tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post524556626737653564..comments2024-03-26T12:34:00.562-04:00Comments on Dim Sum, Bagels, and Crawfish: StartingDim Sum, Bagels, and Crawfishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17398185185844916216noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-24098901829419341682009-02-22T07:17:00.000-05:002009-02-22T07:17:00.000-05:00Came here from Becky's Book Reviews. This is a...Came here from Becky's Book Reviews. This is a really lovely post. Your photograph of your beautiful daughter is stunning. My adopted African American sons have made similar comments and questions about their physical features, first families and ethnicity (I am white). I think it is very developmentally appropriate and the important things are to keep the conversations open and accepting, respect & allow them to have their own thoughts and feelings, and provide a lot of cultural connections for them in relationships that are meaningful. Just as you are working hard to do! It sounds like you are doing a fabulous job. I will enjoy continuing to read this blog.Andromeda Jazmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12355192738014962965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-4489041140769488192009-02-10T23:00:00.000-05:002009-02-10T23:00:00.000-05:00That girl is SO LUCKY to have you as a mom. And y...That girl is SO LUCKY to have you as a mom. And you know I love the picture :)Corinnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15741365928762676938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-32157130025891953002009-02-10T17:18:00.000-05:002009-02-10T17:18:00.000-05:00Beautiful! Amazing moments in your life... Thank y...Beautiful! Amazing moments in your life... Thank you so much for sharing!Dawn Suzettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09483805832809961369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-45149540674767268262009-02-08T23:14:00.000-05:002009-02-08T23:14:00.000-05:00that is a gorgeous photo! and a gorgeous kid- you...that is a gorgeous photo! and a gorgeous kid- you are all lucky to have found each other!craftymamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13637257013960211691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-53548706840058908822009-02-08T20:23:00.000-05:002009-02-08T20:23:00.000-05:00I remember grappling with similar questions from D...I remember grappling with similar questions from Dominic, particularly about tummy mommies. This was when I found his lifebook to be really helpful, and it was during this questioning stage that we'd re-read his lifebook often, and it seemed to reassure him, especially seeing the pic of his birth mother and talking about his special story and how we became a family.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16977303225111026706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-73031808112411985812009-02-08T15:44:00.000-05:002009-02-08T15:44:00.000-05:00Lovely picture & lovely post. Camille is in go...Lovely picture & lovely post. Camille is in good hands.Danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08772723381708427902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-76249526225915263852009-02-08T14:09:00.000-05:002009-02-08T14:09:00.000-05:00Hauntingly beautiful picture of Mei Mei. Very thou...Hauntingly beautiful picture of Mei Mei. Very thought-provoking post... one that I need some time to process.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-10506974764652965752009-02-07T20:58:00.000-05:002009-02-07T20:58:00.000-05:00Let me reiterate everyone else's comments-- this i...Let me reiterate everyone else's comments-- this is an incredibly thoughtful and respectful post. The fact that you are putting energy into this train of thought shows that you are really connecting to her needs! <BR/><BR/>I'd say that it most definitely is developmentally appropriate at her age to be aware (even hyper-aware) of her physical appearance, and would be even if she was in a very homogenous-appearing family. As a preschool teacher, I was very accustomed to children talking quite frankly about all the differences- and similarities- they shared with their classmates. Comments on hair, skin, and eye colors were a regular part of their conversations, and it was always at face value (without any of the value judgments attached to it!). My two year old gets VERY excited when a character in a book has "orange hair just like me!" (She gets very offended if anyone compliments her 'red' hair-- "It's orange!" is her usual response.)<BR/><BR/>And may I just say, once again, that I am in awe of you as a parent-- you are simply so wonderful to your children!!morninglight mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04128926711800459894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-61328087515562802002009-02-07T20:18:00.000-05:002009-02-07T20:18:00.000-05:00What a beautiful and thoughtful post. I too hope ...What a beautiful and thoughtful post. I too hope that Camille will always know just how loved she is by so many people in her life....in fact "all the way to the moon and back".<BR/>I think I remember your telling me about how Noah asked why he didn't look like Camille and the other children in Okinawa. I think he was about her age. I think that most of us judge how we look by the world around us, so it seems natural that children would do the same. The book that Cynthia's niece wrote, "Coffee with Cream" is about that growing awareness that develops in a child. One thing for sure is that Camille and our whole family are enriched by being part of each others lives.Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11504505417780478629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-12460592940840813942009-02-07T16:05:00.000-05:002009-02-07T16:05:00.000-05:00Meant to say, when I took Ansley for a haircut, th...Meant to say, when I took Ansley for a haircut, the lady who cut it was from Vietnam. Her 5 year old daughter was there and playing with ANsley. They were looking at kids pictures (in hair books). The other little girl was quick to say, she didn't like 'Yellow hair', only brown hair like her own. So kids notice and come up with opinions, whether guided by what they see or what they hear, not sure.<BR/><BR/>JanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-38046433282706018332009-02-07T16:03:00.000-05:002009-02-07T16:03:00.000-05:00Love the post and the picture! Ansley very early ...Love the post and the picture! Ansley very early on noticed that she was the only one with brown eyes. I then pointed to her many cousins that had brown eyes. The straight black hair, another point of discussion. She was also quick to point out her skin was darker than ours. UNTIL, her brother came home from Ethiopia. Then, her skin was the same as ours and her brother was the different one. (a matter of perspective I guess)<BR/><BR/>She doesn't really grasp the whole idea for growing in the tummy yet, so that is yet to come. I see her observe and I'm sure she's coming up with her own analysis. It's just hard to figure out if she's getting it 'right' or not. The DUmplings group helps a lot as she sees so many families like her own. But then is she coming up with the wrong conclusion. We talk about her Taiwan family (which always brings a frown) and Turner's Ethiopian family, which always brings a question, "When is his family coming to get him". SO I know she is confused. Just how to clear it up and help her understand. My answer is usually, "They won't come get him. He's a member of our family forever, just like you and Sawyer and Judson" <BR/><BR/>It's like a mine field and you just never know where the mines are.<BR/><BR/>BTW, love the 'catching the baby' explanation. <BR/><BR/>JanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-4648642075808246372009-02-07T16:00:00.000-05:002009-02-07T16:00:00.000-05:00What a unique opportunity to reflect on Camille's ...What a unique opportunity to reflect on Camille's life like this, I wish I did that more. She is a bright beautiful girl. <BR/><BR/>Not sure if you were asking for feedback on "is it normal" for kids to point out who they look like. My blonde haired blue-eyed daughter is drawn to dolls and pictures that look like her. While I can't think of specifics I know I've heard her use a similar phrase at some point in time while looking at books. "She has hair like mine!" or something along those lines. Like you say, being ultra-aware when it's more of a novelty to find her look-alikes may make it seem different. Am I making any sense??holly bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08893451902867529783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-57988299692594977672009-02-07T13:31:00.000-05:002009-02-07T13:31:00.000-05:00What a beautiful post. In every way.What a beautiful post. In every way.Kelliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00219505419856739368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20750927.post-28070605193814490692009-02-07T13:27:00.000-05:002009-02-07T13:27:00.000-05:00First, the photo took my breath away. It is arres...First, the photo took my breath away. It is arrestingly beautiful and shows her lovely features so well. Second, the sentiment and words made me cry, for happy, sad, and complicated reasons. I know these conversations are in our near future. I can imagine my son saying the same as yours, and yet for now I comfort him because he somehow thinks that it is more desirable to have two mothers.<BR/>TaraTarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10962149169966058723noreply@blogger.com