Adoption Blogs

Great news for waiting children in Oregon just in time for National Adoption Month! The Adoption.com Photolisting is excited to announce that the State of Oregon is now featuring it's waiting children right here on Adoption.com. Now, the children in Oregon can be viewed by potential families from anywhere in the United States at any time of the day or night. Families who are homestudy ready and certified to adopt in their state can submit inquiries via the Adoption.com Photolisting Inquiry Form. Those not currently homestudy ready can submit a Homestudy Assistance Form and get matched with a caseworker in their area who can help them get started on the journey to adopting from the U.S. foster care system. National Adoption

This will shock no one: stereotypes run rampant in adoption. "Birth mothers are promiscuous, young, poor, and uneducated." "Adoptive mothers are stuck up, rich, in it for the 'status symbol', and wildly desperate for a child." Do I even need to launch into a lecture on inclusive language? Or debunk the myth that all first and adoptive moms fit a single, respective mold? I didn't think so. Does it seem like first and adoptive moms are both able to face and receive a bad rap? Certainly. You can find best and worst case scenarios for any situation you can contemplate. For every person that has a great adoption experience to discuss, there's someone else with one that's not-so-great… [more]

Grown In My Heart's Adoption Carnival III asks: What is your most treasured adoption photo (or two)? I don't have permission to post pictures of Jack's birthmother (S) and the son she parents ("Iggy"), so I had to blur my favorite photo. You can see Jack, who is 7 months old. He's sitting between Iggy, then age 2, and S. We went back to Missouri in August 2006 to finalize Jack's adoption. We were able to spend a few hours with S and Iggy. Iggy was a little competitive with the baby. He seemed to like Jack OK, but vastly preferred getting attention from my husband to actively playing with Jack. I regret not spending more time with S after… [more]

So you've read about National Adoption Month some place or you've seen a child featured on a local broadcast that talks about children in need of homes in the US Foster Care system and you're wanting to learn more. Depending on where you are in the education process, you may or may not know what the next steps are. Let's assume, for a minute, you're brand new and you're looking for guidance or advice on what the first steps are when deciding to move forward, that's easy enough, right? First, you'll want to find out how your state agency for children's issues is operated. Are you in a privatized state? Are all matters related to foster care or adopting from foster care handled through… [more]

Selecting a pediatrician can be quite the process. While pregnant with Bear, my husband and I completed at least four "meet and greets" in which we'd set up a informal, in-office meeting with a prospective pediatrician. During these visits, we'd discuss our parenting philosophies (attachment parenting), preventive wellness measures, the pediatrician's thoughts on vaccinations, and so forth. We selected a pediatrician we instantly adored and have been incredibly happy with her ever since. While it's great we found a pediatrician we truly like, one who is wonderful with both children and parents, we had an additional element to consider when we made the decision to adopt internationally. Would our beloved pediatrician understand the needs of an… [more]

adopt transitive verb 1 : to take by choice into a relationship; especially : to take voluntarily (a child of other parents) as one's own child2 : to take up and practice or use [adopted a moderate tone]3 : to accept formally and put into effect [adopt a constitutional amendment]4 : to choose (a textbook) for required study in a course intransitive verb1 : to adopt a child [couples choosing to adopt]2 : to sponsor the care and maintenance of [adopt a highway] ~ Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Who knew that the word adopt had so many meanings. I didn't, and I make a living on words. Why am I quoting the dictionary? Two reasons. First, November is National Adoption Awareness Month. Courtney wrote an informative post on the Adoptive… [more]

Each year, the president of the United States issues a proclamation stating that November is National Adoption Month and 2009 is no different. On October 30, 2009, President Barack Obama issued the proclamation which honors those families that strengthened America through adoption and recommitted the United States to reducing the number of children currently awaiting adoption in the United States. National Adoption Month is an ever evolving month-long celebration of adoption that focuses on the needs of children who are currently awaiting their forever families in the U.S. Foster Care System. If you'd like to learn more about adopting from foster care, please complete the Homestudy Request Form and someone from your local state agency will contact you regarding the next steps required in your area. Are you already… [more]

Adoptive parenting comes in quite a few shapes and sizes. There's domestic adoption (open, semi-open, and closed), there's international adoption, there's fostering-to-adopt--and this is just scratching the surface of a few of the "big" ones. (There's also step-parent adoption, adoption within families, and so on, just to name a few more.) Today is the first day in a very important month; November is marked as National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM). If you're unfamiliar, Adoption.com offers a fantastic amount of information, complete with suggestions for ways your family can celebrate each of the thirty days in November. While adoption in every form is deserving of a full month of focus, the official purpose of NAAM spotlights the adoption… [more]