The best club I ever joined

If someone told me five years ago that I would be adopting a child from China I would have thought they were crazy. The thought just never occurred to me. But now that the paperwork has actually been approved and we're waiting for a referral, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. Like this is how it was always supposed to happen. In fact, it's almost hard to picture doing this "the other way." An unexpected bonus, and something else I never imagined, are the incredible people we're meeting because of this adoption journey. We meet them everywhere - in restaurants, over email, through the blogs, at work, you name it. It's like we've been admitted to a secret club of really cool, friendly people and the only requirement for joining is that you're building or expanding your family through adoption. There's no secret handshake (although I really think there should be one) and the people who join this club come from all over the world, from every profession, and from every demographic. A group of South Bay adoptive parents met for the first time today for (a little) coffee and (a lot of) chatting at the park in Santana Row. Some had adopted twice, some had just returned from the trip to China, some were paperchasing, and some were waiting for referral. What fun! Pictured are: Top row left to right: Sandra, Kristin, Liz (holding Sydney), Jeff (holding Suzanne), Lisa (holding Kelli), Donna (holding Gwen). Bottom row left to right: Tracey, me. I loved listening to the stories, matching faces with the email addresses, meeting some of the babies we've been reading about on the blogs, and sharing our experiences. I drove home smiling the whole way and in fact I'm still smiling. Thanks for a great time everyone, and we'll do it again soon. If you're reading this right now and thinking "I wish I had been there" just send me an email and I'll invite you to the next one! Take care, enjoy your week, and someone please work on that secret handshake, okay?