We’ve been studying China as part of our homeschool curriculum. It is fascinating. One of the things our study mentions is the unique characteristics and culture of the Chinese people-their looks, music, food etc.
So, being Chinese, I asked Hannah-Claire if she looked any different to what we do.
She thought.
She pondered.
“No!” She declared with absolute certainty.
Isn’t adoption just amazing? Hannah-Claire totally sees herself as being no different to the rest of us. She is a Salem! Period. Recently she told us that she “is not looking very Chinese anymore because she has been home for a long time now”. So sweet. She is so tender and precious in every way.
I love it.
Speaking of our first adopted daughter. For a long time now we have suspected that her birth records may be incorrect. She is very tall, especially by Chinese standards. And, more recently we have noticed that she is starting to go through those normal changes that girls go through-but earlier than anticipated. A few things have led us to believe that, perhaps, she is actually older than what is stated on her records from the orphanage.
Last week, at Hannah-Claire’s dentist appointment, the dentist made an interesting observation. She has lost way more teeth than she should have for her age. And, her molars have come in before they normally do. The dentist asked me if I was sure that Hannah-Claire is indeed just nine years old.
It really wouldn’t be too surprising if she was made to be younger than what she truly is on her birth records. Crazier things have happened when it comes to what is written on those things. After all, it is way easier for the younger kids to be adopted than it is for older children.
Interesting.
Have any of you ever experienced something similar with your adopted child’s birth date?
Oh, I also wanted to thank all of you for the many e-mails and advice I have received about Harper’s reoccurring croup. All the ideas and advice shared has been such a huge blessing. I spent a long time chatting to her doctor about it last week. She is hopeful that Harpy will outgrow it as she gets older and stronger. It is just going to take time. One of the things that people with Down syndrome are born with is a shorter neck. Unfortunately, it does make things harder for Harper when the croup hits as the airways are shorter and the air simply cannot flow. Sweet lovie.
We now have a nebulizer at home. Though it may not keep us out of the emergency room, it will definitely give her some relief until we can get her there. For that we are so thankful.
Hey Adeye!
Yep, our son (Ethiopia) was a year older than what we were told. We were told 4 1/2 and it was really 5 1/2. We found it after pouring over adoption records-there was one place that said 5. And from our dentist. Plus our son knew what his age was and was VERY irritated when we said he was a year younger. We ended up changing it because it bothered him so much. He was told (by family)that when he got to America he would be a year younger-pretty sure it was to make him more adoptable..which makes me so sad.
Charisa
Our daughter from China has always been MUCH smaller for her birth certificate/ orphanage assigned age. I have always guessed that she was younger than stated. She is significantly physically developmentally delayed and our dentist, a family member who cares, told us a few weeks ago that she could not possibly be thirteen. TWO YEARS younger than stated. She is suppossed to be 15 in Dec. She has always done ok at school but we have to work hard at home to keep up. I almost wish now that 12 years ago I had done the bone scan but didn’t. Oh well hind sight is 20/20. If you are a new parent and have doubts about the correct age it may be worth it in the long run especially if you are not blessed to be able to home school your child.
A lot of internationally adopted children do go through puberty early for various reasons. Even just an improper diet (doesn’t have to be malnutrition) can cause issues.
We have some friends who adopted their daughter from China when she was 2. When she started going through puberty at 8, they did testing and found out she was probably at least 2 years older than her documents said she was-she really had been a small 4-year-old when they adopted her, not 2. In the end, they decided not to change anything, as she was already in school and they didn’t want to rock her world too much. She’s a teen now, and it doesn’t seem to be an issue for her that biologically she’s a couple years older than the 16 her documents state she is.
I to have ALWAYS thought that our daughter (also adopted from China in March 2006) is older then what her paperwork says. There are so many things that don’t fit the age that they said she is. It is interesting to hear you say the same thing.
Karen
We had this too. We had the wrist scan done shortly after our daughter came home and it showed she was younger than her records showed. The records we have from her country are a mess and clearly contain many inaccuracies. The problem with the wrist scan is it just gives too wide a range of possible ages. The dentist says she is even younger than the age we gave her. She is now 14 and only just started to menstrate so it seems likely the dentist is right.
THREE years????? Wow, Shelly, that’s crazy! Especially since in their country you get the original birth certificate. Wow.
Is there some kind of tests that can be done to tell how old she actually is? I enjoying reading about your family. My daughter was diagnosed with asthma when she was 6 months old. We have a breathing machine that we use when she gets congested. She is now 13, but that machine was a Godsend. We needed one and someone had left one at our church years ago, before we ever joined. When the secretary heard that we needed one, she gave it to us. I love knowing that God knew we needed that machine before we did. Blessings to you and your family.
Adeye - I’ve read over and over that many international adoptee girls go through puberty early. Something to do with the sudden better care and diet triggering puberty. FYI - Amelia is also surprisingly tall! She came home 2 years ago, wearing 18 m-2T clothes, and now wears size 6!
Adeye, Glad to hear that your doctor agreed for you to have a nebulizer at home! Yes, they usually do outgrow this, but not for awhile and she may be more suseptible to it because of her smaller airways, etc. She is sooooooo sweet and yummy!
Nina