This precious baby is unaware of how much love and joy she has brought to her new parents.
Affectionately known as Min, the baby girl came into the lives of Kapunda couple, Tracy and Roger Kalleske in July, through adoption services.
The 10-month-old girl from China has meant a four-year wait has disappeared.
“She is just so beautiful - we think we are the lucky ones for having such a gorgeous baby,” Tracy said.
However, the couple - who were unable to naturally conceive a child of their own, explained the road to adoption is a long and detailed procedure.
“There were times when you just felt you had enough of waiting, but somehow you just kept believing that one day you would have a child,” Tracy said.
The process firstly involves a series of medical and police checks on the couple.
This is followed by a 12-hour interview with a social worker.
Also, the couple stressed the ordeal is expensive.
“If, at any stage, we were to become sick or our circumstances changed then this would have probably meant we could not have adopted,” Tracy said.
And what first started out with seven SA couples eager to each adopt a child from overseas, just three completed the journey and headed overseas to bring a child home.
“You just have to be strong and you can’t go into it (adoption) thinking it will all happen tomorrow,” Tracy explained.
Adoptions in Tracy’s family are common. Her grandmother, her mother and her brother were all adopted so it only seemed natural to Tracy. While they could have chosen alternative methods to conceive a child, both felt it was right for them to take a child out of poverty to add to their family.
Roger said a concern, which weighed against him was his age, however this was wavered thanks to the Australian government changing its laws to allow him to be involved.
“We were really lucky because there was only a small window of opportunity for this before the law was changed back again,” Roger said.
While details about Min’s life prior to adoption cannot be disclosed, the couple flew to China in July, with the other SA couples, after receiving news of their adoptions being finalised and children waiting.
“We had chosen a girl and after we were given her, we were amazed at how many Chinese people were grateful for us.
One person commented that their child “will be given a much better life”.
Two months on and the Kalleskes described their daughter as a “smart little individual who is playful and wise beyond her age”.
She is already showing musical signs as she gently strokes the keys to her toy piano, and feels content when she’s snuggled against her mum.
The couple named her Rita Minni-Mei, Rita being significant because it was the name of Roger’s late godmother and Tracy’s late grandmother. The Kalleskes prefer to call her Min, because to them it means ‘the people’.
Already Min’s presence has been welcomed in the Kalleske family and is receiving plenty of loving responses from the community.
She is the much-awaited niece and next generation in Tracy’s family and is also the adored sister for Roger’s children Tom and Anna.
For now, the teaching couple will remain at home and enjoy their new addition, with Tracy resigning from her position at Riverton and Roger taking up a term’s adoption leave from Kapunda High School.
The couple is keen for Min to understand her heritage and are planning to head back overseas in the next few years so she can be taught Mandarin.
“We want her to be happy and feel proud to be an Aussie-Chinese girl,” Tracy added.
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