So, I'm doing this new thing called "Open Adoption Bloggers".
And by "new" I mean, it's been around for a few years, but I first discovered it when we started looking into open adoption. In the beginning, the blogs on the list helped me to make sense of what 'open adoption' actually looked like live and in-person (or at least live and through the lens of the internet). Now, I mostly just enjoy checking in on the lives of random strangers with which I share common ground. And who doesn't, really? That's why god (or MTV...whatev.) created reality tv, which everyone knows is the evolutionary precursor to blogs, facebook, and everything that is good and holy about finding community on the world wide web. Trust me, I have a master's degree in this stuff. (Not really.)
By "doing", I mean, well...not much. I did add this blog to the list a month or so ago. I had to write a blurb and everything, so don't think it was a minuscule feat. But, what I'm supposed to be doing is writing a blog post in response to a monthly prompt called the "Open Adoption Roundtable". Each month, a new prompt related to adoption is posted, and people from across the adoption spectrum (adoptees, adopters, birth parents, adoption professionals, wannabe adopters [hey..that's me!] ) chime in with their perspectives. It's an awesome concept, and I always enjoy and learn so much from the people less slacker-y than I who contribute posts on the regular.
I know you think this is leading into my first official Open Adoption Roundtable post.
It's not.
Maybe next month. But, my point in telling you all this now is that last month's topic (yes, I'm so bad at this roundtable thing, I'm a month behind on just thinking about posting....) was about how holiday traditions and open adoption intersect. It's an interesting topic, but not yet being an actual part of an open adoption, I don't have much to say about it. To date, our only holiday-related open adoption tradition is this:
{Amber's cell phone rings...1-800-577-5780 apears on caller id}
Michelle: [screaming at family] SHHHH....shutupshutupshutup....it's our adoption number!!
Amber: [taking a deep breath] Hello?.......No, this isn't the annuities department. You have the wrong number.
Oh, good times. But, as you can see, one phone call does not a blog post make (ok, maybe sometimes). So, in lieu of that, I'll just tell you about a few of our actual holiday traditions. And then, I'll probably close with a poignant little paragraph about how we hope next Christmas will include a baby....how we can't wait to create memories and build holiday traditions with our child...how much we look forward to our child's birth family playing a role in those very traditions. Oops. I gave it away. Oh well.
Amber and I have been on a rotating Thanksgiving/Christmas family schedule for nearly as long as I can remember. This year it was Thanksgiving with her family and Christmas with mine. And, as usual, we also managed to squeeze in some extra family time at "Thanksmas". (For those who don't know, Thanksmas (/'thangks-mahs/ noun.,) is the in-law's Christmas, the short visit or extra time spent with whichever of our families don't see us for Christmas on a given year. See also, "Newyearsmas" (/'nu-,yirz-mahs/ noun.,), depending on timing.)
And by "new" I mean, it's been around for a few years, but I first discovered it when we started looking into open adoption. In the beginning, the blogs on the list helped me to make sense of what 'open adoption' actually looked like live and in-person (or at least live and through the lens of the internet). Now, I mostly just enjoy checking in on the lives of random strangers with which I share common ground. And who doesn't, really? That's why god (or MTV...whatev.) created reality tv, which everyone knows is the evolutionary precursor to blogs, facebook, and everything that is good and holy about finding community on the world wide web. Trust me, I have a master's degree in this stuff. (Not really.)
By "doing", I mean, well...not much. I did add this blog to the list a month or so ago. I had to write a blurb and everything, so don't think it was a minuscule feat. But, what I'm supposed to be doing is writing a blog post in response to a monthly prompt called the "Open Adoption Roundtable". Each month, a new prompt related to adoption is posted, and people from across the adoption spectrum (adoptees, adopters, birth parents, adoption professionals, wannabe adopters [hey..that's me!] ) chime in with their perspectives. It's an awesome concept, and I always enjoy and learn so much from the people less slacker-y than I who contribute posts on the regular.
I know you think this is leading into my first official Open Adoption Roundtable post.
It's not.
Maybe next month. But, my point in telling you all this now is that last month's topic (yes, I'm so bad at this roundtable thing, I'm a month behind on just thinking about posting....) was about how holiday traditions and open adoption intersect. It's an interesting topic, but not yet being an actual part of an open adoption, I don't have much to say about it. To date, our only holiday-related open adoption tradition is this:
{Amber's cell phone rings...1-800-577-5780 apears on caller id}
Michelle: [screaming at family] SHHHH....shutupshutupshutup....it's our adoption number!!
Amber: [taking a deep breath] Hello?.......No, this isn't the annuities department. You have the wrong number.
Oh, good times. But, as you can see, one phone call does not a blog post make (ok, maybe sometimes). So, in lieu of that, I'll just tell you about a few of our actual holiday traditions. And then, I'll probably close with a poignant little paragraph about how we hope next Christmas will include a baby....how we can't wait to create memories and build holiday traditions with our child...how much we look forward to our child's birth family playing a role in those very traditions. Oops. I gave it away. Oh well.
