As a kid, I loved board games, but never played the very popular Game of Life. Now, as an adult, I still love games, though I play more of them on the computer than anything else.

Imagine, then, my joy at finding a “newfangled” version of the game of Life for the computer! But, boy, is it ever fast-paced. With my ADD, there are times in the game where I just get mind-boggled with all the activity going on! At various stages of... more

Hereditary Spherocytosis is a relatively uncommon blood disorder, occurring in 1 person out of approximately 5,000.

As the name suggests, the condition is primarily an inherited one. With this condition, the blood cells are mutated, and are atypical cells with very thin walls. Because the cells are not the shape healthy red lbood cells are, they have difficulty passing through the body. However, unlike sickled cells, they do not cause pain as they pass through the body. A hallmark of the condition is that the spleen retains these cells longer because of their... more

Have you been accused of spoiling your adopted baby? Most adoptive families wait a long time for their baby. Many times, we are older than typical families. This may be because we may have tried to have children for several years before deciding on adoption. Of course if we waited until we were older we probably also have more time and money than younger parents still in their 20s. All of this adds up to a baby that is very much wanted, appreciated, loved, and yes, spoiled. I don’t think spoiling your adopted baby is a bad thing. That is if you are spoiling the child with... more

After a hiatus lasting several weeks (due to an insurance change), we started therapy for our daughter again last week. We met as a family group, and today was our first one-on-one with our daughter and her therapist.

The therapist took our daughter in, and said she’d be back out for me a little later. Having done this with our previous therapist, I settled in with my knitting, figuring I’d have a good 45 minutes or so. So, I was surprised when, about 20 minutes later, they came to get me!

We headed back to the therapist’s office, and she said, “Why are... more

Say, that you are an adoptive family. A teenager approaches you for advice. She is barely in high school and confides that she just found out that she is four months pregnant from the school nurse. She has told no one else, doesn’t know who else to ask, and is desperate for advice. What would you tell this teenager? After all, you are an adoptive family with a current homestudy. Would you try to convince her to place with you? Would you give her all of her possible options, including adoption, but not mention your family’s status? Would you mention that... more

Recently a reader sent me an email asking for advice regarding a failed adoption in which the reader still has physical custody of the child. May I first make it clear that I am not an adoption professional neither do have legal training. I do have 14 years of foster care experience, have adopted seven children, and mentored new foster and adoptive parents for many years. While I have strong feelings about adoption issues and freely share my advice, it probably isn’t what the reader or most adoptive families would expect to hear. A family involved in a failed adoption is hoping... more

Though I am a crafty lady, and though I have tried my hand at rubber stamping and scrapbooking, I find I need something a little quicker and lower maintenance. Thus, I tend to blog as a way of chronicling my children’s lives.

Though I blog here at AdoptionBlogs, I have a personal blog for homeschooling, as well as a family site. Blogging provides a quick way to summarize each day, or events such as trips or special days. Most blogging tools allow the posting of multiple pictures. Best of all, most sites are free or offer a free version of their premium services.... more

Up until July of last year, I was the parent of only one child. One child, who by all accounts (and not just my biased one), is a pretty unique child in terms of behavior and temperament.

Thus, I fell into a trap that I think many new adoptive parents find themselves in: making everything about adoption. What I mean by that is, that every little behavioral “hiccup” had to be due to adoption-related issues (in my mind), rather than just developmental stuff that happens universally with all children.

In talking to close friends with children who were not... more

When my first grandchild was born, I insisted that my daughter let me baby sit for her when she returned to work. She may have been a little surprised because she came to live with us as a teenager and we adopted her when she was 15. During those days just after my granddaughter’s birth, I went to visit her and rock her almost everyday. My daughter had to return to work when her daughter was only five weeks old to support her. As you can imagine, I really bonded with my granddaughter during those early weeks. Eventually, our daughter Ami was born and placed with us through... more

Should your family socialize with other adoptive families? What benefits are there to socializing with other adoptive families? Does your area have organized events specifically for adoptive families? If not, have you thought about organizing a support group or an event? Maybe you have never considered any of these questions. Because our adoption journey began through providing foster care to area children, attending social events for adoptive families seemed very natural. In the process of becoming licensed foster parents we were required to attend many hours of training and... more