Dear Dylan, This is your adoption story and how you joined our family. Your adoption story On one sunny morning, Stephanie, your “tummy mommy,” found out she was going to have a baby. That baby was you. She knew she loved you so much that she wanted you to have a better life than she…
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Rachel Garlinghouse, adoptive mother and author, reviews a handful of adoption themed books and shares her picks. Below are some fabulous adoption themed titles to keep you inspired, entertained, and educated. The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns (Margaret Dilloway) Galilee Garner pours her money, energy, and heart into her roses. The one thing that brings her…
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A few months ago, a loving, Texas family went viral when their home video hit the web! Shane and Kasi Pruitt captured the tear-jerking reaction of their two young daughters being surprised with their newborn, adopted sister. It was a beautiful, unifying moment that was shared around the world. The Pruitts have five children, three…
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Those that have been touched by adoption often want to share and memorialize their journey in a meaningful manner. Over the years, many have turned to the adoption symbol to represent that. The adoption symbol is a triangle intertwined with a heart and is a symbol for both domestic and international adoptions. The Birth Family,…
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Many adult adoptees graciously share their adoption stories. Many adult adoptees graciously share their adoption stories rich with deep emotion—both good and bad—stemming from being adopted. Trading adoption stories with these adults has made me look at parenting an adopted child a little differently. It has caused me to stop and think about how my…
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It was a surprise that we would not be naming our adopted child. When my husband and I first began our adoption journey, we really knew nothing about adopting. So, it really came as a surprise that we would not be naming our adopted child until finalization. We had figured her last name wouldn’t be…
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I was recently asked this question, “Would you have placed your daughter with a nontraditional family, like a same-sex couple or a single mother/father? I’m curious what your feelings are about this and what your process was in choosing a couple. First, I think this is a fantastic question. There are so many wonderful nontraditional families…
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We adopted and didn’t know anything about birth family contact. When we adopted our daughter 4 years ago, we really didn’t know anything about birth family contact in open adoption. We were informed by our adoption advisor that we would have a semi-open adoption. To them, this meant we would send pictures to our daughter’s…
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Your child’s adoption story is important As an adult adoptee, I find myself wanting to hear my adoption story just one more time—although it is more like a million more times. Hearing it was simply never enough. I wanted to have something I could visually remember, or an experience that I could always look back…
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I hopped on a plane and went to Houston, Texas to see my birth mother the other day. We went shopping, and fussed over her two terriers, and sat around and watched old movies with my stepdad all weekend. At my request he made silver dollar pancakes for breakfast before driving me to the airport.…
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Ever get inappropriate or insensitive adoption questions? See how one adoptive mom handles some real awkward questions from people unfamiliar with adoption. Take insensitive adoption questions with grace When you become an adoptive parent, there seem to be an endless amount of curious people. Most of them are harmless, just nosy and sometimes a little…
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Birth mother, Haley Kirkpatrick, shares her experience with the birth father, who wanted no involvement with the pregnancy or birth of their child. When I told the birth father that I was expecting, his first response was to try and deny that the child could be his. Even though he knew that our one sexual encounter was my…
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The world of adoption can be a confusing one for hopeful Adoptive Parents. Adoption is a legal process, but the emotions (and finances) involved and the inability to control almost every aspect can make it terrifying. Who can you trust? When you decide to take that step, to commit to the process that will build…
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The paperwork is mostly complete. You’ve been interviewed, background checked, and fingerprinted. Your home has been inspected. And now there’s nothing left to do but wait. Waiting for your match or referral can be in incredibly trying time. Waiting to adopt can become an all-consuming obsession (all the ups and downs and unknowns). During this…
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I came across some heart-wrenching adoption pictures of our son’s birth mother. While looking through old pictures to attach to recent blogs, I came across some heart wrenching adoption pictures of our son’s birth mother. It was a picture taken at a hotel when our son was just a mere 3 days old. This was…
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