Needless-to-say, we have so much to be thankful for this year. On the top of the list, of course, is our daughter. Seems to be she is always at the top of the list now-a-days, but I guess that is what being a parent is all about. Than, we have the usual list of things…health, happiness, family, friends, financial security. Seems a bit mundane to name off the same items year after year. So this year, I would like to go a tad bit deeper than that. Because, after all, there is so much more to be thankful for. Continue reading
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Raising a Jewish child…with a touch of Christmas magic
My partner was raised Jewish and I was raised Catholic. However, our household is now Jewish and prior to adopting Reagan, we committed to raising our daughter Jewish. This will be Reagans first holiday season and my partner’s friend (who is Jewish) came over the other day to find our house decked out with Christmas décor everywhere. Truly it looked like Santa Claus decided to vomit all over the walls of the house. Amongst the red and green flashing lights, in a dark corner of the dining room, one tiny menorah sits…admittedly next to a large Santa Clause…that lights up…and blinks obnoxiously as a matter-of-fact. She laughed when she saw this and I was a bit embarrassed. However, it’s impossible to deck the halls for Chanukah the way you do for Christmas. I’m not speaking of the walls of the house…but the walls of your spirit. Christmas touches you in a different way than Chanukah does. Continue reading
Is today “Daddy” Day?
Babies truly do cause a lot of attention. Many blogs ago I wrote that I would be the one standing on line at a Grocery store making funny faces at the cute baby’s in strollers or car seats. Now I am the parent of the baby in a car seat wondering why the person staring at my child doesn’t go and stare at some other kid 😉 They smile and wish to take a peak at Reagan and the reason I wish to power walk past these people is not because I don’t want them to look at my child…its simply because I am afraid of what ridiculous question they are going to ask her in their baby voice. Continue reading
Post Adoption Depression
This is a fairly new concept for which there tends to not be much research mainly because it cannot be pinpointed by a drop in estrogen levels. We’ve all heard of Postpartum depression when it comes to mothers who deliver children in the “normal” sense. Adoption is an extraordinarily emotional process, by turns exhausting and exhilarating. For excited parents-to-be who are completely absorbed by the multitude of details involved in adoption—and eagerly anticipating the joy of their new arrival—one aspect of adoption can come as a shock when it hits: post-adoption depression (PAD). Continue reading
First week…
Maybe it’s because I am still stuck in Indiana awaiting clearance to leave…but it feels like I am babysitting someone else’s child at times. I had to run to the lobby to print something out, and when Reagan and I walked in, everyone at the front desk went crazy over her! I sort of felt like I was kidnapping her and got caught! When they asked me if she was “my daughter”, I hesitated for some reason. Ah, but when I responded “yes”…well I guess that feeling of pride simply comes with the territory of all parents….
From The Stork 