Articles By: TongguMomma

On The Outside

Two Fridays ago, as I dropped off yet another immigration packet update at our agency, I stumbled into an adoption placement. The director of my agency and I shared smiles during the paperwork hand-off as a young couple became parents for the first time, just a few feet from me. During my brief, two-minute...

January 25th, 2010 | Domestic | Read More

playing the Adoption Card

I never thought I’d ever say this, but last month I caught my daughter playing the adoption card. What a phrase, right? Guaranteed to raise hackles left and right. Except that is EXACTLY what my five-year-old did. I am a momma who strives to keep open the lines of communication with my daughter,...

January 13th, 2010 | China, Feature | Read More

Christmas in China

In 2005, while the husband and I sat in a darkened theater waiting for an acrobat show to start, we couldn’t help but grin as we listened to Christmas carols being piped over the loud speakers. Nor could we help chuckling at the often life-sized Santa posters bedecked with glitter and lights peeking...

December 16th, 2009 | Feature | Read More

New Research Encourages Going Beyond Culture Camp

The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute just released the executive summary of its recent research study entitled Beyond Culture Camp: Promoting Healthy Identity Formation in Adoption. I’m so excited to see this published study because, although the results aren’t really all that new if...

November 13th, 2009 | Feature, Korea | Read More

What is a Tongginnator?

On February 28, 2005 my husband and I first saw our daughter just outside the doorway of a hotel ballroom in Nanchang’s Gloria Plaza Hotel. We’d traveled halfway across the world to adopt this little girl: a tiny, nearly one-year-old who peered at me with curious eyes. She came to me easily,...

October 23rd, 2009 | China | Read More

How To Feed Your Newly Adopted Child in China

Babies from birth to six months in Chinese Social Welfare Institutes (SWIs) typically solely eat Chinese baby formula which has high sugar levels and therefore tastes sweeter than American formula. Unfortunately, it contains little protein and lower calories than American formula. In...

October 21st, 2009 | China, Feature, Health | Read More

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

On Saturday night, people across Asia will celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival or 中秋节 (Zhōngqiūjié) in Mandarin. This holiday always occurs during the Autumnal Equinox, so people often refer to it as the Moon Festival, since the moon appears bigger, brighter and closer to earth at this time of...

October 1st, 2009 | China, Feature | Read More

Across the Generations

I remember the very first time I ever considered adopting a child. It didn’t happen for me inside an impersonal doctor’s office or while I prayed in church during a particularly moving sermon referencing James 1:27. It didn’t happen for me while I stared at red-inked hearts scattered...

September 11th, 2009 | China, Feature, Korea | Read More

What I Hear

When a parent from the China-adoption community says… I chose China because I don’t want to have to deal with birthparents at all. Adult adoptees who talk about the negative sides of adoption are just angry and ungrateful. It’s okay to talk poorly about the country of China...

September 10th, 2009 | Advocate, China | Read More

Wise-ing Up About Adoption and School

My Tongginator begins kindergarten tomorrow. I’m very excited for her… REALLY. I’m also a bit sad for myself. Because – you know – I’ll miss her when she’s gone all day. From 8:45 AM until 3:45 PM. ALL. DAY. I know. Although it doesn’t feel like...

August 27th, 2009 | China, Feature | Read More