t-shirts, grants + more

We’re crawling out from underneath a lot of adoption paperwork and logistics. And it really feels like we’ve hit a stride. Both in adoption and marriage. (Have I mentioned we’re still very much newlyweds navigating that dreaded first year? Ha!) The joy and laughter is outweighing the worries and tears these days. And it feels…

job loss? worry + transformation

I could probably write one thousand posts on how this adoption process is challenging my insecurities and worries. I probably will write more than this one. A friend said the adoption process is transformative, and I have to say I wouldn’t mind some transformation in the worry department. I’m such a worrier. But friends, I’m…

Play-Doh playing

Made me happy: + A kid in our home for the evening + A cousin who has adopted… and who lives close by + A husband who pulled out the baking sheet for Play-Doh playing, just like his mom did

questions for those adopting

I sometimes feel so deep (too deep?) in the adoption world, I forget that some people haven’t really had a friend or family member adopt. And, this isn’t a personal complaint, but I’ve come to realize some people just don’t know what to ask people in the process of adopting. We all know what to…

adoption in America

Some students in the USC Master’s of Social Work program created this infographic. It’s quite informative! And beautifully done. They mention adoption caseworkers at the bottom — that’s my job! (Also, note: They misuse “orphan,” in my opinion. An orphan is traditionally defined as a child who has lost one or both parents. Many kids in…

little adoption update

Because of the social media policy our agency has, I sometimes forget that there are things I can say about our adoption process. A quick update: Boy or girl: We are getting closer and closer to being eligible for a referral. While we can’t tell you exactly where we are in the process, we will absolutely share the…

tears at the kitchen table, or: how we decided to adopt now

Freshly married, Dan and I were sitting at the kitchen table together when I sprung it on him: “I’ve really been feeling like we should reconsider the timeline we’d kind of talked about for adding kids to our family. I think we should do it sooner than we’ve talked about.” I’m the dreamer of the…

the rough patches

Lots of worries popped up again today related to this adoption process. When we’re asked about employment and finances, I get nervous. We’re not your typical adoptive family. We qualify, no doubt, but it’s not always clear cut. My husband is a med student, our income is small, and our financial situation will be undergoing…

why we’re adopting

Why are we adopting? Well… hm. There are lots of ways to answer that. And lots of aspects to it. Such as: Why a baby? Why international? Why Africa? Why now? It’s sometimes hard for me to verbalize. But it’s therapeutic to try to verbalize it… So here it goes. I have desired to adopt…

emily and heather

The last of the blog post drafts I wrote a couple months ago, when we started the adoption process… … A couple weeks ago, while out to dinner with two friends from social work school, I let the secret out. Or, well, they pulled it out of me. We were eating outside, and some other…