As I’ve experienced adoption from China myself and through watching others come home with their children, I’ve come to the conclusion that non-special-needs is not an accurate description of the NSN program. Any infant or toddler who has been institutionalized is going to have some special needs – be they related to attachment, sensory issues, [...]

When you bring your child home there are going to be some attachment related things your family should be aware of. Unless someone in your family is going to be a daytime caregiver while you are at work, then the experts say that you (mom and dad) need to be the ones holding and feeding [...]

Most of the babies will have never seen a soft toy. Many children are afraid of soft toys and dolls. GlitterGirl was terrified of dolls and stuffed animals. TwinkleToes didn’t react to them at all. But the stacking cups? Both girls thought they were the Best.Thing.Ever. Second favorite for both of them was the ring [...]

As I said Wednesday, each SWI and each caretaker is different, so you won’t know if the “commonly expected” things are going to be the reality you will be dealing with. But there are a few places you can go to ask questions. The first method of discovery will be the YahooGroup for your child’s [...]

There are a few things that new parents need to be aware of when their baby is first placed in their arms in China. Ways the baby has been raised that are different than the way Americans and (I assume) most Europeans will raise the child. If you don’t understand these things, life is going [...]

Writing about TT’s transition to her room reminded me of the problems we had getting GG into her own room. She went back and forth from our room to hers for years. Truth be told, she would probably still prefer to sleep in our room, but no one gets any sleep when she’s in our [...]