Adorable? -- most of the time, but getting really big

Thanks Yoli, for the nice comment on the last post. Nike can be quite adorable when he wants to be. He's also getting to be quite big -- we've joked that Miaya's first word when she sees him will be "Pony?". And, he's just now about a year old, and probably weighs 10 pounds or more.

We're still waiting, (sort of patiently) for the process to work its way along to it's eventual conclusion, and a positive one we hope! To help pass the time, Kim has been swapping quilt squares, hair accessories, cookie cutters and more. Most recently, she had surgery (of a feminine nature) and will no longer have to deal with problems that have plagued her most of her life. She is recovering well, and hopes to be back to near normal in a few weeks.

As part of the China adoption process, we pledge to instill in our children a sense of pride in their culture of origin, and familiarity with that culture. We were concerned with how to find the right balance between Chinese culture and assimilation; too much emphasis on the Chinese culture could eventually lead to a sense of loss and disconnection with both cultures, and too little could have a similar effect. In discussing this issue with other parents with children from China, we've learned that keeping the communications open and using the child's questions and interests to lead the discussions, while keeping things age appropriate is probably the best way to approach this.

We know the most difficult part will come when Miaya reaches the age when she will want to know the full truth behind her abandonment and and how she became ours. The hard part will be explaining that we just don't know all the circumstances and reasons behind it all, and that there is possibly no way to ever discover them.

In some quarters, there is much contention about trans-racial/trans-ethnic adoption, and the supposed trauma in can inflict on the children. Much of this is brought out by adults who were adopted from Korea during and after the war. Many of them raise valid issues regarding their experiences, but the one thing usually ignored is that they are children of a different generation. Adoption, both domestic and intercountry/interculture is more common now and viewed in a more open light. We could not hide Miaya's origins if we wanted to, it will be very obvious that she was not born of us, and we're happy about that. We don't know her details yet, but we do know she will find a home with parents who love her and only wish to see her thrive and become the best she can. We have no reason to try to erase her origins, quite the opposite, we want her to be proud of her heritage.