Comments on: Foreignness.

By: American Family » Two Years

American Family » Two Years — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:01:57 +0000

[...] years ago yesterday, I looked at her little picture and felt…well, honestly, I felt not much of anything. But in two short years, I can no longer remember my life without this little [...]

By: Bettie Bookish

Bettie Bookish — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 02:17:40 +0000

Our new daughter’s orphanage group also has 10 members. I know it’s not the same one, though, because many of those families have visited.

I contacted Amy Eldridge from Love Without Boundaries and asked if she knew anything about MM’s SWI. Neither she nor their provincial rep knew anything, but they established contact, and several kids received surgeries as a result. But she and others with that group are an excellent source of information.

Are you going to be with a group – are other families from your agency meeting children from the same SWI or province?

By: Wishnik

Wishnik — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 23:06:29 +0000

We went to China as tourists the year before we picked up our daughter in Guangxi. Our travel agency for the first trip was in China and we had some luck with getting drivers/private trips arranged. If you want I can dig up the info of how to contact them. They are a bunch of students in China and seem to have a lot of options.

Also, the head of our agency’s China program, a Beijing native, is a part owner of a travel agency in China. Mostly he works with people from this adoption agency but if you like I can send you his email address. He might have some useful information for you.

By: Annie at UV

Annie at UV — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 22:06:23 +0000

AF- THANK YOU so much for writing about your reactions to your referral picture. I’ve been secretly fearing that I won’t be a gusher when I see my daughter’s referral photo. (Or worse, that I’ll think she’s ugly.) It’s a relief to realize that my natural method of bonding with my daughter may NOT include falling in love with her referral picture.

Mortimer’s Mom- I really appreciated what you said about the difference between the child you met and the one you imagined from her photo. I can very easily see myself filling in gaps with my imagination and some snippets of information, and “creating” my daughter before I actually know her. I’m glad to have the possiblity brought to my attention.

By: Donna

Donna — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 21:46:52 +0000

Your cherub may be able to sport hair dodads by the time you get her; remember that the picture likely was taken a few months ago. Conversely, she may be shorn. That’s what happened between referral and adoption day to all the kids in my travel group except my 7 month old daughter; her curly locks saved her. Sadly, her hair lost its bounce by the time she was 2. Lots of hair/fast-growing hair is one thing that my kids have in common. I adopted my second daughter as a nearly 3 year old with long pigtails. My older daughter who traveled with me had just given 11 inches to Locks of Love and her hair was short at the time. Lots of people assumed that the 7 year old was the newly adopted kid because of the short hair, until they both opened their mouths to speak. Don’t be concerned about not loving a picture; it happens a lot. The first time I fell instantly in love; the second time I did not even though I stared at the picture for months because she was a Waiting Child. I love them both bunches now, and that’s what counts.