Search Results for: blog adoption transitions 2 all about the baby or child

I am Going to be a Mom

So we got the news last night that we were going to be parents of a three year old son and a 14 month old son. I can hardly believe it I was going to be a Mom!!! The excitement of seeing their pictures the next day made it impossible to sleep. When the email came from our case worker they sent it to my husband’s work. When he got the pictures he was so excited he could barely speak. He sent me the email and I opened it up to see my sons, they had big brown eyes and … Continue reading →

Book review: The Handle and the Key

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Seldom do we find books written from the perspective of a foster child. In The Handle and the Key, one of the few adoption books for children in between the picture book stage and the teen novel stage, John Neufeld manages to get inside the head of the young boy, Dan, who is being adopted. He shows us little things, like Dan not knowing what is meant when other boys ask him to play “tag”. Indeed Dan is not sure what to do when told to “play” at all. In his previous foster homes he had to work. He longs … Continue reading →

Arrival Parties

Maybe some of you have witnessed an international adoption placement at an airport. I remember seeing one while I was in college. There were a couple dozen people, balloons, and one very scared looking tot. Many people who adopt have waited a long time to have children. Sometimes they do not have the baby showers or other preparatory celebrations that expectant parents enjoy. The adoption of their child is one of the biggest events in their lives, and they want to celebrate with everyone. Grandparents and friends are eager to show they accept and support the new family. But imagine … Continue reading →

How Do You Introduce Yourself to Your Own Child? –Part One: Prepare Them

Unlike mothers who deliver a baby, I was not one of the first people my child saw or even depended on. She had a birthmother, then two hospitals, then a loving foster mother for ten months, who as far as she knew was her mother. She had a name and a history before I ever met her—or before she ever met me. Some things adoptive parents do are send pictures the child can look at. Our agency required this if the child was over eight months old. We used one of those soft cloth book baby albums with plastic slots … Continue reading →

Week in Review for Jan. 14-21

We really appreciate all of our readers who’ve helped us get this year off to a great start! Here’s a recap of blogs from Sunday January 14 through Sunday January 21. Sunday, January 14 Ed shared his success story of finding the right school for his children in Our New School. Anna continued her poignant letter to her daughter in Makala, We Decided We Wanted to Adopt You and Your Brother. I (Pam) did a Book Review: Inside Transracial Adoption. This book is one-half information on identity formation and complex issues, but one-half fascinating glimpses into real experiences of transracial … Continue reading →

My Journey Continued When I Married an Adopted Boy

Continued from, When Uncle Eddie Took Care of His Birth Mother. Makala, it seems like my whole life has been all about becoming your mommy–and Jeremiah’s mommy too. I have learned so many things along the way that have made me a strong mother, who is willing to learn what I need to help you grow up and become the mommy you hope to be. With Uncle Eddie, and all the children I knew in my life I learned a lot about being adopted. Not that anyone who wasn’t adopted could ever understand everything. When I was just 18-years old … Continue reading →

Adoption Transitions #9 Toddler Adoption

The “toddler” years are a well defined and distinct stage of development however, most of the adoption information parents find is about newborns and older children. The lack of information about adopting a toddler often leads adoptive parents assume that a toddler is not much different from an infant. Some parents feel a toddler has no real conscious memory of birth parents or foster parents and are not affected from neglect or abuse. Adoptive parents may hope toddler adoption means they will skip the demanding baby stage, or a toddler will become an instant playmate for other children in the … Continue reading →

Adoption Transitions #8 From Foster Child to Forever In The Same Home.

When a foster families chooses to adopt the child or children in their care, there are a few ways to help children make the emotional transition from being “a ward of the State or the Court” to being “a son or daughter.” Parents may not have any problem seeing or feelings the difference in the child’s role within their family. But, children may not clearly comprehend the difference between being a foster child and being an adopted child when they continue to live in the same family. When talking to children about the changes adoption means to their lives, parents … Continue reading →

Adoption Transitions #7 From Orphanage or Institution to Home.

When a child has lived life in an orphanage or institution, the child has no real understanding of what family means. Children live a daily routine and most children in orphanages or institutions have no reference point for what family really means. One day the child is introduction to these people who are their new Mom and Dad. Anything the child has been told, about adoption, made no sense to them at the time. Cognitively, most children don’t understand they are getting a new family until the child finds themselves in the middle of transition. Don’t be surprised if your … Continue reading →

Adoption Transitions #6 Our Adoption Transition of Siblings

We ended up having a rather traumatic and stressful transition for Makala and Jeremiah. There was a combination of things that added to the stress we felt. Our children were matched with us during November and our state committee met the third week in December. We found out one week before Christmas that we were parents and our children were living in a foster home, over 300 miles away. The cards were dealt and we had a terrible hand. Everyone involved had to agree, given the seven-day waiting period, we would not be able to start the transition until after … Continue reading →