Looking in at Iowa

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From ABCNEWS:

Karla Brendler has been living in Vietnam since October, as she awaits approval from the State Department to bring home her 16-month-old adopted daughter Madison. Amid allegations of corruption and baby buying, the U.S. has suspended adoptions from Vietnam. …

Adoptions can cost about $20,000. But with stalled international adoptions like Brendler’s, costs can rise dramatically. With agency costs, lawyer fees, home studies, travel, extended stay in Vietnam, lost wages, Brendler estimates her bills to be about $100,000.

Brendler sometimes feels that she is being held hostage in Vietnam away from family and friends. …

PHOTO of Karla Brendler and daughter Madison

From HelenaIR.com, by Joan Uda:

I was a lucky child, with a great mom. The only time she held a paying job was while my father fought overseas during WWII. In those days we lived with Mom’s parents in Iowa City. She worked as a librarian at Horace Mann School, where I attended and also received the deep cut on my forehead that left a still visible scar. …

From The Virginian-Pilot:

Janet [Cassill], a life-long Iowa resident, sold her home and left friends and family, a church where she sang in the choir and her hospice volunteer work to move to Charlotte with Landon. She didn’t go to be his mother - she has three children and eight grandchildren - but to provide family support when he needs it. And to escape Iowa winters.

“Do you see what they had this winter?” she says of the near-record 60-inch snowfall in Cedar Rapids. …

Driver and grandmom bought a house together, one that provides enough room for both. Janet has her office to take care of Landon’s finances and fan mail when she’s not volunteering at the Billy Graham Library. Landon has a game room for his racing simulator, complete with a racing seat and three-panel screen to help him prepare for each track. …

From St. Petersburg Times:

The wife of former Largo city manager Susan Stanton has filed for divorce.

Donna Stanton is seeking an equitable distribution of marital assets, child support and alimony.

“The parties are at this moment in amicable negotiations,” said Donna Stanton’s attorney, Cherie Parker of Clearwater.

Donna Stanton, who declined comment through her lawyer, filed her petition for dissolution of marriage on Feb. 20. That was almost a year to the day after Stanton — then known as Steve Stanton — publicly revealed plans to become a woman. Largo city commissioners voted 5-2 to fire Stanton on March 24. …

Since her departure from Largo, Stanton has lobbied Congress for transgender equality and was featured on the Montel Williams Show and Larry King Live. CNN is doing a documentary on her, and she plans to have gender reassignment surgery this spring. …

From The Chosun Ilbo (South Korea):

The adoptions of the four children were arranged by Holt Children’s Services. An official with Holt said the four children were born to different unmarried mothers.

According to Holt, Ethan, Seth and Eleanor were abandoned by their mothers as soon as they were born. Carrying their one-week-old children, the three unwed mothers visited Holt and asked that their babies be adopted overseas.

Mira was three months old when her birth mother visited Holt. “That means Mira’s birth mother must have agonized for three months about whether she should raise Mira alone or abandon her for adoption,” the Holt official said.

The children were adopted by the Sueppels in different years — Ethan in 1998, Seth in 1999, Mira in 2002, and Eleanor in 2005. …

See also KCRG story by Mark Geary, Remembering The Four Sueppel Children; Gazette obituary, Sueppel, Sheryl (Kesterson), Steve, Ethan, Seth, Mira and Eleanor; or complete Gazette coverage here.

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An interesting adoption-related post with valuable links and quotes here: ‘Forever Family’ six feet under.

The couple had adopted four children from South Korea; Ethan, 10, Seth, 7, Mira, 5, and Eleanor, 3 via Holt international (”…dedicated to carrying out God’s plan for every child to have a permanent, loving family”) which says it will only pass along the information to the children’s original mothers if they ask (see S Korean adoption agency saw no problem with American parents “our agency doesn’t reach out first. Only if they contact us, we will inform them what happened,” Hong said, adding that no phone calls were received so far.”) …

4/1 UPDATE: Gazette article, Deaths of Sueppel children add to adoption debate in Korea

Also, check out Gazette blogger Alicia Ebaugh’s post, A Korean view of the Sueppel murders.

New York Times article here:

Ms. Katz, who manages her husband’s cosmetic surgery practice in Syosset, found camaraderie with “Motherhood Later…Than Sooner,” a friendship and support group for those 35 and older and their young children. …

A year ago, Ms. Newman started a Web site, motherhoodlater.com, with Aliza Sherman Risdahl, 43, an Internet consultant and founder of Webgrrls International, an organization of women in new media. Now there are more than 200 members in the New York area, and chapters in Anchorage, where Ms. Sherman Risdahl lives, as well as in Fairfield County, Conn.; Los Angeles and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  …

“Motherhood Later…Than Sooner” Web site says Desiree Fernandez runs the Marion/Cedar Rapids IA chapter of Motherhood Later.