A little foresight can save you a lot of money sometimes. I think
that concept is pretty true for most things, actually. In many
ways, I feel I subscribe to this belief. I scour ads to compare big
ticket items (as long as they’re on sale, that is); I try to
think of realistic value [...]
The status quo for many adoptive families is to adopt children
younger than the children currently in the family. How many times
have you heard the advice,
“Don’t disrupt the pecking
order?†There are many who feel strongly about never
changing the pecking order. It might have negative psychological
consequences on the current children. Or, [...]
An adult adoptee, preparing to give birth, considers a family
formed by both blood ties and adoption.
Perhaps more A-parents (which is a trendy abbreviation for
“adoptive parents” I can only promise I’ll try
never to use again) should read more stories like this one, in
which England’s foreign secretary, David Miliband, is praised
by a mother who adopted from Shenzhen eight years ago. He’s
just adopted internationally, too. From the United [...]
The current topic of the Open Adoption Roundtable was a tough one
for me: If there’s one thing we all might agree on,
it’s that we’d like our open adoptions to be
successful. But what does “successâ€
mean to you, when speaking about open adoption? Do you think it may
mean something else to the others [...]
I keep coming back to the seminar about teaching young children
about race and color. I’ve already written three posts about
it, so what more could I possibly have to say? Not only do I have
this post, but there is one more – one that is sure to be
controversial. In my first post about [...]
The internet is an amazing thing. Completely by accident, I
connected with an artist/mother across the Atlantic Ocean who is
starting her own business. I happened upon
Joanna’s flickr page one day and was
immediately drawn to her wonderful artwork. Among other things, her
art is reminiscent of images I’ve seen in
children’s books of [...]
Great news for waiting children in Oregon just in time for National
Adoption Month! The Adoption.com Photolisting is excited to
announce that the State of Oregon is now featuring it’s
waiting children right here on Adoption.com. Now, the children in
Oregon can be viewed by potential families from anywhere in the
United States at any time [...]
I stopped by here to see if the blog need to be updated, and I
couldn’t believe it has been a year since i last
posted. While a lot has happened in my personal life,
nothing has happened with the Adoption. We are still
waiting, patiently, and it seems that maybe another year will go
[...]
On Wednesday, Miles Harrison was acquitted of any wrongdoing the
death of his adopted Russian-born son, Chase, who died of
heatstroke after being left in the car unattended in front of Mr.
Harrison’s workplace. In recent years, the death of
Russian-born adopted children has had far reaching implications on
the process of adoptions in Russia as [...]
The Nebraskan Safe Haven Law that has created much talk and
controversy has finally been changed. Safe Haven Laws allow a
mother to leave her baby at a pre-determined
“safe haven.†It differs a bit from
state to state but safe haven locations typically include
hospitals, fire departments, or police stations. By dropping off
her [...]
Beauty was accepted into an Early Childhood Education program in
our school district. She actually starts on March 22, but that
issue–as well as my mixed feelings on said topic–is for
another place and time. Bella has more than a handful of
appointments–a NICU follow up, another auditory exam, her
pediatric ophthalmologist, her Early Intervention [...]
For a bit of a giggle for older adoptive parents who have grown
kids as well, this story may provoke a chuckle or two. All about
young-ish moms hoping for grandma to help out, and how many
grandma’s are too busy doing their own thing … raising
children in our case … to pitch in as [...]
It has been a week in my house. More moodiness,
arguments, bed-time horrors and the like have been happening
here. At our weekly session with our therapist on
Wednesday she says, “So, it’s Mother’s
Day.” Click…I have forgotten. Last
year’s Mother’s Day week was wacky as
well. How do I forget these things?! I am convinced
[...]
With the World Cup being in South Africa this year we have talked a
lot about two things in my house recently- soccer and my
husband’s mission. When my husband was 19 years old he was
asked to serve a two year in Cape Town, South Africa. While there
he lived all over the western [...]
