[kakuehl]

As I read through this thread I'm reminded of how many fruit trees are grown. The root of a peach tree for example usually is a variety of peach tree that is very hardy; the part of the tree that branches and bears fruit is from a different variety that is grafted into the root stock. The peaches that we enjoy would not be possible without either one.

As you can tell, I like the tree diagram. As a birth mom, I like the idea of being the root (without which the tree would fall over!). Since the root system expands as well, there's plenty of room to include his birth family going back for generations!