January 23, 2018 Courtney, first weeks home, January 2018 Feature - The Uninvited Guest: Post-Adoption Depression, Newly Home, post-adoption depression 1 Comments

The long wait is over. After more than a year or two of dreaming, planning, and preparing for your child, there he or she sits at your table. The paperwork is done. The trip overseas is completed and now the real journey begins. Far too often this new adventure develops quickly into something many adoptive …Read More

October 13, 2017 China trip, Courtney, prepping for China, siblings, travel tips 1 Comments

The question I get asked the most about our upcoming trip to China is if we are planning on taking all three of our kids with us. We have one adopted daughter and two biological boys all ages nine and under so I think people are often surprised to hear me answer “yes!” When we …Read More

September 13, 2017 Courtney 3 Comments

I love a good magazine. There is nothing more satisfying to me than wiggling my toes in the sand, taking in a beautiful sunny day, and flipping through the latest home trends. However, just a few years ago I realized there was a mental magazine I had subscribed to that had become quite poisoning to …Read More

August 13, 2017 Courtney, paperchase, referral, waiting for referral, waiting to travel 3 Comments

Call me weird but there is something about adoption paperwork that I actually enjoy. My personality thrives on checklists and deadlines. I love completing a task and knowing that the work is bringing me one step closer to my son. Paperwork is a tangible way to show that I am making progress in our adoption. …Read More

July 13, 2017 Courtney, paperchase, referral 1 Comments

Last week was a challenging one for the international adoption community with the release of new regulations for families desiring to adopt a child from China. According to most social media posts and adoption agencies, the regulations that seem to affect the largest number of families are the following: the new requirement of one year …Read More

June 13, 2017 a father's perspective, adoption realities, Courtney, Dads, June 2017 Feature - Thoughts From The Dad, parent-to-child attachment, Perspectives 5 Comments

As a part of our Thoughts from the Dad series, I sat down with my best friend and husband of 15 years and asked him a few questions about our adoption of our daughter, Callie. I hope his answers will be helpful to you whether you are just beginning the adoption journey or are already …Read More

May 13, 2017 Courtney, declining a referral, paperchase, referral, should we adopt?, waiting for referral 1 Comments

Any time I look at a file of a child, my heart starts to beat a little faster. I immediately wonder, “is this the one?” As my husband and I wade through pages and pages of medical information, reports, doctor assessments, places of abandonment, finding dates, pictures, and videos, we often find ourselves wondering if …Read More

April 13, 2017 Contributor Q and A, Courtney, Meet the Contributors 0 Comments

Continuing today with our series in which we share a short Q and A with one of our contributors to give y’all, our faithful readers, a little more behind-the-scenes insight into the amazing group of writers assembled here. And it will also give each of our contributors a chance to share their heart in a …Read More

March 13, 2017 adoption community, Courtney, Newly Home 1 Comments

About two and a half years ago, I sent out a really awkward e-mail to a few moms. It went a little something like this: “Hey! You don’t know me but I just got back from China with my daughter and I heard from a friend of a friend of a friend that you recently …Read More

February 13, 2017 AFO, Courtney, limb difference, Orthopedic 6 Comments

I will never forget the day we received “the call.” I had just walked my son into preschool and came back to the car to see a missed call from our adoption agency. I quickly dialed my social worker’s number and she said she had the file of a beautiful little girl she wanted to …Read More

January 13, 2017 adopting again, Courtney, either gender, referral, waiting for referral 8 Comments

Right now I am in a place I like to call the sweet spot. The paper chase is finished. There are no more adoption documents to sign or forms to fill out or fingerprints appointments to attend. All of our paperwork is submitted and everything on our end is done and out of our hands. …Read More

December 13, 2016 Attachment, Courtney, first year home, Newly Home 7 Comments

Adoption is not natural. There is great beauty but there is also incredible pain. It is the joining of two completely separate lives. One broken fearful child with another broken set of humans trying to very clumsily create this word “family.” For us it looked like entering a government building on a stifling hot August …Read More

October 14, 2016 Attachment, attachment activities, Courtney, first year home, 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

September 29, 2016 adopting again, Courtney, paperchase, referral, waiting for referral, waiting to travel 2 Comments

When I was four I asked for a calendar. Just writing that sentence seems ridiculous. I asked my mom to keep track of my activities so I could know which event happened on what day. Sundays and Wednesdays were church and in between there was preschool, a plethora of playdates, and ballet practice. As long …Read More