Adoption Maternity Photos. Really?

I have heard of prospective adoptive parents who take photos of themselves during the waiting phase. Most of them feature couples holding chalk boards with phrases like, “Growing in My Heart” or “Waiting for You.” Some involve globes or maps of the countries from which their children will come. Apparently, these type of photos are … Continue reading →

Matching in Robyn’s Adoption Land

Last week, I wrote about how matching is done today. My intention was to write about matching in Robyn’s Adoption Land next, but I realized that I had to explain how counseling is done there. Simply for convenience, we’re going to assume that the expectant father is a part of the adoption plan. For more … Continue reading →

All the Cards

To show how long some items have been hanging around in draft form, this post started as a response to a post from Another Version of Mother from May 2012. When did the families looking to adopt become the victims of the system, the ones who get all the sympathy, the attention, the ability to … Continue reading →

Top Ten Tips for Choosing an Open Adoption Agency

I’m slowly catching up on my blog reading, starting with the blogs that are usually must reads for me. This post, from Dawn Davenport at Creating a Family, is really excellent, and should prove very helpful to prospective adoptive parents and expectant parents. Top Ten Tips for Choosing an Open Adoption Agency. Speaking of choosing … Continue reading →

Requirements for PAPs in Robyn’s Adoption Land

Welcome back to Robyn’s Adoption Land! Today’s post will be shorter than the last, I hope. I’m going to talk about the requirements for prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) in Robyn’s Adoption Land. In the so-called real world, each agency, facilitator, or other adoption professional can set its own requirements for PAPs. Some have age restrictions … Continue reading →

What To Include in a “Dear Birthmother Letter”

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on November 30, 2010. Republished here with permission. Last week, I shared what NOT to include in a “Dear Birthmother Letter.” Today, I’m going to share what you should include. Some of these ideas come from the book Reaching Out: The Guide to Writing a Terrific Dear Birthmother … Continue reading →

What NOT To Include In a “Dear Birthmother” Letter

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on November 9, 2010. Republished here with permission. In domestic infant adoption, typically, the prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) write a letter to expectant parents, telling them about themselves and why they want and should have a child. This letter is commonly known as the “Dear Birthmother Letter”. Today, … Continue reading →

Choosing Pictures for the Adoption Profile Scrapbook

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on October 27, 2010. Republished here with permission. Many, many words have been written about the adoption profile scrapbook. This is the item that you give to expectant parents to present your family. Hopefully, your agency, attorney, or other adoption professional gave you some basic guidelines. The two … Continue reading →

Starting an Adoption Profile Scrapbook

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on August 30, 2010. Republished here with permission. The Adoption Profile Scrapbook is one of those things about adoption that you either love or hate. You have to create a book that “sells” your family to expectant parents. You want it to communicate all that is good and … Continue reading →

Book Review: You Can Adopt

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on March 12, 2010. Republished here with permission. I love Adoptive Families magazine!* I read every issue cover to cover. I even read the ads. Last year, they announced they would be publishing You Can Adopt: An Adoptive Families Guide, by Susan Caughman and Isolde Motley. I immediately … Continue reading →