D and I call each other our different-hair-colored twin. For example, she's my blonde twin. I'm her brunette twin. Sometimes we also have randomly colored hair and we just have to go with whatever hair color we've picked for the month. We're really kind of similar in so many ways.

At first, it was little things. At the hospital when the Munchkin was born, we noticed that our glasses were similar. And then, as we began forming our post-placement relationship, similarities began popping out of the woodwork. We like a lot of the same things and our tastes in clothes,... more

Playing off of last week's Faces of First Moms beauty, I need to talk about some more love via pictures. As I said, I really like looking at others' photographs. I like smiles. And serious faces. And unique angles. And funny faces. And families being families.

And this being an adoption-related blog, I also like looking at "pictures of adoption." Now, I know that there are some among us who are asking, "How do you show adoption in photograph form." In many ways, of course. And that's why I love the group on flickr, "Adoption is a Blessed Gift." Of course, the name makes me gag but, alas,... more

I like pictures. I take a gazillion and a half on a regular basis. I have so many pictures of my son's various facial expressions that I cannot begin to count how many I have taken in his two short years. During visits, my camera is constantly with me. I also like looking at other people's pictures. Because I'm nosy like that!

I especially like looking at pictures of my online friends and their children. Whether they're first moms, adoptive moms or moms without determiners, I just like smiling mothers and children. And so when Nicole from Paragraphein... more

Remember how I was excited two weeks ago about an upcoming visit? And remember last week how I talked about supporting each other through hard times? Well, welcome to hard times. J & D have had to cancel the visit due to some unforeseen medical problems on their front. (That said, it was always possible that the visit could be canceled at the last minute if Parker decided to come... more

This might be surprising to some but adoption is not always rainbows and butterflies. (Did you hear, or, rather, see my sarcasm?) Sometimes it's made up of really hard work. Sometimes it's not so much hard work as it is hard "stuff." Emotions, situations and issues can pile up outside of the adoption-connected relationships and make it hard for people to work on other things.

And ya know, that's okay.

Speaking generally, D has been having some tough times as of late. I know that if our relationship wasn't what it is, she would have either neglected to... more

We've had a rough year. We as in the people who live under the roof over my head that, thus, share the name of family. We as in the people who raised us and thus bear the title of family. We as in the people who share a roof with my daughter and thus are also part of our family. Medically speaking, it's been one blow after another for just about every niche in our family. Needless to say, visits have taken a backseat. While it's been a bummer, we've stayed in contact as well as we possibly could and been supportive of each others' issues.

That said:... more

I'd like to be a perfect parent. Newsflash: I'm not! The whole "no processed foods" idea went out the window shortly after he realized that he could say, "No." He has a few favorite television shows. I've lost my temper and raised my voice. I've said "crap" and he has repeated me. The list goes on.

There are very few people on this planet that I would legitimately turn to for parenting advice. My Mom, of course, is one of them because, I figure, if she could raise me, well, then she's pretty capable. (This was not always my thought process! Maturity... more

I felt loved this week. Loved because I was respected and, really, that's a good kind of love, isn't it? Because love without respect isn't really love at all. I also felt some validation and some joy. In turn, I was able to return some loving respect as well. It was all very good for the self-esteem, I tell ya.

Occasionally, readers of this blog or either of my personal blogs will contact me via e-mail with questions, concerns, rants, raves or any number of possible reasons for correspondence. I'm always intrigued when I see something in... more

For those who don't know, the Munchkin has a total of five brothers, soon to be six. Our Nicholas and her younger brother, JD, are sixteen days apart in age. I love the heck out of this fact, though it took some initial getting used to for various reasons. I think it's unique for the Munchkin to have brothers so close in age.

But, outside of the Munchkin, I just like it for us; the adult people. Nicholas and JD are fun to watch together. They're vastly different little people though they're going through the same developmental milestones at, roughly, the same time. During... more

I'm on vacation and the beach is on my mind. It's no wonder then that I'm mentally transported back to almost exactly one year ago. Nicholas and I were on the beach with J, D, JD and the Munchkin. It was a trip of beautiful memories for me, quite a few of which were caught on camera.

You see, there's nothing quite like watching your children experience the wonders of the ocean, especially if you, yourself, are an ocean lover. I am, in fact, an ocean lover, having spent many a summers on the beach with... more