Search Results for: blog gotcha day 1

Gotcha!

I’ve never been a huge fan of April Fools’ Day. Honestly, it’s not the actual day I have issues with, it’s the constant anxiety I feel living with a bunch of pranksters who treat April 1st like a national holiday. My number one prankster is seven, and doesn’t completely grasp the concept of punking. Like most kids her age, my daughter loves to prank unsuspecting victims. While she is somewhat successful at doing so year-round, on April 1st most people are on high alert for pint-sized shysters. Needless to say, not everyone fell for her April Fools’ tricks. This (and … Continue reading →

Dogs and Cats Who Blog

Do your pets keep a blog? Do they tweet? Do they have a Myspace page? Do they chat with other ani-pals on Facebook (or Dogbook or Catbook)? Writing for your pets can actually be a great creative exercise and imagination outlet. Think about it: you’re writing in a voice that is not your own, imagining what a pet’s daily life is like, and even interacting with other imagined animal personalities. If you’ve got a reluctant writer in the house, writing as a pet might be a good way to go. Twitter is fun for the one-liners — you have to … Continue reading →

Book Review: Happy Adoption Day

Happy Adoption Day, by John McCutcheon, is a book made of the lyrics of McCutcheon’s song Happy Adoption Day, available on his album Family Garden. The book contains the music for the song for those who may want to play on the piano. It is beautifully illustrated by Julie Paschkis, whose folk-art inspired illustrations grace many children’s books. McCutcheon dedicates this book to his mother, Abby McCutcheon, a social worker who brought families together through adoption. The words are ambiguous enough to fit any family configuration, domestic, foster care or international adoption, and any age child. Paschkis’ interpretations in her … Continue reading →

Gotcha Day #4

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In July 2004, we were informed in a surprise phone call that the birth mother of the four boys that we were about to adopt, had delivered another boy. After a brief skirmish with state social workers, it was time for Gotcha Day for Isaiah. The other boys had been brought to us, but this time we were asked to come pick our new child up. It was to be a busy day at the state office. First, the family that Isaiah had been placed with for ten days had to bring him in. We were willing to meet with … Continue reading →

Gotcha Day #3

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By May, 2003, my wife and I had taken into our home two foster children, ages two months and 30 months. We had met their two other brothers, ages four and a half and 18 months, at the twice a month family visits with their mother. We had indicated to the state and our adoption agency that we would also take the other two boys. All of us were worried that the foster home that had them was not meeting their needs. On May 5, the state worker called to say that she would bring the boys to our house … Continue reading →

Gotcha Day #2

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One month after our first “gotcha day”, the phone rang and it was our state social worker. She was calling to say that Caleb’s older brother, Tommy, was immediately available to be moved into our home as a foster child. Tommy had been in a therapeutic home because of his health. The foster parent that had him called the state and demanded that they pick him up that day. Apparently, they could not handle him. We were well on our way in our planning to adopt all three of Caleb’s older brothers. We readily agreed to take Tommy that day. … Continue reading →

Gotcha Day #1

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“Gotcha Day” is the name in the adoption community for the day that the child came into the home. It corresponds to the birthday of a natural child. It is a day celebrated by many adoptive homes and a time for great rejoicing. My wife and I were with a realtor looking for a new home, a larger home to accommodate young children. My wife’s cell phone rang and it was our adoption social worker who informed us that we had a baby, a boy named Caleb. He was a month old and was being cared for in a shelter. … Continue reading →

Our “Gotcha” Day

For our family December and January are one long list of special days, holidays, birthdays and celebrations. When our children are a little older we may end up taking the whole month of January on a family vacation–hopefully to Hawaii! For the four of us all of our birthdays take place between January 5th and February 2nd. We literally party from Thanksgiving to Ground Hog day every single year and we have no choice about the matter. To top it all off our Adoption Day is in December and our Gotcha Day is wedged between two of the four birthdays … Continue reading →

Adoptive Families–Special Days and Family Celebrations

Adoptive families have special dates to remember and celebrate as time goes on and our children grow up. The meaning and significance of these dates are under the parents control to determine how the family recognizes and remembers them in the future. Some families make them as important as a birthday or anniversary and other families honor the dates in a personal and quiet way as parents with our children. Adopted children may feel special having these celebrations and some children may have some mixed emotions about these dates during various developmental stages of their lives. The way a family … Continue reading →

Rituals and Ceremonies For Adoptive Families

Adoptive parents are a diverse group. On average they are slightly higher income than the general population and have a slightly higher average educational level than the general populace. They come from all religious persuasions and from none. For those adoptive parents who practice a religion, that religion can be a bonding force for their new family. Families who do not practice a religion may nonetheless seek a special ritual or celebration to mark the arrival of a child and various milestones in the adoption process and in the family’s life. Some families have entrustment ceremonies when birthparents place an … Continue reading →