My adult daughter and I both dedicated our babies Sunday morning. Our church has a tradition of allowing parents to dedicate their babies once a year on Mother’s Day. We aren’t baptizing infants; the parents are simply making a promise to raise their child in the Lord, before the congregation. The parents are presented with a certificate as a reminder and as a memento, to place in the child’s baby book.

A few circumstances made this year’s dedication a bit unusual. My husband and I were dedicating our nine-month-old daughter, whom we adopted privately through interstate last July. We also chose to dedicate our nine-year-old daughter who has lived with us for over two years, whom... more

I was listening to my favorite radio station this morning and heard an interesting piece of Mother’s Day trivia. Apparently, they had conducted a survey among mothers, asking what they would like most for Mother’s Day. The answer at first seemed a bit odd to me, “Quiet time alone in the bathroom.” Within a few seconds though, I was in total agreement; not because we have 11 people living in our home, although that is a factor. My husband and I have our own private bathroom connected to our bedroom, so I should be able to have private time when... more

It is not always possible to potty train a child with severe special needs. Some children may not have the mental capacity to identify the “urge” with actually going to the bathroom nor are they concerned with their personal hygiene. Some children continually leak urine. They must wear adult diapers 24 hours a day and regular potty training is probably out of the question.

Changing a wet diaper isn’t a big deal. However, if you have ever changed a soiled diaper on a teenager or even on a preteen you know just how foul smelling... more

You and your family have decided to adopt a special needs child. So how can your family decide which special needs to consider and which special needs won’t work with your family’s lifestyle? How do you go about finding a special needs child who needs a forever family?

First, look at some of the state adoption websites like North West Adoption Exchange, or The Adoption Exchange and national adoption websites like Adopt... more

What happens to an older child, emotionally, when adoption takes too long? Say, for example, the child is placed in your home for the purpose of adoption, and you tell the child, “We are going to adopt you.” The adoption worker says to the child, “I am working on your adoption, it will take a while, but I will get it done.” The child’s therapist reiterates these phrases during counseling. But, then a year or maybe two goes by, and the adoption still isn’t finalized.

Sure, the child wants to believe that you will eventually adopt,... more

You may be having difficulty with a specific issue with your child and wish you could get some training to help. Sometimes you just can’t get away for a whole day of training or maybe there aren't any seminars scheduled in your area. There are training options available on the internet and some offer certificates that you can print upon completion to document your training. If you require training for your agency, or adoptive homestudy, please verify that your agency will accept online training certificates, before proceeding.

There are... more

Over the years when a new child arrives at our house we usually give them a list of what they may call my husband and me. The choices include; mom and dad, Uncle Glen and Aunt Julie, Glen and Julia, Mr. and Mrs. Fuller, or grandpa and grandma and then we usually just let children call us whatever they feel comfortable with.

The four year old has called my husband, “Daddy,” since she came to live with us when she was twenty-one months old. Back then she even called me, “Mommy.” Well when... more

Yesterday, we became grandparents for the second time and we ourselves have an eight month old daughter. Super Grandpa took becoming a grandfather really hard after the first grandbaby but you can see in the photo that he's pretty pleased now. Since you are reading this on an adoption blog I’m sure you’ve guessed how we managed to be grandparents and new parents at the same time; it is through the glory of adoption. We have a beautiful twenty-four year old daughter that we adopted nine years ago when she was fifteen... more

You may or may not know this…your state’s Early Intervention Program falls under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). In Georgia, for example, the program is administered through the Department of Human Resources, not through the Department of Education. It is called Babies Can't Wait. It is not uncommon for the Department of Public Health to administer the program, even though the state’s Department of Education is responsible for serving as a liaison with the Feds.

Children... more

Since I’m an advocate for special needs adoption I have my favorite web sites that check on almost everyday. Not that I’m considering more children, but I know people who are, so I like to keep updated on who’s available. When my husband and I were looking for an infant girl to adopt we registered with several agencies that place special needs. One of those agencies we registered with is a nonprofit organization called CHASK,

Lately, I’ve noticed a disturbing pattern... more