Finding Ad

"Since 1999, the orphanages in China are required to run a provincial newspaper advertisement for children that are found and brought to their orphanage. We call them "Finding Ads." These ads contain information about where and when the children were found and which orphanage is caring for them. Originally these were text-only ads, but most provinces now include photographs in their ads. These photographs are usually the earliest available pictures of the children, some from as young as a few weeks old."
- http://research-china.org/

I ordered Magnolia's finding ad soon after we got our referral. You'll find her under number 1935. She was the 1,935th picture ad for China's Southern Farmer Daily Newspaper for 2006. This ran Dec. 19th 2006, one year ago today. Hard to imagine this ad featuring our daughter was in a southern China newspaper only one year ago today. She would have been only 2 months old at the time, a late attempt at finding her birth parents. Interesting to me that they clearly know these babies' parents will not be found yet they still run the ads, even if they're 2 months past the time of abandonment. This will be the only photograph we have of Magnolia before we met her. I'm filled with so much pride and love when I see this finding ad, for Magnolia and for all the babies, for being so strong, for surviving the unthinkable. The ad states that this baby was found with a full head of hair and small eyes, weighing just 6.6 pounds and 18 inches long. What an absolute miracle in my eyes.