Timeline

I'm starting this 2nd blog to trace the journey to my daughter in China. I have always loved children and have been around them for my entire life - I am the fourth (oldest girl) in a family of 10. My youngest sister was born when I was 16 and my oldest nephew 11 months later. My first full time job was babysitting a 3 year old and a 5 year old. 2.5 years later, I went to Winnipeg to volunteer in a church run medical group home for children and I stayed there for 2.5 years. Later, I taught grades 1-4 in a 2 room church school. It was while I was working in Winnipeg that I remember thinking that what I really wanted most of all was to be a mother. I was 24 years old at the time. I would have been happy to be a mom earlier but I knew at that time that was what I REALLY wanted to be. About a year later, I checked into full time fostering a little girl from the group home. When I asked others about it, I was advised not to at that time, partly because of my age. Looking back I can see that that was good advice.

In 1993, when I was 28, I entered the nursing program (RN) at the local community college - I know I couldn't have done it if I had a child, although some did. I graduated in 1995 and worked in various jobs the next few years - there were no full time jobs available when I graduated. In 2003, I started working in Northern Saskatchewan. Some of the other staff learned of my interest in adopting and, in the fall of 2004, told me of a 2.5 year old girl whose mother might be wanting to give her up. I met the mom who was quite interested in giving her to me and I took the little girl (MJ) home with me on my 2 weeks off. During that time I decided that the time was not right for me to adopt. (a) My house was too small - and full :) (b) I would need a job where I was home more - I was 2 weeks up north and 2 weeks at home. (c) I would need a job where I could have a paid parental leave to facilitate attachment and adjustments. When I called MJ's mom, she said she had changed her mind - she missed MJ too much. Fortunately we decided this at the same time so there wasn't great heartache, although I would have loved keeping MJ. I let the idea go for the time, but in October 2005 I bought a house and in March 2006 I started a new job and the objections from 2 years ago where gone.

To back track a little, about the summer of 2004, I was thinking of adopting but hadn't mentioned it to any of my family. I have a cousin, Donna, who is about 6 years older than me, single, and a nurse (like me). I started wondering what Donna would think if I were to adopt and wondered if she would think it "weird" if I as a single woman would chose to do this. Soon after that I was at my nephew's wedding (August 2004) and I heard that Donna was planning on adopting a little girl from the Philippines! In the summer of 2004 I became a provincially approved respite and emergency foster home. I have cared for children from 9 months to 9 years of age and have had them from 2 to 6 days (except for MJ - 2 weeks). I met MJ in September 2004. Donnna brought her beautiful daughter home in December 2004.