Fourteen and a half years ago, my husband and I traveled with nine other families (some couples, some single moms) to China, where we met, formally adopted and got to know our babies. Needless to say it was an exhilarating, intense and unforgettable time for all of us. Two families were getting their second child, but most of us became first-time parents together. I don't need to tell you that we all felt, and still feel, that we got the exact baby we were meant to love, bond with, raise and cherish forever. But here's the bonus: We parents all bonded as well.

Our "China group," children and parents, gets together every six months without fail for a reunion of as many families that can make it. Yesterday, we had our 29th reunion at our home; seven families were there. The kids, six girls and one boy, are all 15 now, and we parents are, well, maturing too. I honestly don't know who enjoys these gatherings more: the kids or the parents. But I assure you, we all look forward to and relish these events. We have the joy of seeing all our kids grow up. We look at scrapbooks of that amazing time in China. And every time we meet the kids sit on a couch together for a photo, just like they did when they were infants and we propped them up together on the couch of our hotel in Hefei, Anhui, China. We now have 30 couch pictures—and countless memories. What we all share, beyond the experience of adopting, and adopting from China, is that we all cherish our children beyond words. And we cherish our group, too. There isn't one parent in our group that would have it any other way. It's a wonderful way to form a family.

Happy Adoption Month to all! And happy parenting to all moms!

[That's our original adoption group "couch picture." My daughter and I are center in the back.]