China Daily Article

**I saw this on someone else's blog and thought it was worth noting.

Fewer kids available for adoption by foreigners
By Guan Xiaofeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-20 08:10
Fewer Chinese children are available for adoption by foreigners because more affluent families at home have started adopting them, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) said on Tuesday.
"The number of Chinese couples applying to adopt children has risen substantially in recent years," said Wang Suying, a division chief of MCA's social welfare and social affairs department, which oversees adoption.
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About 52,500 children were registered for adoption in 2004, with foreigners adopting 12,500 of them, according to MCA figures. But last year, the numbers fell to about 46,000 and 10,000.
"Our policy is in line with the international practice of encouraging adoption by families within the country," Wang said, because that way the kids can grow up in their own culture, which is good for them.
"But that does not mean we have any prejudice against foreign adoptions."
More families in the country are adopting kids because Chinese people's attitude toward adoption has changed, Wang said.
A lot of Chinese used to adopt kids to ensure someone was there to take care of them during their retired life, and hence they preferred boys to girls, she said.
"Now more and more Chinese people are adopting kids simply because they love children and are proud to become foster parents."
Ji Gang, director of domestic adoptions, China Center of Adoption Affairs, said Chinese families' newly acquired affluence too was responsible for the change in attitude.
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences figures show China has 30 million middle-class people, or those who earn between $10,000 and $50,000 a year.
Wang, however, said foreign families are still more willing to adopt disabled children.
US families adopted the highest number of Chinese children, followed by the Spanish.
Since 1992, when China's Adoption Law was implemented, US families have adopted more than 55,000 Chinese kids.
From May 2007, China tightened the rules for foreigners who wanted to adopt Chinese children.
To qualify as an eligible family, couples now need to have a stable marriage, comfortable income, and sound physical and mental health.
According to China's Adoption Law, people who want to adopt children must be more than 30 years old, healthy, childless and with a good and steady income to raise and educate the children.

Random Happenings

• I received an email from a lady who adopted a baby girl from China in May. The baby girl is from Chongqing, cleft affected, has eyes like MK - big and beautiful, lives not too far from us and her dad is a Clemson grad just like Ry. Even more amazing is that the lady works at the college I graduated from years and years and years ago! Of course, I will add that she works in the math dept. and she was even working there when I was a student. Unfortunately, I am sure we have never met before as math is not my forte!
• Colin has Clemson football on his mind. Yesterday on the way to school, we were saying our prayers as we always do. I prayed a special prayer for Ryan's uncle Fred who was in a bad car accident and is bed ridden for at least 8 weeks - the entire football season pretty much. Fred is a man that has never, ever missed a Clemson game....ever, and he is 76ish years old. He takes pleasure in corrupting my boys with Clemson paraphernalia! Anyway, when I finished my prayer, Pryce asked how Fred was going to get to his next doctor appt. I explained to him that the red and white limo (ambulance) had been arranged to transport Fred to his doctor. Colin quickly corrected me and said that actually ambulances were ORANGE and WHITE, just like the Clemson colors so Fred would be in good hands.
• Mason-Kate is just cute, that is all I really have to say about her....she is just cute. Ryan and I have a little competition going on lately trying to get her to say "I love my mama" or "I love my dada"....instead of her saying either of our names, she will say "I...I...mmmm GEGE" with a huge smile on her face while she claps for herself. She can say mama and dada but she chooses to say "gege"....that is actually the word for brother in Chinese so I am thinking she is just trying to keep the peace!

Labor Day Weekend

The long Labor Day weekend for us was welcomed with open arms. The boys were introduced to Rock Band on the Wii while visiting some friends in SC. They, of course, want to go purchase one TODAY! When I told them it would be a while before the rock band made an appearance at our house, Colin said "but MOM, the longer we wait, the longer it will take for us to learn how to be rock stars". HMMM, I think the wait just got longer! Admittedly so, it was a lot of fun.

Monday we went to the town that I grew up in and attended the annual Labor Day parade. This parade is one that all children are guaranteed to love due to the amount of candy that is thrown from every float that participates. We now have enough candy in our home to get us through Halloween. Following the parade, we celebrated my nephew's first birthday. Jay will be one year old this weekend!

Happy 1st birthday, Jay!

Now that the relaxing weekend is over, I can sleep!

