GotchaBaby

September 17, 2009September 17, 2009

What No One Told Me About Adoption

Today is the first of many-to-come blog carnivals at Grown In My Heart. Today’s kick off topic is “What No One Told Me About Adoption”

1) I wish I had known that the homestudy was really more of a “getting to know you” meeting and not a white-glove inspection. I should have dusted less and relaxed a little more.

2) I wish I had known how awful and presumptive it sounds to call expectant women “birthmothers” long before they have given birth/began the process of placement.

August102005_One Week 004 — Sweet MAM, one week old

3) I wish I could have imagined how completely and totally our children have captured the hearts of our family and friends. A snapshot of “what will be” would have warmed my heart on some of the darker days of waiting.

4) I wish I had known more about how adoption affects the families who place children for adoption.

5) I wish I had heard Tonggu Momma’s response, ” That’s private, I’m surprised you’re comfortable asking that question.”

6) I wish I had an inkling as to how instantly bonded I would become to other adoptive parents. There’s a level of connection that can’t be described, only experienced.

7) This is, of course, is impossible…but I wish I would have know how incredibly spectacular our adoption experience would be. That it would be worth every bit of heartache and wondering, every form filled out, every trip to be fingerprinted, every trip for a TB test, etc. Totally and utterly worth it.

Do you have a wish list?? Post it and then link it to Mr. Linky and meet other members of the adoption triad through Grown in My Heart!

July 24, 2009

Red in the Flower Bed

Because I’ve posted so much here about books lately, I thought I’d go spout someplace else today. I recently had the opportunity check out Red in the Flower Bed, An Illustrated Children’s Story about Adoption and ask the author, Andrea Nepa, a few questions. The book tells of a seed that needs a place to grow, and a garden that is happy to have the seed join them. Ms. Nepa is an adoptive parent herself, and she put a lot of thought into constructing this story. Check out my full review at Grown in My Heart!

If you are an adoptive parent, do you have a favorite children’s book on the topic? I am working on building our library on the topic…..

July 1, 2009July 15, 2009

A DIY Culture Camp E-book Now Available

It is my pleasure to announce Grown in My Heart’s latest endeavor…..
Traditionally, a culture camp brings together adopted children from around the world so they can share their experiences with each other. Some camps offer sleep away camp settings while others only offer day camps.

Children and adults learn about culture, history, adoption heritage, and intolerance and character. Most culture camps enrich cultural literacy include physical activities, world music and crafts. By nature they accommodate different learning styles.

But what happens when your children are just too young to attend a culture camp and are seriously interested in learning about their culture or making friends from the same region or orphanage?

Perhaps your child yearns to know children who “look like them” because they are the only child in their class with dark skin or Asian eyes. This is still common in today’s society no matter how much we try to pretend it is not.

How do you integrate culture into your children’s lives when they don’t want to have anything to do with it? Do you sneak it in with fantastic cooking? Do you read great literature with them? Or do you make them sit down and learn about their history?

We have just the solution for you. Introducing a new resource for adoptive parents: a Culture Camp for Kids; What to do when they can’t do (or they don’t want to)

This e-Book features countless activities suitable for young children from around the world. Once your focus is determined, it’s time to gather supplies. A trip to the library should yield plenty of books (and we have also supplied a fabulous list in our Literature Section).

Click on the Add to Cart to purchase the first ever GIMH eBook.

A portion of every sale will go to New Day Foster Home, a special needs foster home in China.

*While this e-book was developed with internationally adopted children in mind, it’s also suitable for any family wanting to expand their world view or host an “around the world” sort of party for young children. The activites aren’t adoption-centric, rather they are activities either native to a particular country or region, or they are designed to heighten awareness. Turn off the TV and have some fun this summer!