October 8, 2016 adopting as a single mom, Desiree, Down syndrome, October 2016 Feature - Working Moms, working mom 2 Comments

Navigating work and being a mom is tough under the best of circumstances, but it can feel even more daunting when you toss in the complex issues that accompany parenting your newly adopted child. So this month on No Hands But Ours, some been-there-done-that working mamas are here to help, with advice on everything from …Read More

December 21, 2015 adopting as a single mom, Beyond Adoption, December 2015 Feature - Beyond Adoption, Desiree, other ways to care for the orphan, working mom 0 Comments

This month we are focusing on ways other than adoption to support orphan care. As my family had the amazing opportunity to have a non-adoptive momma and dear-dear friend travel with us to China, I wanted to highlight her ministry to us as an adoptive family and the scores of people that supported her so …Read More

November 21, 2015 Desiree, Gotcha Day 0 Comments

I caught myself staring at my little Chinese boy tonight as he fell asleep in my arms. So much has changed in our three plus years together. He is a whopping five years old now, has gained 15 pounds and grown 10 inches among other things. Our life together is so normal now, it’s almost …Read More

October 21, 2015 adopting as a single mom, China trip, Desiree, Developmental System, Down syndrome, Gotcha Day, grandparent's perspective, October 2015 Feature - It Takes a Village 2 Comments

For every nuclear family that is forever changed through adoption, there are grandparents somewhere in the mix. Hopefully, they are the family foundation for which the adoption is built on, but generationally, there may be relational, cultural, racial or even spiritual issues that hinder healthy adoption support. Even the bureaucracy of adoption can overwhelm and …Read More

October 6, 2015 Desiree, Developmental System, Down syndrome, October 2015 Feature - Developmental 0 Comments

Every Sunday we go to church and sit in the same general section of the sanctuary — inside middle aisle approximately 5 rows back. It’s not the ‘young families’ section of the church (that’s to the far right), so we are usually surrounded by, ahem… “seasoned” men and women and the occasional family with older …Read More

August 21, 2015 Desiree, orphan ministry 1 Comments

And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to …Read More

July 21, 2015 adopting as a single mom, Desiree, Down syndrome, working mom 0 Comments

We have recently hit the developmental milestone of JUMPING in our household. I knew this would come at some point and we’ve been practicing for a couple of years, but his legs have finally seemed to figure it out… and now they won’t stop! He jumps on the bed. Jumps on the couch. Jumps off …Read More

June 21, 2015 Dads, Desiree 0 Comments

Recently, some adoption friends traveled across the earth to bring home their 5th daughter. For larger family reasons the father in the home stayed behind to man the fort, but through the magic of Facetime he got to be a part of his new daughter’s Gotchya Day, trips to the park and medical appointments in …Read More

June 17, 2015 Desiree, Down syndrome 0 Comments

One question I am asked the most in regards to special needs adoption is “Why Down syndrome?” It seems like a fair question, but I just don’t seem to remember a specific event in my life that echoed “You will parent a child with more chromosomes than you!” Overwhelmingly, when you speak to families who …Read More

May 21, 2015 adopting as a single mom, Desiree, Down syndrome, working mom 0 Comments

One of the “perks” (not so much if you are an introvert) of walking the Adoption Road is the availability to share your testimony. I think it might actually be one of the questions on the Home Study Report: Are you ready and willing to share all that the Lord has done (and will continue …Read More

April 21, 2015 adopting as a single mom, Desiree, working mom 0 Comments

Adoptive families are no stranger to fighting the good fight. We fight to bring our children home, through multiple levels of bureaucracy, sometimes through the government requirements of multiple countries. We battle cultural, language and jet lag barriers to have our child placed in our arms. Then the real struggles seem to begin: We fight …Read More

March 21, 2015 Desiree, Down syndrome 0 Comments

March 21st. The 21st day of the 3rd month of the year. A day picked specifically to celebrate those with a 3rd copy of their 21st chromosome. And this day specifically to increase awareness of the global blessing of Down syndrome! There is no firm data on how many beautiful people there are world wide …Read More

February 21, 2015 Chinese Culture, Desiree 1 Comments

I don’t know that I understood the full ramifications the day I marked the CHINA box on our adoption paperwork. I understood that I would be bringing a piece of China home with me (he was so soft and cute!), but I didn’t realize that I would also be sending a piece of myself there. …Read More

January 21, 2015 adopting as a single mom, Attachment, Desiree, Down syndrome 0 Comments

