When we first went to meet little J, underneath his pink and yellow flowered overalls he was wearing a thick, aqua pair of girls size 7 tights. This on a little punkin weighing no more than 20 lbs. They were all bunched up around his crotch, probably causing him more trouble moving around than his diaper.

In practically every picture I've seen of children in Russian orphanages they are wearing tights. I am not exactly sure why, but I have some theories.

First theory: it's cold in Russia! Little J's orphanage was quite chilly inside, so the tights were probably giving... more

A celebrity visit has Seychelles all in a tizzy. Folks jammed the arrival area of the airport hoping to greet and meet, or catch a glimpse of the arriving stars, and the highway leading into town was lined with cars full of waving people. In neighborhoods all along the route of the motorcade women in nighties emerged, hair not yet combed, kids in tow, and stood in the morning heat waiting. And the motorcade! Two fancy cars (we don't have limos here, but a set of matching BMWs serve the purpose), one for each celeb, were surrounded by police escorts in cars and on motorcycles... more

James Dobson, in the book “Bringing Up Boys” quotes his father as once saying, “If you let that child get bored, you deserve whatever he does to you!” He must have been talking about a toddler. Toddlers are energetic, inquisitive, and mobile--- they make things happen. But despite this new competence, Dr. Coco Readdick, professor of child development at... more

I’m feeling a bit rejected right now. K and I went to an art opening tonight and although that normally wouldn’t be much of a big deal, it was my first time back in that world after a few years absence. I used to be an artist. Back in my former life. Back before foster kids. Way before adopting.

I used to paint. My creations included mixed media dolls, masks and abstract paintings. Therefore I used to have a lot of supplies out in my home office studio, (now my writing area), paints, glue, papers, etc. My stuff. My creative, precious stuff.

Then along came foster kids. Have... more

Well, I had absolutely nothing to worry about! Mrs. Clark's 1st grade class was a wonderful, intelligent, and receptive audience to my talk about how my book, When I Met You, came to be. Not only did they ask great questions and listened in all the right spots, they gave super, constructive feedback which will help me with future presentations. I had a great time!

What I was worried about: I'd have to talk a lot about what adoption actually was and why kids got adopted and why they couldn't stay with their 1st family. With this group,... more

We’ve all heard of postpartum depression, which Dr. Mark Lerner says “may be caused by significant physiological and hormonal changes.”

Post-adoption depression, on the other hand, “focuses on the feelings of sadness that are experienced after the attainment of a long-term goal that has required time, money, effort, emotional strain and patience.” The symptoms can range from generally feeling sad to extreme despair.

According to an informal survey of... more

My daughters look so much alike but they have distinctly different temperaments and dispositions. My "baby" is a teeny tiny thing no bigger than a minute. She looks like a newborn pony on stilts. She is always the smallest one in her group of peers. She is feisty as all get out, takes no gruff, and is very demanding in her assessment of who qualifies as a friend in her life.

My oldest daughter is of average size for her age. Although she fits right in with her friends, she often marches to the beat of her own drummer. Her life is like an open book. Everything she feels shows on her face from... more

Beth started swim team two weeks ago, and just loves it. We delayed her start for a month while we addressed her lackadaisical attitude towards schoolwork. She promised me she would turn her work in on time, do her homework without browbeating, and generally hold up her end of the deal.

This past week I asked her several times if she was doing what she promised to do. “Yes”, was her inevitable reply. “Is your purple math homework completed?” “Yes.” “Have you turned in all your work?” “Yes.”

So last night I am rushing home with groceries... more

I think that the one thing that all triad members can agree on is that adoption is lifelong for all triad members. Through adoption families are united and the creation of a family through adoption can be a great joy and painful.

There are what many refer to as “the 7 core issues in adoption” and I want to try and write about each of these issues briefly to help everyone better understand one another and the effects of the adoption journey.

These 7 core issues are as follows: 1) Loss 2) Rejection 3) Guilt and Shame 4) Grief 5) Identity... more

In this post, Owlhaven at the Ethiopia-adopt blog talks about writing about “unphotographable” moments on her adoption trip to Ethiopia.

Having just been in Ethiopia, it got me thinking about all of the many moments on our trip that I wished I had on film to treasure and share, but didn’t capture on film because it either would have been inappropriate or I just was not prepared.

Then I started thinking about life in general, and how many memorable moments end up captured only... more