Atlanta had it's first white Christmas this year since the 1800's. Disturbing change in global climate patterns? Um, you betcha. But, oooooooh.....pretty!! fluffy!! white!!
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| Snowy Pine Lake |
We experienced a good old fashioned Ohio white Christmas. Snow where snow is supposed to be.
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| Amber and Byrdie in my parents' backyard |
Amber and I have been on a rotating Thanksgiving/Christmas family schedule for nearly as long as I can remember. This year it was Thanksgiving with her family and Christmas with mine. And, as usual, we also managed to squeeze in some extra family time at "Thanksmas". (For those who don't know, Thanksmas (/'thangks-mahs/ noun.,) is the in-law's Christmas, the short visit or extra time spent with whichever of our families don't see us for Christmas on a given year. See also, "Newyearsmas" (/'nu-,yirz-mahs/ noun.,), depending on timing.)
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| Amber went to Florida for Thanksmus. I had to work, so my mom came to visit Atlanta for a few days. |
Amber has been known, in the past, to claim I'm a Scrooge. It's completely unfounded, as anyone who knows me and my affection for the poor and downtrodden already realizes. But, when it comes to holidays, she is definitely much more into traditional traditions than I am (or at least more willing to admit it.) I like to walk around grumbling about holiday decorations in the stores at Halloween, griping about Christmas carols taking over the airwaves, and moaning about my favorite show being preempted by Frosty the Snowman. Being a crotchety old man is my holiday tradition. But, a few bars of "Little Drummer Boy", the whiny pitch of "Ralphie!! I can't put my arms down!", and some chocolate crinkle cookies, and suddenly....I wish it was Christmas every day. This year, I was even the one to demand we get a tree for the house, even though we were going to be out of town for the majority of the tree's needle-dropping life.
I also made my very own stocking for the nurse's station at work. We have a contest for best stocking each year. I did not win. But, my stocking was also NOT mistakenly entered in the "kid's division" contest, as I had feared it would be. So, to me.....that counts as a win! All hail construction paper and Elmer's glue!!!
At Amber's job they do a "white elephant" (aka "dirty santa") gift exchange every year, where everyone brings a wrapped small gift, and one by one people pick from the pile. Once a gift has been unwrapped, other people can 'steal' it from you, and it becomes a Christmas gifting competition for the ages! She liked it so much, we started doing it--in addition to a regular gift exhange--each year with her family. In the past, we've come away with a hot rock massage set, a dog Snuggie, a Vera Bradley clutch, and a 1980's Trivial Pursuit game, to name a few. Lately, the game has devolved into mostly gift cards, bottles of wine, and microbrew beers. Not that anyone is complaining....
Another tradition we have at the holidays--and I'm sure many of you share this with us--is the telling and retelling (and retelling, and retelling) of favorite (and sometimes embarrassing) stories from our childhood. This year we really got into the reminiscing as we both got the chance to go through many of our childhood toys and memorabilia. We actually had many of the same favorite dolls growing up, and matching koala teddy bears. The best part for me though, was when we "organized" (ahem...ok...played with) boxes full of Barbies at Amber's mom's house. At my parents' house, we went through boxes of my dance costumes and I even managed to stand (momentarily) in my old pointe shoes.
This year we also had our Second (Not-So-)Annual Bowling Tournament with my extended family. "You bowl?," you ask. Um, not so much. But we do like the shoes, the bowling pin shaped Bud Lites, and being lovingly cracked on by my family for our sweet bowling skillz. Not to mention they have fried green beans at the concession stand. Fried. Green. Beans. Who knew?!
All in all, this holiday season was a WIN! We did a lot of traveling, but it was well worth the time we spent with family and the fun we had together. Next year, we're thinking about foregoing the usual holiday rotation, and bringing both of our families together to celebrate Christmas in luxury cabins in the North Georgia mountains. We're hoping for snowy hiking trails, warm fires, bubbly hot tubs, ping pong and pool tournaments in the game room, and lots and lots of eating. Of course, in the back of our minds, we're all also hoping that next Christmas will be the one that includes our child.
x's&o's,
Michelle
I also made my very own stocking for the nurse's station at work. We have a contest for best stocking each year. I did not win. But, my stocking was also NOT mistakenly entered in the "kid's division" contest, as I had feared it would be. So, to me.....that counts as a win! All hail construction paper and Elmer's glue!!!
At Amber's job they do a "white elephant" (aka "dirty santa") gift exchange every year, where everyone brings a wrapped small gift, and one by one people pick from the pile. Once a gift has been unwrapped, other people can 'steal' it from you, and it becomes a Christmas gifting competition for the ages! She liked it so much, we started doing it--in addition to a regular gift exhange--each year with her family. In the past, we've come away with a hot rock massage set, a dog Snuggie, a Vera Bradley clutch, and a 1980's Trivial Pursuit game, to name a few. Lately, the game has devolved into mostly gift cards, bottles of wine, and microbrew beers. Not that anyone is complaining....
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| Byrdie snuggling in her Snuggie |
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| Taking Barbies very seriously |
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| Phil rocking his "down-on-her-luck can can dancer" look in one of my old dance tutus |
x's&o's,
Michelle
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