Our Blog

  • We’re Not Perfect. That’s Why We’ll Make Perfect Adoptive Parents

    This guest post is by Liz Brown, a hopeful adoptive mom. I know a little something about trying to be perfect because for many years I thought it was something that I could someday attain if I just worked hard enough. And I’ve always known how to work hard: I’ve had jobs since I was 14, got straight A’s in school, got an early acceptance to Yale, graduated with honors, and have since built a successful career. But the problem with

  • A Birthmother’s Love Lasts Forever

    This guest post is by Fran Hampton, a birthmother. More than 40 years ago, when I was a teenager, I placed my son for adoption. It took place in another time, in another era, when adoptions were secretive and relationships were closed Even though we were separated, I never forgot about Stephen. The day I said goodbye to him, I had only one request. I told him “Find me.” And eventually he did. Today, it’s been five years since our

  • Going Solo: Waiting For An Adoption Match As A Hopeful Single Parent

     This guest post is by Jennifer Ruth, a waiting adoptive parent. Waiting is hard. There is no easy way around that. When you have made a plan and set your course, you want to get going already. You have considered how adoption will change your life and you are ready to begin creating the image of the life you have created. The process of waiting for a birthmother to choose you to parent their child leads to anxiety. Is my profile good enough?

  • Why I’m Fighting for Same-Sex Parenting Through Open Adoption

    This guest post is by Trey Darnell, an adoptive father. It is hard to fathom that it has been two and a half years since we decided to become parents through an open adoption.  In February 2014, we were able to finalize our adoption of Harper in Washington County, Tennessee. You might wonder why I mention the county and state.  Living in Washington County and in the state of Tennessee, we are not provided any protections being a same-sex couple

  • Why I Chose Open Adoption For My Baby

    This guest post is by Makena, a birthmother. As a high school student and one of a handful of birth mothers in Idaho with an open adoption, explaining my situation to friends and acquaintances is complicated. How many high school girls know what a birth mother is? Not enough, to be honest. For many people, open adoption is a scary concept because it’s new and a different type of adoption than they’re used to. So why did I choose to place

  • 10 Emotions You Will Face While Waiting to Adopt—And How to Cope

    This guest post is by Rachel Garlinghouse, an adoptive parent and author As we composed Encouragement for the Adoption and Parenting Journey: 52 Devotions and a Journal, we were taken back to our waiting days.  Those never-ending, relentless days. Between the two of us, we have waited six times (and counting) for “the call” that would tell us we were parents by adoption.  Each adoption was different, but there was something that remained consistent: the emotions we faced. 

  • How Can I Love A Child Who Is Not My Own Flesh And Blood? The Answer Is Simple

    This guest post is by Angela Boucher, an adoptive mother. It’s a question I’ve been asked many times — by my closest friends, by my mother and most importantly, by my son’s birthmother:  “How do you know you will love a child who is not your own flesh and blood?” For me, the answer is simple: My journey to motherhood may have been unimaginable, but the love I had for my son always existed! Let me explain: I was raised in a large Italian Catholic

  • Waiting To Adopt Is Harder Than I Thought — And 9 Other Adoption Lessons I’ve Learned

    This guest post is by Nicole. It’s been three years since we first started down the path of open adoption and I’ve learned so much along the way. Here are 10 key lessons that I want to share with you. 1. The wait is harder than expected When we went into our workshops we heard about the wait. We thought, “it can’t be any different or worse than all the waiting we’ve done already.” WRONG.  This is a different kind of waiting, one that

  • To Waiting Adoptive Parents Who Are Thinking Of Blogging

    This guest post is by Sarah Farrar, a hopeful adoptive mother and blogger.  Never in my life did I think I would become a blogger, much less keep a blog that people wanted more of on a regular basis. A blog that would end up being shared all over social media by strangers and adoption sites was beyond what I had ever expected of myself. It all started in a tiny blank teal book. On a whim, I sat down and wrote to

  • The Adoption Reunion That Hits All The Right Notes

    Adoption reunions are sensitive affairs that usually take place behind closed doors. But tonight, Shari Ulrich and Mike Magee, the son she placed for adoption, will be re-connecting on stage. And they won’t be comparing notes. They’ll be performing them. Shari and Mike will be playing together at a concert in Eugene, Oregon. It’s not the first time they’ve done it. Shari, a singer and songwriter, and Mike, an architect, have been performing together for five years. Shari knows that their relationship is far