Please Consider

Dear Family and Friends,
As we prepare for the arrival of Jadyn, we have learned that while decorating the room and stocking up on baby essentials is important, even more important is the emotional health of our baby. In her short life, our daughter will have gone through more changes and life altering experiences than most adults could handle. Imagine how much harder the changes will be for her. While she may not consciously remember the events, she will still experience immense loss, including feelings of grief and trauma. She's already experienced the loss of a birthmother and will soon experience the loss of familiar and comforting caretakers as well as the sights, smells, and language of her birth country. Her world will turn upside down. She will struggle with feeling safe and secure and may lack the ability to trust that we will meet her needs. Keep in mind, she may not be in the best place right now, but it's HER WHOLE world.
We have prepared to meet her emotional needs so that she will learn that we will always take care of her and we will always keep her safe. We need your support. In order to form a strong and healthy attachment we may allow her to regress so that she has the opportunity to go through all of the emotional stages with us despite her chronological age. Although it may appear that we are spoiling her, we have been advised that it is best that we meet every need quickly and consistently. Until she has learned that we are her parents, we will need to be her primary caretakers at all times. It is essential that we always hold her, feed her, and do all of the nurturing. You may wonder how long this will take, but the timeline is different for every child. We will follow her lead and trust our instincts as her parents rather than worry about what society expects. It could be a few weeks, days or even months--attachement is not a destination, but a process.


We have all been waiting anxiously for Jadyn to arrive but she has not been waiting for us. She may show her grief and confusion in many ways and we are prepared to help her through it and prove that we are her family and this truly is her last stop. We trust that, as our family and friends, you will help us to do what is best for our daughter, and we thank you in advance for your support and understanding.

This letter was taken from a wonderful source on parenting a toddler. We took their recommendations and modified the above letter to fit into our situation.  Sometimes this kind of stuff is easier to read than to hear.  I am so willing to answer any questions you may have. 

We are prepared for a very difficult transition, but are hoping for a very smooth one!  Keep us in your prayers.  Thanks!!