Elie Schramm didn't want anyone to discover his family's big news. He was getting a new sister-all the way from China. The 11-year-old vividly recalls the dread he felt a year-and-a-half ago when he learned his parents were adopting a Chinese baby.

"I thought, 'You can't do this; it's going to be so embarrassing. All the kids will make fun of me.'" The baby would look nothing like the rest of his family, causing strangers to stare, Elie feared. He was nervous about the changes a sister would bring. Would his parents have less time for him and his younger brother Michael?

Elie's parents explained that they wanted another baby, and that with two sons already, it was natural to want a girl. They showed him the DVD "China's Lost Girls," which explains how the Chinese limit most families to one child. Because of social and economic factors, most families choose to have a son, leaving many baby girls abandoned. Honoring his parents' wishes, Elie decided to trust their decision to adopt.

By the time Elie's parents left for China in July 2005 to receive their baby, Leora, his friends had heard about the adoption. To Elie's surprise, they thought it was cool, especially once they saw Leora's picture. "Everybody was saying, 'I want a sister from China, too. She's so cute,'" Elie recalls.

Suddenly, Elie saw the situation in a new light. "I felt special to be getting a sister from China, and realized that adopting was something to be glad about. We were doing a mitzvah, helping a girl get a home and a family." Moreover, he realized, his family would benefit by welcoming Leora to their home.

Realizing that his new sister was here to stay, Elie decided to enjoy having a baby around. He loved tickling Leora and playing peek-a-boo-anything to hear her playful giggle. Elie didn't even mind when Leora woke him in the middle of night. "One time she was crying her head off at 4 a.m.," he recounts. "The whole family got up and took her to the living room. We lay down on the rug with her, and all five of us slept on the floor. None of us minded, because we had this special love for her."

At first, Elie was self-conscious in public with Leora, and hated getting questions about why his sister didn't look like him. Soon he learned to answer matter-of-factly that Leora is adopted.

"I know now that it doesn't matter what other people think," says Elie. "Having a Chinese sister is cool."