#adoptiveparent

Are you considering international adoption? That’s great! There are millions of children around the world who are growing up without families, so if you’re hoping to grow your family through adoption, international adoption is a great way to do it. International adoption is a huge commitment–and a tremendous joy. And before you embark on your international adoption journey, there are a few things you’ll need to be aware of. 1. It’s important to examine your motivations before

This is a heart-warming story of two families who opened their hearts to one another and the precious little girl who continues to melt everyone's heart all along the way. It is a celebration of little miss Madeline Brooke who was adopted and the uniquely loving way in which she is being raised. It recounts two families who unknowingly, but desperately, needed one another and how God wove a perfect plan together for all those involved. 'Perfect' in this sense does not mean wi

WATCH ABOVE: There are times when an open adoption doesn't always evolve the way it's supposed to. Despite all the best intentions, the birth mom often withdraws with the hope of a reunion later in life. Here's Jill Croteau with the final installment of her three-part series, Forever Families. They hadn’t even met her yet and already a mother who had just given birth chose her baby’s new parents. A birth mom went through files of adoptive parents and decided Pamela and John R

WATCH ABOVE: The intricacies of adoption can sometimes be a challenge to navigate, particularly when multiple children are involved. One birth mother made the difficult decision to place her 4 children up for adoption. As Jill Croteau reports, in part 2 of her series, the siblings are forever connected because of an open adoption. Not all adoptions are created equally, particularly when multiple children are involved. Calgary resident Jill, who had four children—including a s

WATCH ABOVE: November marks adoption awareness month, and we are looking at the concept of open adoptions. It's an agreement that allows birth families to remain part of their child's life. Jill Croteau explores the joys and the challenges, in part one of a 3 part series - Forever Families. Decades ago it was often the only way adoptions were conducted: closed. There was no contact between biological and adoptive families. But a growing number of people are embracing the conc

"How fast 9 years go and each year gets busier but on our long drive home from a visit with Riley’s birth family I am taking a moment to reflect. Krista and her mom moved away to BC four years ago and we found them not interested in a connection, about once a year we tried with not much of a response. This year Riley has been struggling with some big emotions and what appeared as shame so we found him an amazing counselor and started working on understanding and finding new s

When starting out on an adoption journey, the one thing that may throw you a bit is the adoption process itself. So, let's review some adoption talk and explain what each step means to you and your family. How Should I Pick an Adoption Agency and an Adoption Professional? Be wise in your choice of an adoption agency and adoption professional. If you don't know what to look for, or out for, you could lose money, time, and go through a lot of heartache. What Is an Adoption Home

Mireille Lemay is a pediatrician at the International Adoption Clinic at ACH and has been working with Terra Bovingdon and Leanne Shannon to offer yearly Post Adoption Seminars to parents of internationally adopted children. They are planning to have a 2018 Post Adoption Seminar in May. This year they changed the format to allow Terra (who has moved to Toronto), therefore the seminars will include May 1 and 4 in the evening, all day Saturday the 5th and Tuesday evening the 1

This is a heart-warming story of two families who opened their hearts to one another and the precious little girl who continues to melt everyone's heart all along the way. It is a celebration of little miss Madeline Brooke who was adopted and the uniquely loving way in which she is being raised. It recounts two families who unknowingly, but desperately, needed one another and how God wove a perfect plan together for all those involved. 'Perfect' in this sense does not mean wi

Open adoption can seem like a very intimidating idea to both birth and adoptive families. It leaves so much unknown. In most states, open adoption agreements are not legally enforceable but are rather contracts of good faith. That, in and of itself, seems like a huge risk to undertake for both sides. However, open adoption is being brought to the light for the healthy and beautiful experience it can be. It is also becoming more prominently encouraged by adoption agencies and

Open adoption is one of those things that is rich and complex. Like any relationship, a successful open adoption requires sacrifice, humility, mutual commitment, patience, and compassion. There are losses and grief on all sides, and those can be raw at times. But through the challenges, love binds everyone together, expanding in a way that is breathtaking and life-giving. And that’s why I love the following quotes about open adoption. I hope you enjoy them, too! 1. Love is ex

When I, ME, and MY weren't in my way, I could finally see clearly. I placed a little baby boy for adoption in Georgia in May of 1996, at the age of 18. At that time, most agencies, including mine, were just starting to evolve into open adoption. I was allowed limited correspondence for 5 years, through the agency, without identifying information exchanged to either party. Last April, I was blessed to be reconnected with my friends! I had such a resistance to the idea of adopt

I can only hope you make the choices that bond you and your child not just physically, but emotionally. When most women give birth, their child stays with them in their home. They grow up right under their noses and develop bonds that often draw them back even after they leave the nest. But for birth mothers, it’s a vastly different experience. For some birth mothers, it’s like ripping off a band aid; they give birth and leave the hospital empty-handed. For some others, they

Like any relationship, open adoption requires work, compromise, empathy, and love. Like any relationship, open adoption requires work, compromise, empathy, and love. And, like any relationship, open adoption comes with its fair share of problems. When issues within open adoption arise, you can either open an honest line of communication, or you can shut down. The latter will most likely cause tension and resentment to build which, in the end, can damage the relationship to a

We would like to share a beautiful adoption story of a family who has adopted a 4 year old child from China. #adoption #international #child #family