A gorgeous home birth of adoptive twins shot entirely in film
I am in loooove with these photos Jacklyn of Jacklyn Michele’s Photojournal sent me from a home birth for twins that she shot last month — they’re incredible. Even more incredible is that the birth mother gave birth in the home of the parents who adopted the babies — that’s some kind of gorgeous village right there!
An adoptee explores her relationship to motherhood
I was six years old, and that was my reality. One day we were a family of three, and the next, four, and later, five. Pregnancy skipped a generation in my family. While I vaguely understood how other people’s babies might be welcomed into the world, I believed my existence began at day three when I entered my family. Offices were where I came from and were where you went to get siblings. In fact, it wouldn’t be years until I witnessed pregnancy firsthand by watching my co-worker’s belly grow daily.
Bring on the awkward: how I’m defining my parenthood
There was a wonderfully beautiful post on Offbeat Mama the other day — one that resonated with me on several levels — as an adoptee, as a parent, and as a person who loves to ponder the intricacies of identity, of transitions, and of family.
What questions do you always ask other parents and then immediately regret?
There are a few questions that I always find myself asking other parents — whether or not the answer is something that’s interesting, let alone worth discussing. The number one is (in the case of parents and their kid) “Who do you think he/she looks like?”
I’m Human: a video from Alabama middle schoolers talking about what makes us different
The broadcasting team at Liberty Middle School in Madison, Alabama, is currently rocking my world. They put together this incredibly simple, yet incredibly powerful video called “I’m Human.” The video features students standing against a wall, each holding up a sign that tells you how they’re different. One is Christian, one is spoiled. Another is Mexican, and one girl has lost a friend — all of this in the first forty-eight seconds.
What would you want to know about your child’s birth mother?
I gave birth to my baby boy almost two years ago. Due to circumstances out of my control in the creation of him, I placed him for adoption, and his new family adopted him a year ago. They’ve been wonderful — they write to me and tell me how he’s doing and always send pictures. It’s great.
Our queer family ditched fertility treatments to foster-to-adopt
We are a queer family of two (for now). My husband is transgender and I identify as queer. Obviously, any baby-making to be had wasn’t needed some outside help. We’ve been together for ten years, and I’ve been baby-crazy for all ten of them.
Colorful urban photos of a San Franciscan family of two
Melissa and her son Hai recently had their photos taken by the uber-talented Bowerbird Photography in San Francisco. They journeyed to Clarion Alley, an alley dedicated to street art where the murals are always changing. Photographer Ariel said that Melissa wanted somewhere colorful to shoot.