Dodging ban, family adopts Russian girl, 5

LITTLE ROCK — Jason and Kendra Skaggs of Bella Vista said their newly adopted Russian daughter, Polina, 5, will be one of six children allowed to join their American families.

That’s because Polina’s adoption had been approved by the Russian court before President Vladimir Putin signed a U.S. adoption ban into law Friday, Kendra Skaggs said.

While the family hasn’t yet received confirmation from its adoption agency, Kendra Skaggs has made calls to Moscow to inquire about their situation, she said. And Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told Russian media that six children with courtapproved adoptions will go to the United States as planned.

However, dozens of children with pending adoptions must remain in Russia, Peskov said.

The Skaggses finalized Polina’s adoption in court on Christmas Eve, barely making everything official before the ban was signed into law.

They’re now a few days into the required 30-day waiting period, Kendra Skaggs said, and plan to pick up Polina in January.

Kendra Skaggs has chronicled Polina’s adoption story on her blog, Pennies for a Princess.

The blog has been translated into Russian and read by people in 38 countries, Kendra Skaggs said Friday afternoon. It’s received 20,000 hits since Dec. 26.

A Dec. 17 entry details her feelings when she realized that her family’s plans to adopt Polina might fall apart at the last minute.

Polina, who was born with spina bifida, lives in a home for invalids, Kendra Skaggs explained in the post.

“She knows me as her Momma,” Kendra Skaggs wrote. “She loves me and I love her. But she doesn’t know the love I have for her as her mother. She doesn’t know unconditional love. In fact, she was told by her caregivers more than once that I wouldn’t bring her home if she acted certain ways. She believed that.

“And now, after promising her I would be back for her in a month ... I might not be able to. She might be left to believe that I didn’t come get her because she spoke in a disrespectful tone.”

Comments poured in, many of them from Russians who begged the Skaggses not to give up.

The family began the adoption process before last Christmas. The couple, who have an 8-year-old son, wanted to expand their family but suffered from fertility problems.

Because of their son’s age, the Skaggses decided to search for an adoptee several years into childhood.

And because of Kendra Skaggs’ role as a special-education teacher, the family wanted to adopt a child who would benefit from her knowledge and experience.

Already, Polina has gone through several operations on her hips, knees and feet.

She will likely require additional surgeries as she grows, Kendra Skaggs said. At this time, Polina cannot walk.

She is, however, a determined little girl who doesn’t let her disability get in the way.

“She’s a very strong-willed child,” Kendra Skaggs said, laughing. “She’s constantly saying, ‘I’ll do it, Mommy. I can do it myself.’ That’s something we really love about her.”

The Skaggses first met Polina in September. They spent another nine days with her before the adoption was finalized in court.

Now, Kendra Skaggs said, they will wait.

Polina’s bedroom awaits, and her brother, who has sent her videos of himself, is eager for her to join the family.

While Polina will keep her Russian birth name, the Skaggses added a middle name when they filled out the adoption papers:

“Joy.”