If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that our adoption is scheduled for finalization at the end of this month. Being “crazy busy” getting ready for our lives to drastically change overnight has been a tremendous adrenaline buzz as well. We’re all so very excited, and tonight it culminated with my very emotionally sensitive biological son crying at bedtime, “in the happy way” because, “God has been so very good to us” and blessed us with his brother... more

As someone with a background in Early Childhood Education, I am a firm believer in Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP). Developmentally Appropriate Practice, in layman’s terms, is just a fancy way of saying that each child universally goes through certain stages (e.g. every child crawls, then walks, then runs), and caregivers support those stages with activities to strengthen them.

For the adoptive parent, knowing a little about DAP, can help with attachment and transition issues as you welcome your new child(ren) into your home. Let... more

Continuing on with our awesome news, we had it confirmed today that we definitely have a court date of July 31st! Praise God!

So, what did I do today?:

• Reserved airline tickets (3 out, 5 back! Woo hoo!!!) • Spoke with our attorney's office • Spoke with our social worker twice • Got accommodations for the week we’ll be there • Downloaded all the additional ICPC forms needed to update our file (as the adoption took longer than... more

This morning I’ve been abuzz planning our homeschooling year. I started going through all the e-mails I’ve saved about the various classes I think the kids would be interested in. I’m humming along, so excited, when all of a sudden – screech – I hit sticker shock!

I’ve been homeschooling one child these last four years. Now I’m looking at three! I manically reached for the calculator and just about passed out! Looks like we’re going to have to do some major economizing!

There... more

Our lawyer’s office called us this morning with the news we have longed to hear – we have a potential court date! Yes, Lord willing, by the end of this month, the hubby and I will officially have two more children!

Naturally there are contingencies (hence the "potential court date"). All parties to the adoption need to be served, and assuming everyone gets served on the day we’re shooting for, our adoption will be finalized this month. If not, we will have to wait a week or so, which will push us into next... more

You’ve seen ‘em … and most likely forwarded them onto friends because the e-mail directs you to “pass this on to everyone in your address book” … Yep, we’re talking about Internet hoaxes today.

I’ve learned to run everything in my e-mail box through Snopes.com. In fact, when re-tooling my iGoogle homepage recently, I put the Snopes New Urban Legends plug-in right there for me to see each day.

So, there I was today, and Help... more

In our Making Time series, we’ve established the need for personal time, how to make time for yourself, how to make Couple Time, and now, we’re going to round it out with how to make “One-On-One ‘Kid Time’”.

My background is in Early Childhood Education, and all... more

Okay, so I’ve convinced you of the need for personal time; I’ve even shown you how to get it. So, maybe it’s gone to my head a little and made me cocky, because now I’m going to suggest Couple Time and how to make it.

Let me preface this “cockiness” with a confession - one oft repeated here on the blog - I don’t always write from a place of “knowing... more

Now that we know why you need to make time for yourself, let’s talk about ways to incorporate this time seamlessly, painlessly, and guilt-free into your day!

Use existing blocks of time to your advantage: Do the kids still nap? If so, you nap too! As tempting as it is, do not use this time to play “catch-up!” If you can’t nap, read, knit, listen to music, or do something you find soothing. Avoid television, newspapers or... more

When you bring your adopted child home, the previous months beforehand are much like a traditional birth - a flurry of activity, with little time for rest or sleep. Now that you are home with your child, sleep almost seems like an out-of-reach possibility!

With the demands of new parenthood upon you (whether this is your first, last or in-between child), thoughts of caring for yourself seem selfish. After all, isn’t this what you signed on for when you decided to have children?

Adoptive parents are especially cursed with this type... more