UPDATES

Please say a prayer for Katie's son Dakota who sustained an injury while riding his bike and is currently in surgery at Children's in Pittsburgh. We found out today that the new baby due in a few months is a girl, so Dakota will have a new little sister before long. Get well soon, Dakota.

Welcome baby Anjelessa Jo, born this morning in Minnesota. Happy Birthday! Congratulations to Sherry and Bob, who are currently bonding blissfully with their newborn daughter. Birth mom is doing well and is happy with her choice.

Zamo, the baby who was bitten by a snake, will have to be treated for another three months and will have one more surgery before she can go home. There was a little setback with scar contractures, but she's a trooper and will eventually be ready to go home to Swaziland. Dr. Sean Bush (Venom E.R.), who has been treating her, has arranged for her to stay with a family in Southern California, but they are still in need of donations to defray the costs of the additional physical therapy and the extra three month stay. If you wish to donate, Loma Linda University Medical Center will accept donations on their behalf and it is tax-deductible.

We are currently looking for a family for 10 and 11 year old siblings. They are a Caucasian boy and girl, who have been living with grandparents for most of their lives. The grandparents are in poor health and fear that they won't be around to raise the kids and are looking for a good home for them. This is a difficult situation, as children this age are very aware of everything and won't necessarily adapt to having new "parents". They are healthy and don't have any apparent issues, but it will take a lot of love and patience for these kids to be absorbed into a family. If you know anyone who is the right candidate to adopt these children, please put them in touch.

Please remember that with our current economy and housing situation, people are abandoning pets in record numbers. If you want a new dog or cat, please be sure to go to the local animal shelter and also to support them if you can. Some shelters have needs that are easy to fill (newspapers are a welcome donation for most shelters). Donations of dry pet food are also welcome. It may mean that they can keep pets alive longer to allow for adoption. Pets need adoption too!

For a wonderful way to announce a birth or give a special personalized gift for any occasion (like the best carmel apples you'll ever eat!), nannyssugarcookies.com. is the place. Look under baby shower and you'll see all kinds of baby ideas and birth announcement options. Nannette will also do something custom for you by request. It's a yummy way to say thanks or congratulations.

Holly's Reunion

Last Tuesday, my administrative assistant, Holly, was able to meet her own birth mom. At a quiet restaurant, Holly, Jimmie, her fiance, both of her children, and her Mom, Janice, went to meet Pam (birth mom), Margaret (birth grandmother), and Paige (birth niece). Four generations of her birth family were present at the very first meeting! Holly stated that with the intros, there were "hugs all around" and it was soon very comfortable, "like seeing family you haven't seen in a very long time".

Holly was able to visit with them over dinner and then breakfast the next morning, where they all viewed old pictures of Holly in the hospital when she was born. They talked about when Janice was able to pick her up at the hospital, and Pam talked about how, after she had made the decision that an adoption would take place, the hospital didn't allow her to see or hold her baby, a very different scenario from what happens today. On Thursday, a trip to Disneyland was on tap and, while perhaps overcrowded due to the spring break holiday, it gave everyone a chance to do a lot of talking and reminiscing while standing in those long lines. After a few days of getting to know one another, Holly noticed a similarity. "I know now where I get my soda addiction!", she commented.

While talking at length, they discovered that both Holly's family and Pam's family had moved from Iowa to other states at the same time. Janice frequented the same grocery store when Holly was little as her biological mom, Pam, did. Several family members crossed paths multiple times. Pam continued going to the same doctor who delivered Holly (and who had connected her with her adoptive parents) and eventually delivered another daughter, Summer. When she would go to the doctor, he would tell her that Holly was "well and doing fine". Unbeknownst to Pam, Holly's family spent time with the doctor's family on a regular basis.

There is a lot more to talk about and they are both thinking up new questions, but the plan is to see each other again before too much time passes. Holly will meet her birth father, Dan, in September, and the circle will be complete.

These days, we don't make people work so hard to connect with adoptees or birth families. Our adoptions are open and everyone has the needed information. For anyone searching to find birth parents, birth children, or birth siblings from an adoption in years past, there are resources. The internet has helped searches take on a life of their own. If you need ideas or help starting a search, give us a call and we can get you started.