It's A Girl!

Joy to the world! My sister just called and informed me that I have a new niece! I am sooooooo excited! After a 3 year wait, they got their "referral" today and fell in love immediately with their new 2 1/2 month old baby girl. Her Ethiopian name is Etame and she is gorgeous.

I am so amazed at how much you can attach to a child after only seeing a picture. My first experience with adoption up close was about 11 years ago when my older sister Ann got her referral for a six-month-old girl from Korea. I had always wondered how long it would take to bond to a child that you had not given birth to. Even as an aunt, not a mother, I was shocked to discover how bonded I was to a little 3 x 5" picture. Once I saw that picture, that baby was a part of our family. Picking them up on the other side of the world a few months later was just a formality.

I felt the same way when that same sister went on to adopt another child (an infant boy) from Korea a year later. Then just a few months ago she and her husband added a joyous 6 year old boy (a "waiting" child) from Vietnam. Now my little sister and her husband have added to her family (she has a four year old son)via adoption and again I am in love with the baby in the picture.

I can't wait to meet her in person! Thank you God.