[ocracoke]

I turned 36 just 2 days after my daughter was born -- but I didn't get her until she was 21 months. She was adopted from Ethiopia and I am white. I have never tried to hide that she was adopted but there is no way I could have even if I tried. I had one person look at me questioningly when she called me mom and ask if I was really her mom and I just responded, "What, you don't think she looks like me?" and walked away. My daughter is very dark and so I was also surprised when one person asked me if my daughter was bi-racial. I guess it made since -- I mean they didn't question that she was my daughter and I am white so that would make her bi-racial if she was born to me. It just surprised me. I always planned to adopt -- it just turned out that I also have fertility issues. And I am so glad that I waited until I was older to make it all happen. I think that I would have been a very different mom if I had started this at a much younger age. I guess the age thing is also something that I am use to. My parents (adoptive) are 17 and 20 years older then me so I always had parents that weren't the same age as my peers parents. And I now have a brother and sister who are 18 and 21 years younger then me so I have been questioned about that a lot too. But nobody has asked me if I am grandma yet -- I guess that might get to me since I don't think I look old enough to be a grandma yet.

Samantha