“There are times when the adoption process is exhausting and painful and makes you want to scream. But, I am told, so does childbirth.”
– Scott Simon
The various ways/side of adoption
So, prior to writing Baby 4 Us, I’ve already made the conscious decision that I’m going to adopt. I don’t know when but I do know that it’s going to be after I leave China and settle in a new country. Now, this conversation started with me among my group of friends as we were talking about our future plans. We knew that she didn’t want to stay in China but most of us didn’t have a clear idea of what to do next. But, as the conversation developed, it pivoted to the topic of children and childbirth and well…
So, as I said, I want to adopt a child. It’s my way of paying it forward as I, along with my brother, was taken in by my grandmother after spending some time in the foster system. The idea of taking a child out of that potential traumatic environment has always been the driving force behind my decision. I don’t enjoy my time in the foster care system. In fact, I hated it as my foster mother and her nephew were incredibly awful to me and my little brother. I promised myself that I wouldn’t be like them and try to adopt the first chance that I got. This was also the driving force behind Baby 4 Us.
For this warmhearted story, I already had it in my head that the story was going to end on a happy note. However, what I didn’t anticipate was also how light-hearted it was becoming. It was eerie for me because I’ve always been told that childbearing was more on the overwhelming side. You know, mentally and physically taxing on the women. And even get me started on everything I’ve been told about the preparation for the newborn. It almost turned me away from it all.
Oddly enough, not putting all that emotional weight on the parents worked better for the story. I replaced all that with nervous cheers. They couldn’t wait. Then I added the bonus good news. However, that’s all I’m going to say on that front as it would lead into spoiler territory. I will tell you that the parents will start off the story by adopting one child but will end the story with more than one.
I have to admit. I have to do a small bit of research because, though I know a lot about sex, genetics, and whatnot, I knew very little about the actual process of childbirth. I just knew where the baby comes out of and that women are in no mood for jokes. I didn’t have too much. Just enough to know the order of events towards a newborn’s development. I think it took about a few hours or so. Anyway, I think I did an okay job with it all. And, with that, I hope you enjoy the story.
You can buy the book on Amazon. The link is here.
You can also learn about it on Goodreads. The link for it is here.
