South Dakota Adoption Story...

...and a little bit about the new CCAA rules.

Stricter adoption options
But couple says international rules shouldn't deter families

At Dennis and Jeri Hoffman's Sioux Falls home, four little girls add up to the perfect number.

The Hoffmans have brought the children into their family through adoptions from China."I can think of nothing I'd rather do with my life than to see the four becoming grown and independent and thriving, and they are. They are smart, hardworking young ladies that love life," says Jeri Hoffman...

While the Hoffmans had lengthy waits to claim each of their young daughters through foreign adoptions, they did so before rules become more strict this spring. They went to China to bring their youngest and last adopted daughter, Jayda, home in October.

Future adoptive parents will face tougher restrictions from China and other countries that are tightening the rules for foreign adoptions. Beginning in May, China will require parents to be between ages 30 and 50, be married at least two years and have $80,000 in assets. In addition, they cannot be obese, have mental health issues or have any other medical condition, says Barbara Palmer, a Sioux Falls social worker with Holt International.