Anna's First Thanksgiving dinner



Ryan playing with Melanie, a family friend from China



Grandma and both the new babies



Three generations



Anna and cousin Aidric

Why babies are available in Taiwan

Before now, we knew that adoption was not common in Taiwan. Somewhere, I read once that Taiwan has the highest out-of-wedlock birth rate of any of the Asian countries. This week, someone on one of my Yahoo groups posted an expert from a newsletter. The author lived between the US and Taiwan for over 20 years. Here is a summary of what the article said.

A generation ago families still lived on the farm and had many children, many of whom did not survive to adulthood. As Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore became more technology-based, couples waited longer to marry and had fewer children. The governments of these countries have become concerned with the decreasing growth rate and have instituted cash incentives for couples to have babies. The author believes this has decreased the number of babies available for adoption but that there are still many babies in need of Forever Families.

The author said, "Domestic adoption is taboo." She goes on to say that she has known couples in Taiwan who, after failing fertility treatments, would rather remain childless than adopt. She believes as Taiwan and other countries become more Westernized (and, as Ralph added, affluent), they will become more accepting of adoption.

The article leads me to believe if Taiwan did not have an international adoption program, there would be more children growing up in orphanages than there currently are. At some time, Taiwan and other Asian countries may be more open to adoption, but until that time, and fortunately for us, there are babies in Taiwan in need of a Forever Family.

Second week at home

Caught in the Exesaucer! No idea how she got herself in there.



The correct way to use the exesaucer

It's hard to believe we have been home now 2 weeks and 2 days. Anna has continued to adjust to the family. She had about a week of waking every hour at night. So, we really don't remember anything we said or did for the first week. She is sleeping better now, but every few nights, she wakes crying at 2 am then goes back to sleep.

This week's big milestone was Anna spending Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Gloria's. The first days were much harder on Mom than Anna. When I got there to pick her up, she gave me a big smile and then went back to playing with the other kids. I did better on the second day and was almost a pro by the end of the week. I want to continue working only 3 half days, but I know this won't be possible for long.

The next two weeks should be crazy. My best friend, Tara, and her husband will be here Saturday and leaving Wednesday, and we are expecting 15 people for Thanksgiving dinner.

Anna continues to be very happy and loves all the attention she gets. After Taiwan, with people going out of their way to look at us, it seems people ignore us. The local paper visited this morning to write a story about the adoption, and Anna was fascinated by the camera.

We heard from several people this week that while China has sped up the referral process, we would still be looking at several more years before we would have gotten a baby. I still remember Dena and I saying on the phone that, in the worst case, we would lose several thousand dollars if it didn't work out. We count the blessings that we signed on for Taiwan every day when we did. I worry about international adoption with all the problems in China, Guatemala, and Vietnam. I feel that people are just starting the process.

First week home

Ryan and Anna




Anna and Jimmie Grant on her first shopping trip.

We have been back from Taiwan for a week now. Anna has continued to adapt well. For the first few days, she was quieter than in Taiwan. She did not eat as much for a few days, and while she napped, she would try to wake up every hour at night. By 2 in the morning, she usually came to bed with me so I could sleep. Ralph is afraid of hurting her since she is so small and has gone to sleep in Ryan's room. Usually, by 6 am, it's Anna, me, Ryan and the two cats in my bed and Ralph alone in Ryan's full-sized bed. Not sure how fair that is!

In the last few days, we have seen Anna's personality emerge. She laughs and smiles easily again. She is one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. She is interested in everything, and nothing within arms' reach is safe. Or, for that matter, within 5 feet of her. She is rolling, pushing back, and pushing herself forward to get to whatever she wants. Today, for the first time, she got both her hands and knees under her and pushed herself forward. For the last 2 nights, she has slept through the night in her room for 11-12 hours; thank God! She still takes 2 naps an hour in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. She is eating like crazy and wants solid food not even old-fashioned donuts! The Dr. laughed today when I told him about her diet in Taiwan. She is not eating rice, cereal, oatmeal, fruit, or sweet potatoes. She still likes her bottles in the morning and at bedtime.

