It is late spring and the school year is drawing to a close. Must mean it's prom time. Two weeks ago I was at a resort here in town helping my daughter and son-in-law decorate for the school prom where he teaches.

As the decorating wound down and guests for various functions were arriving, it felt a bit like Cinderella's ball. Evening gowns and tuxedos were abundant, and I felt slightly out of place as I went to leave in my sandals, jeans and a polo shirt. I went to the bathroom before I left and upon the gleaming granite countertops... more

Micheline's hair probably has the tightest curl known to man. She has even had other women with African hair comment on how tight her curl is. Unfortunately, the tighter the curl, the harder it can be to pick out when it is in an afro.

African hair may seem strong and wirey, but it is actually very fragile. Since she cut it herself last August which led to a stylist shaving her head, I am doing everything in my power to get her hair to grow once again so we can attempt to style it rather than keeping it in a teeny weeny afro. (TWA)

I... more

Just as Grant wrote that adoption is never over, I believe that a child who experienced the trauma of abandonment may carry some of those feelings with her for a very long time if not forever.

At age 10, Ben still panics if he can't find me in a store. Most of the time it is because he has wandered away, but as soon as he realizes he can't find me, instead of calmly calling for me or asking a salesclerk for help, he goes into panic mode and you can literally... more

When Ben was 4 years old and had only been home with us for about 2 months, he decided that he didn't want to leave the park where we were playing. I told him twice that it was time to leave, and he decided to ignore my request. Since he chose to ignore me, I did what I had done many times before with my other children...I said, "I'm leaving...goodbye", and turned around and walked away.

With my four older children who came to me by birth, it generally always worked and they would decide to come with me after all. It never seemed to induce feelings of insecurity or terror at all; "goodbye" just meant that Mom really was leaving, so you better grab your shoes out of the sandbox and... more

My first night in Haiti with Micheline, I was awakened at 1 a.m. by very loud screaming. My little four year old lying in bed next to me appeared to be awake and absolutely terrified about something as she thrashed around in the bed very agitated. The problem was, she wasn't awake. She was actually asleep, but in the midst of a night terror.

If you have never experienced a night terror with your child, it can be a very frightening experience. Your child's eyes are usually wide open, she may be sweating and have a racing heart, have a panicked... more

On the birthparent/first parent adoption blog, Jan asked "What would your t-shirt say about adoption?" Great food for thought, as some that I have thought were cute or inspiring as an adoptive parent, might not be considered either by other members of the adoption triad.

Here's a disgusting one that Mary on the Ethiopian adoption... more

I decided to jump on the Love Thursday bandwagon as I have photos I would love to proudly share. I agree with the concept that there is enough negativity and complaining in the world...why not have some positive vibes out there as well? The kind that make you say "Awww" instead of "ugh"?

This photo is of my sons Ben and Caleb. Ben-on the right-came home from China at 4 1/2 years of age over 6 years ago. His brother Caleb came home from China just 3 months ago.

From the time Ben had... more

Do you have more than one child via adoption? Do you have a child or children you gave birth to and then decided to add to your family via adoption? Do you wonder how others have integrated a new sibling into their family? Did you adopt a sibling group of two or more?

If you fit into any of these categories, I would LOVE to hear from you. If you would like your blog listed here so others can read about your experiences, please leave me a comment below with your blog address,... more

We took family photos over Easter and I thought it would help my youngest kids feel more grounded to see us all together. For Micheline, however, the new photos raised questions in her mind.

I've been struggling to blog this week due to overwhelming family responsibilities, but none of them hit me like the brick my daughter tossed my way tonight. She's 6...emotionally much younger sometimes, but for the most part right on target as a 6 year old except for the fact that she's had more pain and... more

I found some letters that were written by Korean birthmothers and as the sister of an adopted sister from China I often think about what Gracie’s birthmother may have wanted to say to her in a letter. This question will always be in my mind but I hope the letter would have been one filled with love, sadness and hopes for a better life then what could have been given to her in China.

I have great appreciation for Gracie’s birthmother for bringing... more