Couple adopts twins from Ghana same age as daughter

Tennessean, The (Nashville, TN)

Author: ANGELA PATTERSON

The adoption agency questioned them about having three 7-year-old girls in their household.

But Shawn and Robin Dodd want to have sisters close in age for Holly, Shawn's daughter from his first marriage. And once they set eyes on Rachel and Rita, twin sisters from Ghana, they knew they were looking at their children.

"I first started thinking about adopting from Africa when I taught ESL classes in Fort Worth, Texas," Robin Dodd said. " There were some kids from Somalia, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and they taught me about the (conditions there).

"I was getting to put a face with all I'd heard about these countries. I always knew I wanted to adopt, and meeting those kids was what got that wheel turning. They were so creative — they were just really special."

The couple moved to Nashville a year and a half ago to support Robin's new career in photography and Shawn's work in the music industry. In December, Robin began researching adoption agencies and chose

(AAI). The Dodds chose to adopt a child from Ethiopia and started the paperwork.

But halfway through completing the paperwork, the Dodds found out about a pilot adoption program in

through AAI. Because they knew they wanted girls in a certain age range, they were allowed to enter. They had a video of children available for adoption from both Ethiopia and Ghana, and that's when the couple saw the twin girls.

"I couldn't get those girls' faces out of my head," Robin said. "Merrily (Ripley, head of AAI) said she had four girls that she'd like to get to two families in the same area. We got into the pilot program simply because we were interested in those girls."

Since they had so much of their paperwork completed, changing the country in which they wanted to adopt was easier than they expected. They hope to go get Rachel and Rita sometime between December and February. Until then, they're renting out the garage apartment in their home for extra income. Robin is also booking portrait parties to try to raise more funds for the upcoming trip to get the girls and to build her photography business — she plans to work from home when the girls arrive.

While they know trans-racial adoption can be a difficult transition, the couple isn't anxious at all.

"We love our community, and we feel it's a loving, open place" Robin said. "We feel comfortable raising our girls here."

Shawn added: "We are going to have to deal with racial issues. As they come up, we'll have to educate them as to why this happens in our country, and how they can deal with it. And let them know they can react with intelligence and a cool head."

Regardless of the difficulties they face, they're looking forward to raising three girls.

"When you're adopting, the more specific you are (on what child you want), the better," Shawn said. "We think the process moved faster because we knew what we wanted. We knew we'd find the children we were meant to have."

To contact Robin Dodd regarding portrait parties or other services, call 727-4615.

Angela Patterson can be reached by telephone at 259-8287 or by e-mail at apatterson@tennessean.com.