Personal Journeys: Finding Max (Part 2)

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Personal Journeys: Finding Max (Part 2)

Jon Waterhouse and his wife, Andrea, journeyed to the edge of Siberia in 2000 to adopt their son, Max, a 5-year-old orphan with dwarfism. Once they returned to Atlanta, they thought the hardest part was over, but a new set of challenges lay in store. This is Part 2 of their story.

Jon Waterhouse and his son Max, 17, spend a Saturday morning in the dog park at Glenlake Park in Decatur.

Jon commissioned artist H.C. Warner to create this carved painting as a Christmas gift for Andrea in 2011. It depicts the family as a circus aerial act.

Jon (top right) leads family members (clockwise from right) Max, 17; Violet, 8; Andrea; and Levi, 9, in prayer before dinner at their Decatur home.

Andrea helps Violet with the buttons on her jacket before going out to the park.

The Waterhouse children, Violet (from left), Max and Levi, play on the swing set in their backyard in 2005.

Max's stature doesn't stop him from going after whatever he wants, including a slice of pizza stashed on the top shelf of the refrigerator. Winnie, the family dog, observes with eager anticipation.

In 2005, Max bonds with Russian houseguest Sergey Gulyaev, who would later cite the family when he spoke out publicly against Putin's moratorium on U.S. adoptions of Rusisian children.

Andrea designed this poster for Max's successful campaign for class president at Decatur High School.

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Jon Waterhouse and his son Max, 17, spend a Saturday morning in the dog park at Glenlake Park in Decatur.

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