Reading and the Reading Rainbow

Just this morning I woke to found something awesome on Social Media, and that was LeVar Burton's Reading Rainbow "Kickstarter" campaign reaching $1M in just 12 hours.  Shows that not only cool movie ideas, video games, and more can be brought to life on these campaigns, but important educational ideas!

The Reading Rainbow was a show that I watched as a kid, starting in 1983 starring who I would soon know a few years later to be Lieutenant Geordi La Forge on Star Trek TNG.  As being the son of a teacher, and loving books, I loved watching LeVar's passion for reading and most importantly entertaining and educating children. 

PLEASE check out the Kickstarter Reading Rainbow Campaign here:
Reading Rainbow on Kickstarter

Most importantly, it reminds me how much I can't wait to read to our child; helping educate them about the world, but also about their adoption process, who they are, where they came from, and how they are such an important part of our family.

I've researched several important books for us the last couple of years over this whole adoption process.  I really wish there were more out there, but I plan to get most of these (if not all) of them soon:

"A Mother for Choco"
by Keiko Kasza

Family is about love no matter how different parents and children may be, adopted or not.

Choco wishes he had a mother, but who could she be? He sets off to find her, asking all kinds of animals, but he doesn't meet anyone who looks just like him. He doesn't even think of asking Mrs. Bear if she's his mother-but then she starts to do just the things a mommy might do. And when she brings him home, he meets her other children-a piglet, a hippo, and an alligator-and learns that families can come in all shapes and sizes and still fit together.
Keiko Kasza's twist on the "Are you my mother?" theme has become one of the most highly recommended stories about adoption for children.

"Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born"
by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell

Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell, author and illustrator of the best-selling When I Was Little: A Four Year Old's Memoir of Her Youth, have joined together again to create a fresh new picture book for every parent and every child. In asking her parents to tell her again about the night of her birth, a young girl shows that it is a cherished tale she knows by heart.Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born is a unique, exuberant story about adoption and about the importance of a loving family.

"The Read Thread : An Adoption Fairy Tale"
by Grace Lin

A king and queen should be full of joy and contentment, but they both feel a strange pain that worsens every day. Then a peddler's magic spectacles reveal a red thread pulling at each of their hearts. The king and queen know they must follow the thread.

"Zachary's New Home : A Story for Foster and Adopted Children"

by Geraldine M. Blomquist, Paul Blomquist, Margo Lemieux

This story for adopted and foster children describes the adventures of Zachary the kitten, who is taken from his mother's house when she is unable to take care of him. It follows Zachary as he goes into foster care, his adoption by a family of geese and his feelings of shame, anger and hurt.

"How I was Adopted"

by Joanna Cole

Sam has a joyful story to tell, one completely her own, yet common to millions of families -- the story of how she was adopted. Most of all, it's a story about love. And in the end, Sam's story comes full circle, inviting young readers to share stories of how they were adopted.

Ch, ch, ch, ch... changes

  So many changes going on for Lauren and I the past little while.  But the best part is that through all of these transitions we know that where we land is best for our new little person.

  Definitely tough to aim yourself in life at where you know you need to be, but we both consciously made the decision that starting this year we were going to "absorb" the positive in our lives, and strive for who we know we can be and where we need to go.

  Although the wait for the adoption has been long, we are both still convinced that the little person is going to arrive when they need to.  And that all of this transition is happening now because we are getting closer to the life we want to have around us in welcoming the baby into our lives.

  A big thank you to all of our friends and family who have been there for us in these difficult past few months, but lots of sunshine on the horizon and can't wait to share that with you   :)


- Jason

It is just the beginning

It's been a big month of transition for both Lauren and I, and it's kept us so busy that we now want to pour more energy into our adoption blog.  Being so busy and focused on other things are good in this process, because we are living our lives, and not sitting at home staring at an empty crib!  But every time I see a baby staring back at me, I think of the little one that is going to make his/her way into our lives.

Since it's been so long since we've started this blog, and the process has been drawn out, I wanted to right now go full circle as to where this all started.

It goes back to the Summer of 2007.  I was standing in line at the local Starbucks, stepping out of my comfort zone, standing in line to get a coffee.  Now I am a simple man, with simple tastes, so ordering something from Starbucks was pretty intimidating for me.  When I got my chance to step up to the girl behind the counter, she asked what I wanted....

...and I simply didn't know!  I just want a coffee, so what do I order?  Why are there so many choices?  They put pumpkin in coffee?  Vente??  What is a Frappuccino??

Well the person standing directly behind me in line was a more than experienced specialty coffee drinker, so she had no problem stepping in and letting me know that I should just order a medium roast blend, and save some room for cream and sugar.  I was embarrassed, but happy that she helped me out, that I decided to buy her coffee for her when it came her turn.  After a quick chat waiting for her coffee, something struck a chord with me that I felt like I had known this person my whole life.

That's when I met Lauren Cowles.

My life was changed forever.. and I don't mean just the ability to enjoy proper coffee!

This process has been extremely long, and tasking... but both Lauren and I know that it has made us stronger people and will make us even better parents.

It was just a week or so ago that we talked about if we had started a family as we planned, how different things would be.  We may not have met the most amazing friends that we did, be in this house that we love, or have the new opportunities in both our lives. The adoption is going to happen just at the right time.

So now we are just feeling that the time could be very soon, but that it is also is going to be just right.  We are so looking forward to the next step, getting the call, meeting the birth-mom, finding out just what is going to happen.  The excitement is building!

Thank you to all who follow our adoption story.  It is just beginning.


This Mother's Day will be hard for you Lauren.  But know that you will be the most amazing Mom, and I wouldn't want anyone else to be a parent with.  ❤


- Jason