[ChelleBrewer]

Hello again. We are going through the battery of labs and medical history on the child that will hopefully become our son and I have some questions that pertain to the general China adoptive population.

I have been reading 'A Passage to the Heart: Writings from Families with Children from China'. It is filled with a lot of great information. The publication date is 1999, so I am wondering if any of you are familiar with the book, what do you find applicable and what is becoming dated?

Also, there are several articles devoted to TB, Hep B and C and I was wondering if any of you encountered a situation where your child came through with a clean record in the paperwork, but was diagnosed with any of these upon homecoming. If you wouldn't mind sharing your story here or in a pm, I would be greatly appreciative. (The importance of this issue is actually with our daughter who has a very severe heart condition. We need to have plans A, B, and C ready to go at all times.)

Here are some other questions:

~ Do any of you have experience with bringing home a three or four year old? What were your experiences?

~ Do any of you have experience with bringing home a son (especially at that age)? Would you mind sharing?

~ Did any of you adopt out of Shenyang City? Would you mind sharing those experiences?

~ I am reading that many of the children in the articles were unwell (beyond what we already know will be a health issue.) What are your experiences? What do you recommend in relation to preparing physically, emotionally, and psychologically?

~ Do any of you have experience with adopting a child internationally and having a child with a chronic illness at home already? Do you mind sharing your experiences?

Thanks so much in advance.