5. Let someone throw you a shower. Even if you don’t know exactly the age and gender of the child you’ll be adopting, a shower is practically a rite of passage for expectant moms and shouldn’t be denied them just because they happen to be adopting an 8 year old. If you know the size and gender of your child-to-be, a traditional shower will work just fine. If you don’t, the shower can be limited to toys, gift certificates, gifts to help pamper mom, “coupons” a la “This coupon good for one free night of babysitting,” etc.

6. Start... more

3. Decorate the nursery or bedroom (or bedrooms if you’re like me and add a few at a time)! Again, some people think this is bad luck, but if you’re one of them – get over it! It’s fun! Yes, I had to come home from a failed adoption to an empty bed and closet full of new clothes and toys, and yes, it was hard, but we lived through it and went on to adopt another child, who – coincidentally – also needed a cute new bed and clothes. If you’re determined to adopt, you will adopt eventually even if you hit a few roadblocks along the way,... more

No matter what form of adoption you may be pursuing, chances are there’s a lot of waiting involved. Sometimes we try to console ourselves with the knowledge that human gestation is a nine-month process (so we should be able to stand to wait THAT long, right?), but with China adoptions creeping up toward a 20-month wait and some domestic adoptions taking literally YEARS, the waiting can be pretty difficult to get through. Especially when adoption timeframes are open-ended, as they can be with unstable countries, domestic newborn adoption, or trying to adopt a child... more