National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month. I know it is already most of the way through the month...but hey...I have been a little busy being excited about OUR adoption to get around to posting about it.

So what does adoption mean to me?

Well, having grown up with two of my three sisters being adopted has made adoption just a natural thing to me. Stephanie and Kira have always been just my sisters, just like Meridith is just my sister. It never mattered that Meridith and I shared DNA...it just mattered that we were all family.

When Stephanie came to visit me earlier this year we went to get manicures and pedicures at a local nail salon. As were were sitting in the chairs relaxing the woman doing Steph's pedicure said "Are you two sisters?". We answered with a simple "yup". The woman then said "I could tell, you look alike".

So I know what you are thinking, anyone who doesn't know me and/or Stephanie...but we DO NOT LOOK ALIKE AT ALL. In fact, Steph is short, and I am tall, Steph as blond hair, I have brown hair, and so on and so forth. But I know why the woman thought we looked like sisters...because we are. Sisters have that "thing", that closeness that other people can just see..."yup...those people HAVE to be related".

That is how it should be.

Adoption has also added wonderful family members to Paul's side of the family. Cousin Danny, Cousin Lily, and Cousin Ben. None of their families would be complete without each and every one of them.

And of course...our Olivia Hsin-Hua.
It is amazing that after looking at three little pictures, and one 45 second video...you can just KNOW that someone is a complete and perfect fit for your family. We haven't met Olivia Hsin-Hua yet, but that doesn't matter. She is family. She is our daughter, and we are her parents. From the minute we got that phone call on October 13, 2008 and for the rest of our lives, that little girl will be OUR little girl!

And I know that I have done my share of bitching about how long and miserable this wait has been. We went through the trials of starting with one country and having to switch to another...but MY GOODNESS am I happy that we chose this way to complete our family! I just can't wait to finish the last leg of this crazy trip and get that kid home :-)

So in summary...ADOPTION ROCKS!!!