Family's international adoption 'extremely rewarding'

A year ago, the Gibson family of south Naperville was eagerly awaiting the arrival of two babies from Vietnam.

With miles of paperwork and months of waiting behind them, parents Andy and Michelle Gibson flew to Vietnam to finalize their international adoptions and pick up their new son, Jack, and new daughter, Grace.

Gibson siblings Andrew, Brittany and Taylor -- now 15, 14 and 11 -- were on hand for the babies' Feb. 7, 2007, homecoming.

Since that day a year ago, the family's life has changed radically. But the biggest surprise, Michelle says, was how neatly all those changes fell into place.

"The most unexpected thing was how easily we got into the routine of two new babies, and how easily we all adjusted," she says.

"The process (of adoption) is daunting, but it's extremely rewarding, beyond my wildest hopes," Michelle says now.

In the beginning, before formulating the idea of international adoption, Michelle simply felt called to do something bigger, something more, something to respond to lives that were abundant and blessed in every way.

As the idea took shape, and she and Andy began to act on it, Michelle imagined it would involve sacrifices on her part of time, energy and life as it was.

Though it has required all that, Michelle says simply that life with their babies "is no sacrifice at all." In fact, Michelle sometimes wonders if she is meant to do something more.

But life with two toddlers doesn't leave much time for contemplation. Jack, at 21 months, and Grace, at 19 months, both diminutive for their age, are matching, walking baby dolls. Sweetly, they put heads together, collaborating about their push-along toys in the family room.

Jack, always musical, activates a toy cell phone and immediately responds to its beat. He is the more serious, reserved baby, Michelle says, with a sense of humor.

"He'll do something and look at me as if to say, 'I know this is funny,' " Michelle says. "Grace is a joy -- spunky, independent, smart, sassy."

During the past year, the family moved to a new house with more bedrooms and Andy started a new job with a new company. With that and the babies' arrival, 2007 was an "incredible" year.

It also was marked by nearly constant worries over Jack's health. For months, he had trouble eating, instead gagging, vomiting and choking. He failed hearing tests and development lagged.

Michelle consulted specialist after specialist. Twice, they postponed surgery. Finally, Jack was diagnosed and is now being treated with antibiotics and antacids for a condition likely contracted from contaminated water in Vietnam. A milk allergy was also discovered.

Two weeks ago, Jack passed a hearing test. His speech improved and other developmental milestones are following rapidly. The happiest moment in the past year was five weeks ago when Jack successfully consumed a chicken nugget.

"I will never complain about taking care of two healthy children. There's nothing to complain about," Michelle says. "This gave me a tiny fraction of a perspective on what parents go through with a child with special needs."

Since 1990, the number of international adoptions in this country has tripled, according to U.S. State Department figures. It leapt from 7,000 in 1990 to 23,000 in 2005, before dropping to 21,000 in 2006.

At the Gibson household, even in the early days, the older children were "awesome," Michelle says, stepping up to increased responsibility.

"Immediately, (the babies) were loved and accepted by the family," Michelle says. "It was unconditional love right away."

The older children occasionally baby-sit without complaint, she says.

"Before the babies … I don't know what I did. I can't believe I had a full and productive life. The older kids ask me what I did before we had the babies. I don't even know."