Something that you may know by now about me is that I'm not exactly superstitious, but rather cautious - especially in terms of having children. I think we all know someone who was expecting a baby, ran out to register for things or even had a house full of baby items only to have to cancel the registry or return everything when the pregnancy was lost. Or those who had told everyone about the impending arrival of their newest adoption only to have the adoption fall through. We've all heard these stories - and maybe I've just heard one too many which makes me cautious when approaching the issue of adding children to my family.

My husband and I - on my request - didn't talk about a Hebrew... more

I doubt I could honestly say that my parents were bad at taking pictures of us as kids. Back at my parents' house, there are albums upon albums of photos of my sister and I - baby pictures, pictures of us at school plays or family trips to the zoo.

And although I cherish looking at pictures of times gone by, and do indeed remember many events pictured in the photos, it's the memories that were not photographed that come to mind when I think back on my childhood.

My strongest memories of growing up cannot be found in the... more

Most people I know are pretty open about their adoption, the process, the ones that fell through. They talk openly about it alone or in front of their children - all who are aware that they are adopted and that this is part of their story.

One adoptive mother in town told me about some mistakes they felt they had made with their first daughter, in telling her early on details of her birth mother's full name and I guess some background information. She - a young girl at the time - then went around to many of her friends and told them. I guess it put the adoptive parents in a weird situation.

With us, we've tried as much as possible to keep the details of Anna's history private.... more

I've talked before about how we teach Anna about being Jewish. Something that I know other observant parents grapple with is how to teach - or not to teach - their kids about different observance levels. For example, when we are walking to synagogue on Shabbat and a car passes by, Anna will sometimes ask why they are driving (we don't drive on the Sabbath). Instead of the easy answer "they are not Jewish," I try to remember to say "maybe they aren't Jewish, or maybe they just don't keep Shabbat the same way we do."

Anna has seen my father drive on Shabbat, and other relatives come and go by car on holidays. Instead of hiding these things from her in order to keep her in a bubble,... more

I met with the new caseworker for Adam on Friday. Adam is our one year old foster child, and we are still not sure if we will be able to adopt him. The current word is that the goal for the case is still adoption, and the caseworker - who only does adoptions - said that she wouldn't have the case at all if they (The State) didn't think he'd become available for adoption.

Anyway, while she was here, Anna popped into the living room to give the caseworker the third degree: What's your name? What's your middle name? Do you have any brothers? Why not? What's in your pocketbook? Can I look at that? Do you have a sister? What's her middle name? (As you can see, we are still working on the... more

Adam has been extremely clutchy as of late. And when I say 'clutchy,' I actually mean "DO NOT PUT ME DOWN UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES." So, I've been spending my days basically holding him the whole time or having my husband take a turn. Which is really what I need right before Passover. On the other hand, there were so many years that I really wanted to be here - so, I suppose I should say thank G-d I get to complain about my kid being cranky.

Meanwhile, I have figured out how to vacuum, sweep and fold laundry while holding a 21 pound kid at the same time. I have not yet figured out how to wash dishes while holding him - any suggestions welcome. My husband has long since figured out... more

Many of you will remember that I'm a huge West Wing fan and am still in mourning about the fact that the show went off the air. I also don't watch a lot of television (partly trying to set an example for my kids, partly because I'm too busy chasing them around to sit in front of the tube) but I usually make time for about one show a week. This year, I got hooked on a show called Heroes . It's actually really good, although not generally the type of show I'm into.

On the show, there is a teenager - Claire - who is adopted. The fact that she is adopted is discussed and is actually part of the story line. At first I didn't think much of it, but... more

So, the kids have been sick. The husband has been sick, making him child #3 (no offense at all to you men out there, but um, they're kind of babies when they find anything wrong with them). And it's cold as anything here! Okay, not as cold as Montana, but at least they have nice scenery to look at as they freeze!

I'm hoping it snows this week. At least I would be okay with it being cold here if there was some snow to go with it.

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My husband and I have been thinking - mostly separately, but occasionally we talk about what to do if adopting Adam falls through. (Though it is actually incorrect to say that the adoption would "fall through" considering he is not... more

I'm one of those people who could never move to California (no offense to y'all out there!) because I'd miss the changing of the seasons too much. I love all the seasons, and I especially love the feeling in the air that the weather is changing. I like spring because I'm an avid gardener, and I almost feel like I have all this pent-up energy just waiting for the ground to thaw. I like the feeling of renewal and second chances. I like summer for it's carefree feeling, and being able to spend most of my time out of doors. Fall is breathtaking... more

So it was nice and all to have Thanksgiving, but thank you G-d for a long weekend! I am thrilled to have a moment to breathe after this crazy, crazy week and ridiculous day. So, I'll breathe for a moment, figure out what to cook for Shabbat, and blog more later.
Hope everyone had a happy Turkey (or non-turkey) day!