Welcome to the Mei Mei Blog!

We're a family of three living in central Kentucky and waiting, and waiting, and waiting to adopt our second daughter from China. Carlyn was just over two when she decided that she wanted a baby sister. Her dad and I have enjoyed parenthood so much that, although we're no longer "spring chickens," we decided to gather our adoption paperwork once more.
Our documents were received in China on April 28, 2006, when Carlyn was not yet four. We guesstimated at that time that we'd pick up her mei mei or little sister in the summer of 2007. But for reasons that are not entirely clear to anyone, or at least anyone who's talking, the number of international adoptions from China has plummeted in each of the last five years.We have been more or less patient over these long years, and we've had a lot of fun. But sometimes we've wondered whether we're meant to be a family of three or four. A couple of years ago, at the dinner table one night, Carlyn asked, appropos of nothing, "Are you going to give up on mei mei?" No, we didn't want to give up, we concluded.

Then, in 2009, we had to renew our documents with the U.S. government. Although the People's Republic of China is perfectly comfortable with our four-year-old paperwork, the USCIS is not. At that time, we wondered whether it was best for us to keep waiting. A wise friend and China-adoptive mom asked what Carlyn thought, and we realized that she was old enough to be consulted in a serious way. We talked with her about the changes a baby or toddler would bring to her life. We pointed out that, among other things, at least for a few years we wouldn't be able to go on international trips as we had in the summers 2007 and 2009. She responded, "You can go on an international trip anytime, but you can only adopt a baby once."

It was clear: none of us wanted to give up, and we haven't. We are all still waiting for sweet mei mei, wherever she is.