Although there are many aspects of mothering that vary widely from place to place and from time to time, I would guess there are at least as many more that are as common to moms ... older, younger, richer, poorer, here or there or everywhere ... as the rhythm of breath going in, then out, and repeating round the clock for as long as it can.

The sudden acceptance of poop as an obvious factor in our lives,... more

When my husband, Mark, was a child, his father was in the British army. The family was often separated, with Dad spending months at a time away from their home near whichever base in England or Ireland they had been pointed toward while he served in Malaysia, British Guyana, Germany and Northern Ireland.

For most of Mark's early years, paternal companionship came in short spurts followed by long periods where it was Mom or no one. When Mark was nine-years-old, John, my father-in-law, retired from the army... more

I love my life! It's rich in everything that matters and provides more that I ever expected in love and comfort and security and communication and many other things I am now so used to having that I forget that I lived without them.

My husband is my best friend and the person I would always choose first to spend time with. Sam and Cj are gifts beyond belief, smart and loving, sweet and healthy, and there are times when I almost have to pinch myself to grasp the fact that I am, indeed, their mom.

I have wonderful, interesting,... more

Over on the Hoping to Adopt Blog, Faith wrote about adopting a sibling, and how kids can react to the idea of bringing another child into the family.

Sam was all of two-and-a-half when we brought Cj home, too young to form opinions on issues as big and life-altering as becoming a big brother some might think, but he was thrilled to bits and had been all through our waiting process. With every... more

I've been blogging here on Adoptionblogs.com for well more than a year now ... a bit longer on the International Adoption Blog than this one, but in this community, nonetheless.

For months I've been writing at least 43 posts per month per blog, which is a heck of a lot of words to string together, and I'll admit there are days when the work is as hard as trying to draw water from a dry well.

It's not the writing that has me pacing, pulling out my hair and ferreting through the Internet like ... well, like a hungry ferret out to find a few tasty tidbits that might also provide some nourishment. I can manage... more

We celebrate many occasions in my house: four birthdays, one Christmas, three days of Cambodian New Year, one love-at-first-glance anniversary, one wedding anniversary, two family days, and even a Thanksgiving when I can get my hands on a turkey. May the 17th is a big day, too. Although it is my niece's birthday, an event worth noting, there's another reason the day gets a big woo hoo! around here: it's my Not Dead Day.

On... more

My husband is a passionate man. Although much of what gets my dander up rolls off him like water off a duck's back, the things he does care about get his whole heart and soul. His kids are the light of his life, and our family is at the center of his world. The only thing that he'll voluntarily ... and enthusiastically, I'll add ... sign up for that puts distance between him and his family is fishing. Although the charm of bobbing around in a tiny boat for hours on end as it fills with wriggling, smelly fish escapes me... more

Today was for Sam. He's on school holidays for three weeks ... year-round schooling here, so it's shorter breaks more often instead of a straight three months once a year ... and he's been SO good and helpful.

A couple of days on the beach at Grandma's with his cousin Emilie had him pretty well pooped and needing some R&R at home last week, but too much of the time he's been patiently waiting for me to stop working, shut... more

Is there anything sweeter than that stage of a little girl's life where, in her mind, everyone and everything deserves kisses?

Cj is very generous with kisses. She kisses hello. She kisses good-bye. She kisses good morning, and she kisses goodnight.

She'll blow kisses to total strangers. You should see her as we're leaving the bank! She's tossing kisses to the tellers, the customers, the security guards, even the ATM if it happens to say something as we pass. She tosses kisses as freely and enthusiastically... more

Cj was still napping when I went to pick Sam up from school yesterday, so unlike most days when she beats me to his classroom, running in with her arms up ready for a hug from her big brother, I was alone.

Here's the conversation that followed on the drive home:

"So, where is Cj, Mom?" Sam asks.

"Sleeping," I answer. "She went down late for her nap, so didn't wake up in time to come with me."

"When I get bigger," he says after a moment's pondering, "I will hold Cj's... more