Anna still believes she should be held or with us all the time but she has gotten used to playing in her exasaucer or play mat for short periods. We bought a door jumper for the office as we only have a few tall door jambs at home, and she loves it. She gets to spin around, look at everything, and jump up and down. I thought I could work with her at the office, but it's now evident that she is too active for that. It's too distracting. The staff wants to play with her; patients would rather see her than Ralph.

Our first outings with Anna have been a learning process. The first day, Ralph and I took her to Costco and Target. At Costco I turned to Ralph and said, "Do you realize we brought nothing for Anna, no bottle, food, diapers or clothes?" The next day, I took everything but forgot the bottle. The day after that, I had everything but the formula. Guess it's a learning curve. We remembered everything the last two days. Anna, Ryan and I had a shopping day with my friends Belinda and her daughter Adrianna, who is 2 months older than Ryan and her son Jimmie who is two weeks younger than Anna. Four stops and lunch took from 11:30 until 6:30. It was fun but exhausting. I had thought of leaving our application in China just in case we decided on another baby, but after that, two kids are good for us. Funny aside, while at the Asian food market, an Asian cashier told Belinda, "Looks like she might have some Asian blood in her."

We had our first visit with the pediatrician today. I felt bad filling out the forms as I could not answer most of the questions. He said she looked very healthy. For her rash, we are going to try some over-the-counter lotion. He thinks her flat head in the back may have been her looking at something or someone interesting while in the crib. We will try to change what side she lays on every other night. They did accept the vaccinations she received in Taiwan but she got two more today and was not too impressed with the process. At one year, we will do basic labs on her and recheck HIV and Hepatitis, although these were normal at referral. Had she been from China, the doctor said he would have repeated the lab tests and shots, but he was not worried about the quality of medical care in Taiwan. We thought Anna was so petite, but on the growth chart, she is 15% in weight and 75% in height. Tall and skinny, just like Ryan. The Dr. said that being so skinny makes her look more petite than she really is. Oh yeah, and she has wide feet, I never would have noticed that.

Ryan has continued to surprise us. He grew up so much while we were gone. He has been helping Mom and Dad and playing with Anna. We had his annual education plan update today, and the therapists were impressed by his progress. In many areas, he is age-appropriate or even a head. We have only heard one, "I don't want a sister," which we think is pretty good. Last night, he helped feed Anna for the first time. In the morning, he insists on saying goodbye and kissing her. Yesterday, while lying in bed together, Anna crawled over to Ryan and gave him a big baby kiss.

Next week, Anna will start at daycare at Gloria's house for 4 hours three days a week. This will allow me to exercise and be at the office for a few hours. I feel bad having her go to daycare, but not working is not an option for us. Gloria watched Ryan for several years and has become a part of our family. Most of the babies there now are within a month of Anna's age. We visited yesterday and Anna loved watching all the kids play. If you remember, there was another baby she loved in her foster home. I think this will work well for everyone.

Grandma and Anna

First Meeting



Ryan kissing Anna goodnight



First time in the crib

Trip Home

Playing in the bassinet on the plane



Just after touch down at LAX. Anna is officially a US citizen!



Last hour in the hotel







Take-Off

Anna did very well on the flights. She fussed for the first 1/2 hour of the first flight, then was happy. She stayed up for 4 hours, until about 10:30 Taiwan time. After that, she slept in the bassinet for 6 hours and played in it for another hour, almost to the descent.

We had 3 hours in LAX. We were directed to one customs line, called out of line, and taken to another. It ended up working in our favor as one officer told the other the one time they could bump people to the front of the process was for baby adoption. I had to wait with Anna in the holding area for about 15 minutes while they processed her paperwork. Ralph was sent to get the luggage. Anna was cleared before anyone else. The immigration officer said she is not a citizen until all the paperwork is processed, about 2-3 months. He said they would automatically send her citizenship and social security paperwork to the house. After that, we can apply for her US passport.

The flight from LA to Reno was very quick. Anna was happy for most of the flight but started crying about 30 minutes before landing and fell asleep. We know she got her first 2 teeth during the trip, so I'm surprised she didn't fuss more.

My friend Belinda picked us up at the airport and took pictures. We stopped briefly for fast food and for Belinda to feed her son Jimmy who is only several weeks younger than Anna. We were so tired when we got home, but wound up.