New Family Member

Savannah (11) has been going through that phase for several years where she constantly asks why she can't have a baby sister (emphasis on the sister part - I guess she thinks we have more than enough testosterone in the house).  I have kindly explained to her again and again that MAMA'S ON THE HOME STRETCH!! I'm no longer medically able to have children, what with getting my tubes tied and then a little thing called a hysterectomy shortly thereafter just for good measure.

She's finally gotten the fact that I, physically, am not going to have a baby just so she'll have a plaything whose hair she can fiddle with when the feeling hits.  So she's moved on to adoption, especially since some friends at church have adopted several children from Haiti.  I can count on at least one pleading-for-adoption conversation a week and, failing that, discussions about the children she's going to adopt when she gets married (which I think is great; nothing wrong with it. I'm sure by the time she's 43, which is when she's allowed to begin dating, she'll be mature enough to make that commitment). We've even had conversations about fantasy children that I might adopt.

HER: "So if you HAD to adopt, what would you get?"
ME: "I don't have to, so there's no point talking about it."
HER: "But say you did..."
ME: "I don't, so it's not going to happen."

{Repeat conversation 23 times}

HER: "What if we became filthy rich, could we at least adopt a horse?"
ME: "Huh?!!!  How'd we move to horses?"

Lately, though, Tom and I have been talking about a new addition to our household.  We've talked, looked over the budget, debated, listed the pros and cons, talked about whether we could love her like the others, even if she was different.  This is not a decision to take lightly or on a whim, so we've just been discussing it and playing it by ear.  We hadn't even really talked about specifics - what characteristics we were hoping for. 

Earlier this week, however, he did the unexpected and brought her home, paperwork already filled out: fully and finally a member of our family.

Isn't she beautiful?!!!  :)  

She's the lone Nissan in a family full of Chevy's and GMC's, but I know with a little love and tenderness, she's going to fit in just fine...