This is the 23rd installment in a series of columns I am devoting to the adoption journey my wife, Claudette, and I started in 2005. Hank Bond, publisher and editor of the Greenup Beacon, asked that we share our story with you. Maybe you have an interest in adoption or know someone who does. If so, I hope this information is helpful. We adopted our daughter, Josie Claire Siyan, from China in 2007.

While in China, we communicated with our friends and family members via a website we set up prior to leaving for our two-week journey throughout China.

In a post titled “Tuesday morning in Guangzhou,” dated Feb. 5, 2007:

“Tuesday morning has gone very smoothly for 3/5 of the Hapney's!  We had a great night's rest, woke up at 6 a.m., and then had a web cam chat with home!  It was great to see and talk with Brock, Blake, Mamaw Patty, Papaw Larry, Aunt Paulette, and cousin Tanner.  The web cams have been wonderful.  It's nice to be able to spend an hour with the boys and the rest of our family when we are so very far away from home.”

“Well, the countdown is on!  After another day-and-a-half we will be flying home.  And we cannot wait until we arrive and settle into our life as the five-member Hapney family.”

“After our web cam chat we enjoyed breakfast downstairs in the hotel with the Alvarez family (Santiago, Karen, Ana, and Sebastian, and Pat), in addition to Antinette, Rick, and Hadley (who is doing just great with her family; she always seems to have a smile on her face.).  We chatted with the grandmother of a newly-adopted little girl who was one of five children to come out of an orphanage that was totally white (no colors for stimulation), and the children didn't do anything.  They just slumped wherever they were.  It was one of the saddest stories we've heard since we have been here in China.  The orphanage was apparently way out in the middle of nowhere.  The people there were taking photos of the Americans, because they've never seen them before.  It was a heart-breaking story.  The grandmother did say her granddaughter is doing much better.  Her name is Kiarra.  She's 19 months old.  Please pray for her and the other four children (God knows their names), in addition to the kids who remain at the orphanage.”

“After breakfast we came back to our room to get Josie ready for photos on the red couch with all of the other children.  It was like we were getting her ready for her senior prom!  Oh, that's a terrible thought!  I don't want to even go there yet.  Time passes so very quickly, as is evidenced with our boys--Brock (6) and Blake (5).”

“We then went down to the second floor and had a photo taken of the three of us, with a waterfall behind us, in addition to a group shot of one parent with each adopted baby.  Claudette was our ‘designated’ parent for the photos.  The group then left their babies on the couch and we took photos of the babies, many of whom were throwing fits.  Josie just stared at them like, why are you so upset?  We also met a couple in our group that is from Huntington.  I believe their names are Greg and Kim Lucas.  Their daughter is Nora Hope Lucas.  He is pastor of a church near Camden Park, and she works at Cabell-Huntington Hospital as a nurse.  He noticed my ‘We are . . . Marshall’ shirt and asked if I had seen the movie.  What a small world!”

“After that, we shot some photos of the four ‘special needs’ babies.  That term seems ridiculous, for none of the four are what Americans know as special needs.  One had a heart problem that's been repaired, two had cleft lips that have been repaired (Josie is one) and have cleft palates still to be repaired, and one has a hemangioma (vascular birthmark).  They are four beautiful babies who are loved very much.  They have brought so much joy to our lives.”

“That brings us to now.  We have to wait in our room until 1 p.m. (it's 11:16 a.m. now).  Our guide, Susan, is at the U.S. Consulate presenting our paperwork that will finalize everything.  She needs us in our room in case there are any questions about anything.  Once we're finished waiting, we intend to head ‘out on the town’ with Antinette, Rick, and Hadley.  We will then have dinner at 6 p.m. at a Cantonese restaurant here close to our hotel.  I'll do another posting with all of the Josie-related antics from the afternoon and evening hours tonight.”



Terry L. Hapney, Jr., Ph.D., is a professor in the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Marshall University, and an eastern Greenup County native. He may be reached at hapney@marshall.edu.