Families Needed

Lifetime Adoption is currently seeking African American and biracial families to meet the needs of our current birthmothers. We have a number of babies due in the next three months and are very low in families open to these situations. Here are a few of the situations we are seeking families for:

Baby boy due September, 2004 -- Seeking biracial family.
Baby boy due October, 2004 -- Seeking biracial family.
Baby girl due September, 2004 -- Need African American family.
Baby due November, 2004 -- African American or biracial family.

There are grants available for these situations. To be considered for these and other situations, please take the first step by filling out a free application. Thank you so much for assisting us in finding families for these children.

Post Adoption Depression Syndrome
written by June Bond, Adoption Advocate

You've been through infertility and back again. You ran through the maze of the adoption process and you've finally reached your goal. You have your baby in your arms. You are finally a member of the "parenthood club," complete with stroller, burp pads, car seat, and mini van.

The moment they put your baby in your arms, you knew what heaven felt like. As one of my former clients said, "I knew if I died on the way home, I would feel complete."

Suddenly, three or four weeks later, a strange sense of anxiety comes over you. Some clients describe the feeling as panic. Some say it is a gross feeling of inadequacy for the total responsibility for this little person. Others describe it as a "cloudy blue feeling," while others go as far as to call it a depression. What I call it is Post-Adoption Depression Syndrome, (PADS).

To continue reading about PADS, please click here...

Let's Talk Adoption Radio Show
Every Sunday at 3pm, Pacific Time

August 30, 2004: Luke Leonard, M.S.W., answers common questions from adoptive families, including:

• Why are home studies so expensive?
• How invasive are home studies anyway?
• What can I do while I’m waiting for our child?
• How can I handle the fear and anxiety?

When you visit Let's Talk Adoption, you can interact with the show's producer by emailing in your questions, comments, and suggestions. You can also browse show archives and adoption resources at Let's Talk Adoption.

Adoption Reading

Do you have unanswered questions about adoption?

If you are looking for an all-inclusive resource guide to lead you through your adoption, check out AdoptingOnline.com. This book will teach you how to use technology and time-tested adoption techniques to your advantage.

AdoptingOnline.com is a 512-page book with more than 1,200 adoption resource websites, and information that is crucial to anyone seeking a successful adoption. It has answers to your adoption questions, like:

• How do I write and post a Dear Birth Parent Letter that gets results?
• What are the warning signs I can look for to protect myself from adoption frauds and scams?
• How can I save money when financing my adoption?

Visit AdoptingOnline.com, and order your copy, signed by the author, Mardie Caldwell, founder of Lifetime Adoption Center. Mardie is a successful adoptive mother and adoptive professional who has helped thousands of clients build their families through adoption. Let Mardie's experiences with more than 18 years of successful adoptions guide you to the family of your dreams.

Right now, you can read an entire chapter from AdoptingOnline.com, and get a financing your adoption sheet, for free, just by visiting AdoptingOnline.com.

The Heart of Adoption: Adoption Q & A

Q: When is the best time to tell my daughter about her adoption?

A: You should introduce your child to the concept of adoption as early as possible. Most children love to hear stories about adoption. There are many wonderful children’s books available just for this reason. Begin sharing these books and stories with your children from the moment they come into your family.

Whenever the word adoption is present in your home, mention it with much love and joy. Tell your child the story of the day you first saw them and the excitement and happiness you felt.

Express the positive details of the adoption, and how blessed you all were to find each other. If you always hold your daughter's birthmother up as a loving and beautiful person who cared about her enough to choose the best life for her, your child will never doubt that she is loved.

If you are interested in learning more, you can visit Let's Talk Adoption and peruse the parenting section of the archived shows. You might also want to read "Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew," by Sherry Eldridge.

Adoption Video

What is the impact of adoption? How do the different members of the triad feel? Film maker, Flory G. Herman, a member of the American Academy of Adoption, takes an intimate look at adoption in her documentary film, I Have Roots and Branches.

I Have Roots and Branches is the winner of the 2004 Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence. During the film, child and adult adoptees share their deepest thoughts and emotions about the adoption experience.

"We want children to know that if they were adopted, it is a wonderful life-long journey," said Herman. "Let us all celebrate the roots from which they come and the branches that mold them into who they are and where they will go. The roots & the branches..the tree, it is their legacy- two different kinds of
love. This film rings true to the celebration of their legacy."

Please visit www.AdoptVideo.com for more information on I Have Roots and Branches.

Life At Home -- Banana Bran Muffins

Healthy, hearty, and delicious, these homemade muffins are the perfect solution for breakfast on the go. Just reheat in the microwave and you're ready to take on the day!

Ingredients
4 small, ripened bananas
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup whole bran cereal (All-Bran)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using solid vegetable shortening, thoroughly grease muffin tin. Set aside.

Sift flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Beat margarine, sugar, egg, and vanilla until fluffy. Add bananas, stirring until well mixed. Add flour mixture, bran, and nuts. Beat until smooth. Pour batter into muffin tin, filling each approximately 2/3 full. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until done.

When done, place on wire rack for 45 minutes, then remove from tin, and place on rack until completely cool. Store individual muffins wrapped in foil and placed in a plastic bag. Be sure to
remove foil before reheating in microwave.

Variation: You may substitute two egg whites, or 1/4 cup thawed egg substitute for the whole egg. You may substitute chopped dates or mixed dried fruit in place of the walnuts.