Adoption Insights From Jamie Lee Curtis

Picture found here: http://celebritybabies.people.com/2009/12/18/jamie-lee-curtis-and-kids-arrive-for-avatar/

Lately my celebrity crushes have been on celebrities who've adopted. Recent mentions are Sandra Bullock and Mariska Hargitay. My latest celebrity crush is Jamie Lee Curtis. I had no idea she had adopted her kids until I saw a list of notable adoptive parents. There's not a lot of press on Jamie Lee and Christopher Guest's adoptive kids, and I respect that. After all, celebrities are people too (well, some of them). But I did find this quote on adoption from Jamie Lee Curtis' interview in Parents magazine that extracts the romanticism right out of adoption and injects the process with reality:


"Adoption is a very complicated road filled with incredibly emotional and challenging aspects. At its core, adoption is about loss. It’s one that needs a lot of good support for everybody, so that everyone is clear about the feelings that are being stirred up for everyone. Birthdays, for instance, are very hard for adopted children. For everyone else it’s a celebration of the moment of birth, but for adopted children, it’s the remembrance of a birth family that they don’t have. So it’s complicated terrain but still a beautiful way to make a family. You have to just be really open to all sides of it." Read more here. 


Jamie Lee really gets to the heart of it. We've been on this journey for a long time. Some days it feels like we'll never become parents. But when you consider everyone involved - from the hopeful adoptive parents to the birth parents to the adoptive children - you can understand why it takes so long ... and why it really should take so long to adopt. Adoption is a process that happens over time, an unfolding of emotions and a willingness on the part of all parties to be authentic with their choices in life. I think it will be totally worth it. 


As Robert always says, "Life is no dress rehearsal." Why dip your toes in the shallow end when there's an entire Olympic-sized pool full of lovely blue water waiting for you to dive in.

Dave Grohl's Got Heart - Insight from the Grammys

Picture found here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/the-2012-grammy-winners-full-list-682951

Last night, we finally got around to watching The Grammys. We had DVR'd it so we could fast-forward through all of the boring bits. Of course we love Adele - she's so down to Earth and has the most wicked cackle for a laugh. (You can see a great interview with her on British TV here.)

My favorite acceptance speech of the night was by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters. He said, "It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about sounding correct. It’s not about what goes on in a computer. It’s about what goes on in here (points to heart) and what goes on in here (points to head.)” 

I believe the same thing about this whole adoption process and about being a parent. It's not about being perfect or sounding correct, it's about what's in your heart and what goes on in your head. 

Rock on, Dave Grohl.

8 Ways to Say I Love You on Valentine's Day

Find photo at http://www.mommygaga.com

I pretty much Love Valentine's Day. Even way back when I was single, I'd pick another single out of the crowd and shower them with gifts of candy, flowers and cards. I'd also do something special for myself ... a favorite meal, a small gift for myself, even just an evening to myself. It's a day to tell someone that they are special to you...and don't forget yourself!

This year, Robert and I celebrated Valentine's Day in a few different ways:

• Sent boxes of candy to our nieces and nephews (complete with confetti)
• Went shopping and bought a gender-neutral crib and dresser for the nursery
• Robert bought me lots of Bath and Body Works bubble bath
• I bought Robert lots of candy (non-chocolate, of course, because he's allergic)
• Presented each other with cards and showered each other with kisses this morning
• Called my mom and dad, whose anniversary is Valentine's Day (you should see their wedding pictures ... red velvet bridesmaid dresses!)
• (We will) prepare a lovely meal tonight of grilled salmon, salad and Dave Matthews' Dreaming Tree wine Crush 
• A night of pre-recorded Grammys, Downton Abbey and the Baftas

And it's only 8:30 in the morning!

When we finally have the opportunity to adopt, we plan to share Valentine's Day - and many holidays - with our child. After all, holidays are a reason to celebrate and to mark each other as important. It's an excuse to stop and take a look at what you have ... and to be thankful for all the gifts that life provides.


What are you doing to celebrate your loved ones - and yourself - this Valentine's Day?

Sunshine on My Shoulders

I drove to my yoga class this morning in the beaming sunshine! I can't believe this Winter has been so mild. The temperature today was in the upper 50s. 

