The presents are unwrapped, the candles blown out, and “Happy Birthday” was sung (twice!) and another birthday has come and gone!

As you may have noticed from the picture in my last post, I decorated my dining room area with football themed decorations and even made a football cake (that was way easier than I expected.) Charlie enjoyed all of it.

It was great to be able to see Charlie and family, spend time with them and celebrate his sixth birthday in person with him. That little boy... more

As I stand looking at my dining room decorated with football party décor and the football cake that I made myself, waiting upon the arrival of Charlie and his family, my heart is so full at the moment; a mixture of so many different emotions that it is almost hard to put it all into words, but my favorite adjective in relation to being a birthmother once again comes to mind: bittersweet.

The sweetness is being able to celebrate with Charlie and his family, being able to make his birthday cake, and decorate my... more

In continuance of my birthday series, I can’t leave out gifts! As the old saying goes it isn’t the gift itself that counts, but the thought behind the gift. While I do give Charlie age appropriate toys, I also have two gift giving traditions that sometimes require a little thought but are meaningful.

Each year on Charlie’s birthday, one of the gifts I give him (I give him a few small gifts usually) is always a book. It’s not just any old book, but a book that is special or might have special meaning to... more

Unfortunately, even with the most open adoptions sometimes you may not be able to be with your child on his or her actual birthday. So how can you honor your child while not being present with him or her?

I’m sure most of you do this anyways, but send a card and a gift. Now if you will be seeing your child a few days after his or her actual birthday then mailing the gift would be silly as you’d probably prefer to give it to your child in person and see him or her open it but you could still mail a card for him or her to have on the actual birthday and just because most kids love mail!... more

My co-blogger Coley has recently touched on how difficult yet rewarding birthday visits can be from the perspective of a birth/first parent. Events like holidays, but most especially the birthday of their child, can be very emotional times for birthparents. Coley shared some really great tips that could help both birth and adoptive families to better prepare themselves for visits during all the excitement of your... more

Birthdays are emotional for some members of the adoption triad. Below are a few ways you can help make those birthday parties fun and meaningful for all involved.

And just for clarification purposes I’m writing this post from my perspective, that of the birthmom, although some of these tips will probably be helpful to adoptive parents as well.

Go early or stay late -Try to schedule a little bit of one on one time before or after the party so you (birthmom) can spend a little bit of quiet time with your child. Parties can get crowded, noisy, busy, and overwhelming... more

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and discuss each of Charlie’s birthdays up to this point. He’s about to be six, so don’t worry, there’s not too many yet!

First Birthday Charlie’s first birthday was pretty emotional. I was very unsure of what to expect. A few weeks before Charlie’s first birthday, A called me and asked if I’d like to go shopping with her to choose the décor for his party. We met for lunch and went shopping and I helped her choose a bright and fun first birthday party set. That was very special that she asked me to do that and something... more

Most birthmothers would agree that their child’s birthday is a very emotional day for them.

In the days leading up to my son’s birthday, I find myself reliving all those last little moments he and I had together. I think about the last doctor’s appointment where they told me I need an ultrasound right away. Then, I relive that ultrasound, when they decided I needed to go to the hospital right away. I relive calling everyone who needed to be called and informing them an emergency c-section was ordered. I relive the excitement of meeting my son for the first time and spending time... more

It’s really hard to believe that another month has flown by. August is almost over and we are rolling into September which has me very excited!! Not only is my birthday in September, but (for me) it signifies that it is almost and fall (with winter coming in at a close second) is my favorite season. I can’t wait to drag out my comfortable sweaters, start wearing my boots again, drink some hot cider, and go to football games! Although, it’s still too hot to do all that at the moment, I’m crossing my fingers that it will be soon.

Before, I get too excited about fall, let’s recap some of the... more

Last weekend we went to a special celebration, the first birthday party of my daughter Cierra’s littlest brother D. Today is his actual birthday. Happy first birthday D !

It hardly seems possible that one year ago D was born! I remember feeling a lot of things when this little fellow arrived. I was mostly worried about how we would handle some of the more delicate issues of having a new birth sibling with our daughter. It is one thing when a new baby comes into the household, but more complex when that new baby is not going to be living... more