Negative

We took a pregnancy test this week.

The test was precipitated by a hunch, and nothing more. And so the negative (not pregnant) result came as no surprise.

But this small test has started some interesting conversations in our family.

Had you asked us 1-2 years ago, we would have told you our plan. Deliver 2 biological children, and then adopt more children through the American foster system. Focus on adopting sibling groups, and try to keep all of our children relatively close in age.

Had you asked us 4 weeks ago, we would have had another plan. Finish our contract here in Shanghai, probably extending it to move at the end of a school year. Then accept another expat assignment, possibly in Mumbai, India. Expect to move back to the states at the completion of that project, and settle down into providing a more stable home for our older children.

Unfortunately, the timing on these two plans does not merge as well as we would like, which calls them both into question. This has led to some very interesting conversations in our household. It has also caused us to begin some research, which has led to more interesting conversations.

Apparently, adopting a Chinese baby can take up to 4 years from beginning to end of the process. By the time we had a baby in custody, we would no longer live in China.

Apparently, adopting an Indian baby is quite difficult, if not impossible, for families lacking Indian ethnicity.

Apparently, adopting from most other Asian countries can be fraught with difficulty. Original documents can be hard to find. Orphan status can be difficult to trace. Medical records may not exist. Local police can be quite difficult. The United States does not recommend adopting from many of the countries surrounding either China or India, and most of the remaining nations aren't offering their orphans.

We do not want to get pregnant again, but we do want to grow our family. It seems that our options are only 3:
1 - to begin the process of adopting a Chinese baby soon;
2 - to wait to grow our family until we return to the U.S., when our girls may be middle elementary school aged; or
3 - to hasten our return to the states and begin fostering.

We'll keep you posted.