March is almost over

Wow, I can't believe March is almost over. Where has the month gone. I'm excited to share that Dustin and I are continuing to learn about what it means to be conspicuous family. We attended an Adoption Conference at St. Norbert College in DePere, WI and continue to learn so much from other adoptive families. Oh my, the stories they tell. Like an adoptive family returning a child back to the adoption agency because she was too brown, even though they had chosen to adopt a child of another race, or not being able to inheret a family crib because the child who would use it wasn't "real" family. The audience of course, gasps at such stories and our jaws fall to the floor. Around every corner and with every adoptive family I meet, stories like this abound. Dustin, Tessa and I will have a lot to face as a multiracial family and we are thankful for the support of our family and our community.

Last weekend we went to St. Paul for our international placement agency's (CHSFS) travel orientation. We got to meet the other families who will be in our travel group and spent a half-day learning about what the logistics of our trip will be like. It was great to meet the representatives from CHSFS who we have been emailing for the past year and a half. One of the best parts of the orientation was the parents panel. There were three families who had recently returned from China with their children who offered insight and advice. What to take, what to bring home, whether or not to bring a sibling, grieving and attachment issues, etc. The parents on the panel were overwhelmingly positive about their experience. I know we will be in good hands with CHSFS. I am now even more anxious to go to China and bring our daughter home.