Taytum was born on February 10, 2011. Until we bring her home, she resides in the Social Welfare Institute in Datong City in the Shanxi Province of China. Her caretakers say that she is cooperative, quiet, is fond of listening to music and playing with toys. She loves playing games with the other kids and has a ready smile.

She has an un-repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate, that we will have repaired as soon as possible. She can crawl, bang blocks together and turn pages in a book.

Shortly after we decided to adopt, and had decided on a name for her, a friend suggested that we give her a nickname to call her until we chose her name. We came up with the name Mei Mei, meaning “little sister” in Chinese. Once we started calling her Mei Mei she came to life. She became an official member of the Pritz family. Her name ebbed and flowed into our daily conversations. If one didn't know better, listening to us sounded as if she were here with us, and not half a world away. The kids chattered on about what she would be like and what they would do with her. Mei Mei was actually blamed for many messes made by the kids while she was still in China – go figure.

Coming up with a real name for her proved not to be easy with 5 people's inputs (well actually just 3, the boys ideas seemed to be shot down as quick as they were suggested). We had a list on the inside of the kitchen cabinet that we added to as a name would be presented. The hardest part was coming up with a name that all of us could agree on.

Taytum was one of the first names we came up with, the one that all others were compared to, and in the end, won out. Since both of the girls have y's in the middle of their names, she got one too, just like her big sisters. Her middle name, Mary, comes from Annette's grandma. We also included her Chinese name so we can always celebrate her heritage.

But, although Taytum Mary Fulan will be on her birth certificate, she will always be Mei Mei to many people who loved her and prayed for her long before they even met her.