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...

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...

The book  Baby Smarts: Games for Playing and Learning by Jackie Silberg is a simple, no-nonsense book with useful information. It outlines developmental milestones for babies 0-12 months of age, and then goes on to outline some extremely simple games (very few props required) appropriate to each age...

First, WHAT in the name of all that is holy was I THINKING??!! Today is day four of progesterone, and I seem to have developed a wee bit of arse-jabbing forgetfulness. I woke up on Friday to the strangest sensation of having been beat in my sleep, Saturday I was sure of it, and today is Sunday.. I...

This morning, after waking countless times to feed Gus’s hungry tummy, rock him, or soothe his gentle spirit, he finally fell back to sleep next to me on the bed. And he laughed as loud as he would if he had been awake. A sweet baby sleep giggle and a smile so innocent I almost couldn’t...

I have three children, two puppies, a husband and a big story to tell.  Only two people in my family share any blood relationship.  Ha!  Of course, you know you are reading blogs about adoption, so this may not shock you…but, admittedly it still sometimes shocks me.  I was recently trying...

I find it amazing how quickly one can enter your heart and soul. I have admitted before that it took a while for us to bond with AJ because of his trauma and his aversion to attachment. Gus, on the other hand, slammed into my heart so quickly that I have not had time to adjust to it all. He is a child...