Holy smokes! It's the end of September? October is in two days? I think I'm caught completely off guard because of the heat that has permeated most of this month. Finally, thank goodness, the temperatures are beginning to resemble something fall-like. In fact, we're headed to the Pumpkin Patch today! We're excited!

September was a busy (very, very busy) month on the blog. We covered a lot of ground including two different book... more

What? What is this heat? Why is in the 80's again? Where are my 60 degree days? I need to wear sweat pants and sweaters and jeans and, oh, have you seen the fact that stores are putting out hats and scarves and winter coats?! This is my time of year! And it's being ruined by heat. And sweat! (Did I mention that I'm thirty weeks pregnant and overheated as it is? 80 degrees does not work for me at this point.) That said, I was more than happy to stay inside, when possible, and fill the blog with some decent stuff this week. And fill I did!

Some of the big news... more

The second full week of September was once again filled, both on the blog and in my personal life. I covered a wide array of topics on the blog and experienced a wide array of emotions and new events in my own life. The temperature has dropped a bit and I can feel fall coming. Life seems kind of good right now!

Milestones were hit by both my parented son and my placed daughter, which sparked various posts. I discussed how to deal with milestones in one post and hit on what milestones are... more

I'm speaking at an adoption conference next month. Yes, I will be thirty-two weeks pregnant, speaking on the topic of adoption. Thankfully, the conference is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (my hometown, folks!) at the University of Pittsburgh which isn't too far from the hospital that stopped one bout of preterm labor that I had while pregnant with the Munchkin. That said, I'm aware that I'm somewhat insane. To be fair to myself, I signed up for this gig prior to the actual conception of this... more

The first week of September brought me better health than the last week of August, that's for sure! While it seems like everyone else in the world is getting back into the groove of school and fall activities, we're still sweating it out in the afternoon (and morning and evening) sun, playing and laughing (and, yes, sweating). However, even though I'm still not finding new free time for writing, we had a busy week here on the birth parent blog!

I was able to keep up with the continuous chapter-by-chapter review of ... more

While doing my morning (which turned into early afternoon) blog reading, I came across a post that covered a quote said by Elizabeth Edwards at last weekend's BlogHer Conference. I chuckled to myself, applying it to the women I know in the adoption world.

Probably most of the women in this room believe all the same things.

Anyone else greatly amused? MotherGooseMouse was the blogger who brought the... more

Speaking of adoptee voices, I just found a new adoptee blog that I like. Her blog is entitled Adopt This - Confessions of an Ambivalent Adoptee. She's spunky, funny and irreverent - all qualities which I find attractive in a person!

She describes herself as: "Mostly happy with a touch of anger." Boy, can I identify with that statement! "Mostly happy" is a term that I often use to describe myself. Just because I think adoption has lots of problems to solve doesn't mean that I allow it to prevent... more

Last month I spoke a lot about how birth parents in open adoption can deal with visiting their placed child. I gave ideas on how to ensure proper communication during a visit as well as highlighting some great ideas of things to do together. This month, wanting to spend another month talking about... more

March has been another busy month for me, both here and in real life. It came in like a lion, in both weather and real life happenings and is leaving like a lamb. The weather is calm, beautiful and sunny and there is a smile on my face. Ending on a good note is always a plus.

I spoke a lot about visiting in open adoptions this month, leading up to this current visit. I started out seeking information for birth parents (or adoptive parents) regarding visits and found that there is, basically, nothing.... more

First of all, if you don't know about it, Adoption.com is holding a photo contest at their photo site. It starts on April 1, 2007 and runs through May 31, 2007. The theme is "loved" which, if you put your creative mind to work, that covers a lot of ground. What does loved mean to you? How do you express it in a photograph? That's up to YOU to decide!

Of course, there are rules!

-... more