Be My Baby - Transcript

On July 29th in the year 2000 an infant girl was abandoned in Mainland China. She was found near a police station and brought to a nearby orphanage.

It took a year of paperwork. A year of scrutiny by the U.S. Government and the People's Republic of China. But finally, Marty and Carol Wells received a health report and a letter describing a baby girl they had permission to adopt.

[Marty Wells:] "The letter is titled growth progress. 'Lo Chou Chen was healthy and agile. When she just came she was weak. After a period of care she develops very soon. She is a pretty, lovely and active girl. Her bridge of the nose is clear. Eyebrow is bushy and eyes are big. She smiles very sweetly and people like her very much. When aunts hold her in the arms she will smile.'

"We had to, just based on health status normal and those two pictures, we had to send a letter back that said, yes we will accept this child."

[Carol Wells:] "We started planning to build a family about ten years ago and just didn't… it just never happened. So it was probably about five years ago that we really started saying, well gee, maybe we should think about adoption."

[Marty Wells:] "I just thought that at some point Carol and I would have a child of our own. And not being able to do that has been really hard."

Marty Wells knows a lot about adoption. He comes from a family of sixteen, thirteen of them adopted.

[Marty Wells:] "People should know that adoption is just another way of starting a family. And that once you've adopted a child that is your child and that is always your child no matter what."

Meanwhile, half a world away in China, a six-month-old child lies in her crib waiting for her new parents. She's surrounded by hundreds of orphans - all girls. In China the official policy allows only one child. If a girl is born first, her parent will sometimes abandon her and try again for a boy.

[Carol Wells:] "I think this was a very tough decision. I mean I'm not thinking that people just chuck these kids out of the window, you know. Time and time again, you know, little notes are left with some of these children."

[Marty Wells:] "'I am heartbroken to give her up. But in China women have no power and I have no choice. I hope someone will care for her.'

"Another was addressed to the child herself. 'In this life, in this world, I am not able to provide for you," it said. "I'm giving you up so you can have a life. Good luck and be well.'"

But the sorrow of one is the joy of another. Carol and Marty are on their way to Gwan-ju to meet their new baby daughter.

[Marty Wells (in Omaha):] "Well, this is it. This is the beginning of the big journey. We're in Omaha. We're at the house of the people whose fault this is -- I mean, who started it all and whose legacy we're carrying on. Something like that."

[Marty Wells (in China):] "We just found out that after we get to Nam-Ming we're actually going to see Melanie tonight. And we thought it wasn't going until tomorrow, everybody here in the group is extremely excited. And right now we're getting our adoption fee together and they're going to give us a new updated picture of her. Our flight leaves in about an hour tonight.

"We're waiting very anxiously up in our room here to get a phone call. It should come any minute to tell us to come down to the lobby to get our daughter. It's unbelievable, we're sitting up here in this hotel room going nuts. We couldn't even figure how to turn the lights on in this place. There are no switches. You have to have a key to the special slot and do a few other things just to get the lights to stay on. It's the little things. God.

"Just follow us along...

"I want to be a good Dad, you know. I'm not really scared that I'm not going to be but that's like the big thing. Don't screw this up."

A month has passed. It's the Fourth of July in Lincoln, Nebraska. Melanie Wells is an American now -- part of a huge, multicultural extended family.

[Marty Wells:] "I'll always be her father. Carol's always going to be her mother. We're not her biological parents but we will always be her parents.

"If I were your mother, I would say, 'Forgive me -- create your own future, little one. I wish you all the best.'"

[Music:] "I am going to like it here. There is something about the place. An encouraging atmosphere like a smile on a friendly face. There is something about the place -- so caressing and wonderful..."