Baby Girl Dorland 3/15/1966 Topeka Kansas

That's me. I recently found out one piece of information I had regarding my adoption was incorrect. I wasn't adopted through Catholic Charities. My mother confessed I was adopted through The Kansas Children's Service League.

Getting information out of my parents regarding the details of my adoption has been a difficult and life-long struggle. They've always been so secretive about the circumstances. I understand that my mother's greatest fear was that, one day, the woman who gave me up would show up on their doorstep asking for her baby back.

I'm 40 years old now. I think my mother is finally starting to realize that the odds of that happening are unlikely to nonexistent. I'm also starting to realize that if I want more details on where I came from, I'm going to have to make much more of an effort. I need to start by requesting a copy of my original birth certificate from the state of Kansas. That entails a form, a fee, and a visit to a notary. Not that complicated. But I've had that form in hand for 5 years now.

40 years old and the thought of meeting my first mother both thrills and terrifies me. The thought of finding out NOTHING terrifies me even more. I'd better get moving. She isn't getting any younger. I estimate she would be about 58 years old now. Chances are good that she's still around.

So. Here I go. Gonna print out that form again. Just in case it's changed in the last 5 years. Yep. Gonna go print it.

Right...

Now.