For an "Adopted Baby"?? Who ever heard of such a thing?
Well, those of us in the adoption community have! Hey -- we still need "stuff" just like first-time parents of biological babies. It's just different ... and, it's really not all about "stuff" either. This Baby Shower is intended to be a celebration of life, love, family and friends. Soon I'll have a little human I'm responsible for and I'll have that much less time to share with everyone. So, I hope you all come and share in my excitement.
For those of you struggling with gift ideas, I did wrestle with registering, but what a challenge!! Given the unique circumstances of how I've chosen to grow my family coupled with my general discomfort with the limitations that registries tend to impose, I originally decided against a full blown registry (always follow your instincts!). But, as I started to explore all the available baby gear and toddler toys it turned out to be kind of fun!! I may have clicked on "add to my registry" one to many times, but it's really intended only as a general guide. I really don't NEED anything -- what do you think I've been doing these past five years while I waited? Indulging in Retail Therapy for sure!!
So, don't be tied to a silly registry. Why not go "old fashioned" and apply your imagination? At the risk of sounding presumptive, I encourage you to be creative. Besides, it's not about extravagant gifts. I would much prefer for Hadley to have a thoughtful gift that was chosen by the recipient with her in mind. Hell, I never buy off registries!!
So, recognizing that traditional Baby Shower Gifts really are impractical for a toddler -- adopted from China, no less -- I've provided the following information, with some suggestions and ideas:
While Hadley will be 18 months old when I bring her home, as a result of having lived in an orphanage setting her whole short life, she's really operating at a 12 month old level of development (developmental toys, blocks and learning toys would make useful and practical gifts -- we LOVE Melissa & Doug Toys!).
Hadley is not walking yet, but is reported to be standing with some assistance. The children adopted from China are reported to thrive and develop rather quickly once home in a loving environment, so we expect her to be walking and exploring her new home in no time (think walking toys and safety products). I can't wait to witness her first steps!!
She has been in living in China all this time and is accustomed to hearing Chinese language and music. Audio tapes of Chinese lullabies, rhymes and children's music would be comforting; and books, picture games and puzzles will help her associate images with English words.
According to the latest update I received from her orphanage, Hadley is rumored to weigh 21lbs, and is 29 inches tall -- teeny tiny!! Note that these measurements are said to be unreliable and, get this, they usually weight them with their clothes ON -- many layers of clothes!! While I've been waiting to meet Hadley over the past five years, I've treated myself and my soon-to-be daughter to a fair amount (OK an obscene amount!) of Retail Therapy, and through the thoughtfulness of others, I've accumulated quite a stash of baby gear (some new/some gently used). She's already acquired quite the wardrobe for all seasons and sizes through 24 months, and her closet is bursting! If you simply can't help yourself (little girl clothes are fun!), perhaps plan ahead and size up! On the other hand, gift cards are sure to encourage savvy shopping sense at an early age!
Hadley's bedroom is painted a garden green color with off-white trim and lots of pink accessories. I'll post a photo soon ... it's really pretty! Her furniture is a mix of woods and painted accent furniture. We've already got a crib, dresser, small table and chairs ... well, you get the picture. While it's already decorated, it could still use some finishing touches. Did I mention that she loves Pottery Barn?
You may have already figured out that I'll be travelling to China (soon, hopefully!!) to meet her!! My niece, Sheri, has graciously agreed to serve as my faithful travel slave (oops! I meant to write travel companion!), and we will spend around 15 days travelling through three different provinces within China. If that's not challenging enough, the flight to/from China is almost 14 hours!! Can you imagine travelling on an airplane for 14 hours with a toddler you just met? (Lightweight items that might entertain her or comfort her on the flight home could be life saving gifts.)
Of course, we are bound to take TONs of photos and video to memorialize our trip. So, any type of related gifts (photo album, scrap book, extra memory card, frames, etc.) are appropriate. I'll be armed (and dangerous) with a camcorder, digital SLR camera, and a compact point & shoot camera!
While we are likely to cart home a boatload of trinkets from our trip to China, any type of gift that celebrates Hadley's Chinese Heritage would be cherished. And, along those lines, she will become a US Citizen when she arrives on US soil. So, anything that celebrates her new citizenship would make a nice gift, too (however, we already have her stars and stripes "coming home" dress compliments of Sabrina, Emma and Riley).
Don't be shy about celebrating the fact that she is becoming my daughter through adoption. It's not something we'll be able to hide very easily, and we intend to be quite open about it. She's certain to have many questions about adoption as she gets older. A quick search on Amazon.com, Borders.com or BN.com will reveal a number of great books explaining adoption at different ages. Did we mention how much we LOVE books!?
Now, I know I have a reputation for being difficult to shop for, and I hope that the list above helps. But, there's a few things that make my face involuntarily crinkle with distaste. I realize you might be tempted, but ask that you shy away from Characters (e.g., disney, sesame street, etc.); Stuffed Animals (PJ thinks they belong to him!!); Princesses (not that she shouldn't be a "girly-girl", I just don't want to promote the princess standard); Barbie!! (yes, I played with them and look how I turned out!); and Designer Labels (designers make enough money, they don't need free advertising!).
All that being said, what we LOVE most of all is our FRIENDS and FAMILY, and more meaningful than any gift would be your continued presence in our lives!!
