Mrs. Columbia International 2007

Infant adoption - the loving option

Jennifer Wakefield Mrs. Columbia International 2007 It takes as much courage to have tried and failed as it does to have tried and succeeded. Anne Morrow Interview, aerobic wear and evening gown non-finalist award winner at the 2007 Mrs. Maryland International Pageant. ALSO the 2007 Community Service award winner!!
As a product of the adoption system I know first hand how successful and rewarding it can be. I would like to give back by helping the general public understand the joys and personal fulfillment that an infant adoption can bring. The title of Mrs. Columbia International has given me an opportunity to reach out and spread the word about the importance of infant adoption. According to the National Council for Adoption, in the last 30 years infant adoption in the United States has declined, while the number of children in foster care has risen greatly. The government has recently done a better job of placing children for adoption out of foster care, the number of children in foster care due to abuse or neglect still remains high. According to the latest statistics available from the Administration for Children and Families, in the state of Maryland - this natural event we call adoption has taken place 914 times. From the period of October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2004 - of those 914 adoptions only 1% were infant adoptions (under 1 year of age) and the median age of adoption was 6 ½. During that same time frame almost 44, 000 infants entered foster care while only 13,000 left foster care and 54% of the 13,000 were adopted as infants. Infant adotion is important for two major reasons... Bonding is the formation of a mutual emotional and psychological closeness between parents (or primary care givers) and their newborn child. Babies usually bond with their parents in the minutes, hours, or days following birth. From healthofchildren.com/B Bonding is essential in the healthy life of a newborn. It should be no surprise that nurturing behaviors cause specific neurochemical actions in the brain. These actions lead to organization of brain systems responsible for attachment. Infant attachment is the deep emotional connection that an infant forms with his or her primary care giver, often the mother. It is a tie that binds them together, endures over time, and leads the infant to experience pleasure, joy, safety, and comfort in the care giver's company.
Links of interest www.adoptcasi.org Once a month I speak with families from all over the country and the world who are considering adoption via a telephone conference - I tell them my story and answer their quesitons about what it is like to be adopted. CASI Foundation for Children - Bringing Hearts Together (a non-profit adoption agency) is headquarterd in Idaho and helps place children all over the United States. www.achildsdesire.org Children's Charity A Child's Desire (a non-profit charity). Who provides grants to families adopting hard to place children, children with special needs, and children over the age of eight.	With my biological mother - Faith
With my Mom and Dad Legacy of an Adopted Child Author Unknown Once there were two women, who never knew each other One I do not remember, the other I call mother. Two different lives, shaped to make mine one... One became my guiding star, the other became my sun. The first gave me life and the second taught me to live it. The first gave me a need for love, and the second has been there to give it. One gave me a nationality, the other gave me a name. One gave me the seed of talent, the other gave me an aim. One gave me emotions, the other calmed my fears. One saw my first sweet smile, the other dried my tears. One gave me up...that's all she could do. The other prayed for a child and God led her straight to you. If you would like more information about adoption or would like to share your story on adoption please email Mrs. Columbia International	Jack - my biological father - with my girls MY STORY The year was 1972, a young woman was pregnant. She was single and 18 years old. She had a very important decision to make. Should she keep the baby, get an abortion or give her baby up for adoption? Because of her love for that child growing inside of her, she decided to give her baby girl up for adoption. She wanted to give her a chance to have more than an 18 year old could offer. The fetus growing inside of that young woman’s body was me...and I am the person I am today because of the decision she made. I feel that adoption IS a natural event, a beginning of a new life for two or three people. I have always known that I was adopted and I have always liked the fact that my parents picked me out instead of being surprised at what they got. I had always wondered who my biological parents were, what they looked like and what characteristics of their’s I had inherited. On the weekend of the 4th of July in 1994 I met my biological father, his parents and my biological mothers parents...and in January 1996 I met my biological mother and her family... and I now feel that I have all of the pieces to the puzzle of my life. I have been blessed with two wonderful parents who are and always will be Mom and Dad to me. I am privileged though to have two sets of parents who have molded me into who I am today. The first gave me life The second taught me to live it. The first gave me a need for love. And the second has been there to give it.
Check out - The Last Words...article from the Visitor July 2007 issue(the Seventh-day Adventist Mid-Atlantic states magazine that reaches 45,000!!). Written by Jennifer Wakefield. Also, an article featuring Jennifer's adoption experience will be included. Visit www.columbiaunion.org for both articles and under blogs to listen to Jennifer talk about her experience and what she is doing now to help others.	To see photos of my latest pageant that I competed in - Mrs. Prince George's County United States - that was held on November 11, 2007 go to myspace/jennifermariewakefield