As part of Charlie’s birthday gift, I gave him a tote bag that I am embellished with his name and dinosaurs. I was giving him some books and art stuff and thought putting it in a tote bag might be good to help him keep it together and knew that he is very fond of dinosaurs, so I chose to embellish with dinosaur appliqués. I always try to give Charlie’s sister, N, a little something too, so I made her a fun smaller bag that could be used as a purse if she wanted to.

These may look hard to make but they really aren’t once you get started! Birthmoms could make one for their child;... more

I must admit that sometimes I am envious of some of the birthmoms I am friends with that receive tons of photos and sentimental things or gifts from their children’s adoptive parents. Not that I am greedy or materialistic, but I just need reassurance every now and then that I am thought of and appreciated.

Charlie’s adoptive Mom, A, is not one of those sentimental, “mushy” types – like me – so when she gives me something sentimental, it means that much more to me because it is a rarity.

When I saw Charlie and his family last week, A had some things for me... more

When my husband and I decided to adopt, after a seven year battle with infertility, we had a lot of emotional vulnerability, but an intense desire to still become parents. Adoption was offered up to us as a solution to the many feelings we were experiencing. Adoption was also promoted to us as providing an option, for a mother who might find herself unprepared to parent her child. Not a lot was ever said, about the conflicting feelings that could be experienced by the birthmother of any child we might adopt. We did not know that those feelings would change and morph, and... more

My daughter’s first birthday is coming up next month. Because of distance, our daughter’s birthmother will not be able to spend her birthday with us. I imagine (but don’t know for sure since I am not a birthmother) that this is going to be a very hard for day for her, so I’d like to do something special for her or send her a gift but I am at a loss as to what I should do or send. Do you have any suggestions?

First of all, you are right; children’s birthdays are one of the hardest days of the year a lot of birthmothers and while a gift can not... more

Yesterday I could not post, I had my own little version of ER going on here..

My son decided to tumble down our basement stairs and booger his head up rather nicely. There was a huge amount of blood all over, and the little guy earned himself five stitches (at least they did not have to shave off any of his beautiful curls.)

Does anyone else out there believe 25 minutes waiting for an ambulance to arrive, to assist a toddler with a profusely bleeding head injury, is just way too long? I certainly did! After... more

Earlier in the month, I shared with you that Charlie has asked me to go with him, his Mom, and his class on an upcoming field trip. That field trip is this Friday! I am excited (a little nervous too) about going. However, I am feeling a little bit of guilt. I think that it is probably normal guilt for Moms who have more than one child but this is the first time I have experienced it.

In order to be able to go on this field trip with Charlie, I have to interrupt Noah’s routine a little bit and as a special needs... more

The term “open adoption” is very broad and leaves room for many interpretations.

According to the adoption glossary, open adoption is defined as “An adoption that involves some amount of initial and/or ongoing contact between birth and adoptive families, ranging from sending letters through the agency, to exchanging names, and scheduling visits.”

The amount and frequency of openness in open adoptions is going to vary in each situation based on the circumstances... more

Although the goings on in the small Louisiana town of Jena recently may not appear at first glance to directly have anything to do with adoption, or even open adoption, I urge you to take a closer look. This case where six African American students have suffered extreme injustice, while white students have for all intents and purposes walked free, lays bare the root of the racial issues still vastly ignored (by whites) in our nation. Those who have crossed this invisible line through... more

An interesting story that appeared September 20th, in the Lake County Leader (Montana), tells the tale of yet another family who is headed down the path of open adoption.

The Rensvold family, Mary, Dave and son Matthew, had been waiting for nearly two years for the right situation for their family, and they happily found just that with the recent adoption of baby Samantha.

The baby girl, who was born in late June, brought the end to a long and emotional wait for the family.... more

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