From China with love: Baby’s adoption ‘completes’ local family

Magisterial District Judge Larry Hopkins of Charleroi visits with his new granddaughter, Ellie, in his office before she takes her first vacation to Virginia Beach. Ellie was adopted by his daughter, Erin, and her husband, Chris, and arrived in the United States July 14.
Taylor Brown / Mon Valley Independent

By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
When Magisterial District Judge Larry Hopkins of Charleroi is not in the courtroom or on his daily walk through the Magic City, you might find him cheering on the sidelines of one of his grandson’s baseball games with their newest fan and family member, Ellie Rose Wen Scanlone.
Ellie is Hopkins’ fifth grandchild and he vividly remembers seeing her for the first time. Instead of meeting her at a hospital, he was standing in the middle of an airport with his daughter, Erin Scanlone, his wife, Patty, and a group of family and friends eagerly waiting her arrival all the way from China. Ellie celebrated her second birthday with her new family Aug. 22.
Erin and her husband, Chris, of South Fayette, already had two sons, Jack, 13, and Will, 9, but began having difficulty conceiving a third child after their youngest son was born.
More than a decade passed by, but Erin was unable to let go of her desire to expand her family. Two years ago, the couple decided their dream could be made possible through adoption.
“It is something we always wanted to do,” Erin said. “I was 30 when we found out I was unable to have anymore children and I accepted that, but I couldn’t shake the idea, and we had always talked about wanting to adopt. So it seemed like it was the perfect fit for us.”
After following a friend’s journey through adoption on Facebook they started their own.

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