Dorothy and Douglas Hennessey decided to adopt a second child from China in 2004, when their first daughter, Maya, was 2 years old.

Based on their experience with Maya — whose adoption took 14 months — they expected she would be 3 or 4 when her sister arrived. Instead, it was three years before Georgia arrived — which she did on Dec. 19, when Maya was 5 1/2 .

Italian mother breaks silence to confess she sold her 12 children for £250 each

By NICK PISA  Last updated at 22:49pm on 6th April 2008

A woman has admitted giving birth to 12 children and then selling them for £250 each to wealthy couples.

The children were born as Caterina Annarumma conducted a 30-year affair with a married man. She kept her secret for decades before confessing to police this year.

Adoptions have recently become difficult or impossible in China, Guatemala, Kazakhstan and Vietnam the main countries that send ‘orphans’ to the United States.