Posts Tagged ‘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

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

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

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

Our Path to Adoption

“Why did y’all adopt? And why China?” The husband and I hear this question almost every time someone new enters our life. To be honest, sometimes it annoys me because, while the husband I signed up for this, our five-year-old daughter did not. I imagine it gets tiring being a poster child for...

August 22nd, 2009 | China, Feature | Read More

Just Trying to Get Coffee…

Several years ago, when the Tongginator was two-and-a-half, a man chased me down in the parking lot of a popular bookstore to ask me, “Where is she from?” A rather awkward conversation ensued, with him rambling on and on about how the Chinese hate girls and how he and his wife do everything they...

August 13th, 2009 | China, Feature | Read More

100 Good Wishes Quilt

Y’all, I am so very excited. We are just a week or two away from *ahem* finally finishing the Tongginator’s 100 Good Wishes quilt. I know, I know, it’s about four-and-a-half years late, but better late than never. Right? If y’all have yet to hear of a 100 Good Wishes quilt, know that it is a...

July 30th, 2009 | China, Crafts, Feature | Read More

What Matters Most

I know many of y’all wish you could move into our neighborhood. I read your comments at Our Little Tongginator… the ones where you crack jokes about Mr. Rogers living down the road from us, or how we must be some lesser-known version of Sesame Street, or that the friendly atmosphere found in...

July 17th, 2009 | China, Feature | Read More

What’s in a Name?

Until this past Friday, I felt very nervous about the topic of Chinese names. Most China-adoptive parents typically include their child’s Chinese name as a middle or a second middle name. Those who know me in real life know that I am a huge proponent of this. And yet… call me a hypocrite,...

July 3rd, 2009 | China, Feature | Read More