I am thankful that I made Charlie a Life book. I have written about his life book before and am really glad that I made it for him.

If you are wondering what a life book is, it’s a scrapbook really, that tells your role in your child’s life and provides him or her with a direct connection to his or her biological history. Charlie’s life book contains information about myself (full name, birth date, favorite color, where I grew up, etc) along with pictures... more

If you are into scrapbooking, there is a really cute way you can scrap your baby’s ultrasound photos. This would be great to do whether you are parenting or placing your child for adoption as it’s a great way to honor and remember your pregnancy and an awesome keepsake for your child in years to come.

What you will need:

Your ultrasound photo (of course!) You might want to make copies of the photo so you are not cutting up the orginial. Blank scrapbook page Cardstock in your choice... more

Journaling is a great, old fashioned way to release some of the emotions you are experiencing in your unplanned pregnancy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, you can write about it. If you are feeling excited about the upcoming birth of your baby, you can write about it. You can use your journal as a tool in the decision making process. It’s also neat to keep your journal and read through it after time has passed to see where you were, where you are now, and how far you have come.

Use your journal to help you make the choice to parent alone, with the father... more

A Fun Post to Start off the Weekend……

I love this photo – a friend sent it to me. (Thank you Alicia!) It’s just a really cute pregnant belly photo that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.

So, my advice for the weekend; don’t forget to take some photos while pregnant!

You are probably thinking, “Coley, photos?? I look like Shamoo the Whale!” Give me a break girls, pregnant bellies are beautiful!

Ok, so I readily admit that I didn’t take very many photos while pregnant with either of my children. But you know what? I wish... more

Many professionals in the adoption community recommend “lifebooks” for children who have been in foster homes and children who are adopted at an older age but I think they can be beneficial to all adopted children.

Lifebooks can be created during pregnancy while making and adoption plan as a positive way to pass on your legacy. Whether you are planning an open or a closed adoption, your child can still benefit from a lifebook as they have something tangible there to explain things to them when you are not physically there.

You are probably wondering……

What... more

Five years ago when I was making my adoption plan, I’d never heard of an entrustment ceremony, but I wish I had because I know now after hearing so much about them, that it is something I would of most definitely planned and done.

If the term “entrustment ceremony” is foreign to you, let me explain. An entrustment ceremony is an adoption ritual that acts as a symbolic gesture of the transferring of the parental role from the birthmother to the adoptive parents. It can give a birthmother the chance to symbolically say goodbye and provide a little closure. There is no right or... more

If you’re thinking of adoption for your baby, at some point you’ll probably sit down to write a letter to your child, attempting to express how this situation came to be and why you thought he or she needed different parents. Maybe it will be one letter, or maybe it will be a series of letters. Maybe you will get it right the first time, or maybe you will need to write dozens of drafts until you are happy.

I can tell you from experience that it is not as easy as you might think to write directly to your unborn baby. (I didn’t write a letter to my son, but I kept a journal... more