Archive for the ‘China’ Category

Feature Writer: Judy

Feature Writer: Judy
Last month, I was interviewed for GIMH’s first “feature writer” post.  This month, I had the honor of interviewing one of my co-writers here at GIMH, Judy Miller of The International Mom.  Judy’s a gifted mom with a beautiful heart for encouraging and equipping other adoptive...
March 4th, 2010 | China, Feature, Guatemala, Interviews | Read More

Kids and Culture: What’s Most Important?

Kids and Culture: What’s Most Important?
Every year for Chinese New Year, our foster home celebrates the holiday by engaging in all the most common traditions – decorating the home with paper cuttings and chuen lian (door post hangings), lighting fire crackers, eating lots of oranges, making jiaozi (dumplings) and stuffing ourselves until...
February 24th, 2010 | Advocate, China, Culture, Haiti | Read More

Lunar New Year Lantern Craft

Lunar New Year Lantern Craft
2010 is the Year of the Tiger! Create beautiful tiger patterned lanterns to decorate your home for the New Year. So simple, this craft is for kids of all ages and skill levels. Supplies: Orange and Black Construction Paper, Glue, Scissors, Yarn or String and Hole Punch. Optional, a stapler. Hold the...
February 14th, 2010 | China, Crafts, Feature, Korea, Vietnam | Read More

Amazed and Awed: View from an Adoption “Doula”

Amazed and Awed: View from an Adoption “Doula”
I have a friend who is a doula.  She coaches moms and dads through the birthing process, reminding them that they have the strength within to finish the journey. It struck me the other day, as I sat with a new mom and dad as they met their adoptive daughter for the first time, that I’m a doula of...
January 23rd, 2010 | China, Feature | Read More

playing the Adoption Card

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

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

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

Naming your child, adopted from China

Naming an adopted child is daunting but for adoptive parents there can be even more things to consider; culture, heritage, ethnicity, what the birth mother initially named (or didn’t name) the child, what the child is already being called (like a nickname), and so forth. How does one go about...
October 6th, 2009 | China | Read More

Common Given Names in China

Common Given Names in China // Males Wei (伟; Great) Jianguo (建国; Build the Country) Dong (东; East) Ming (明; Light) Tao (涛; Great Wave) Zhuang (壮; Robust) Females Qing (Ching) (情; Sentiment) Ying (英; Petal) Ping (萍; Duckweed) Ting (婷; Attractive) Ling (玲; Tinkling of jade) Jing...
October 6th, 2009 | China | Read More

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

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
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