An Incredible Journey Home: April 2014

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Nepal

It was never our intent to have just one child. It has always been our intent to build our family through adoption.

So .. the time has come for us to start another adoption process. Another crazy, anxiety-driven, ah-mazing journey. This time we will be heading to Nepal.

Way back when, in 2007 when we first started on this crazy train, we briefly looked into Nepal. We've always felt a pull to that part of the world.

And so it begins!

As is only customary in our crazy little family, we're starting things off with a bang! Some local Adoptive Mamas have gotten together and are having a Noonday Collection party and a Clothing Swap fundraiser for us this weekend!

If you cannot contain yourself, and want to support us (err MUST have some of Noonday's gorgeous goodies), head over to www.heidifry.noondaycollection.com and make your purchases before Saturday afternoon.

Not only will your order will qualify you for an entry for a giveaway of a beautiful pair of earrings, but anyone who buys $100+ gets a $20 voucher from Heidi, and another $20 will go to our adoption fund!!

Please feel free to follow our FB page as well, An Incredible Journey Home! It seems easier to do brief updates to FB, although I do plan to still update the blog :)

xoxo

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Attachment Dance

Healthy Attachment with any child is crucial. But with adoption, you have to really prepare yourselves going into it. You have to be proactive. Often times you have to try and make up for years of unhealthy attachment with multiple caregivers.

When E came home last year we were very intentional about our cocooning and our Attachment efforts. We created very strict boundaries with friends and family so that she would start to form a healthy attachment to us. Her parents. Her only 2 caregivers. Her Forever Family.

We've come a long way. There were behaviors in the beginning that really worried us. Most of those behaviors have subsided. Some, we're still working on.

We really stressed "Family" from the beginning. This is our "Family". We only kiss "Family". We only hug "Family". Only "Family" can carry us. You can only hold hands with "Family".

That really worked well in the beginning to keep her from running up to people and try to hug/kiss/hand-hold etc.

Now that our Attachment as a Forever Family is pretty secure, and her language is starting to develop, things are changing. We recently went on vacation with Ryan's family to Mexico. We had to re-explain "Family" to E. She was confused, "This my family too?"

Yes, this is your family. But, we only kiss mamí and daddy. You can hug grandma and grandpa, and Aunt Heather and Uncle Eric, and Ezra. "I can??"

As important as it is to set boundaries, and emphasize family, it's equally important to know when to broaden the definition. Grandmas and Grandpas are family too. And aunts and uncles. And cousins.

Having boundaries is still just as important. But she was ready. She has a mostly secure Attachment to us, and understands that this family is FOREVER. But our family does include grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins ...