| I was never going to be a scrapbooker. The books I | | | | him out just for us. |
| saw were lovely, but the idea of cutting my photos | | | | 2. It's always fun to look back at photos, but I am |
| and then taking the time to add something those | | | | often amazed that the memories attached to them |
| crazy people called embellishments? Let's just say I | | | | can fade so quickly. If I didn't take the time to |
| wasn't a "sticker" kind of gal. | | | | journal about the moment or even put a sticky note |
| But upon the arrival of my son, I wanted to record | | | | on my calendar about I've forgotten the specifics |
| those special moments and I couldn't locate a baby | | | | already. What exactly was the funny thing my son |
| book or adoption book that would completely tell his | | | | said that made us all giggle for fifteen minutes when |
| story. I kept running across something called a "life | | | | that photo was taken? Photos bring back some |
| book." Every child has a unique story about his or her | | | | memories, but it's usually about the event and not |
| birth, but for an adopted child, it is often quite | | | | the story about our child who did or said something |
| detailed and very distinctive. | | | | that we want to remember forever. Besides, every |
| So I made my way to the craft store and tried to | | | | child loves to hear about the cute things she said |
| find some "embellishments" that didn't include | | | | when she was young! |
| pregnancy quotations or storks. I held my breath as I | | | | 3. Adoption is a special gift and I want my son to |
| cut into my photographs. Eventually, not finding any | | | | know that we acknowledge it as such. Just him |
| adoption items, I put my graphic design skills to use | | | | seeing me spend the time to putting together an |
| and created my own transparency overlays about | | | | album, lets him know it's important to me. Whatever |
| adoption, so I could record those memories from | | | | I share about his birth family, how he came to be a |
| "the wait" to Adoption Day. Now I cannot conceive | | | | part of our family, visits we may have with the birth |
| of having let the idea of a scrapbook of my son's life | | | | family (or if you adopted internationally, then special |
| pass by me. I would have missed great joy. | | | | trips to your child's country of origin) lets him know |
| Why do I scrapbook my child's adoption? | | | | just how special his story is. It's important that our |
| 1. We all know how unique our own story is about | | | | kids know that we are never threatened by their |
| deciding to adopt and waiting. Our kid's stories or no | | | | story. We need to make sure they know that their |
| less special. Don't be tempted to use a book where | | | | whole life is precious to us, and not just the time |
| you just fill in the blanks, because it's nearly | | | | that they have been a part of our family. |
| impossible to since you don't have all of the answers, | | | | As an adoptive mom, I have grown to see scrap |
| nor do they all apply. And what child wants to see | | | | booking not as a frivolous hobby, but a significant |
| blanks in his book? For example, even adoption | | | | way to record a miracle that God gave us--the honor |
| books may or may not have a place for information | | | | of being our long-awaited child's parents. |
| about the birthfather or if the adoption was | | | | Whether you call your album an international adoption |
| international or domestic. | | | | lifebook or just an adoption book, it's much more |
| Plus, when you scrapbook, you can make an album | | | | than just a photo album. Though there may always |
| specifically for your child to flip through in language | | | | be some concerns about how adoption affects a |
| she can understand, depending on her age. As your | | | | child, an adoption scrapbook album can increase a |
| child gets older and asks more questions, you can | | | | child's self-esteem. It's a time capsule of memories |
| incorporate these pages into the book wherever | | | | and pictures, a story book of your child's life, and a |
| they fit. My son recently started asking, "What if | | | | sign to him that he is special and treasured. That |
| God had sent you a different little boy? Would you | | | | includes the way he came to be a part of our lives; |
| have loved him?" This is a perfect opportunity for a | | | | through the gift of adoption. |
| new page for his album, describing how God picked | | | | |