My wife and I have just celebrated our 25th anniversary on July 30th.
We have only one child, a daughter, who is now 24.
When we just got married and had our daughter, my wife had one miscarriage after another. It was awful; once, a doctor told me that she had been close to death after a terrible blood loss. He also said that my wife and I had a blood group incompatibility, so that it is a mystery, a miracle that we had even one child.
After this sad experience, we started to use an artificial contraception method (barrier). Back then, we were not Orthodox yet (I was not even baptized at all and my wife was baptized, but not believing). So it did not even occur to us to ask for a priest's blessing to do that. We simply did what we both thought was good for our marriage.
We never adopted any children. Sometimes I regret that we did not. I love kids so much, and I miss having small kids, taking care of them. Those years when my daughter was a tiny baby and I fed her porrige for breakfast or read her some fairy tales were the best part of my whole life, absolutely.
But then, thinking rationally, I understand that it was impossible for us to adopt. Before 1990, we lived in a tiny one-room apartment that was way too small even for the three of us. In 1990, we moved to the USA and began to live in slightly bigger apartments, and then in a house (since June 2000); but we always worked full time in science, which is hardly compatible with taking care of several children.
Now that my daughter is happily married, I am eager to become a grandfather.
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