If you have not been reading along on the New York Times adoption blog, Relative Choices, you are really missing out on a variety of wonderful articles.

I will continue on with more posts about my definition of adoption in my next posts, but I wanted to call attention to some of these great articles.

Today's article is titled "Blind Date in Addis",... more

(Please remember that this is just a piece of my definition of adoption. For my full definition of what adoption is, you can read this whole series of posts here.)

Adoption is life changing.

To say that something is life changing is some what cliche, but in this case, it is also very true. Adoption IS life changing. It permanently alters the lives of all involved, whether they are birth parents, adoptive parents or the children being adopted.

Children who often had little hope for their futures, have hope for much because of adoption.

Parents who want children have a way to build their... more

(Please remember that this is just a piece of my definition of adoption. For my full definition of what adoption is, you can read this whole series of posts here.)

Adoption is hope. It is hope for a better future and a better life for a child.

We often hear about how loss is a big part of adoption. It is true that any child available for adoption has experienced loss. He has been separated from his birth mother and family. He has lost his first home. In international adoption, the child has lost his country and culture of birth. Children from foster care (and children adopted internationally) have often... more

In my last post, I stated that adoption is a business, as part of my definition of adoption. Remember that each of these posts are just a tiny piece of my definition of adoption, and to get the big picture, you need to read the entire series. :)

To add to yesterday's post, I am going to say that adoption is expensive. It is an unfortunate reality. I remember back when I first started thinking about adopting. My husband had had a vasectomy... more

Today I am going to start to give a more detailed definition of what adoption is to me. Remember that this is just a tiny piece of my definition of adoption, and to get the big picture, you need to read this entire category.

For starters, adoption is a business.

I start with that, because it is something that a lot of adoptive parents seem to not be aware of, especially when they are first starting out on their adoption journeys.

It is easy, when you first start looking into adoption,... more

Hopefully all of my readers are aware of the fun giveaway I am holding for National Adoption Month thanks to Curls. If you haven't participated yet, please make sure you visit that post and leave a comment.

To participate in the giveaway I am asking readers to define adoption. As I have said, depending on your place in the adoption triad and your own personal experience with adoption, these personal definitions can vary greatly.

Originally I planned on sharing... more

For many children adopted internationally, there is very little information known about their birth family and their birth history. Often times there is also very little information on the child's relinquishment or abandonment. It is very common for dates of birth and accurate ages to be known. For many adoptees, their past is a puzzle, with many pieces missing.

While the importance of knowing about one's birth family and early life is becoming more and more acknowledged and recognized in the adoption community, only a percentage of adoptive parents and adoption agencies are putting in the extra effort to get every piece of information available for the children that are being adopted.

The... more

One great way that you can celebrate National Adoption Month is to provide some donations for orphans.

It is time again for my regular appeal for donations, supplies and travelers willing to carry donations and supplies to Ethiopia for AHOPE.

I am the donations/supplies coordinator for AHOPE For Children, an organization that provides a nurturing home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for orphaned HIV-positive children, provides care for HIV+ children in the community through their outreach program and helps to educate the community about AIDS prevention. The children at AHOPE are now receiving antiretroviral drugs--thanks to Jane Aronson's Worldwide Orphans Foundation--and are thriving.... more

*Make sure you read all the way to the end of this post so you can participate in the fun giveaway.

The Adoption.com Glossary defines adoption as:

The official transfer through the court system of all of the parental rights that a biological parent has to a child, along with an assumption by the adopting parent of all of the parental rights of the biological parents that are being terminated and are assumed in their entirety by the adoptive parents, including the responsibility for the care and supervision... more

Today is November 1, which means that it is now officially National Adoption Awareness Month. President George W. Bush issued the official proclamation that November 2007 is National Adoption Month, yesterday. In the proclamation President Bush calls upon "all Americans to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities to honor adoptive families and to participate in efforts to find permanent homes for waiting children." You can read the entire proclamation here.

A few weeks... more