I still have weddings on the brain! In the last two posts, I have written about my son’s adoptive family being involved in our wedding and both his adoptive mom and sister were in our wedding party. As I stated in one of those posts, asking my son’s adoptive family to participate in our wedding and to be there, felt only natural to me however, I did worry about how other people would react.

At that point in time, Charlie was about one and a half years old. My parents... more

In my last post, I wrote about some of the wedding related moments that I have been able to share with my son and his adoptive Mother as a result of open adoption. As I mentioned in that post, A was a bridesmaid in our wedding. But not only was it important to me for her to be a part of our wedding, it was important to me that N, Charlie’s sister by adoption, be a part of our wedding as well. I asked N to be a flower girl in our wedding.

You may be wondering why was it important... more

My niece is getting married on Saturday. I have been helping her plan the wedding since she and her fiancé’ set the date. I’ve been so busy this past week helping her with last minute details for the wedding and preparations that can only be done in the week prior to a wedding. She’s also had two bridal showers, both of which I have attended, one of which I was in charge of in the past two weeks.

The showers and wedding preparations have of course reminded me of my own bridal showers and wedding that were just five years ago this month! Feeling nostalgic, I was just... more

A piece of me is missing. Six and a half years ago, when I made the decision to place my baby for adoption, I also gave away a piece of my heart.

At times, the hole or missing piece feels enormous. While at other times it might not feel quite as big, but it is always there. While I was making an adoption plan, I knew it was going to be difficult and I knew life would never be the same, but I didn’t realize that there would be days that my soul would literally ache for that child. I honestly somewhat bought into what others were telling me; that I would be able to move... more

I recently stumbled upon an opinion piece regarding counseling in the Sun Sentinel that brings up the fact that counseling for birth parents doesn’t happen as often as it should “in real life.”

The author begins by talking about the movie Juno, which is the story of a teenager who unexpectedly becomes pregnant and then goes on to place her baby for adoption. Although, it’s never stated in the article and I could be totally off base, by... more

Spring has sprung! Well technically, it has. We still had freezing temperatures overnight earlier in the week, but according to the calendar it is spring. Do you have an upcoming visit with your child and family? If so, I have spring visit ideas for you.

Note: Some of the ideas below will vary depending on exactly how open your adoption is, the type of relationship you have with your child’s adoptive parents, the leeway you have with visits, and your child’s age. The ideas below are intended to include the child’s adoptive parents and siblings as well.

Do you have any baby socks that you saved from when your child was in the hospital or perhaps your child’s adoptive parents gave you a special pair as a keepsake or something? I do have a pair of Charlie’s socks that he wore while he was in the hospital. I kept them and put them in my “Charlie memory box.” There is just something so sweet and precious about those tiny little baby socks; especially now that he is getting so big!

I came across this really cute keepsake craft involving... more

Easter is Sunday! Can you believe it? It really doesn’t feel like it; or at least to me it doesn’t! Partially on my part it could be because I have been so sick and under the weather from what they thought was the flu and now have decided is a stomach ulcer. But, it could also be in part because Easter is coming early this year.

It’s good in a way that Easter is early and I just haven’t had much of a chance to think about it yet this year as I haven’t started the bittersweet dread I have with some holidays. Don’t get me wrong, I love holidays. I typically (when I’m feeling... more

I finally had the opportunity to sit down and watch the movie August Rush. I had wanted to see it ever since it came out in the theaters but prefer to just rent movies and watch them in the comfort of my own home, so I waited. The movie has a story line revolving around adoption and loss. I’m actually a little hesitant to use the word adoption because an adoption never actually occurs. The movie honestly reminds me of a modern day version of Annie. I must warn you some parts of this movie are pretty far fetched.... more

Laura Christianson, who used to write the Christian Adoption Blog here at AdoptionBlogs, has recently published a book called The Adoption Network and now she is giving away copies of that book! Isn’t that exciting!?! First, let me tell you about the book in case you haven’t heard about it and then I will get to the specifics of the give away.

The Adoption Network You may be wondering what The Adoption Network is all about. Well, it is a step... more