Wow, it is so hard to believe that it is already June! May was an incredibly busy month for me and in a way, while it was very exciting, I’m glad it is over and I have time to slow down.

One of the exciting things that happened in my life in May was the get together that we host each year. It takes a lot of work and preparation to pull of this event each year so I am always so pleased to see it come together so successfully.

This year’s theme was “beach bash” and coming up with décor and things for the goodie bags all related to the beach was fun and really... more

Last night I received a text message on my cell phone from a “newer” birthmom (meaning her child is less than a year old) asking me if I received post adoption counseling. I kind of dislike it when people ask me this question because I don’t want my situation to be used as an example when someone is trying to make the decision of whether or not they should seek out post adoption counseling.

My adoption was done independently through a private adoption counselor. It was mentioned to me once or twice that I could have counseling at any point pre or post placement should... more

My number one tip? Be prepared to find out you’re wrong, about everything, according to someone you will meet anyway. At the very least you may find that you do not know as much as you might have thought. Tip number two, develop your thick skin right now, because the online world of adoption is not a warm and fuzzy place.

When we first became a family by way of adoption, I was somewhat content to just live in my own little world, and deal with the issues unique to our own family and the birthfamilies of our children. For a long time I did not feel the need to look online... more

Last week in my post Side of Adoption I wrote about how I was excited about an upcoming visit with my best friend, Lani so for Love Thursday this week, I felt the need to discuss that visit. Due to all the craziness in each of our lives, we had not had the opportunity to really get together and spend anytime real time together since last September! That’s just way too long to go without spending some real quality time with your best friend.

I love any time I get to spend with Lani. Not only is she a great best friend,... more

I know that we have some regular readers and commenter’s of the open adoption blog out there. I love the feedback, comments, and emails that I receive from some readers. It’s nice to know there really are people out there reading and I’m not just talking to myself! Some of the readers I am friends with and know on a personal level, while others I have become friends with as a result of your comments and emails on this blog, and some of you I recognize your names when you comment but I don’t really know much about you.

So, my faithful readers, I ask you; what’s your story? What... more

What I assumed would be a lazy morning, lying around on the couch at home, turned into quite a busy day for me! I am someone who hardly ever uses the phone, but I pretty much found it ringing off the hook all morning. Somehow the day got away from me, with the receiver glued to my ear well into the afternoon!

Coming down off a really bad weekend of Cierra either tantruming or extreme angering, (read here about what I am anxious to try to help this),... more

Support groups can be beneficial to the members of the adoption triad. While online support is awesome and I encourage it as well, there is just something about the feeling you get the first time you are sitting in a room full of others who really understand adoption.

Each support group is different. Some groups may focus on a particular issue or subject related to adoption each night, while others may be more of a roundtable discussion. Some may invite speakers to share from time to time. You may click and fit in instantly with the other members or you may have to go... more

The other day I ran into a friend and fellow adoptive mom and we had a short conversation about our children and adoption. My friend shared that she was aware that I now blog here adoptionblogs.com about open adoption, and that she thought what I am doing sounded very interesting, although she had never actually read anything I have written. Oh? I wondered aloud why she had not ventured here long enough to catch a post or two, and her response I admit surprised me a bit.

“Well,... more

Every one of us has our difficult times with complex relationships, adoptive moms are certainly no different from anyone else in this respect. There are times when we all need to step back, re-group, and find a fresher perspective to help us get past the tough times that we might find ourselves mired down by. Many adoptive mothers could tell you, adoption definitely has tough times! If we just allow all the emotions of the situation to carry us away, it becomes harder and harder to stay focused and remember what it is that we value in our relationships.

In... more

One thing I have learned during my short time as a writer of open adoption bloggery is that when you think you have expressed something really good, people may not agree, they might not even be reading. On the other hand, when you think you pumped something out that might be lacking in interesting adoption matter, you... more