Seven “Rs” of the Adoption Journey
When the adoption journey is long how do you go about surviving the wait? From the author of Nine Year Pregnancy.
I Choose You
Originally posted on Delana's World:
By: Delana H. Stewart and Jade Stewart ©May 2013 Inspired by the poem “I Like You” by Sandol Stoddard Warburg, I wrote this poem collaborating with my daughter, told as if she were speaking to me. After reading it together, she hugged me and said the part that is…
The Mosaic of Transracial Adoption
A whole host of informative links and movies from adoptees and adoptive families.
With Great Sadness
With great sadness, Crossbooks Publishing (a division of LifeWay) will no longer be publishing and distributing its books effective May 1, 2015. What will become of Nine Year Pregnancy?
Fear or Faith
In the movie Beauty and the Beast, Belle must overcome her fear of the beast in order to not only free her father but to also set the Beast free. In life, sometimes the beasts we face are our own fears, such as the fears of failure, pain, suffering, death, heartache, disappointment, or closed doors.
Heart for the Homeland
A heart for the homeland for Valentine’s Day. What age is a good age for an international adoptee to visit his or her homeland? What things should be done to prepare? What places should be visited? What expectations should you have?
Breaking Off
Originally posted on Delana's World:
When I was growing up there was a commercial and radio jingle for the candy bar Kit Kat that said something like — Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar. Well, I need a break. I need a…
Blessed to be a Blessing
I have learned that both the struggles (or afflictions) and the joys and blessings of this life come so that I can bless, comfort, and encourage others.
Adoption Support for Trauma Mamas
A decade of waiting and information and preparation still did not prepare me for the day-to-day realities of the first few years with an older adopted child. Yet, I still wish someone had pointed me to some of these resources earlier!
Three Year Anniversary
Three year anniversary of Nine Year Pregnancy….
2014 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,500 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 42 trips to carry that many people. Click here to see the…
Good Grief, It’s Christmas
Holidays (particularly Christmas) can be some of the most difficult days during the “paper pregnancy” or waiting stage of Christmas, You hope…you pray…you wait for a miracle. Songs of kids waiting for a home for Christmas (as beautiful as the songs are) often bring tears to the eyes of the parents waiting.
A More Vibrant Picture
“Thankfully God always sees a bigger picture…” Remember, God has not forgotten you!
Waiting Forever
How long is it reasonable to wait for something you want? Have we forgotten the value, wisdom, and lessons learned in persevering and waiting?
Do Not Give Up
Praying, waiting, not giving up…how do we persevere when the answer is wait or not now?
Cast Your Love
“Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.” Ecclesiastes 11:1 This verse reminds me of the need to keep pouring love into our children. The love we pour in will eventually pour out on others and come back to us as well.
Ten Thousand Word Journey
My Paper Pregnancy Journal is a unique adoption journal with prompts, quotes, inspiration, and plenty of lined pages for you to write about your journey! Because a journey is worth…
What is a Paper Pregnancy?
“Paper Pregnancy” and Adoption. What might seem self-explanatory to some, might require explanation for others. Paper Pregnancy: having a child developing in the heart while completing a ton of paperwork, experiencing long waits and many hoops, and sometimes facing roadblocks or closed doors (read labor) in order for that child to be delivered into your arms. Want to know the first time that term was used online?
A Physical and Emotional Miscarriage
A friend of mine faced a failed adoption. She had not only seen pictures of her child, but she had held her in her arms, smelled her, cuddled her, rocked her. What she experienced emotionally could easily be compared to the grief faced in a mid-to-late term miscarriage. Recently, my newest grandson was born at 20 weeks, lived 34 minutes, then died. I understand grief and loss.
Looking Below the Surface
When on the adoption journey (or raising an adopted child) an iceberg provides a perfect picture of there being more than what you initially see. . . adjustments, meltdowns, behaviors, baggage, language learning, challenges.
Dear Future Adoptive Parents
Originally posted on BARREN TO BLESSED:
Dear Future Adoptive Parents, Hello. I’m not sure what to say except that I hope you want me as bad as I want you. I need you to need me. I know that sounds silly, coming from a kid and all, but if I were to be completely honest, I…
Moody Mondays
On days and weeks when the waiting seems unbearable, times when adoption seems like an unreachable obsession, on rainy days and Mondays — some real things you can do to find the hope and strength to hang on.
No One Ever Said This
“I can’t wait to be paper pregnant for nine years!” — said no adoptive parent ever. But the process of waiting may just be a very important part of the journey.
Surrendering
Clay Crosse and his wife Renee are no strangers to adoption. During our nearly decade-long journey of adoption, I faced a period of time of needing to surrender my desire for a daughter to the Lord.
Seeing Red?
Is the red tape of the adoption process making you wait? Sometimes hearing about how others survived the red tape provides strength for the journey.
Pregnancy, Adoption, Elephants and Mother’s Day
Mothers’ Day can be an especially challenging time for those who have been waiting (and continue to wait) for a child . . . whether they are in the long journey of adopting a child or trying to get pregnant.
Nine Year Pregnancy 