November 22, 2011
Hold an Intimate Get-Together
Celebrate all of the wonderful people who supported you and your family before, during, and after your adoption finalization. You could have a simple picnic, low-key dinner, or an extravagant party.
Family Gatherings
Like raising a child, it takes a village to adopt a child. Although I adopted Elle as a single mother, I could have never accomplished the adoption without my family and friends. Without the support of my parents, there would have been no way I could have emotionally completed Elle's adoption. If it weren't for my mother, I would have traveled to Russia alone.
My friends helped me with the mountain of paperwork. When I needed help moving furniture into the nursery, they were there to lend a hand and a back. And, when I thought I couldn't stand another day of waiting, they were always on the other end of the phone to cheer me up.
Since my friends and family lived far away, I decided to have a christening party after Elle had settled into her new home. This gave my friends a family a chance to meet Elle, it gave me a way to say thank you, and it was an opportunity to strengthen my village even more.
When we adopted Bunny, we wanted to bring our village back together. Once again we chose a christening as a way to celebrate with friends and family, and we chose a date that gave us enough time to settle in with Bunny. An added bonus for us was her christening was held on the same day as her first birthday. The party's cast of characters had changed slightly since Elle's party. With my marriage to Colby, there was more family present, which just made for more fun.
Both Elle's and Bunny's christenings were special times for our family. They gave us time to celebrate with the people we loved and a chance to celebrate the village it took to adopt our children.
So, if you are in the process of adopting a child, domestic or international, give the child a chance to settle in and become comfortable with their new family and routine, then chose a date to celebrate with family and friends.
Because it takes a village to adopt a child and it takes a village to celebrate.
Lanita
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Note: Our authors are dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent, and open conversation about adoption. The opinions expressed here may not reflect the views of Adoption.com.