A number of recent news items are focusing on Korean-born adoptees
and their reconnections with birth country and family. Some stories
have been put on film, like this one reported on in Stars and
Stripes about an adoptee’s search that led to his birth
father. Former Army Staff Sgt. Aaron Bates was adopted by an
American family [...]
About six years ago the United States Congress created the adoption
tax credit. It originally was $5,000 but they was raised to
$10,000. Many adoptive families (including me) have taken advantage
of this credit to help fund their adoption. The credit is awesome.
It isn’t a deduction where you reduce your taxable income. If
you paid [...]
My grandmother made me get a haircut. I know to many of you,
getting a haircut is not a big deal – but for me this was my
first real haircut in a salon in about a decade. Why? First a
little background on the topic of hair. Hair, I have noticed, is
for [...]
I’ve been trying to write this post for some time now. In the
wake of the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti, however, I have been
rendered speechless. My heart is positively aching for the Haitian
people who have suffered devastating losses I can’t even
begin to fathom. Truly, I cannot even adequately put it into words.
Since [...]
The Open Adoption Roundtable is a series of occasional
writing prompts about open adoption. It’s designed to
showcase of the diversity of thought and experience in the open
adoption community. From Susiebook: Are there any things that you
don’t want the other members of your triad to
know—or that you don’t want
to know about them? I’ve heard [...]
I found this interesting article about the street kids in Haiti in
The Christian Science Monitor: CAP-HAÃTIEN, HAITI –
They are derisively called “sangine,” which in Creole
means “one without soul.” Sleeping in alleys and living
in the shadows, the street children of Haiti spend their days
skipping school, hustling to get enough food to survive, [...]
I’m signed up for the mailing lists for many ‘big
name” adoption agencies. To be honest, in part it’s
just my sheer nosiness. I like to be “in the know” of
what’s being said by the agencies regarding any number of
programs being offered. Recently, I received an email from an
agency located in the [...]
What is a guardian ad-litem? In simplest terms the guardian
ad-litem is a foster child's attorney. The guardian ad-litem is the
foster child's advocate in all legal matters. He has the foster
child's best legal interests in mind. He is the foster child's
advocate in court.
Today my baby started 8th grade. I have no idea how that happened
because I could swear I just bought her a Dora, the Explorer
backpack for Kindergarten. We do have our family traditions when it
comes to the first day of school. It includes going in a completely
new outfit, pictures, and mom picking you up after school. No
cartoon backpacks in this first-day of school picture, but new
highlights in her hair and an Aéropostale T-shirt.
Yep, she's a 13-year-old and no longer my baby....Read Full Post
My friend shared this on facebook this morning. I love Amy
Carmichael, and this morning....this timely quote....made me weep
as I sat here and prayed it for our kids and read it aloud to
Keziah.Father, hear us, we are praying,Hear the words our hearts
are saying,We are praying for our children.Keep them from the
powers of evilFrom the secret, hidden peril,From the whirlpool that
would suck them,From the treacherous quicksand pluck them,Holy
Father, save our children.From the worldling's hollow gladness,From
the sting of faithless sadness, Through life's troubled waters
steer them,Through life's bitter battle cheer them,Father, Father,
be Thou near them.Read the language of our longing,Read the
wordless pleadings thronging,Holy Father, for our children.And
wherever they may bide,Lead them ...
As the saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough get
going”. But that’s not always the case when it comes to
your friends: In the midst of a health crisis, there’s often
a friend (or two) who seems to disappear. Harriet Brown experienced
this firsthand after her two ... More »Post from: BlissTree
When The Going Gets Tough... Do Your Friends Bail?
Welcome to the fiftieth post in our series Adopting In the 50
States. Today, we’re in Wyoming, home of Harrison Ford
(mmmmmm). Remember, I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV.
Consult an attorney or other adoption professional with specific
questions. If you have adopted in Wyoming and would like to [...]
Updated potential situations include a birthmother who would like
to place with an African American or bi-racial married couple.
As a small child, I loved spending the night at Nana's home in
Brooklyn. She always greeted me with excitement then immediately
took me to the butcher shop on Avenue U for our special treat of
baby lamb chops and chicken livers.
