I had a rough night last night. Lots of sadness, lots of emotions, just an all around cruddy time. By the time I forced myself to sleep it was 2:00 in the morning and I wound up getting hardly any sleep at all. But everything got brighter around 5:30 this morning when I was awoken by a sweet little voice from the room next to mine.

Miss Ella was awake with a dirty diaper and stirring. I got right up to see what was wrong because she hardly ever wakes up before 7 am. I was greeted with the sweetest, sleepiest smiling baby who was so happy to see me. I got to hold that... more

Growing a family raises many emotions, questions, fears and dreams. When is the right time? Can we afford another child? What about our children already home; how will they feel? All of these are valid questions and just about every parent who thinks about adding to their family goes through periods of unending questions. Us adoptive parents have it a little different…Should we adopt from the same country? What age child should we request? Will our other children travel with us? How can we raise the funds to finance our adoption? Over the next few posts I will address these... more

Please believe me when I tell you that, yes, I am completely and thoroughly aware that these look nothing like traditional mooncakes! As a time strapped mom who wanted to make them myself, this is what I concocted and we were all pretty happy with them. I followed the Asia for Kids recipe that I posted about here, and the directions were really easy to follow and the ingredients were all things we normally have on hand (except for the “fancy” blackberry preserves I purchased just for this occasion.)

I am pleased to tell you that these were some of the most delicious... more

Oh man, am I ever a sucker for adoption videos. With You Tube at my fingertips I can sob and laugh right along with families as they experience meeting their child for the first time. I don’t always have the emotional capacity to do this, but last night I was up into the ridiculously wee hours of the morning watching others’ adoption videos and working on Ella’s.

Ella’s video has been a work in progress. I am so extremely glad that we were able to film those first moments with her. The scenery on... more

Happy Tet Trung Thu! Since a very large part of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is to celebrate children, I have been thinking about how to make this day all about Ella. Then I realized that everyday is all about Ella, so how could I make this one special? Here are some things that we're going to try to do today:

Have a breakfast picnic on the floor in the living room. To get in the spirit of honoring the moon, we’ll start the day with some full moon shaped Kix cereal. She’s been on a huge Kix craze lately! She’s too young to make lanterns or any real... more

A book that is often recommended reading for prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) and adoptive parents alike is Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adopted Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge. As an adoptee herself, the author is able to share her personal experiences and offer advice on how to best act as an adoptive parent.

This book is an excellent primer to get your mind thinking about parenting choices and how to best help your child adjust. It’s also a good piece of reference material that you can come back to as your child grows and hits different stages... more

While we were out of town last month I picked up an issue of Oprah’s “O” Magazine. I was looking for something light to pass the time as we traveled mile after mile on our journey. I did not expect to find a quote from Dr. Phil that I instantly knew was blog-worthy, but that is just what I found

Apparently Dr. Phil McGraw (author and talk show host of the daytime “Dr. Phil” show) writes a regular column in Oprah’s magazine where readers write in with questions and he answers them in a Dear Abby fashion. On his show, McGraw has done his best to become a straight talkin’,... more

When you adopt a Vietnamese child there are some medical issues to be aware of. The one that I want to discuss today is certainly not a medical problem, just something that not all prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) may be familiar with.

Mongolian spots are flat birthmarks that range in color from grayish blue to dark tones of brown and black; and often resemble a bruise. They are extremely common among Asians as well as Africans, Native Americans, Latinos and East Indians. Some Americans have never seen a mongolian spot and have been known to confuse them with a bruise, so it is a good idea that you familiarize yourself with them before meeting your child.

Most mongolian... more

When I can, I like to spend some time reading and surfing around online to see what’s going on in Viet Nam. Here are some news stories that I found interesting this week:

People’s Daily Online reports that over seventy five percent of fatalities among Vietnamese children are due to injuries (traffic accidents, burns and drowning.) The article says that the country is taking it upon themselves to try and lower these numbers, but in all of their good ideas there is no specific mention of traffic safety education or... more

Today's post goes hand in hand with my recent post about spending some time preparing your home during your wait between referral and travel. However, nesting is an interesting creature and I felt it deserved its very own little spotlight.

The term “nesting” is most often used in relation to pregnant women who nest, or prepare their home for their babies while still in utero. I know first hand that nesting applies to all parents expecting a child, and as adoptive parents we... more