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 We’re Reading post, we’d love to hear about it.

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To share your blog with our readers, as a soon-to-be traveling to China family go here.

Heritage Hardcore at adoption.com highlights the importance of incorporating your child’s birth culture into family life, especially in the case of older child adoption.

Lori from IMMEASURABLY MORE shares her heart in a recent and very personal devotional called waiting…

Tammy from Casting a Stone talks about a recent conversation she had with a child living in an orphanage in “My life would be so different…”

At Unto Adoption, Mia shares details about navigating life with a child who has an unrepaired cleft palate in Cleft in the Rock.

A recent experience caring for a friend’s infant twins sparks thoughts of orphanage life from Amy Eldridge, the CEO of Love Without Boundaries.

On his blog, Jason Johnson makes a case for Killing the Orphan Care Hero Complex.

Mary Evelyn of What Do You Do, Dear? hangs up her superhero cape in The Myth of the Special Needs Supermom.

At the Verge Network, Jamie Ivey shares Four Things to Do When Bringing Home a Child from Hard Places.

Occupational Therapist Heather answers the questions Does My Child Have Behavior Problems? Or Sensory Processing Issues? at Golden Reflections Blog.

Adoptee and Holt employee Courtney Young discusses family, culture and the complexities of adoption reunion at No Fairytale Ending on the Holt International blog.

Jane Samuel, a board member of the Attachment Trauma Network and former ex-pat in China, describes Asian attitudes surrounding adoption in Adoptive Moms and Mother’s Day at Mothering in the Middle.

Read something inspiring lately? Informative? Encouraging? Share the link HERE.

Today contributor Jacoba Urist writes about how HIV discrimination against children feels like ‘a punch in the gut’ for parents.

Several articles in recent weeks focused on how photography intersects with adoption and/or special needs:
— ‘Model’ children: Parents share beautiful photos of kids with special needs, disabilities on today.com
— Photos capture special moments with adoptive parents and children in the Lifestyle section of the Lebanon Daily
— News From China with love: mementos of adoption at The Telegraph

Several news organizations shared special Mother’s Day tributes, including Channel News Asia, that highlighted the work of Dale Edmonds, adoptive mom and founder of Riverkids; and CBS in the Bay Area, that highlighted the work of Jenny Bowen, adoptive mom and founder of Half the Sky.

In the Health & Science section of The Washington Post, Caitlyn Dewey tells the story of Lacey Phipps: In pain and forced to use a wheelchair, a young woman opts to amputate her clubfeet.

Lantern Vision shares its video about Project Hopeful entitled Adoption is Redemption: Considering Children with Special Needs.

Sandra Upson of The Scientific American shares just one of many results of China’s one-child policy in Health Care Crisis Looms as China Faces Elderly Dementia Upsurge.

At Gazillion Voices, David Amarel, a transracial adoptive dad to teens, shares his recent encounter with a stranger on a train in The Unbearable Whiteness of Being.

In China now to bring home their child…

Two Vandalgrads and Two “G”s
The Layers of Life
Stop for Flowers
My Life Song
Lanterns, Ladybugs and a Whole Lot of Love
One More Thing
Bringing Home Andi
Homework, Hotdogs and Valium
Love Makes a Family
The Collected Hord
Team Willie Goes To China

Just Home from China…

The Trusty Family
Hearts Set on Pilgrimage
September Sweeties
Becoming Home

Getting close to travel for your little one in China? Share the link HERE.

P.S. A big thank you to Kristina for sharing a photo of her beautiful daughter, and another to those who helped compile this week’s post.