There are many ways to adopt and the are private, agency, domestic and international, and fost adopt.

A private adoption occurs when an expectant parent and prospective adoptive parents work through a private attorney to complete the adoption of an infant. These babies are usually placed at or shortly after birth.

Agencies work in both domestic and internationally to match prospective families with children available for adoption. Agencies also help natural parents make an adoption place, choose a specific family, and arrange... more

My blogging is a bit behind lately due to my grandson's (my daughter's middle child) little league schedule. T. is nearly 12 years old, and is a super athlete. The past week or so, he's been playing AllStars little league games for the championship. I went to one game last week, another on Saturday, and then one Monday. He hit a home run during one of the games that I missed. His mom (my daughter) called to tell me right after he hit it. When I called the next day to congratulate him, he was so sweet and modest, and seemed pleased that I had called. Right before I hung up... more

Some time ago, I wrote a blog about state-run registries, and lamented about the fact that they rarely work. One of the major issues that makes the registries run by states produce neglible results is the lack of manpower and money to run the registry. The other factor is that state registries are not well publicized, so they may not be widely used. I believe I said previously that I have never met a single person who was reunited through their state's registry.

However, Adoption.com has a registry that does work. Here's the Adoption.com... more

Maja is one of the other birth mom bloggers. We blog together as First Parents at AdoptionBlogs.com. I also came across an interesting article of Maja's recently that I appreciated. Maja's article.

Reading articles by other birth moms, I have noticed something lately. A common thread for most birth mothers is feeling misjudged and misunderstood. Maja's article above is a good example. Many of my blog entries try to shed light on the fact that all birth mothers are not the same. Years... more

“Grief and sadness knits two hearts in closer bonds than happiness ever can; and common sufferings are far stronger than common joys”

Alphonse de Lamartine

When I began blogging at AdoptionBlogs.com, I was delighted to know that Heather Lowe was planning to blog about crisis pregnancy. Though I had never met Heather, I was intimately familiar with a booklet that she had written called What You Should Know if You Are Considering Adoption for Your Baby. This booklet is well-respected amongst birth... more

I thought it might be helpful to discuss some of the particulars of searching here in California as I know that many are searching within the state.

However, I will say that for a couple of reasons California is an easier state to search in than many other states. The chief reason that I believe that California is searcher friendly is that we have “birth indexes”. The birth index lists all births in the state since I believe as far back as 1900 (don’t quote me on that though). The birth index lists dates that babies were born, the county they were born... more

Read Part 1 and Part 2. As the concert was ending, the last piece was the rousing and enthusiastic 1812 Overture. It is a very popular musical piece in the U.S. during patriotic events, and even those who may not enjoy classical music usually like the 1812 Overture. It is one of those pieces of classical music that you probably recognize even if you do not know its name.

At just the right times toward the end of the piece,... more

Except for waxing on about the pleasurable and potentially healing aspects of reunion, I generally write about the less positive parts of adoption. Over the years, adoption has been presented as a joyous and wholly positive experience. Consequently, most people understand consider adoption as a mostly positive experience. Until the past few years, birth mother's voices were silenced.

Since most people already know about the joys of adoption, I feel no need to speak of the "rosy" side of adoption. I do not deny that adoption is a joyous experience for some. However, as... more

Using the resources of adoption.com, National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute I have compiled a list of famous people whose lives have been touched by adoption. Alexander the Great was an adoptee as well as the Hebrew prophet Moses, who was adopted by the princess of Egypt. People from all walks of life have been raised by someone other than their natural parents. The following entertainers, writers, athletes, politicians, business leaders, and other influential citizens all lived... more

I founder my natural family in November of 1993. I had found a grave at the end of my search but learned that I had a sister that was raised by natural mother. My sister and I met for the first time about 5 days after our first phone conversation.

Who I am is a large part related to what I have experienced. Some history about myself may help you understand where I am coming from better. I grew up in Irwin, PA and graduated in 1988 from high school and 1990 from college with an associates degree in business. About a year after I was out of college is when I initiated... more