a little more on that

For someone who writes for a living AnnaRay sure can shy away from a story. Of course you can get the complete coverage from Lisa and Jacob, but where's the local angle? The reaction story? The woman on the street interview?

Actually, I hate that man-on-the-street crap, but here's my six cents: The last time we saw Lisa and Jacob was a little more than a year ago on the first leg of our East Coast Farewell Tour, which we embarked upon before moving to Portland. We met them for dinner and Jacob told me the big news. I knew they had tried for some time to get pregnant, and even their in vitro attempts were unsuccesful, so I was pleased to hear that they were moving on and embarking on their own journey to adopt a baby girl from China.

They were clearly happy and excited about it, and I tried to match their enthusiasm. I was (and continue to be) thrilled that these two smart, loving, generous people were going to be parents, but I'm sure I was also horribly patronizing, as only someone who already has a kid can be. I couldn't help thinking about all the early stages of their daughter's life my friends would miss out on and how lucky AR and I had been to get knocked up on the second try.

So I must thank Lisa and Jacob for sharing their experience on their blog, because here's what I've learned: it doesn't really matter how you get the kid; that moment when you see her face for the first time is going to be a powerful and transformative, even if it's only in a photograph. After all the anticipation heightened by beaurocratic delays (they thought they'd have a baby in August, but won't be bringing her home till February,) even I got a little emotional when I saw the pictureof his baby daughter Jacob posted early this month to announce that her adoption was finally official. And subsequent posts about her baby report, complete with details about her personality (outgoing and active) and feeding schedule (frequent,) seemed no less revelatory than when we learned about those kinds of things with The Boy.

Oy, now I'm getting a little ferklempt. Congratulations Jacob and Lisa - I could not possibly be happier for you three!