Addy

[dornroeschen]

Laurie, Kamilla has both citizenships. In fact when my sister first got her she was without any, because it took the US Consulate a while to decide, whether she is to be considered a US citizen or not. Once they decided yes, she got her US passport. Then it took about a year to get the adoption through as some papers were still missing etc., and once that was achieved, we went to the US consulate to have her US citizenship cancelled (I went with my sister to help with the English), in order for her to get the Austrian one, as Austria doesn't permit dual citizenship - unless you're someone famous like Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, once at the consulate they denied us cancelling her citizenship until she's 18. Austrian authorities finally accepted this and now she as both.

Kamilla knows about being adopted since she was little. My sister explained it to her in a very sweet way. She kept telling her that she didn't grow in her tummy, but that she was a little angel on a cloud and she chose her mummy and daddy and then bounced onto her mummy's tummy. The older she got the more details she was told about her adoption. When she asked about her birth mum we told her as much as we knew from her, and told her how great she was for making the decision of giving her to a childless couple.

One nice story is from when she was 3 and went to Kindergarten (that's like your pre-school). One of the helpers there didn't know her history - unlike the other teachers - and one day when my sister picked her up, she came to my sister and told her that Kamilla had said to her that she's adopted, so that my sister would know that she's making up stories like many children at that age might do. My sister told her that it's not just a story, that she is really adopted and the helper couldn't believe it: but she looks just like you, she said. It's true she resembles my sister as a child quite a lot.

Yes, foreign adoption is a blessing, both to children and parents. My sister had already been looking into foreign adoption too, but had applied in Poland. About a month after she got Kamilla, the adoption agency contacted her that they had a baby for her. She felt happy but declined as she had already this wonderful girl. She would have preferred to have another one a couple of years later, and Kamilla would love to have a sister or brother, however my BIL is not in agreement, thinks Kamilla is quite a handful to cope with and that it's also a money issue.

Well, I would have loved for my sister to have another one, but as it won't be possible, I'm doing the proper auntie thing and just spoil my gorgeous niece as much as I can [img]wink.gif[/img]

[dianasmama]

Aunties are the greatest, Diana's Auntie Kathy is just like you! And very happy too! We all went together on our first trip to AGPChicago last summer and plan on going again later this year. It has become a tradition already!

Laurie

[Peachysweetdream]

I'm so glad you both enjoyed Addy's stories, Miki. I too found them very touching... there's a whole different level of drama in them, at least in my opinion.

And if you're going to pass a virus, the AG addict one is certainly the best! [img]wink.gif[/img]

[dornroeschen]

Originally posted by Marytam:
I'm glad that you both enjoyed the Addy stories. I have Addy and I really love her little smile and sweet expression. My family is black and we have a long family history (we have photos and information from both sides back into the 1800s), which is unusual for most blacks in America because it was very difficult to maintain family records during and after slavery. One item that is not an Addy accessory, but which was essential for many former slaves, was a family Bible. These Bibles were used as textbooks when learning to read, were sources of encouragement and hope, and they were also points of reference because important family records (birth, death, marriages)were usually kept there.
**I just ordered a miniature brass-bound Bible for my Addy. I can't wait until it arrives! I hope the little girl in your life gets an Addy of her own. She will love her doll and learn valuable life lessons.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Marytam, that's really great that you have so much about your family's history.

Family bibles have also been popular here in Europe, they were also used for documenting important events that happened in a family. I think this was costumary in many countries, also using the bible to learn how to read. I believe it's because it would have been the only book even a family, who wasn't too well off, would have.

Let me know how you like Addy's bible once it arrives!