“He’s been home for over two years. Isn’t it time you stop thinking about attachment?“   I stared dumbfounded at the face in front of me that had just uttered those hurtful words. I knew in my heart, they were said both in overly-asserted kindness and in ignorance, but I kinda wanted to scream back …Read More

December 21, 2014 Christmas, Desiree 0 Comments

I seriously love Christmas. I love the lights. I love the giving. I love the awe. The awe of God’s promise fulfilled through Mary and her baby, and the total miracle of it all. But my heart goes out to Joseph…because I want to be the forever parent I think he was. He was chosen …Read More

November 21, 2014 adoption community, Advocacy, Desiree, orphan ministry, orphan prevention 0 Comments

November is National Adoption Month. Pretty cool, huh? You would think that this is primarily a “Christian holiday” but I’ve been thrilled to see the secular media highlighting adoption & foster care and even adoption ministries throughout the month. (See Huffington Post article HERE.) But adoption is just one, albeit amazing, facet of God’s call to …Read More

October 21, 2014 Desiree, Down syndrome 1 Comments

October is Down syndrome Awareness Month. An entire month to celebrate those who were gifted with an extra gene. Which is kinda cool, if you think about it…like a national birthday party for your DNA. It’s hard to get better than that! I frequently describe Down syndrome as an ‘extra chromosome of love’. It is …Read More

October 8, 2014 adopting as a single mom, Desiree, working mom 7 Comments

Single parenting is a special responsibility. For most, life as a single parent it is not a chosen event; they somehow ended up balancing both ends of the teeter-totter and probably not expectantly. But single adoption is another story. A parent who chooses to walk forward in parenting a child alone, especially a child with …Read More

September 21, 2014 adopting as a single mom, Desiree, working mom 5 Comments

When I learned my boy was in foster care, I found myself praying for the woman who was caring for my child. She was doing her job and I was appreciated her. When I heard that she co-slept with my boy keeping him safe by her side at night and that Isaac’s favorite activity was …Read More

August 21, 2014 adopting as a single mom, Desiree, Down syndrome, working mom 2 Comments

The fall of 2008 found me on a teeny-tiny island many miles off the coast of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. It took three planes and a banana boat to get us there and many of the seasoned locals had not seen a white person since the Japanese invasion of 1942. To …Read More

July 21, 2014 Desiree, Down syndrome 0 Comments

June 22, 2014 Advocacy, Desiree, Down syndrome 0 Comments

Today is a very special day… in a few short hours, the first of the Bamboo Project children will be in the arms of her FOREVER family! I’ve gotten to walk along side this lovely family from Georgia from nearly the start of their journey. Let me tell you, they are MORE than in love …Read More

June 17, 2014 adopting as a single mom, Desiree, Down syndrome, working mom 0 Comments

As a medical mom, I went into a special needs adoption with eyes wide open. I dusted off old medical journals, updated myself on the current care guidelines for Down syndrome, consulted with colleagues, and scheduled with trusted specialists. I understood the ramifications of a spectrum disorder like DS and felt prepared for whatever ribbon …Read More

May 21, 2014 adopting as a single mom, Desiree, Down syndrome, working mom 1 Comments

May 9, 2014 adoption situations, Desiree, Down syndrome 0 Comments

When I started down the Adoption Road I repeatedly refused to mark ‘preferred gender’ box on all the paperwork. I simply wasn’t going to make that decision: God would determine the gender of my child during a natural pregnancy, He could certainly do the same during a paper pregnancy. I didn’t have a real preference, …Read More

April 22, 2014 Desiree, Mike, Rebecca, Stefanie 3 Comments

April 21, 2014 Desiree, Down syndrome 0 Comments

“Where are you from? What do you do? What church do you go to?” These are the socially acceptable questions everyone asks when meeting someone new. The answers define who the person is standing in front of you and the kind of relationship you may have with them. But, since starting down the Adoption Road, …Read More

March 21, 2014 adopting as a single mom, Desiree, Down syndrome, working mom 3 Comments

September 6, 2013 adoption situations, Desiree, Down syndrome 0 Comments

An update on the original guest post by Desiree from The Adoption Seed The Story of the Earth Suit: When I was preschool/early school age I was obsessed with space. With astronauts. With the space shuttle. With the stars. With all of it. In fact, at the height of NASA’s shuttle program, I remember being …Read More

July 30, 2013 adoption situations, Desiree, Down syndrome 4 Comments

Guest post by Desiree from The Adoption Seed My sweet boy is amazing in a thousand incredible ways. Every day I am in awe of the miracle of his little life — that he lives and breaths and is thriving despite what his genetics & his culture had pre-destined for him. His evening dance-offs in …Read More