Mother's Day Out update

Mother's Day Out update....Mason-Kate continues to cry when I leave her. We have our little routine now, I go into the classroom, hold her for a minute as her bottom lip trembles, then I kiss her head, tell her goodbye, set her down with a book, and leave. When I walk out, she crawls over, puts her head on the floor, butt in the air (almost like a fetal position) and cries for a moment. Everyday, her little friend Sara Beth walks over and gives MK a pat on the back to tell her it is okay. Of course, I never leave the building until I know that all is well with MK and that she is playing happily with her new little friends. It takes a few minutes, but she does get up and play. Well, the milestone we hit today was when I went to pick her up. Normally she cries the minute she sees me and runs into my arms. Today, though, she smiled and ran into my arms! There was a smile, I could not believe it. Below are some pictures that I took today before and after school. MK was cracking me up....she had her necessities, the lunchbox with food and her bunny blanket for comfort. She was all set for school. Then she came home and I kept telling her it was time to nap. She took the blanket and her empty lunchbox, grabbed a pillow from the couch, gave me a kiss and said "bye" as she laid down on the floor with all of the above still in her hand.

MK's way of telling Colin to be quiet....

Cute (Old) Story

The blog started out as a way for our friends and family to watch our family of four become a family of five while traveling in China. Now, it has become my little diary of sorts. Today I am choosing to remind myself of a cute little story that took place several years ago that involves Pryce. When Pryce was 3, my father, whom the grandchildren refer to as "Pop", had to have a heart cath done at a local hospital. The night before the procedure, we were tucking the boys into bed and while we were saying prayers, we added an extra prayer for Pop and we prayed that the doctors would be able to see his heart and fix what needed (or didn't need) to be fixed. The next day, the procedure was performed, Pop's heart was deemed healthy and we all breathed a sigh of relief. That afternoon, I was telling the boys that our prayers had been answered and Pop was ok. Pryce looked at me and said, "Mommy, how do they know that Pop's heart is ok?" I said, "Pryce, they put a very little camera inside his body and took pictures of his heart." Pryce's eyes got very big and he asked, "Did they see God in there? 'Cause you know that is where God lives, in our hearts!"

Different

We always go to the same local grocery store to shop. For us, it is like walking into the local "Cheers" joint where everyone knows our name.....I conveniently have this same relationship with the local Bruster's Ice Cream chain down the street. Of course, they all adore Mason-Kate and it is a rare occasion that I go into the store without having someone say "hello boys, hello Mason-Kate". Well, today, Ryan and I were checking out. The cashier is one that I didn't recognize....a new lady, she doesn't know us apparently and we don't know her obviously. So, she says to Ryan "Is she yours?" Ryan answers appropriately "Yes" The lady then looks at MK, then back at Ryan and says "hmmm, she looks different?" Ryan says "Yes, she is adopted" The lady then says "Oh, I see".......WHATTTT???? I told Ryan that when the lady said she looked different, we should have said "what, are you serious? I am always told she looks just like me!" I mean seriously! Don't get me wrong, I do not take offense at people and their curiosity. If anything, I welcome it because it allows us the opportunity to share our story. It is just amazing to me how long it takes for some people to put two and two together.

On another note, it is a rare occasion that Mason-Kate goes anywhere without her hairbow. Even if I forget, she will say "mama, mama" while tapping her head. That is her little reminder to me that her hair hasn't been completed with a bow yet. Today, though, we made a trip to the pool without the bow and tried to take some pictures. Her hair is getting so long! Enjoy!

Signs

Just about every morning that I go to take the boys to school, we get stopped at the only stoplight between our home and the school. Everytime this happens, Colin will say something out of the ordinary and I am left for a moment trying to figure out what in the world he is referring to and why all of a sudden it came out of his mouth. For example, a few weeks ago, we are stopped at the light. It is quiet in the car, MK babbling in her seat is the only noise we hear. Colin all of a sudden says "hey mom, there is an all-you-can-eat buffet from 5PM to 7PM every Wednesday night at Bojangles....I definitely want to try that, it comes with lemonade or tea to drink and it is only $3.99 per person!" Whatttttt???? I am thinking to myself, when have we ever eaten at Bojangles? So I ask him "Colin, what made you think of that?" and he points to a sign beside the stoplight. It is one of those electronic advertiser signs that flashes up specials, etc. It just so happens that Bojangles is in that particular gas station that the sign sits in front of hence the buffett advertisement. The thing is that you would think I would know by now that the sign is there and that Colin is always reading it when we are stopped. You would also think that I would know exactly why he says off the wall things at the stoplight. I haven't learned yet. Today, we were sitting and waiting at the stoplight. Colin blurts out "Mom, I really want to try that Sweet Refreshing Iced Tea, that sounds good - only $1.99 for a 24oz cup". I am again thinking, whhaaattt??? Then I look over and there it is, the sign, adverstising the famous Sweet Refreshing Iced Tea. This may not be as funny to those reading as it is to me. This is one of those posts that I am writing more for myself than anything. You see, Colin has been doing this forever. I can remember going to gas stations when he was only 4 or 5, leaving him in the car while I pumped gas only to get into the car and have him tell me, "mom, you can get two 20oz. cokes for the price of one if you pay inside" or "did you know that you can scratch and win on most Doritos labels that you purchase inside?"....he loves to read those electronic signs whether they are on a gas pump, placed in front of a gas station, etc.