Adoptive Parenting

My children are daredevils. No, really. Okay, so they're not fearless, but they definitely like to try things out.  "Things" sometimes mean doing something that causes my heart to stop beating for just a second, though. But for the most part, they just tend to dive into any adventure. This pleases me greatly. Here's where my concern lies: Bear is almost four, and he has great balance, speed, and agility. Beauty, however, is almost three and has the speed down-pat, but lacks both balance and agility. This is chiefly due to the fact that she is a toe walker at all times. She is currently enrolled in an occupational therapy program that seems to help out a little bit, but she naturally… [more]

The holidays have come and gone. If you're anything like me, I'm still not back to my normal routine. I feel that I'm almost there, but not quite. It's hard to wrap my head around a whole new year, and the fact that my vacation is over. Reality is calling, and I'm trying not to answer. Chances are you and your children may be experiencing the same thing. The holidays were a busy time of year. It was filled with get-togethers, obscenely early shopping trips, delicious sugary treats, and time off of work and school. It was a time of year to be enjoyed and cherished. But once it's over, it's time to get back to your daily routine. While it may be… [more]

A healthy lifestyle is beneficial when learned early in life. Longer life span, more energy, and happiness and contentment all accompany good health. And what more could you want for your children? But for some families maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle isn't easy. It takes effort. It takes work. But it is worth it in the end. Set an Example: One of the easiest and most effective ways to teach your child about healthy living is to live healthily yourself. As you know, children watch the actions and habits of their parents. You can show them that healthy living is fun and rewarding. Along with your example, talk to your child or children about how to make healthy choices and ways to… [more]

Before I had children, I would see kids throwing tantrums in the grocery store. "My children will never act like that," I'd say to myself. Before I had children, I'd hear my friends complain about picky eaters. "I know my (future) kids will eat anything and everything," I'd assume.  When I'd see two children bickering over the same toy, I'd think to myself, "My kids will always want to share." Did I actually think these thoughts? Guilty, guilty, guilty. I truly believed "my kids would never...". And then I had kids. While I could regale you with tales of Beauty's blow-out tantrums while shopping or Bear's decision to only eat macaroni and cheese for a whole week, my thoughts are centered today on… [more]

Back story: I have a fairly large list of friends on facebook. I have received numerous adoption information requests over the past year, and I am always more than happy to share our adoption story and any information I can provide. That said, today I received a facebook message that left me a little speechless. Sender: "You know, I'm pretty sure that [Beauty's] homecoming attachment problems would've been solved if you had been breastfeeding. Just curious as to why you didn't try that! It's so much better for the baby anyway." Blink. Blink. Blink. Here's what I'm not looking to get into: the formula-feeding versus breastfeeding debate. Personally, I believe nursing is best, but I also believe that no mother should ever… [more]

Our Beauty is inching up on her third birthday (just over two months to go) and we've started a new addition to her daily schedule: a household chore. Some may argue that almost-three is too young to be helping around the house, while others believe that assisting with household duties should start as soon as a child is old enough to walk and talk. Bear has been "helping" around the house for as long as I can remember. He helps me dust (with a clean, dry cloth), he helps me feed and consequently let out the dog, he helps me sort laundry and he puts away all the silverware (sans knives of any sort, of course) after it… [more]

Being that I'm what some would consider an acquired taste for many different reasons, I've always been a bit of the proverbial "black sheep" in my family. One way in which this most frequently comes to light (at least in recent years) is in my parenting. Don't get me wrong: I'm a pretty normal--if a tiny bit crunchy at times (i.e., leaning toward natural/attachment parenting, but that's a topic for another post entirely!)--happy-go-lucky mom and we lead a pretty ordinary, wonderful life. We spend a lot of time together as a family, and with my husband's rotating schedule, day trips and endless quality time with both daddy and mommy is very much a regular option/experience. However… [more]

Happy New Year to all our adoptionblogs.com readers! I hope you all had a wonderful, safe new year, surrounded by those you love the most. We had a quiet night. My husband had to work, so the kids and I had a sleepover in (*gasp*) mommy and daddy's bed. They loved it, and I did too. We had snacks and drinks, and the three of us (plus three cats and a beagle) were out cold well before 9 PM. But we all woke up happy and together, and my husband walked in the door with a cup of my favorite coffee in hand. Not a bad start to 2010 at all. I've been thinking a lot about what this year… [more]

Last year, we celebrated Beauty's first Christmas. I say her first Christmas because the year prior (2007--her real first Christmas at nine months of age), we celebrated as a family of three prior to her homecoming. There were a few reasons for this, most of which being that we didn't want to overwhelm her with the overpowering newness of transition blending with tradition. At nine months of age, we knew it wasn't the same thing as welcoming home a newborn just before the holidays arrived. We had a low-key Christmas Eve and Christmas Day since Beauty hadn't even hit the two week mark of her arrival in the U.S. by the time December 24 rolled around. It was nice… [more]

I've been reading over the journal I kept to document our journey of adopting Beauty, and let me tell you...it's pretty intense. I can still conjure up so many of those feelings as I read over the entries: the nervousness, the excitement, the longing, the love. This time of year is so emotional for me as we celebrate another year of our life as a family of four. I love reading those seemingly mundane updates of plowing through paperwork, but the words written once she finally arrived home? Those memories are priceless to me. Lately, I've been reading over the entries with an eye out for "lessons learned". Not necessarily in the process, but more so after Beauty arrived home… [more]