Everyone at work has been supportive about the adoption.  Only a few people were aware of it before our referral but since then just about everyone on my floor knows.  And no, it wasn’t me who told.  There are a couple of people in my office who are so excited for us that they have been sharing the news around.  One woman often brings people by my desk to admire photos of Sabrina.  If I am not at my desk, she’ll show them off herself.  And those who haven’t heard had to come see who had a baby when they saw the balloons floating above my cubicle yesterday. 

 It’s been interesting to see the reactions.  Everyone thinks she is beautiful (of course) but some people are afraid to ask questions.  Others come right out and ask where she is from and where she is now and when she will be here. 

The reaction that sticks with me the most?  One woman said she admired what we were doing.  Admired?  We are taking a child from her home country, from all that she knows, and bringing her to a strange place where no one looks like her.  She will face questions her entire life because she will not look like her parents. She will wonder about her birth mother and her birth family.  Yes, she will economically have a better life here.  She will educationally have a better life here.  She will be incredibly loved and celebrated by our families.  But I do not have altruistic motives here.  I want a child to love.  I want to be a mommy.  I’m not “saving” her from a life of poverty.  She is saving me from a life without children.  Her birth mother is not able to raise her.  If she wasn’t being adopted she would be in an orphanage.  Yes, I think that this is the best option for her.  Yes, I am happy to ensure she will grow up in a family who will love her fiercely.  But don’t think this is an admirable act on my part.  I am definitely coming out the winner here.

The most inappropriate reaction?  The woman who asked if we were adopting because of fertility issues.  I don’t know this woman well at all.  I really don’t want to discuss my uterus with her.  

The reaction I liked the most?  A woman told me today that I’ve been glowing all week.  She said she can see in my face that I am happier.  This is likely true since the people I work with have never known me when I wasn’t trying to become a mom.