We're looking forward to Springtime in Virginia. In March or April, Washington DC has its annual Cherry Tree festival. The festival lasts for just a short time while the Cherry Trees bloom. There is so much for families to do and see. I hope the weather remains pretty throughout the season. 

In the coming weeks, we're planning a trip to Richmond, Virginia. Richmond is full of history and is the capital of Virginia so promises to be a fun trip. We are going to shop at Short Pump, a town center and mall that has all kinds of shops. We are slowly pulling together a nursery and are looking for furniture that is gender-neutral so we can welcome either a boy or a girl to our family when the time comes. 

Also on our list is the National Zoo. I've been to many zoos throughout the country but am looking forward to seeing all the animals. My favorites are usually the seals and otters. They are so playful. I think of them as water dogs! 

Most of all, though, Robert and I are looking forward to more and more days of sunshine. We look forward to gardening and walking, grilling out and sitting out on the patio in the evenings. Here's to Spring! I can see you on the horizon!!

Chelsea Chelsea!

Yet another great memory. A few years ago, we took a trip to England to visit Robert's parents. As a gift, Robert's parents gave us box seats to a Chelsea game. We took the train from the village into London and arrived early to Stamford Bridge. It was a cold day so we started it with a bit of coffee. Have you ever had coffee in England? Awful. It tastes like liquid dust. You're really better off with a hot cup of tea. Still, it warmed our bones. What an experience.

The Traveling We Do

Every year, Robert and I take a couple of trips. One is always for our anniversary. We pull out a map, point at a city and simply go for about four days. The other trip might be a week-long family vacation. In years' past, we've gone to Hilton Head, Boston and Salem, Washington, DC and even Nashville.

And then there are the countless trips we have taken individually. Once upon a time, I traveled for a living so I've been all over the place: California, Washington, Arizona, Texas, Michigan, New York, Florida, Georgia and more. Plus, when I was a girl, I traveled across Europe, visiting England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy. Robert's jobs have allowed him to travel all over the world, from Japan to Afghanistan to Australia to the Eastern block and countless more. 

We both appreciate cultures from around the world. When we visit a place, we try to walk as much as possible, because there's no better way to get to know the people of a region than to walk amongst them. 

When we finally adopt our special someone, it's our hope that when our adoptive child is old enough to experience travel, our traveling adventures will be done as a family ... not all the time - we plan to provide a stable home life with friends, family, hobbies, education - but at least once a year, we'll head somewhere fun. Over a lifetime, that's a lot of trips! We'd like our adoptive child to learn about the people and places of the world and to have a greater awareness of what it means to live in a culture that is different from our own. 

Meanwhile, here are just a few of the trips we've taken in the past few years:

In Boston, we walked the Freedom Trail from end-to-end, enjoyed lobster rolls and walked the cobbled streets of Quincey's Market.

We got into the spirit of Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts. The streets were lined with Halloweeners of all ages dressed in costume and celebrating the history of Salem and the autumn. We got there by ferry.

Robert's parents still have a home in England. We traveled there a few years ago and had a real Dickens' Christmas. Here we are eating the traditional fish and chips after walking through the Canterbury Tales exhibit. England is indeed a jolly old country and the people are incredibly friendly.

Not the greatest picture, I'll admit, but Nashville holds great memories for us. We stayed at the Union Station hotel, which is located on the main strip. Every morning, we got up, took an early morning walk, had breakfast and then set out for a new adventure.

I just recently talked Robert into taking me to Hilton Head. Though my family has always traveled to the beach every summer, Robert has never really been interested until now. We flew into Savannah, rented a convertible Mustang and drove to the beach.

Robert's family loves history. So this year, for his dad's birthday, we all headed to Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktowne. We took our 14 year old nephew who was totally bored by it all ... and I don't blame him. I can only take so many battlefields myself. Despite that, it was great family fun.

I never had any desire to travel to Utah but we went ... I couldn't believe how beautiful it was. You see buffalo in this picture behind me. There really are wide open spaces in the world, and Utah is one of them with the snow-capped mountains and the lovely rabbitbrush.

Did I mention we like to hike? Here we are hiking in Gatlinburg. (That's me and Robert's dad who always carries a nice little treat in his backpack.) At the top of this hike was a lovely waterfall.

These are just a few of the places we've been. We don't always take pictures, but we sure do always have fun.