4th place? No FIRST place in our hearts forever and always

It has been a long day, we were busy all day, but nothing noteworthy happened. I made appointments at the social security office to apply for SSI for the girls, I made an appointment for Kara to see an orthopedist as she pronates excessively, walking on her inner ankles, and needs orthotics. I called to get Kara’s immunization records sent to me to register her for school as somehow they were missing when we tried to do that Monday. I talked to the pediatrician’s office about Kara’s blood test results (all normal) and I spoke to a friend about a gorgeous little person available for adoption…OMG is she gorgeous and I am dreaming…

Actually, I have a pretty boring family, but the blogs were written for the girls to have a story of how they got here to America, they were not written to be entertaining, though at times I fall victim to that. Honestly though, nothing makes me happier than reading successful adoption stories, I also read those that do not end as well with tears and prayers, but I am a sucker for a happy ending.

I am joyful that so many families in the last year have had their storybook endings, some of them are minor celebrities (not us) and some use their adoptions as a stepping stone to advocate for children still in the orphanages(I would say most of us do this). If you were to listen to those families’ stories, you would hear 100 different reasons why they were adopting, and 100 interesting stories to follow. The majority of us adopting children with Down syndrome or other special needs do not always get support for our dreams, even as far as family ignoring our journeys. Lucky folks have the full support of theirs.

I would like to encourage anyone who reads my blog to read and comment on other adoption blogs as well; I see some blogs getting thousands of hits and others a dozen. Each family is special, all the children they are adopting are God's angels, and all deserve an audience as they enter into their new families. I know it is a lonely feeling for me when I see the mobs elsewhere, most days, I don’t care, others, it really bothers me.

Oftentimes I feel like a 4Th place winner in the Olympics; getting there was incredibly difficult, but no one remembers my name! LOL I would love for folks to give Kara and Amanda their standing ovation, even if they are 4th place winners in the adoption world. They will always be 1st place winners to us and our close friends, and that is what truly counts.

I will soon begin to print out the pages of their blogs for their life books, when they have been home a year, I will stop writing in both, I will miss it, but it will be time.