Before I go much further into my parenting adventures.I decided to tell you about how we became a Family.I was planning to break it into a four part segment. It turned out being much longer than I expected. So here it is,part one of a nine part story.

In the spring of 2005 we began our Adoption Journey. We were bright eyed & bushy tailed we were ready to make choice of what direction we wanted to take. Our top choices were Ukraine & Russia. Ukraine allowed independent adoptions and I was really feeling good about going the Independent route... more

Those of us who live in the world of adoption are constantly bombarded with adoption information, resources, literature, research, books, articles, and more. The mere process of adopting almost forces one to become an expert on at least one aspect of adoption. Because of this, I think it is easy to forget just how little the people who don't inhabit our world know about adoption. That would certainly explain the comments that as one blogger at www.adoptionblogs.com put it range from the rude to the ridiculous. It would... more

I wish I could write out a bulletpoint list of tips that would make the adoption process neat and tidy for parents considering adoption. But, I can't. Every adoption experience is so unique that it would be impossible to write out a list comprehensive enough to adress the questions and concerns of all, or even most, prospective adoptive parents. Here is a link to a blog that I really enjoy reading. The latest post titled, "A Year Ago Today" offers a snapshot of just how unpredictably emotional the adoption experience can be.

Nevertheless, I found this... more

One of the things that doesn't seem to generate much attention when discussing adoption issues is the importance that choice plays in the decision. When we seek to expand our families through adoption there are a wide range of choices available to us. Open adoption. Closed adoption. Older child. Younger child. Infant. Special needs child. Healthy child. Foreign adoption. Domestic adoption. Boy? Girl? Hair color? Complexion? Physical? appeal? By and large these are things we actually get to mull over and decide. Some parents may choose not to choose and accept whatever fate bestows upon them in the same way that some birthparents do.

One of the reasons I chose not to add to my family... more

Yay! Today is May 11th. That's the day the girls came home for good. No more trips back and forth between the foster mother's home and our own. No more hellos leading up to goodbyes. No more waiting for days and weeks between seeing each other and learning to love one another. Just a great big welcome into our lives forever. I will never forget the excitement of that day. And as is always the case when adding to the family, our lives have never been the same.

The girls have not asked to hear their coming home story for a little while. They are over due for their quarterly... more

The days and months after delivering my son were like riding a roller coaster. Here we are almost 12 years later and there are days when it feels like my husband and I are still adjusting to excitement of having our "baby" boy. Of course the adjustment was different after we adopted the girls because they were older and we already had a six year old. It was not the same as bringing a baby home from the hospital, and not only were we adding one, but two, new children to the mix of our family. Before the final placement day arrived there had been lots of transitioning visits, but that was different. They were just that, visits. Once the final placement was made, then it was time to get down... more

Reading about open adoption here on Adoption.com has been an eye-opener. As unbelievable as it may sound, I was unaware of the trend toward open adoption and how common place it had become. Maybe I'm overstating the phenomenon by calling it a trend or common place. Perhaps, it is just that more people discuss open adoption in this forum than in others. Still, reading about the open adoption experience of others has enlightened me.

Our daughters were adopted through a child welfare agency and theirs is a closed adoption. That is how I wanted it. Even if we had adopted privately... more

Many adoptive families have traveled a long and winding road to become a family. Workers and parents alike may have a tendency to view the placement of an adoptive child as the end point of the culmination of a lenghty and emotional process. However, it is really only the beginning of another leg of the journey.

In one of my previous posts about successful adoption, I emphasized how critical it is to be honest with your caseworker about the type of child you are seeking to adopt. I believe that such honesty can lead to a "good match" between parents and children. It is... more