Jennifer found the perfect Christmas present for her adopted daughter—her twin sister!

Nearly 10 years had passed since Jennifer Doering adopted her daughter from China when she set out to trace her daughter’s roots—and made an astonishing discovery!

As holiday carols wafted through her house, Jennifer Doering smiled, remembering the Christmas a decade earlier when she had received the number-one gift on her wish list.

Already a mom of three boys, Jennifer had longed to adopt a baby girl from China—but her husband had been on the fence. But that holiday season, Tom made his decision.

“Let’s adopt!” he agreed, and, excited, they’d begun the seemingly endless paperwork— and the long wait.

So when told they could adopt a special-needs baby sooner, Jennifer had flown to China to bring home 15-month-old Audrey, who had a heart defect.

Soon after, Audrey’s heart defect was corrected with surgery, and she grew to be a beautiful, bright girl who brought endless joy to Jennifer and her family.

So this Christmas, Jennifer wanted to do something special for 10-year-old Audrey. Deciding to track down her “finding ad”—the advertisement published when a child is “found” and placed in an orphanage in China—the Wausau, Wisconsin, mom contacted a Chinese adoption research organization and soon had Audrey’s.

Yet as Jennifer looked at the photo included, her eyes widened: There was not only Audrey, but another baby girl with the same sweet face.

Two Audreys! Jennifer gasped.

The surprise of their lives

Forseveral minutes, all Jennifer could do was stare at the other baby with the same eyes, mouth and nose as her own little girl. Continuing to research, Jennifer soon learned the given name of the other baby was “Mei,” the partner to Audrey’s given name, “Gui.” Together, the names meant “rose.” Since it is common in Asian culture for twins to be given names that combined mean a single word, Jennifer was certain: Audrey had an identical twin sister! But where was she? All the researcher could find out was that she’d also been adopted by a couple in the United States. So Jennifer composed a “Need Help” request, posting it on Chinese adoption Facebook groups, including one that helps Chinese children with heart defects find homes. Posting the photo, the girls’ given names and when they lived in the foster home, she wrote: We think she is a twin! They are listed as having birthdays five days apart, but came to the orphanage at the same time.

It turned out Mei had also required heart surgery— and the woman who runs that site sent Jennifer the name and location of Mei’s parents: Nicole and Scott Rainsberry of Richland, Washington.

Sisters again!

AsJennifer read about Mei, now Gracie— adopted about a month before Audrey came home—she reached out to Nicole through Facebook.

This is unbelievable! Nicole gasped. And when she showed Gracie a picture of Audrey, Gracie asked, “Is that me?”

“No—it’s your twin sister!” she revealed.

Gracie smiled a mile wide. “I have a sister?”

Meanwhile, back in Wisconsin, Audrey was squealing, “I always wanted a sister!”

Two days later, when the girls “met” for the first time on FaceTime, they both burst into tears through their giggles.

“You look exactly like me! And you sound like me, too!” Gracie marveled.

“It’s like talking to me!” Audrey beamed, laughing as the girls discovered they both love mac & cheese and wearing their hair in side ponytails. “We even have the same glasses in different colors!”

So it came as no surprise when a DNA test confirmed the girls were indeed identical twins! And when Good Morning America flew both families to New York, the girls wrapped their arms around each other, smiling through tears, together again at last.

Since then, both families have vacationed together. Audrey spent a week with Gracie, and though Nicole set up bunk beds, she found the girls snuggled together in the bottom bunk. And today, the 11-yearold sisters chat every day.

“Certain presents are standouts,” Jennifer smiles. “Audrey was mine, and this gift to her sure turned out to be much more meaningful than I ever imagined for all of us!”

— Marti Attoun

A sister is your mirror, shining back at you with a world possibilities.” of BARBARA ALPERT