For years we felt that our family was complete. We had three wonderful, smart, talented children: two boys and a girl. We were approaching our 40s. Our four bedroom house was just the right size. That was about to change ...
I began to have a nagging feeling that a daughter was missing from our family, but was afraid to bring it up to my wife. The feeling persisted, and got stronger, so I finally brought it up. Tracy had been having the same feeling, but was afraid to tell me!
We prayed about it together, and the answer was to wait. It was really hard, wondering what was going to happen. Finally, we got the impression that we should pursue adoption, so we began to research our options. International adoption made sense for us, and we decided to adopt from China.
The paperwork took a looooooooong time. The wait to be matched with a child took a loooooong time. Actually, it took two years, from starting the application process to being matched. One look at the tiny photo of our new daughter-to-be in China, and we knew she was the right one, though.
Aerin Mei was robustly healthy and being raised in a loving foster care environment. Her foster mother described her as "lively and unquiet", which certainly was, and is, true. Because of the strong emotional bonds she had formed in China, she was able to bond with us quickly, though not without a few tantrums and other challenges.
We were amazed at how she just fit into our family. And changed it. Our 16 year old son says it was boring before-Aerin. She comes up with so many off-the-wall things that we have collected her antics here.
Today, Aerin is loving Kindergarten, gymnastics, and having her big sister home from college for the Summer. She says she wants to be an artist when she grows up. Who knows?
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