I swore up and down and six different ways to Sunday that I would not, would not, would not write about Madonna and David. I began to lose a grip on my firm commitment when I wrote one brief comment about it on another blog. And then another, slightly longer, comment on another blog. And then just now, I left an even longer comment on another blog. That was the one that did it. Now here I am, feverishly writig about Madonna and David. Argh! Woman! Where is your discipline? No damn wonder I can't lose ten more pounds. But I digress.

In the last... more

I caught a program on Discovery health titled “ Our 27 Kids”. I was intrigued as I watched and I then became frustrated and irritated. A couple had adopted several children with mild to severe delays and medical issues ranging from heart defects, mild to severe downs syndrome, autism, blindness and so on. The youngest seemed to be around age 2 or 3. The narrator said that the family could function with so many children as each child plays a role in helping out.

The Teen who is blind bathes her younger... more

I’m not one of those Women who manages to have both herself and her child looking put together. My daughter is always clean and dressed very cute. Im another story all together.Since becoming a Mom I have let myself go- big time. I’m hoping that this will improve once my girl becomes more self-sufficient. Please tell me that it will improve.

Now I’m sporting the whole toddler Mom look… I’m sure its coming in style again soon. Here is my Top Ten ways to spot a Toddler Mom. I have seen a few Mom’s that seem to be able to look fashionable,... more

My subject title for this post is a bit of a double entendre. On the first read, it seems like a silly question. Duh? Well, yeah adoption is a family decision. Adoption is totally about starting or adding to...a family. Okay, that's the obvious, but here is what I mean. I'm going to presume that in a two parent family, both parents have equal weight in moving forward with the decision to adopt. Maybe one parent's desire to adopt is stronger than the others, but let's assume for the sake of this discussion that once the decision to move forward happens, then... more

Our local newspaper ran an article about our adoption a few weeks ago- it was tilted “ A Day in the Life” it was a short 300 word article on our adoption and how we are helping Livi with sign language. They also printed a photo of the three of us. The writer mentioned that by coincidence that our daughter has my husbands eyes, my hair color and my “ peaches & cream complexion”.Upon reading that phrase I unexpectedly burst into tears.

My grandmother who passed away many years ago always told me how lucky I was to have a peaches & cream... more

I recently read a comment on Dr.G's post that made me scratch my head and question am I selfish for being an older parent? Someone had left a comment and made a general stereotype about older parents. While there can be a down side to being an older Mom, I believe that there is an upside as well. I’m not that old… not by today’s standards. I’m not one who held off having children for other ambitions. It just turns out that I was meant... more

Hi Everyone… My name is Lauri and I’m your new co-blogger here on the Adoptive Parenting Blog. I wanted to take a moment to tell you all a little bit about myself. I have been married for almost four years. We gave up the battle with Infertility and began our adoption journey in the summer of 2005.

My husband and I adopted our spirited, amazing, funny and energetic 21-month-old daughter from the Kemerovo region of Siberia. Before becoming a Mom I had a career in Social services- I worked with adults with MR/DD, I spent five years as a Home visitor with Help Me Grow, I facilitated a teen parenting group, created a preschool literacy program and before that I was a preschool teacher... more

So, I'm sitting here cranking along writing a thought provoking post about the role of parenting with adult adopted children when Tropical Storm Ernesto blows through my little tiny subdivision and knocks out our electricity--for hours! Although everything was completely back to normal by later on that very evening, it has taken me this long to make my way back to the computer to recover my thoughts. Argh! I hate it when stuff like that happens!

Of course, this post won't even come close to communicating the deep and profound thouhts of the... more

Today's post was dictated by my daughter and typed by me.

Hi. My name is (Ashley) and I'm gonna tell you what adoption is like for me. I had two other moms before I was adopted. Their names were (Jackie) and (Miss Kim). When I was born they took good care of me. My first mom was happy that I was born cuz she wanted a kid. She couldn't take care of me because she was really sick. So she decided I needed to get adopted. My other mom (Miss Kim) took care of me and my sister until we got adopted by my mom. This is me now!

When children get adopted it's fun, cuz... more

There are times when adoption feels very much like a rescue. Rescue of a life, a spirit, a soul. I don't walk around feeling like Wonder Woman or anything silly like that. But, I have to admit that I like the way it feels kowing that I have, personally, interrupted the trajectory of the lives of two children in a way that has been positive and rewarding. That feeling comes over me at the most unexpected times. At the beach. At the park. During a school program or play. At a music recital. At the dinner table. At the Smithsonian, and the Kennedy Center, and the water park. Even after the time out or other punishment has expired and the lesson has been learned--again.

Due to a biological... more