Care

For discretion's sake, there's only so much I can say in this space
about Aaron's circumstances. Although of course as the boy grows up
we'll tell him anything and everything he's interested in knowing
about where he came from.

What I can say in this public forum is that we were first connected
with the clinic where Aaron was born through my aunt, who saw a TV
program last year about an abandoned baby in Taiwan, and called the
number on the screen and eventually got hold of the clinic to find out
more and express our interest. It turns out that baby eventually got
adopted by a family in California, although we apparently made the
very short list of prospective adoptive families.

My family members who made the case about us to the clinic apparently
made a positive impression, as the clinic called back later that year
to tell us there was another potential adoptee. That one didn't work
either, but yet another opportunity arose and we were put at the top
of the list. We kept in close contact with the clinic and were
eventually able to begin the legal proceedings for adopting Aaron.

Based on pictures and on descriptions by my parents, the clinic
appears to be well-run. My parents arrived in Taiwan about a week
after Aaron's birth, during which time Aaron stayed in the clinic and
was well cared for. Shortly after my parents got there, they were
able to coordinate 24-hour care by a nanny living in a city closer to
where most of my parents' relatives live, so they transported Aaron
from the clinic to the nanny, and have checked in on Aaron almost
daily since then.

My dad has been back in the US since early this month, but my mom is
still there, staying at her sister's house and visiting Aaron
regularly. She reports she has enjoyed her sister's hospitality, and
that Aaron appears to be healthy and growing. The nanny had been
watching a few other, older kids during the day, but it seems she is
currently in between gigs so Aaron's got her 100% of the time now.

Hopefully, my dad will be able to return to Taiwan to finalize the
process on our behalf, and my parents and Aaron will be able to join
us here in Philadelphia shortly. It appears all is smooth on the
Taiwan side, but we are awaiting approval here in the US in terms of
immigration and citizenship.

I've written in this space before that it is anguishing to not quite
know when you'll meet your baby for the first time. While we don't
experience the physical discomfort of pregnancy, we do harbor the same
longing to see our child. Having a "due date" range of several weeks,
in that regard, is frustrating. But certainly the waiting is easier
knowing that our boy has been well cared for from the jump and is
currently in good hands.