• Growing Our Family

    What’s In a Name?

    “‘It’s a part of who they are, where they come from,’ the social worker explained to us as we looked to bring David home. For her healing and his, Laura had encouraged Shayla to name him at the hospital. But…

  • Mental Health

    Censored Information

    That day I answered the phone and heard about each of my children is one I will never forget. The experience is both exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time. We waited so long to hear we were going…

  • Growing Our Family

    Open Adoption

    Truth is, I am the one who gets up in the middle of the night, fixes boo boos, knows my child’s needs, takes the hits — it doesn’t get any more real than that. I am not playing a game…

  • Mental Health

    Losing Daniel

    A piece of my heart has roamed the Earth these past 14 years without me, I’ve not been able to protect it, and I’ll never get it back. Renée Longshore Tweet I was living and breathing my worst adoption nightmare.…

  • Mental Health

    Infertility

    Whatever you do, don’t pity me. And please don’t try to comfort, telling me that someday it may happen. I consider myself one of the most blessed women on the face of this earth. Renée Longshore Tweet I am a…

  • Growing Our Family

    Naomi Isabella Renee

    “Well, they’re just selfish!” I loved Juno, but this one statement hit too close to home. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Adoptive placements had come really quickly for us. This was the longest wait we had ever…

  • Growing Our Family

    Elijah Paul

    “You’re open to every race, even black?” Her words caught me by such surprise, like a punch in the gut. Some might say I have lived a life of white privilege, and before now, I would have had no idea…