In the last few months, headlines have been quietly warning us: China’s birth rate is in freefall. For the second year in a row, the population has shrunk. And while policy changes have encouraged families to have more children, many are not responding. As someone who lived in China for over a decade—and as an Read More
Category: Adoption
Coming Home: Life After China, One Step at a Time
It’s been a while since I last posted here. The last time I blogged, we were still living in China—navigating COVID restrictions, using Meituan and Didi like locals, and living a life that, for over a decade, felt like home. Since then, everything has changed. In 2022, we made the difficult decision to return to Read More
Obligatory Why We Left China Post
I know it has been a long, long time since I posted, but it has also been a really long three years. While most of the world moved into a state of “living with COVID” by 2021, China refused. It was as if we were stuck in the worst months of 2020 for three years. Read More
Accessing Education for Children With Special Needs in China
Many children with special needs in China are denied educational opportunities because China’s public schools are literally inaccessible to children with physical disabilities and they don’t have the resources to support children with mental disabilities. It is an unfortunate fact that many Chinese families view their children as their support network as they age. If Read More
The Children Everyone Wants
“Why do you want to adopt a baby no one else wants?” This is one of the most common and offensive questions when it comes to adoption. Many people are genuinely curious about the adoption process, which is understandable, and I’m happy to help educate people about the joys of building their family through adoption. Read More
Separating Children From Their Parents Is Wrong
The focus of this blog is usually politics and social issues here in China, since that is where we live. But we are also Americans, and we very actively follow politics back home. This is not just because we are interested in what is going on back in the States, but because as American citizens, Read More
One Year of Baby Daze
Last week was the one year anniversary of the day we met our little girl. It has been an amazing year. Our adoption journey was so long, and there were times I doubted I’d ever become a mother. But now, I can’t hardly imagine a time when our little girl wasn’t with us. She has Read More
Home Six Months!
It’s hard to believe that six months ago, we were still just a couple. But Monday will be the sixth month anniversary of bringing our kiddo home! This is typically a time when parents post before and after photos of their kids to show how much children can improve in such a short period of Read More
Two Americans in China And Growing!
We finally have our little girl home! She came home a week before Christmas, so we did the obligatory Christmas pictures. People keep asking me how I feel, if I feel different somehow. Other than having issues balancing taking care of a kid and working from home, Seth and I don’t really feel different. I Read More
We Found Her! Finally Getting Our Match
We finally found our daughter! Anyone who knows us or follows this blog knows that our adoption journey has been a long and difficult one. But we are so happy to finally announce that we have found our daughter! Meet little Zofia! As a blogger and now a mommy blogger, I am still wrestling with Read More