Last week I participated in a county wide emergency preparedness drill. I received a letter from our local hospital asking me to help out with this drill since I am a teen volunteer. The drill was very confidential to the hospital staff, local police, and ambulance service and area fire departments. The only people that knew of the drill were the volunteers, chiefs of police, fire and emergency medical technicians and a few organizers at the hospital.

When I arrived at the hospital the morning of the drill the volunteers and I... more

I have to post about Gracie’s second celebration of Independence Day here in America. I am sure it will take her several years to realize the importance of this special day. I am appreciating more and more the cost of our freedom but I do not think I will totally grasp it in its entirety. Vietnam Veteran Joseph Popvich wrote, "Freedom has a price that the protected will never know. Those who haven't spent time at war can't imagine the atrocities nor can they understand the oppression under which others live," he said. I... more

This is a continuation of my interview with Kari Fillmore, co-founder of Angel Covers. Part one of the interview can be found here.

I have purchased gift cards through Angel Covers for family members and school teachers. I have also received gift cards from others as a gift at Christmas time. My... more

As a sponsor of a deaf child in Kenya via Angel Covers, I wanted to know more about the organization and how adoptive parents could become involved. Obviously we can't adopt all of the hungry or hurting children in the world, but we can do much with our time and money to help them even as they remain in their native countries.

An added benefit to our families as we provide sponsorship money for children or even make a one-time donation, is teaching compassion to our children at home. We are teaching... more

Before you had a second child, did you have visions of your children happily playing together with nary a squabble, only to discover that they fight more often than they get along peacefully?

Do the words "It's mine!" or "No, you can't play with us!" echo through the halls of your home more often than "Sure, I'd be happy to share this with you"?

Are your children like Janene Wolsey Baadsgard's children -author of The Roller... more

My youngest 3 children struggle with letting go of some of their orphanage behaviors. As I have mentioned here, they all struggle with food issues and accepting that they will indeed have plenty to eat in our family. All 3 have known pretty intense hunger, so their fears are valid, but you would think that over time, they would be able to process that they have not known true hunger (other than Caleb's experience here)... more

All 3 of my adopted children came to our home with table manners that left a lot to be desired. At times I have thought it would be simpler to put a feeding trough on the floor than ask them for the 1,000th time to please slow down, please chew with their mouth shut, please not talk with their mouth full, etc.

In China, Caleb would spit bones all over the table when eating chicken, and we had to tell him via our guide that it might be OK to do so in China, but the practice would be frowned upon... more

I am getting ready to go out of town for four days and I have very mixed feelings. While I will enjoy the break away from the daily routine, I worry how my trip will affect some of my children. Ben has already been begging to go with me even though I told him that it isn't possible. He has a very difficult time separating from me.

Micheline, on the other hand, puts up a wall and pretends not to care if I leave. To be honest, that kind of behavior is much harder to deal with than the child who clings because she does indeed care very... more

Our attachment therapist is big on the idea of object permanence and constancy for children who have attachment issues. Object permanence generally develops by 18 months of age in a neurotypical child, but in a child who has experienced trauma or multiple breaks in attachment, it may not have developed. Your adopted child may be much older and still not truly believe that you will return when you say you will.

A young child who has not developed an identity separate from his parent may also feel that when you are out of sensory... more

I have received requests from readers to include a few recipes from China and Haiti on this blog since that is where my children are from. Recipes don't exactly fall under adoption blogging, but I will add one today since it is a comfort food for my son.

Having lived in China for 11 years of his life, Caleb's taste buds have not totally acclimated to American food. Although he eats most things willingly other than dairy products and chocolate, his face really lights up when he smells Chinese food cooking.

Our attachment... more