The Chicago Daily Herald has a wonderful four-part series online titled “Finding Family- Stories of Adopted Suburban Immigrants”.

The articles are extremely well written and have lots of wonderful photos to accompany them. I enjoyed these articles because they went deeper than most of the “look at this family that adopted” articles do and touch on some of the struggles and challenges in transracial and transcultural adoption. I am going to write about all four of them because each one focuses on a different aspect of transracial adoption and are very good reads.

Also, make sure you check out the adoption information given on the right hand side of each story.

The first article in the series is titled “A Family in Waiting” and it is one that I believe all adoptive parents can relate to. It details the experiences of a couple, who along with their 3 year-old Guatemalan son, spend eight days in Guatemala visiting with the newest member of their family, an infant boy, and then have to give him back to the foster mom and return home. I dare you to read it and not cry.

With the agony, worry and heart break of waiting for Belane still way too fresh in my memory and heart, this article touched very close to home. Also, handing my tiny baby Maggie back to the nanny in her Vietnamese orphanage after spending three days with her was absolutely without a doubt one of the hardest things I have ever had to do and one of the worst moments of my life.

The pain of “the wait” is something that most adoptive parents share, no matter where their children are from.

I wrote this post on “The Dreaded Wait” earlier this year. The difficulty of the waiting involved in adoption is something that is difficult for people to understand that haven't experienced it.

Here is an excerpt from the article…

Four minutes later, there's a knock. Paola and her mother are here to take Clayton.

Kris begins to cry as she explains the diaper bag's contents to Paola. She gently places her son in his carrier, tucking his blanket tight around him.

She whispers to him in Spanish, promising they'll be back for him. She says she loves him, they all love him.

"Nos vemos," she says. "We'll see each other soon."

Bill and Myles take turns kissing Clayton goodbye. Kris tries to prolong the farewell until she can stop crying.

When it's clear the tears will not end, she hands the baby to Paola. The young foster mother smiles and tells Kris everything will be all right. She promises to take care of Clayton.

"No llores," she says. "No llores."

Don't cry. Don't cry.

The door closes behind Paola and the three remaining Hulls embrace each other. They weep en masse, already stung by Clayton's absence.

When they break the hug after several minutes, Kris and Bill no longer are telling themselves the waiting will be easier this time.

"It's the hardest part about the entire process," Bill says. "The waiting almost kills you."

The article also touches on the poverty in Guatemala, the lives of foster mothers and some misconceptions people tend to have about international adoption, not to mention pictures of the gorgeous baby and his loving family. Make sure you check out the slideshow on the top, right hand corner of the story.