For families that carry out visits in each other's homes, a "Special Day Plate" may be a nice tradition to start. Plus, it can be fun to make (or, for the not-so-artistically inclined, search for and purchase). Not familiar with a "special day plate?" Read on!

The idea behind a special day plate is simple: it's a special plate that you use on a special day or for a special person either on special days or at random. The "original" special plate was/is a red plate that says, "You are special today." (In... more

As my faithful readers know, I've been reviewing one book per month throughout this calendar year. The challenge, of course, is to find books about adoption that focus on the birth parent experience or, speaking of a novel, that are written from the birth parent perspective. I've made exceptions for novels that were written from the adoptee perspective as long as they contained enough birth parent involvement. The August-into-September chapter-by-chapter review of Lifegivers leaves me with nothing left on my list.

And so, I implore my readers:... more

I wrote, earlier in the week, about how birth parents have to deal with milestones, most often from afar. I included a recent example from my own adoption journey as the Munchkin started school this past Monday. While I will not sugar coat the emotions that this particular milestone has dredged up within me, I can look at certain things from a different kind of view, the view I have to switch into when things are becoming somewhat overwhelming. You know, when I need my silver lining just to get... more

After fourteen chapters of in depth review, we've finally finished ... 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

In the last chapter of ... more

I posted yesterday about surviving the milestones that your child goes through without your knowledge or your presence. Then I got to thinking: what are the hardest milestones for birth parents? I decided to ask on the forums. As you can imagine, just about everything was covered.

The first year brings a bunch to mind. Things like the first time they slept through the night, the first real smile (or even the first "fake" gas smile!) or the transition... more

As we near the end of ... more

I've been caught off guard again. Adoption has a way of doing that to me. I'll be sailing along, perfectly content with how things are progressing and life in general and then, BAM! I'm side-swiped by the Mack Truck of adoption. A hit-and-run, I'm left to sit on the berm of my reality and ponder what in the world just happened to me, whether or not the vehicle I am traveling this journey in can get back on the road immediately and nursing my wounds. Most of the time, present experiences included, these moments are brought to me by the wonderful world of... more

It's hard work to be a "good" birth parent and chapter twelve of ... more