Double Happiness!!

Two bits of terrific news for a sunny Monday.

First, two of our friends from the ALTiverse have received their long-awaited referral: twin boys! I won't link to them - they're password protected - but we are entranced and a little in awe of their energy and creativity. And now, they're parents!Their little cuties are from north-central China, fraternal twins, and are already the Light of their mommy's and daddy's lives. And here they were thinking they were all busy with their new doggie!

(For the record, I don't want to give away the boys' actual images so I hunted around the internet for something that said "twin boys", found this, and was entranced that anyone would have written - or read - a story entitled "The Boy Ferret Among The Dagoes".)

Some parts of our past just don't translate well.

But this post isn't about pasts - it's about futures.

We're thrilled with the good news, and want to shout out public congratulations to the Walterniverse and the two brand new little stars in their domestic firmament.

The other good news has a bit of a bittersweet taste to it.

If you remember our China trip to little Miss Shaomei almost exactly one year ago you probably remember the little girl

we went to embrace, and left without, Baoxin..."Yun-yun".

Her story has always been the corona of darkness around the giggling little Sun of Dongguan (apologies to Willie the Shake) who is our sweet Missy.

So we have been trying to find out what had happened to her in the year after we left her with her ayis at the shabby little hotel in downtown Guangzhou.And here's the result:
From: [Mojolicious] [e-mail redacted]
Subject: Question on Fate of Child
To: brianstuy@research-china.org
Date: Thursday, September 25, 2008, 2:11 PM
Hi Brian,
I have seen your work and thank you for all that you do to keep us educated and informed. I have what I hope is an unusual question. I adopted a little girl, Lian Bao Xin, from Lian Jiang Social Welfare Institute, in September last year. She was born March 13, 2006. We had the adoption dissolved because she had brain damage; she went back to her orphanage. How might I find out her fate/if she got adopted/is still “paper ready” and waiting? There are a lot of services available on the internet, I don’t mind paying for a service, but I don’t know where to start. I’ve combed the internet for her specific information and found nothing. Any suggestions you might provide would be much appreciated.
Thank you for your time.

[Mojolicious] [Businessaddress, LLC]

From: Brian H. Stuy [mailto:brianstuy@research-china.org]
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2008 9:48 PM
To: [Mojolicious]
Subject: Re: Question on Fate of Child

I called the orphanage and talked with the office manager in charge of international adoptions. She told us that Lian Bao Xin has been adopted by an American family two weeks ago. She seemed to be doing very well with her family, and I think it has turned out well.

If this family contacts me for her finding ad, I will put them in touch with you.

Good luck!

Brian Stuy
Research-China
www.research-china.org

So we hope, and think, that Yun-yun's story may be lighter and happier than we had feared and mourned. I wish we could have helped you, Yun-yun, I wish we could have been bigger and better than we are. But I am glad that you found a mommy and daddy who love you and want you, and I wish you joy and peace and love all the days of your life.