About Me

Before we can become the best of friends (or enemies?–I guess it depends on how much we disagree, but hey, conflicting ideas are what make life interesting and better) I thought it would be important to introduce myself and my purpose for blogging.

My name is BABS. Yes, fully capitalized. It’s not all caps in order to have people yell my name as I enter a room as if they’re excited. Nor is it because I feel that I am so important that my name should be in caps. It’s in caps because it’s an acronym for a nickname I picked up when I was younger. I’ll spare you all the details of how I came to get the nickname, because it’s not PC, which will cause you to disapprove of it and of me (even though it’s from when I was young and I didn’t know better), but then we’ll never get to the fun stuff — like discussing adoption issues. So let’s move on to more pertinent, important things…such as my history.

After spending thousands of dollars on learning Mandarin both in college and abroad, and after testing about 9 different jobs after graduation that just weren’t for me, I was lucky enough to have eventually found a position as a China adoption coordinator. I worked in this position for almost 3 years, and, for the most part, I loved it. While the children were always adorable, and the unconditional love given by parents was incredibly touching, I also found a lot of ignorance rampant in the world of adoption that needed addressing. When I just couldn’t contain my opinions to myself anymore is when I created this blog.

Unfortunately I left my job with the agency a year and a half ago to go back to school. As a result of my leaving my job, I had to take my finger on the pulse of adoption issues and instead place my attention on studying. But never fear. I’m beginning to regain a connection to the world of adoption, except this time from the vantage point of an adoptive parent.

I’ve long wanted to adopt from China–long before I even had my job. I’ve pretty much always known childbirth wasn’t for me. The thought of pushing something the size of a melon out from within me disgusts me, and I haven’t the faintest desire for such things. But any specifics of just how I would build my family were of no consequence to me until I was 25, freshly married, and speaking with my still-has-that-new-husband-smell husband about how we would build our family one day. We both agreed then and there that adoption was the way we both wanted to go (Thank God! I mean how awkward would that conversation have been if we were at odds on such a fundamental question and we had just married!). We also agreed that we would adopt from China because of my cultural, social, and political knowledge of the country, and my husband’s interest in China. It wasn’t until recently, as we’re getting closer to beginning the process, that we also decided to adopt a child with special needs. But, none of this really matters right now because my husband and I are still too young to doing any substantive work on our adoption, and feel like light-years away from having that ever-important dossier sent to China. We have begun the process though — just very, very slowly. Actually, we started it too early, but we were just so excited. Eh, it’ll be fine.

So, in all, this what my blog is for. Talking about issues in adoption. Any issues. The deeper ones, the more superficial ones, the silly ones, the thoughtful ones. Whatever. And also to share my thoughts on what it was like looking at adoption as an adoption coordinator, and now what it is like as a prospective adoptive parent.

I look to others in the community to help keep me grounded by providing constructive feedback. I’m not always right, and I know it. But how am I to be better unless I share what I’m thinking and others help me form a better opinion. That’s what CTK is all about. Let the good times roll…