When people are going through times of change in their lives, or times of stress or times of excitement, (or a combination of all three) it is common for them to have very vivid dreams. Pregnant women and people who are about to get married often find themselves having all sorts of dreams interrupting their slumber.

I have never been a big dreamer. I don't know if it is because I am too tired, too deep of a sleeper or what, but I have never even been able to remember any of my dreams, with the exception of two recurring nightmares I had as a child (one involving Woody... more

I have been writing about fingerprints and adoption. Adoptive parents are fingerprinted during the adoption process to do a background check and ensure that the parents are "suitable" to adopt. Most domestic adoptions now require that parents are fingerprinted, and all international adoptions require that parents are fingerprinted.

Some good news regarding the I600A and fingerprints is that things have... more

In my last post I wrote about fingerprinting as a part of the homestudy process, which is required for some adoptive families, but not for all.

Today I am going to write about fingerprinting as a part of the immigration process, which is required for all families adopting internationally (from the United States).

Most families adopting internationally will be fingerprinted as a part of the I600A... more

While when most of us picture someone getting fingerprinted we picture a criminal of some sorts, all adoptive parents must also be fingerprinted during the adoption process, and sometimes they need to be fingerprinted two or more times. Here is some info on the when, where and why of fingerprinting and adoption.

For your homestudy - If you are adopting domestically, most states now require that you are fingerprinted locally to check for a criminal background, during your homestudy process. This is usually required before your homestudy can be officially approved,... more

Here are the rest of my tips on putting together a photo album for your child, while you are waiting for the adoption to be completed. You can read the first two posts in this series here and here.

- If you have weather very different from where your child lives, include a picture of that. Ben LOVED the picture we sent of the kids playing in the snow, since he had never seen snow in Ethiopia.

- For many of our adoptions, we have taken an hour or two on an afternoon to take photos just... more

In my last post I started offering tips on making the perfect photo album to send to your child while you are waiting to be united. Here are some more tips.

- Label the pictures. An album full of smiling faces is nice, but it is much more helpful if your child can get to know who is who. If you use an album where you slide photos into a sleeve, you can write on the plastic sleeve with a permanent marker. (However, if the pictures get pulled out and put back incorrectly, confusion can occur! Belane's album had a rough life in Ethiopia, and when she came home she had Daddy's picture in the... more

In many adoption programs, the adoptive parents have an opportunity to send a small package to their child-to-be, as a way to "introduce" themselves and let the child know that they have a new family. While small gifts are often a part of this package, often the most important part is the photo album.

Since this photo album will be your child's first look at you, your family, your home and his new life, it is very important. With all of our children, these photo albums have not only been very treasured items, but they have also really seemed to help our children "recognize" us and their new siblings once they were placed with us.

Even Amanda and Belane, who were both young... more

In my last post, I started offering tips on things that you should do for your homestdy. Here are a few more things on my homestudy "to do" list.

- Do put some thought into some of the questions you may be asked and how you will answer. Role playing a few questions with your spouse is not a bad idea either. While a lot of the questions are not "hard", it can be challenging to put your thoughts into words. Some examples are, "Why do you want to adopt?" "What do you admire most about your spouse?" "What are some of the strengths of your marriage?" "What are some of the weaknesses of your marriage?" "What do you... more

In my last post I shared some insight on preparing for your homestudy, and offered a few things that I consider "homestudy don'ts". In this post I am going to share some things that I consider "homestudy do's", and things that are good ideas when you are preparing for a homestudy, whether it is your first, or an update.

- Do you have your paperwork in order. Many social workers will send you an information packet with a list of paperwork that they need before they come for the visit. Having everything ready for your social worker helps move the process along. Don't forget to follow up with people you have asked... more

After going through two days of homestudy visits, I thought I would share some tips on preparing for your homestudy process (and then I promise I will get back to sharing about our first meetings and early experiences with our adopted children).

The idea of a homestudy is nerve-wracking. Basically, a stranger is coming into your home to evaluate whether or not you are worthy of being given a child. This stranger is going to ask you personal questions and dig deep into your desire to adopt as well as your childhood,... more