Adoption

With the New Year begins my new savings plan. $100 a week in an effort to save up enough mulah to cover an international adoption.

As I've said in previous posts, adoption was always a forgone conclusion for me. Many people in my family have adopted and I've pretty much always wanted to do it.

However, Der Deutscher is not so sure. His main problem is financing a second child (bio or adopted) especially a college education.

Our compromise, I sock away enough money to pay for the adoption before we even begin serious discussions on the topic.

Although I haven't even set aside the first $100 yet (it comes with my paycheck this Friday) God has already shown me that he backs this plan. Although I found it difficult to save $100 a month last year, so far things are looking peachy-keen to set aside the required $100 a month. Who knows, maybe I'll even be able to save more.

In the meantime, I'm busy considering such weighty issues as where we'll adopt from. For us, a domestic adoption is pretty much out. Too uncertain, too costly, children too old (we want to preserve JBP's status as the eldest and we want him to have the experience of a "baby" sister).

So, international it is. But that leaves a lot of room for thought. We could always go for Eastern Europe. But I have concerns about the way they run adoptions in most eastern european countries and the age and emotional and physical health of the children.

I had long assumed, given my own hispanic heritage, that I would eventually adopt from somewhere in Central/South America. But lately many of those programs have been shown to be corrupt, involving allegations of baby snatching/buying, etc.

With Der Deutscher's and my passion for East Asian culture that would seem a given. However, South Korea has a height/weight maximum that Der Deutscher doesn't believe he could meet. I could just barely slide under the line with a strict diet/exercise regiment.

So, I've been thinking China. However, recently stories have been surfacing of rampant baby kidnapping, trafficking and selling there, also. Of course, given China's non-freedom of the press, what stories are surfacing are probably getting blown out of proportion.

Even the U.S. adoption system has its instances of fraud.

But that, combined with a blog I've been reading, Faith's Journey, has been re-directing my eyes toward South America. The couple writing the blog is adopting a 6 year old girl from Guatemala.

Their experience is restoring my faith in the process of adoption from South America. E.g. the birth-mother must sign away her rights to her child four times before an adoption can be completed. And she must undergo a DNA test to prove she is biologically the child's mother. This certainly reassures me as to the legitimacy of adoptions from Guatemala.

So, now I'm back to Central/South America as the probably birth-country of my future daughter.

Of course, Der Deutscher doesn't realize all these thoughts have been going on in my head, as we've agreed to leave such discussions until we've got the money in the bank, and he may have completely different ideas.

But that doesn't stop me from having them. And I've got to share with someone!

Nimitz' Lady