Five years ago, on October 6th, we welcomed our daughter Wren into the world. With Wren being our second child, we felt pretty confident that we were prepared for all that adding another child into our little family would bring. What we were not prepared for was learning shortly after Wren’s birth that she has …Read More

Since our inception in 2008, No Hands But Ours has relied on the shared stories of regular moms and dads as our foundational way to encourage, inform and support those in the adoption world – in any phase of the adoption process. And since our first post, the list of regular contributors has changed, well… …Read More

One of the many unexpected surprises that came along with adopting three children from China has been my new love for Chinese culture – and an absolute adoration for Asian markets! If you know me on Facebook, you know my best friend and I (also a China mom) have been known to do a Facebook …Read More

Chinese Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is quickly approaching – this year it falls on October 4th! As we send our children off to school with love (or in my case, send them to the dining room table), I can’t help but reflect on all for which I’m thankful. During this incredibly busy season, the famous Moon …Read More

Handsome 12-year-old Max was born with a low birth weight, but has no other special needs. He is all smiles, but a bit camera shy. He enjoys playing with the other children and he is described as a sweet and well-behaved boy. He does struggle a little academically. Max is a mild-mannered and respectful kid …Read More

Rini, our youngest of six children, was adopted in August of 2013 at end stage heart failure stemming from complex, single ventricle congenital heart disease. She was admitted to the hospital immediately upon arrival home and within two weeks it was determined that she was inoperable, her only hope would come through cardiac transplant. She …Read More

Oskar is an extroverted and handsome seven-year-old boy who usually has a huge smile on his face, whether he is at home or at school! His smile is so amazing that he makes everyone around him happy just by being with him. Oskar lives with an English-speaking foster family, sponsored by Love Without Boundaries. He …Read More

As parents to children with special needs it can be difficult to find the best resources for kids, especially if we are in the midst of a difficult time or new diagnosis. Hoping to make the task a bit less daunting here is a list of links to various grants, programs, and services for individuals …Read More

I often see posts in the various adoption groups I am in where parents are looking for suggestions for favorite adoption themed books for their waiting or newly home children. While in process for our first daughter to come home from China, we received a list of children’s books that addressed adoption during one of …Read More

Chinese Bāozi is a much-loved dish in our family, so I was really looking forward to making it from scratch! Homemade always tastes more delicious than store-bought, at least in my opinion. There’s something special about freshly-made homemade dough, though it can be somewhat time consuming to pull together. Stuffing the buns could be a …Read More