I did not want to make two trips to Russia for my second adoption. I'm a single mom, with an older child I didn't want to leave alone, even if it was with relatives, for two weeks or more. And I couldn't imagine what my new child would think when I showed up at his orphanage, gave him my full attention and then disappeared, leaving only the promise of "Mommy will be back soon."

So when I started my second adoption in December 2004, I focused on a region that was still requiring only one trip: Sakhalin Island, way out in the Pacific Ocean north of Japan. Eighteen months of turmoil later, Sakhalin was a two-trip region and I had a big dilemma: What could I leave after the first trip so that my son would believe my promise? Maybe it would help me believe too. This adoption had taken twice as long as my first already, and the worry that Russia would stop adoptions completely was constantly in my thoughts.

Then I read a simple suggestion on the chat board for Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption: Create a stuffed toy at Build-A-Bear Workshop. Bears are something of a symbol of Russia, which made it a great idea. Stuffed animals are sometimes frowned upon in Russian orphanages because they could harbor the scabies mites and lice that seem a constant problem in the orphanages. But, the FRUA poster said Build-A-Bear offered a bear that meets the standard of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, so it should be safe to give. The chat poster also noted that she recorded a sound clip of her voice saying "I love you" at Build-A-Bear and put it into her bear.

My older son and I headed off to a nearby Build-A-Bear store and spent a happy hour creating our "Mischa" bear. The audio chip recorded only a few seconds of sound, but it was enough for us both to say "I love you" several times, as well as "We want you home very soon." We dressed our bear in American sneakers and a white t-shirt, upon which I later ironed our photo. Build-A-Bear now offers clothing that could make a bear look like a traditional Russian boy or girl.

I saved the bear until the last day of my visit. My agency rep carefully explained to my son that "Mommy has to go home for a few days", but that she was leaving him something so that he could always hear her voice. I showed him how to press the bear's paw to activate the sound clip and a wide smile broke across his face. He ran with the bear into the next room, where the rest of the children from his group were. "Listen, listen," he shouted in Russian, "My mommy says she loves me."

I e-mailed Maxine Clark, the founder, chief executive and chairman of Build-A-Bear when I got home to tell her how well the gift had been received. But since my adoption wasn't final, I told her I didn't want to risk sending a photo of the moment. But we're a family now Ms. Clark, so here's the photo, with our heartfelt thanks.