In my post earlier this evening I wrote about the importance of listening to and learning from adoptees. This idea was driven home by my social worker at our home study update visit a few weeks ago as she talked about the benefits that adoptive parents can gain from learning from the experiences of adult adoptees. Another area that we discussed was living in a racially diverse area. As many of readers know, my family is in the (very long) process of moving, and it hasn’t been an easy one.... more

I feel like I haven’t written a whole lot about Ella lately, so today’s Love Thursday post is all about my no longer a baby, little girl. She truly seems to have grown up in an instant and I am thrilled to have this sweet little toddler as my partner in crime for the day to day running around that we have to do. At 19 months old she has such a personality and I really love spending every day with her. So forgive me if this sounds like a lot of bragging, but I am so proud of her!

Having our social worker over for our home study update and hearing her praise Ella's development... more

Well we had our home visit with our social worker for our home study update this past weekend and it went really well. It was nice to see her again (B did our first home study and Ella’s post placement visit) and nice to get some affirmation about Ella’s growth and adjustment. Although she wasn’t there to check on Ella per se, she still let us know that she was happy with what she saw. This was especially true when Ella would play with her from a bit of a distance, but not hold her hand or get too close.

It was a very relaxed, pretty informal meeting. Before we really started... more

When I first started seriously considering adoption I presented it to my husband by telling him it was something I wanted to discuss, asking him to think about it and let me know when he wanted to talk. I gave him some time and we eventually started to have some heart to hearts about our desire to add to our family and the world of adoption as a whole. He was open to it from the start and has become more and more an advocate for adoption as the years have passed. Now that he has the official title of Ella’s Daddy, forget about it! This man, who was completely on... more

This time last year was Ella’s first Thanksgiving. We had only been home a few weeks and were still feeling completely overwhelmed and sleep deprived, but it was a really nice day none the less. It was extremely sweet to watch my brothers bond with their new niece and watch her get to know the whole family. This year will be a little different, a little more low key, but it’ll be a nice day just the same. Two of her uncles won’t be home for the holiday this year, but it will still be really nice to have a whole day free of work and other responsibilities and full... more

Here we go…one step closer! I spoke with our social worker this evening and scheduled our home visit for this Sunday! I am really excited that we were able to schedule it so quickly, and I’m really looking forward to it. Ok, I’m mostly looking forward to B (our social worker, who also did Ella’s home visit and post placement) getting to see Ella! It’s been a year since we’ve seen her and I’m proud of how we’re all doing.

This time around we’re in a different house with three other adults, so I was worried about scheduling our visit at a time that would work for everyone involved.... more

Since it’s National Adoption Awareness Month I’ve been doing some thinking about how to spread the word about adoption. I find myself absolutely shocked when people express antiquated views on adoption or are so completely misinformed about the process that they’re terrified of adoption as a whole. I realize my reaction is naïve, but being surrounded by so many positive adoption stories on a regular basis, it truly shocks and saddens me. It’s becoming more and more clear that positive adoption messages need to be spread, and us adoptive families can really make a difference.

I... more

Earlier this week one of my brothers discovered two chests full of family history from my dad’s side of the family. They’ve been stored up in the loft of my dad’s garage for decades and I am so glad my brother unearthed them and is now starting to preserve the letters, photos and memorabilia that he found. So last night he was over with his girlfriend and they were talking about doing a little family genealogy and creating a family tree. Well, adoptive mom radar went up and here I am today with a post for you about family trees for the adoptive family.

I really love this... more

We are now officially one step closer to completing our homes study update, and another step closer to our daughter. Today my husband and I traveled to our home study agency’s office for our in office visit. It went extremely well and I’m excited that this step is done and we can move forward from here.

The meeting was relatively short and pleasant. I am extremely relieved to hear that all our paperwork is in order and looks good. We’re still waiting on one reference letter to be turned in and I need to send in one financial statement, but other than that, we’re done! The paperwork is the hard part of the home study, and the actual home visit requires no real preparation, so I really... more

On Tuesday I broke out the play doh for the first time. This tiny little container of purple play doh was so symbolic of things to come with Miss Ella. To me, it represents a big girl activity and she was definitely ready for it. We’ve been coloring and drawing for a long time now and she likes to do creative projects with her hands. So when a friend gave us a few of their leftover Halloween mini play dohs, I happily took them home with us.

At first she had no idea what to do with this weird stuff that I had presented before her. After a few minutes of watching me... more