I was reading a really heartwarming article (that mentions our own Coley). I was getting a good vibe. I was feeling really happy for the birth mother and son that were reunited. I was really happy that the media covered a happy adoption story instead of something awful. And then it all went to heck in a hand basket.

“My goal is to help just one girl choose adoption over abortion,” she said.

I am not about to promote abortion in any way whatsoever. I have no experience... more

In my last post, I wrote about Juno and promised to share some of the things that I thought they (the characters in the movie) did right and some of the things they did wrong. There were instances and situations in the movie, where I found myself a tad surprised that they included this or that but unsurprisingly, overall my list of what I felt was done wrong or didn’t accurately portray the adoption process far outweighs my list of what I felt they did right. So let’s start with what I felt was right or good. These are all... more

An older adopted child can really put a parent through the wringer. We parents need to learn to keep our sense of humor throughout these trials or we would definitely go nuts. While I understand the sensitivity and privacy of the subject, it can be helpful for adults parenting older adopted children to share stories. It is helpful because it can prepare us for inevitable. Yes, when our own adopted daughter reaches this developmental milestone. If we are not prepared, we may not handle this delicate situation as well as we could. Not only that, but laughter is good for the soul... more

When a child is removed from his or her parental home a judge or magistrate must sign an order allowing it. A child protective service worker usually requests this order, although a police officer may also request it. Once the removal has been approved, the child can be placed temporarily in foster care, a group home, or juvenile facility. That order is temporary, however, and after it is signed, an adjudication hearing must take place within 72 hours. Typically, a foster care worker has not yet been assigned to the case. Therefore, the child protective service worker involved in the... more

Are you familiar with AllTop? It's a great website. From their "About Us" page, they describe themselves quite succinctly.

"We help you explore your passions by collecting stories from “all the top” sites on the web."

Basically, there are headings like Moms and Dads. These headings have their own pages. On these pages, you will find "top blogs" and links to those blogs five most... more

Over the weekend, as part of my (mumble)-eth birthday, I got a lap harp (think mini hammered dulcimer - sort of!). I also got lots of “fou-fous” (pampering stuff that smells nice). One of which included some lavender “pillow mist” (something you spray on your pillow as part of aromatherapy, that helps to calm the senses, depending upon the scent).

Quite unexpectedly, these gifts have turned into gifts for the whole family. As I’ve mentioned before, my son has had difficulty... more

A new study found evidence that eating disorders may be contagious among high school students. Researchers found that poor eating habits like binging, fasting, and using diet pills were clustered in areas within counties, especially among female teenagers. Teenage girls are subjected to strong social pressures to be thin and they are willing to use unhealthy behaviors to get thin. Researchers believe that finding clustered groups of teenagers with eating disorders, instead of county-wide sporadic... more

You won’t be hearing from me as much in the next few weeks. Life is absolutely insane here and the thought of trying to write forty-three blogs a month is overwhelming, so I am toning it down a bit.

I will continue to keep you updated on our home study and adoption of Hannah. Right now we are in the hurry up and wait stage. It takes time for all the background checks and other various legal paperwork to come in, so we sit and wait for everything to happen. For us it’s not a big deal since we already have Hannah in our home, but for most waiting parents this... more

If you have provided foster care for children then you already know that every 90 days the case progress has to be reviewed by the court. If the children remain in care for 12 months then the case progresses to permanency planning status, for the children’s long-term goals. This is because regular foster care is meant to be a short-term answer to family crisis. Many studies have proven that children, who just age out of foster care without either being adopted or returned home, do not fare well in adult society. The courts, in their wisdom, have concluded that within 12 months a family... more

I finally saw Juno, the much talked about movie involving adoption. My husband laughed at me as I prepared to watch it, grabbing a legal pad and a pen. Nerdy, I know, but I knew there would be little things I’d want to remember later and if I didn’t write them down, I’d forget them. Glad I waited until it came out on DVD as I certainly couldn’t hit pause multiple times in a theater!

Just in case you have not heard anything about the movie, I’ll give you a brief synopsis. In the movie, Juno McGruff is a sixteen year... more