Baby Tylenol – check
Pepto – check
Baby socks – check
Hi there. Don’t mind me. I’m just making sure that we’ve packed everything for the big trip to China. My husband and I leave in two days to adopt our 14 month old son Andrew. God, he’s cute.
I guess that I can take a break and try to write the diary that I have been trying to write for two months. I keep ripping up everything I have written, but with only two days, I really need to gather my thoughts.
This journey really started 7 years ago when my body started to act up and my cycle became very irregular. Tests showed nothing and my doctor (a terrific doctor) thought it might be stress. I was working on a Masters degree, grading a bazillion papers, and trying to have a social life. Maybe my body just didn’t handle that well.
My husband and I have been married for four years, and he knew about my medical issues. Three years into our marriage, tests results started to be more conclusive. At the tender age of 36, I was in full blown menopause and had probably been in the early stages for about four years. Those had been hot flashes! My doctor told me that in order for me to have a baby, I would have to use a donated egg. I don’t enjoy stirrups and running to the doctor all the time, so we quickly decided on adoption.
I am not a religious person, but I had felt a “calling” to teaching and I figured that my career choice coupled with my inability to get pregnant was a message from someone that I was supposed to take care of children not from my womb.
There is a large community of families with children(mostly girls) from China and we knew many of those families, so our decision to adopt from China was quite simple.
Tons of paperwork, many essay questions and meetings with a social worker led to our approval and ultimate long waiting period. While I was answering those questions, I must admit that I often felt a little resentful. As a teacher, I have met people who should have never been parents(abusive, ignorant, you name it, I have seen it), but they had biology on their side.
Our wait was over at the end of June when we got the call about our son, Andrew Fa Yi. We laughed for days about a receiving a boy. The chances are low and thank goodness we had not painted the room a girly color.
Motherhood has been in the news a lot lately and that has made me feel good. Cindy Sheehan’s courage has given me hope. During this 18 month wait for our son, I have not attended one rally for fear of being arrested and being denied a child. I don’t know if that would have happened, but I took no chances. When I come back, I can’t wait to show my son what a strong mother will do to make the world a better place for her child
I’ve got to finish packing. I might try to connect while I am in China, but I don’t know if that will be possible. I’ll be around for a couple more days. Thanks for listening.