Truthfully, after our amazing journey to finally become a family in 2013, another adoption was the furthest thing from our minds. But soon our daughter began asking for a baby brother. As we saw her love and longing grow for him, we opened our hearts and remembered all we’d felt for the children left behind without hope of a loving family. There's room in our life for just such a little boy. We're looking forward to bringing him home in 2016.

China is coping with nearly 60 million orphans, and the number of special needs children who are abandoned continues to rise. Poverty and inadequate medical coverage are the primary reasons for abandonment. Up until recently, the one-child policy was also a factor. As we went through the adoption process the first time, we learned a little-known fact—these days, boys are being left behind in greater numbers than girls. In fact, 75% of the children on the shared list for special needs are boys. 

Like our daughter, our son will have special medical needs. Since we are asking for a younger child, he may require surgery and therefore may also need to be with us as soon as possible.

Why China?

We’ve had a love affair with China since our teens. Andrew and I both studied Chinese martial arts and fell in love with the culture. Even back then, we knew that someday we wanted to adopt a daughter from China. We love the people and the land, and we can’t imagine a better way of showing our gratitude than to give another Chinese child a loving family who will honor his culture and heritage.

Quite simply, China is where our children have been born.

How can you help?

You can help by donating here. No gift is too small. If you were thinking of giving a baby or shower gift, we’d ask that you consider this option instead, as we have every material item we need thanks to generous friends and our previous adoption. All we need now is our son. 

Your donation here goes directly to Carolina Adoption Services. We are raising funds to cover the final orphanage donation, in-country travel, visa fees, the required medical exam, and agency fees, which totals around $17,000. 

If you’re a coffee lover, we also have a fundraiser over at Just Love Coffee. They’ll donate $5 to our fund for every bag sold.

If you want to donate frequent flyer miles for travel, let us know. As we get closer to the time, we’ll have a better idea of which carrier we’ll be using.

We are also working on other fundraisers—stay tuned for announcements over at Tiffany's blog and on social media! If you can’t give $ but want to help by donating items for a silent auction online, please contact Tiffany at tiffanytrent@msn.com.

You can also share this link with people who might be interested.

Why are we fundraising?

Up until now, we have been able to pay all of our adoption fees (about $13,000 to date). Right now, we are halfway through the process, just waiting to be matched. The final payment will be due once we accept a match and are approved to travel to China. Fundraising now will make it possible to bring our son home in a timely fashion, especially if his medical needs require it.

One less orphan would make a world of difference. Thank you for making that difference in our son’s life.