent trying on their new roles as Mom and Dad.

Katie, all by herself, was miracle enough. However, it became increasingly difficult for her parents to look at her and not imagine a little brother in the scene. David distinctly remembers the moment they decided to adopt a second child. It was shortly after the death of Donna's mother, while they were putting paperwork in order and taking stock of the changes the sad event had brought about.

At the bank they learned of a mysterious account in Donna's name that her mother had opened for her. Surprised, and a little confused, they asked how much was in it. Then they were told it was exactly the amount they needed in order to cover the cost of a second adoption "My wife almost collapsed into a chair, with tears streaming down her face," said David, "She knew then that her mother had put the money away for us to be able to adopt a second child. We made the decision to adopt at that moment."

Again they chose Ecuador, and again, their process was phenomenally fast and relatively easy. Donna, David, and Katie met Benjamin for the first time on January 5th 1998, a little more than four months after beginning his adoption. Since that time their lives have become busier, more complicated and enormously satisfying. Donna and David have become patient and fair referees, expert schedule jugglers and cartoon connoisseurs. With equal parts faith, patience and flexibility, they have become parents to a thriving family.