Our baby arrived on May 19, 1998 weighing 22 lbs. after a two year gestation period. No, not an elephant, but a sweet little girl adopted when she was nearly 11 months of age in the City of Hefei, Anhui Province, in Central China.
Our process began June 4, 1996, with an adoption agency after many years of attempting to conceive a child of our own and using many fertility procedures in Toronto. On Friday, the 13th of March 1998, we received a faxed copy of our proposed child's photo and pertinent information. The Hefei Children's Welfare Institute advised the little girl's name was "Han Wu" and was an abandoned child (as so many girls are in China).
We left Toronto on the 16th of May, 1998, travelling under the guidelines of the organization "Open Arms to International Adoption" and after stops in Vancouver and Beijing we finally arrived in Hefei the morning of the 18th. We attended the Golden Anhui Hotel's fifth floor meeting room the next morning and, much to our surprise, Han Wu was there with the Institute staff waiting our arrival. We were instant parents! After some intense screaming, soothing, and more screaming we signed some paperwork and returned to our hotel room.
We named Han Wu, MEG HAN WU BALLANTINE.
We spent two weeks in China on a roller coaster ride of paperwork, stomach flue & a near death allergy reaction but saw a wonderful country full of history, sights & experience we will never forget. Meg will be shown photographs, a video & told stories of her first two weeks with her mom and dad with the same pride as a parent who gives birth to a child.
This will be my wife, Shelley's, first "celebrated" Mother's Day with Meg (every day has been a celebration with this little girl). Shelley returned to work for a few days after a short parental leave but chose to be employed at home as a full time Mom. Shelley is an excellent mother and certainly deserves some recognition from Meg's dad!.
Mark Ballantine
R.R. #2, Indian River
Editors Note:
This article was taken from the Peterborough Examiner on Saturday, May 8, 1999 - sounds like a very proud dad. I'd say Meg has been blessed with two great parents!!!
