I am so. excited. This project has been in the *dream* stage for a long time. But with a website overhaul pending, and realizing our need for more organizational and informational supports to make NHBO all it can be, the time to turn this dream into reality is now. Joining me on this adventure are …Read More

Uudate: My family has found me! Andrew is a very polite 9 year old who has been living in a wonderful foster home for the past year. He is deaf. He communicates with his peers and house nannies by pointing to objects and expressing his needs. He has begun learning sign language 3 times a …Read More

During the adoption process, there are few things more fierce than the determination of an adoptive mama (or baba) to get to her baby. She has a strange, indescribable love for her child that carries such intensity, it’s often overwhelming. The “my-claws-will-come-out-if-you-get-in-my-way” mama bear protective instincts kind-of-love are ferocious and very real. Anything that stands …Read More

My husband, Joe, and I never set out to be parents of this many kids. If there can be such a thing as accidental adoptions, we have experienced them. Now though, our adoptions are no longer accidental. This is the way we have chosen to live. The path that led us to this decision, at …Read More

Look at this handsome boy! Gabriel is an obedient, soft-spoken ten year old boy. He loves to play with other children, but due to his complex heart condition, he has a hard time keeping up. So often he just watches the others play games while he plays with blocks and puzzles. Gabriel has normal motor …Read More

Motherhood always starts with a birth story. Because no matter if you pull your baby out of a birthing pool with your own two hands, receive her from the arms of a social worker outside the hospital nursery, or pull him – screaming – from the arms of the orphanage worker who brought him halfway …Read More

Memorial Day. Pools everywhere open for the season. Grills are fired up. Sparkles are sparkling. That’s what it’s always been—a day off and a homecoming party for our good friend summer. I wouldn’t say I grew up without a patriotic heart; I knew all the words to the national anthem and belt out the alto …Read More

Four years ago, I could not describe the structure or mechanism of the human heart. Now, that magical and miraculous pump that provides the essence of life is something I think about every day. What an amazing odyssey it has been! This post is not enough to do justice to the complexity of the topic …Read More

UPDATE: My Family has found me! Sweet Tisha is a two year old precious girl designated to Lifeline Children’s Services. She is diagnosed with Beta Thalassemia Major and is unfortunately not receiving optimal care for this special need. She has developmental delays, which are not surprising for her at this time. Her file also mentions …Read More

These past two weeks have been chock-full of news stories relevant to the China special needs adoption community! Here are some of our favorite articles and blog posts about parenting an adopted and/or special needs child. As always, if you’ve read or written something you think would be a good addition to a future What …Read More