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

Open adoption birth parents often wonder how to incorporate traditions into the relationship they share with their child. Getting pictures taken every year is a common one. For those that like to think outside of the box and perhaps head down slightly creative paths, art projects of some sort are always a good way to go. One idea recently came to me that I thought I should pass on to others.

The idea is to take both your hand and your child's hand and either "stamp" it or trace it onto a piece of paper. This can be done as early as birth, at the hospital.... more

I think many adoptive parents would be interested in reading chapter eleven of ... 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

Before actually reading chapter ten of ... more

I was thinking of fun and inventive topics to discuss here on the blogs. I thought I would make a post on the forums asking first parents to share what their "dream" visit would entail. Nothing was too big! Use your imaginations! I was expecting trips to Tahiti. Skiing in the Swiss Alps. Treks across Europe with backpacks and laughter. Imagine my surprise when not one birth parent replied in that kind of manner.

The two most common answers: any visit... more

This morning as we look at ... more

Yesterday I talked about my own personal journey to, with and through regret. Before we went on a long holiday weekend, I asked readers (here, on my personal adoption blog, and on the forums) to talk about regret. And they... more

Yesterday we talked about the first half of chapter eight in ... more

I've still got some blogs and e-mails coming in regarding my request for a discussion on regret. The thread on the forums is also continuing to bring in some great responses. With that, I will bring them all together for a meeting of the minds, as it were, on birth parent regret. Today? I'll talk about me, my journey through the muck of realization and regret and where it leaves... more