The Yannucci Family

Our son, Andrés Sebastian, just turned one year old this year. We still can’t believe only six months have passed since he was placed in our arms. It feels as if we have known him a lot longer. Andrés was about 5 ½ months when we received him into our family.

The day we met our little boy was the most joyful day of our lives, right up there with the day we got married. I constantly think of that day when Andrés was brought into the room to be placed in our arms forever. We cried tears of joy. It was overwhelming.

I felt like I knew him already—it was a strange thing. He accepted me right away and turned to my husband to give him a smile. I had always heard how children choose their parents. Well, now I believe it! That is exactly how it felt that day and how it continues to feel. When I see how Andrés looks at us and how he smiles at us, I know for sure he chose us as his parents. We have a special bond and we feel it every moment of every day. 

Life with Andrés has been beautiful from the first moment! I now understand why God made us wait so long to have children. I could not have asked for a more perfect child for our family. He has brought everyone joy—us, our parents, siblings, extended family, friends and neighbors. Everyone wants to be a part of his life. I feel, in some way, I gave birth to him—that is how close I feel to Andrés. I grew him in my heart! 

Adopting a child from Cali, Colombia, was a wonderful experience. My family is from there, so I felt strongly about adopting in the same city my parents were born. The adoption center, Chiquitines, took good care of Andrés while he was there. I could tell they loved him, played with him, and met his needs during his stay.

Andrés is very loving with us and our two dogs, Zen and Rocco. He has a great appetite and hums as he chews his food. He started walking at 10 months and loves to explore—he keeps us quite busy running after him. Andrés laughs a lot and is very smart and curious. He behaves so well, no matter where we take him. We have now promised him a little sister, whom we hope to adopt from the same center in Cali, Colombia. We can’t wait for Andres to have a sibling. We know he is going to be the best big brother ever. 

After all the pain my husband and I went through to have a family, I can now say it was well worth the wait. Andrés is a blessing that has helped us grow in so many ways. I believe we were meant to adopt in this life—we just had to be aware of all the signs guiding us on this journey. Thank you, God, for taking care of our family. Thank you, Andrés Sebastian, for choosing us to be your parents.

— The Yannucci Family, CHSFS International Adoption clients

Learn more about adopting a child from Colombia.