by Amy, mom to Hope from China with Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS) When we set out to adopt after having four biological children – we were looking to adopt a girl that was younger than our youngest son, who was 20 months at the time. Since we were already the parents of 4 young children …Read More

Her name meant beautiful, and the cheeky little girl who smiled out from my computer was. There was mischief in her face and a joy that leaped off the screen and straight into my heart. Her eyes were closed, but I knew what color they would be. Just as I knew that in the eyes …Read More

First of all, this is my first time to guest-post on No Hands But Ours blog. I always knew Stefanie was a little crazy but now I KNOW she is, since she allowed me to post directly to the site. Other guest posters will be sharing as well, so please check back often. As I …Read More

The CCAA has announced that, beginning December 1, 2009, all prospective adoptive families will be required to work with a U.S. Hague accredited adoption service provider for both transition cases and Convention cases. This could have huge implications for any in process family who is working with an agency that is not Hague accredited. Please …Read More

Sophia and her brother Eli on their first day of preschool. ENABLE Kimberley Girvin/RMJ http://www.seventhdiamond.blogspot.com/ I have a passion for adoption. I have one child adopted from China. I don’t know if I will ever go back. But I want to do more. I want to be a part of helping children come home. I …Read More

Possibly the most unexpected revelation in the course of our special-needs adoption came when the three of us, my husband, our daughter and I, waltzed in to our first cleft clinic at the hospital we had chosen for our daughter’s surgeries, eager and full of anticipation. At the time, we had been home for just …Read More

Several years ago I visited an elderly great uncle in California. Uncle Frank was one of my Grandpa Kelley’s 4 brothers. I’m sure I’d met Uncle Frank when I was a young girl, but it had been many, many years. When he opened the door to the adult woman who’d come to visit, he stood …Read More

If you haven’t noticed yet, take a look to the left and check out all our new contributors! We’ve asked some fellow blogging moms to join us here at the No Hands But Ours blog to share their thoughts on the journey of being a mom. I can. not. wait. to read all the posts …Read More

Each Wednesday we post links from the previous week that touch on special needs adoption. Our hope is that these small snapshots provide you with a glimpse of life after adopting through China’s waiting child program… both the long-term blessings and the challenges that come with parenting a child with special needs. We also hope …Read More

Seems that precautionary measures might pick up in China as the winter approaches in order to slow the transmission of the H1N1 virus. Although situations where Americans have been quarantined have diminished since September, those numbers might rise again as we head into the winter months. The US Department of State warns travelers that children …Read More