Monaloca

At Nalani’s birth one year ago my sister and her husband were still debating whether to add a third child to their family. The good ole’ fashioned way still didn’t seem to be an option for them. My sister’s body simply isn’t meant to carry children (though her five-year-old surrogate-born boys prove her eggs are just fine!) By last fall they had decided to adopt a correctable special needs girl from China. They anticipated a wait of up to a year, and expected that the child would be around one, close to cousin Nalani’s age. Amazingly, they received a referral for an 18-month-old almost immediately after submitting their paperwork. Six months later, baby (er, toddler) Ella Wei is home in Roseville with her new, permanent family!

While I know in my sister’s mind it didn’t go “fast,” we on the outside are amazed at how (relatively) quickly and smoothly everything came together. Our own family ventured up to Roseville yesterday to meet toddler Ella, celebrate her second birthday, and welcome her to the family. After just one week in the US, she seems incredibly well adapted, and even ran to give Joey and me big hugs when we said good-bye after a few short hours. She also cried as we left, which is no surprise given the momentous change our little niece has experienced in just a few short weeks.

Welcome home, Ella! When we can’t see you in person, we’ll be following you and your brothers on the Ham family blog.

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