Browsed by
Tag: Open Adoption

National Adoption Month: Z is for…

National Adoption Month: Z is for…

#NationalAdoptionAwareness Month. Z is for #Zen Zen, a word that one may not think of when talking about adoption. How can a topic such as adoption be zen, especially from a birthmother’s perspective? Zen is feeling at peace and relaxed, and this is something that I try to strive for when it comes to looking at these past 13+ years. The first zen moment I had was when I meant D&N for the first time at the adoption agency. On…

Read More Read More

National Adoption Month: X is for…

National Adoption Month: X is for…

#NationalAdoptionAwareness Month. X is for #X-Out X was probably one of the more difficult letters to think of. I then thought about how people have crossed me out of their lives because of my choice to place rather than parent. For them it was easier to walk away rather than address the concerns of a friendship or acquaintance. When it first happened I took it personally, but after 13 years I have came to accept that people have a difficult…

Read More Read More

National Adoption Month: W is for…

National Adoption Month: W is for…

#NationalAdoptionAwareness Month. W is for #Workshops   Over the years I have had the opportunity to lead workshops at the annual Birthmom Buds Retreat that is held in Charlotte, NC. This retreat weekend is always held the weekend before Mother’s Day and birthmothers all over the country come together for a fun filled weekend full of laughs and shed tears with those who fully understand the emotions that come along with this side of the adoption triad. Each year I…

Read More Read More

National Adoption Month: V is for…

National Adoption Month: V is for…

#NationalAdoptionAwareness Month. V is for #Vulnerable “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty…” – National Association of Social Workers: Code of Ethics Preamble Before getting into the social work field, I knew that I had a duty to give back to the adoption community by educating…

Read More Read More

National Adoption Month: U is for…

National Adoption Month: U is for…

#NationalAdoptionAwareness Month. U is for #Understand “Do you understand that you are relinquishing your parental rights and in the state of Oregon once this document is signed, everything is final?” Prior to hearing these words in the hospital, I had counseling sessions with my adoption social worker in her office about what it meant signing the legal documents that would relinquish my parental rights. These forms were something that I had to read every single word and fully understand what…

Read More Read More

National Adoption Month: T is for…

National Adoption Month: T is for…

#NationalAdoptionAwareness Month. T is for #Tattoo Tattoos and adoption, how are they similar? They can be a painful process and they are permanent. I have talked about getting a tattoo for a very long time but could never figure out what I wanted to get. Once Lil Miss was born, I knew that my first tattoo would be in honor of her. I had talked about doing a set of baby feet with her initials and date of birth, but…

Read More Read More

National Adoption Month: S is for…

National Adoption Month: S is for…

 #NationalAdoptionAwareness Month. S is for #Similarities Over the past 13 years I have heard how much Lil Miss looks like me, and some have called her my Mini-Me. We both have blonde hair, blue eyes and same body shape. As she ages, I can often remember what I was doing around the same age. A couple years ago, she entered the age in school where students are encouraged to pick a musical instrument. Later that year, when I was at…

Read More Read More

National Adoption Month: R is for…

National Adoption Month: R is for…

#NationalAdoptionAwareness Month. R is for #Reasons for #Relinquishment “What were the reasons you gave up your daughter for adoption rather than being a parent?” Plain and simple answer: I did not give up my daughter, I chose to create an adoption plan for her as that was the best option at that time in my life. This is a common question that my family members and I are asked when people find out that I chose to place rather than…

Read More Read More

National Adoption Month: P is for…

National Adoption Month: P is for…

#NationalAdoptionAwareness Month. P is for #Photograph “Look at this photograph…Every time I do it makes me laugh…How did our eyes get so red? And what the hell is on Joey’s head?” – lyrics from Nickleback “Photograph” Over the years, may music bands have written or performed songs that speak about photos and some of those songs are my favorites. Such as Photograph by Nickleback. I can relate to the song, with looking at old photos and laughing at the different…

Read More Read More

National Adoption Month: O is for…

National Adoption Month: O is for…

#NationalAdoptionAwareness Month. O is for #Open Adoption & Family Services Open Adoption & Family Services (OAFS) is the agency that I chose to work with for placement of Lil Miss. OAFS is in Portland, Oregon but has locations in Eugene, Seattle and was the first agency in Oregon to offer fully open adoptions back in the mid-1980s. I chose to work with OAFS because of how they treated me with the first contact I ever made with them. The counselor…

Read More Read More