Before you know it, you're the crazy cat lady in the scary house

My brother, pt. 1

May 31, 2002 ... 11:13 p.m.

My brother, pt. 1

When and where did this all begin?

I guess, at the very beginning, it started with a pretty little girl...and my procrastination.

Let�s see...about five years ago, I was surfing the web and, to stave off my household chores, I typed into a search engine �adoption� or �international adoption�--I don�t remember which. I clicked on a site that was by a young couple who had adopted their pretty little daughter who had been born in Vietnam.

This website had links to adoption groups, information and photolistings. Or links to pages with links to photolistings. Whatever.

After some basic research, I realized I wanted to adopt! But I wasn't 25. Or, you know, married.

So, biding my time, I kept researching (I can fill out an I71-H in my sleep) and learned that many more families adopt girls than boys. I read somewhere that the stats are something like 1 boy is adopted for every six girls that are adopted. I do not know if that�s a completely accurate statistic, either. And I am NOT saying that girls should not be adopted or adopted less frequently--ALL children deserve a loving home!

And most families prefer infants or babies. Once a child is 2 and older, the chances of them being adopted decreases dramatically. Which is not to say babies shouldn�t be adopted--ALL children deserve a loving home!

I tell you this so that you can understand what �type� of child I looked at on the photolisting. On this photolisting, I looked at boys of any ethnicity/race over the age of 2.

I looked at this site, and other photolistings, for years.

Then, at the end of May 2001, I saw this little boy in a blue and whit plaid shirt. He looked like my friend, Kyle, so I clicked on his photo and got his info and a larger photo. Close-up. he didn�t look at all like Kyle, but I kept the page for a few days. I showed it to my mom, saying that he reminded me of Kyle. My mom looked at the picture for, maybe, five seconds before she replied �Nooooooo. He�s a Le Prince.�

And so it began. 2 months of running around getting copies of birth and divorce certificates, physicals, INS documents, fingerprints, etc. and everything had to be notarized and apostilled. And the dreaded homestudy...a social worker comes to your house to interview the adopter(s), the other family and scope out your pad. Okay, a lot of people totally freak about the homestudy part. If you are adopting--don�t. While the worker was interviewing me, Tinker pounced on my arm and ripped a chunk off, I was bleeding and she didn�t bat an eye. The bedroom that was to be the boy�s was full, floor to ceiling, with empty liquor bottles. Granted, my grandpa was having me sell off some of his Jim Beam collection on eBay, but still. We passed with flying colors.

The dossier was finished, everything was ready to go at the end of August. Agency said we were supposed to get him by October 2001. Came and went.

Agency said Thanksgiving. Came and went.

Agency said definitely Christmas. Came and went.

Wait, wait, wait. February? Wait, wait, wait.

Finally, at the end of March, Mom and Bootsie went to meet him.

Absolutely adored him. Smart, cute, cheerful.

The second trip, to finalize the adoption, was a different story....

~*~

Have a happy day!

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