Adoption adds new level of joy for McChord family

  • Published
  • By Tyler Hemstreet
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Air Force spouse Heather Jonsson can still vividly remember the moment when her aunt and uncle became a biracial family.

The couple, which Jonsson was very close with, welcomed home an adopted child into their family.

It made quite an impact on the then 13-year-old Jonsson.

"(That) was a real impressionable age, and the (idea of) adoption was very attractive to me," she said.

During her engagement to future husband Ben years later, Heather shared her desire to one day become a biracial family as well.

"Once we talked about it and he thought about everything, he was very excited (about the idea)," said Heather, who met Ben while he was attending the Air Force Academy.

Fast forward ten years, and the Jonssons have been through the adoption process twice, adding to their family 4-year-old Baruk and 15-month-old Tagen from Ethiopia.

"It's been an eye-opening experience for us," Heather said. "It's changed our family. Both (children) have been beautiful and amazing additions."

But the process didn't happen overnight. The couple, which has been stationed at McChord Field for about two years, started the adoption process in 2004 after giving birth to their first child, Jonas. While stationed at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., Ben and Heather started attending seminars and doing research on choosing an international adoption agency. But the process had to be pushed back a bit after Heather found out she was pregnant with their second child, Shae. They started again in 2006 in the midst of living in Jordan, as Ben was enrolled in a graduate student program at the University of Jordan.

The process took about 10 months - complicated slightly by the fact the family was living abroad - but the two were overjoyed when they were able to adopt Baruk when he was 5-months-old in January of 2007. The couple's fourth child, Kayla, was born a short time later. The Jonssons added the final member to their family, Tagen, in August of 2010.

Though the adoption process had its ups and downs, the couple says it made them stronger people and that much more appreciative and thankful for what they have now. During the adoption process for Baruk, Ethiopian officials weren't sure they could go through with it at one point because the couple was living in Jordan.

"Adoption isn't for the faint of heart," said Ben, a major who's the 62nd Airlift Wing commander's executive officer. "It's a huge commitment. The rules can change halfway through - it's an emotional roller coaster."

"It has so many ups and downs," Heather added. "You have to be ready for the unexpected. There are a lot of stressors that come with it. You have to be willing to wait a long time."

The Jonssons often relied on their faith in God to help them get through the delays and the uncertainty about not knowing what kind of health background each child had.

"We're very blessed ... they're all very healthy and they've adapted incredibly well," Ben said.

The experience has taught the family a lot about different races, poverty and the continent of Africa as a whole, Heather said.

The process has also opened doors for the Jonnsons to meet and share experiences with other biracial families that have adopted children. While adoption ultimately benefits children - giving them a loving family - it also has the ability to bring parents even more joy, the Jonssons have discovered.

"It has enriched our lives so much," Ben said.