It’s official, the state of California now officially recognizes my husband and I as the adoptive parents of our children!!! In our minds, they’ve been our children since last year, but now it’s official, no one can take them away from us, and that in itself, is a reason to …

This week Tripp Curtis, the recently bereaved husband of “Mommy Life” blogger and author Barbara Curtis, posted a short article about his wife that read in part: Barbara told how “seeing my children experience a happy childhood was the next best thing to having one myself.” She wished to “receive …

As we approach the end of November and prepare for our Thanksgiving feasts, I wanted to take a quick moment to recognize National Adoption Month.  This year, my husband and I are most grateful for the gift of adoption in our lives.  Many are curious about adoption and what it …

From the time they were very young, my kids have been drawn to soft fabrics. Christopher wears his footie pajamas on the hottest summer nights. Sarah’s retinue of stuffed animals requires so much space I often find her hanging off the bed at night. (Getting her to sleep under the …

Every experienced adoptive parent I have talked with has emphasized that happily-ever-after with an adopted child takes a lot of hard work and that it is critical to be prepared for the sometimes surprising, puzzling or alarming behaviors that may surface after arriving home. I have read a great deal …

“You know what I’m most scared of, Mom?” Last week, Christopher snuggled up to me as we savored our all-too-short time together. “The riots. The kids at school said there’s going to be rioting if Obama doesn’t win.” I considered this a moment. My first instinct was to reassure him, …

Fall has seemed to finally arrive!  It felt like it happened overnight.  In our town on Saturday it was at least 70 degrees and t-shirt weather and then by Monday it was 50 degrees and I was layering my kids in all kinds of winter clothing!  The leaves have begun to change color …

I first became a mother at the age of 38 when my husband and I became foster parents to three children under the age of five. Three frightened, angry, fragile kids who spent every waking minute – which, between them, constituted pretty much 24/7 that first year – thinking of …

The Gospel reading this weekend has one verse in particular that always makes me consider very carefully my responsibility as a mother, and assess just how well I’m doing in my vocation. Jesus said, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, It would be …

A few weeks ago I had to take my son to Children’s hospital because his pediatrician had found a heart murmur.  We’ve had physicals before, but the doctor’s hadn’t heard anything before.  I had thought he might have an ear infection, but the nurse ruled that out pretty quickly.  She …

“They had been discussing among themselves . . . who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.’ “Taking a child, he placed it in the …

The international adoption process is not easy to explain and does vary significantly depending on the child’s birth country and whether or not an agency is used, but below are five parts common to almost all international adoptions. Homestudy The homestudy is a review of the family hoping to adopt, …

Have you ever read a book that changed your life? I mean totally, completely, unexpectedly, changed. Your. Life. Late last year I read something online about Katie Davis’s book Kisses from Katie and borrowed it from the library. I read through it in a day or two, admired Katie, missed …

Among my morning stops along the Internet is a regular visit at Mashable, where earlier this week a story entitled “Why One Couple Turned to Twitter to Adopt a Baby“. Curiosity piqued, I read the story and immediately followed hopeful adoptive Dad-to-be Rick Jones on Twitter. After perusing the website …

Editor’s Note: Today, I’m happy to welcome a fellow Central Californian to our CatholicMom.com family of contributors. Courtney is the mom of two precious children and the blogger behind A Catholic Wife. We’re thrilled to have you with us Courtney! LMH I’m sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl …

Have you been bumping into Reece’s Rainbow every time you turn around in the Catholic blogosphere lately? Adoption blogs, even special needs adoption blogs, are all over the place, but Catholics seem to be rather conspicuously under-represented in this particular corner of the ‘net. And I suspect this may be …

A parish friend of many years ago was in her third trimester when she asked me to help write her story.  Only as her story would unfold did I come to understand the courage, trust, faith, humility and unconditional love of life that were embodied in her request. It gives …

In December, I shared the story of Mark and Lauren Loboda, founders of The Orphan’s Prayer. The CatholicMom family joined them in prayerful support as they personally journeyed to bring a nearly four-year adoption process to a happy ending and a new beginning. In March, shortly after the birth of …

The First Date  The seeds of love were planted at first site before their first date. There wasn’t a doubt in Mark’s mind or heart that he would spend the rest of his life with the beautiful young woman sharing a booth at a local Denny’s in rural Ohio. Lauren …

I have two children, and I chose both of their birthdays.  By “chose their birthdays,” I don’t mean that my husband and intentionally tried to conceive nine months in advance of a date that we liked.   I mean that on two separate occasions, I stood in the office of my …