We Just Want You To Know...Our Adoption Journey

My plan was to be a stay home mom for 4 years and when she was old enough to be in full day childcare, I was going back to work.   Yes, motherhood to one was motherhood enough.   Let’s just say my plan got derailed! When our daughter turned 2.5, she started asking for a sister.   Initially, I brushed it off as peer pressure when her classmates’ parents were ‘showing’ and popping all around us ( yes, I can still be a sour grape, can’t I?   Grin. ) but her requests were consistent & persistent - lasted for 2 years.    When she was 2, my mother-in-law passed away suddenly and when I saw how my hubby’s siblings came together to support each other in grief, I realized a couple of things.   First, we are older parents, so our daughter will have to go through this earlier in life.   Secondly, she will have to handle all the emotional and physical grief hurdles all on her own!    When we were on a beach holiday, we noticed o...

My 11 yo and I were watching "This Is Us", a new American TV series about a white family who adopted a coloured boy.  They were expecting triplets but one was born asleep.  By divine intervention, the coloured boy was found on the same day in front of a fire station, and the couple felt it was how their triplets should be completed.  The show switches from past to present and how each of their relationships have evolved. As the topic of adoption was featured, I took the opportunity to ask her if she has wondered how it would have been if she wasn't adopted; that she remained with her birthmother.  Being a very happy-go-lucky, happy girl, she looked straight at me, smiled and said,"No, la!  I'm just a regular normal girl with my normal mom.  Why would I think that?"  I smiled back, said,"Just checkin'.", and we just went on talking about something else.   I've always learnt to 'throw a pebble' and see how the water ripples a...

My sincere apologies for the radio silence.... I've recently taken a step back to take in all that I have going on in my life and decided to make a few changes.  One of which is, I hope, to be able to blog more.  Either here or somewhere else.  I really feel like a digital dinosaur.  I know I'm a digital immigrant but hey, I've to at least thrive, not just try to survive in this world..... Otherwise, my age will show, haha! (Note to self:  catch up on digital marketing and the latest online happenings... FAST!) I've decided to scale down at work and scale up at home..... The elder girl will be in P6 next year and small one will enter P1.  Both will be in the same school and the hubs and I are really really grateful, thankful and chaffed that they are sooooo happy!  We went for the P1 orientation today and the small one had a personal tour of the school already by her big sis.  I could tell by both their expressions that they are both cont...

Goodness gracious!  Can't believe it's nearly the end of 2013 and I'm still blinking at how fast my kids are sprouting right before my eyes!  Hardly any time to take stock sometimes, but it is necessary. Apologies for not providing updates regularly though....  I'm either too busy, too tired (old mom syndrome), too distracted and yes, too dang lazy. My elder girl turned 8 recently and I asked a good friend to bake her favourite Oreos Cheesecake.  On the cake was to be a photo of her.  It was there and then that I started looking at the pics again and realised how time has passed!   I love this series of sculptures by Willow Tree; my sis-in-law sent a few to us when we had the girls. http://www.demdaco.com/Parents-with-2-children/00024,default,pd.html?start=20&cgid=1060003&brandId=WT Each time I marvel at my girls, I'm bathed in awe at how my life  changed so dramatically when we decided to be adoptive parents.  On the back...

In a few days' time, my younger girl will be turning 3.  No more a baby and she insists on that too.  We threw her a Dora themed party last weekend and it was just so heart-warming to see her little face light up when she saw the balloons, streamers and banners we put up for that day.  "Thank you, Mommy!" with her hands clasped - that made it all worthwhile for me.  In our family, it has somewhat become a tradition for the birthday girl to wake up to some sort of decoration in our house.  Nothing expensive nor fancy; it is the thought and effort that counts.  The looks on their faces:  Priceless. It really doesn't take much to make me happy as far as my kids are concerned.  Their emotions are worn on their sleeves and I just work at giving them a balanced life; as much as I know what 'balanced' means.  She has blossomed into a little being with a very big heart coupled with a quick tongue.  Very small and slim in stature.  Super ...

My little 19 mth old loves to sit on my legs... I'm her portable seat... with pleasure! Bouncing up & down on my little red wagon....

For those of you who are wondering this, well, there really isn't a perfect time... sorry to disappoint you. There are, however, some questions you might want to ask yourselves to derive when will be YOUR best time to adopt: 1)  When do you want your child/children to be when you turn 50?  (Well, either one of you; just benchmark against which of you will get there first.) 2)  Is your marriage currently child-friendly/child-safe? That is, is your relationship stable?  Dig deep into your hearts and be totally honest.  If it is not, do work at sorting out your issues because with a baby/child thrown into your family equation it will surely NOT help.  Imagine having all these issues to sort out ON TOP OF being exhausted, ill-adjusted to your new family, etc.... 3)  What kind of support do you have around you to help you?  Yes, spouses are included... 4)  Are your jobs secured in order to provide for the child?  No, you don't...