Another thread on here made me think that this could be a good topic for discussion. Do you have a Life Book for your adopted or foster children? If so what does it look like? How did you go about putting it together?
For my two foster girls I have really struggled with this. In training they told us how important it was to have one, but never gave us the resources for knowing how to make on. I've got the very beginnings of one for FD#1. For FD#2 (she's 7 months) there is so little to write that I haven't given it much thought. She has been with us since she was four days old.
So I'm interested in what others have done or are doing to help their children understand who they are and where they came from.
TestifyToLove
11-11-2008, 11:26 AM
Ds#1 I bought an adoption book, like a baby book but catered to adoption. I filled it out. But, I've never been thrilled with it.
Ds#3 I'm slowing creating his lifebook. Its basically the story of his journey into this family, along with all the information we have on his past. Its slow going. A good portion of his life story we don't have enough information on. But, its gorgeous and I'm quite satisfied with what I have. I've been working on it for 2 years though. I am SOO NOT a scrapbooker.
Ds#4 came with a Life book out of fostercare. Its pretty shotty. Its got NOTHING about his life before he joined his last fostermom. And, while its pretty scrapbook pages, someone in her church made it, not her. He also has a small photo album. Its pretty ugly and falling apart but theres more history in that album than the Life book. Eventually, I think I'm going to have to make a good Lifebook for him as well. Its just....well, he lacks the cognitive level to grasp much of the purpose of a lifebook and I suspect at the pace I'm moving he could be gone before I get it done. (He has only a few years left to live, sadly.)
JenS
11-13-2008, 01:35 PM
Yep, we have one for DD that chronicles her life before and during the adoption process. It has a page for her family tree, her birthday, where she lived, her birth parents, and some other important things. her original birth certificate, the meaning of her Russian name.
I haven't started one for our foster kids yet, but I think that I am just going to do a page per month and record all the milestones and a few snapshots.
lyra1977
11-15-2008, 01:20 AM
We have an awesome book we bought on Amazon.com called "Lifebooks: Creating a Treasury for the Adopted Child" that walks you through how to make one. There is no right or wrong way, it depends on your personality (crafty, artsy or not) and the child's story. I'm gathering materials to start a big scrapbooky life book for our DD but I also decided to use this week's Oprah Snapfish photo book giveaway to make a very simple lifebook that tells my DD's adoption story with easy vocabulary so that she can understand it as a toddler and read it herself when she's 6 or 7. I think I'll keep it on the shelf with her other books and make sure she or I pulls it out regularly and we read it together. :goodvibes:
slingmommy
11-23-2008, 09:24 PM
I have a "life box" - basically all the mementos and everything I'd like to put into a Life Book...when I eventually find the time to do it!
happyhomemom
12-01-2008, 03:35 PM
I have a life box also. It has a copy of my blog in it through foster and adoption process and a photo book with 100 pictures including everything I have of his birth family, a copy of his original bc, all the court stuff and medical records. His birth family sent him so gifts the first christmas so it also has pictures of those.
mom2jpd
12-01-2008, 09:33 PM
That is great that you've done a version that your child can understand now Karen!
I plan on doing at least 3 versions of lifebooks. The first is an ABC book that focuses on our adoption trip. It's really meant to be something that familiarizes our daughter with her adoption. She loves to look through it and point to the photos. I need to get going on her toddler version because she is turning 3 this week and is starting to take notice of 'friends', which are children that look like her.
I am a digital scrapbooker and I run a graphic design biz, so I will be designing this myself.
MCR
12-02-2008, 09:08 AM
We bought a pretty Scrap book from Jo-Anns and I've made Dd a life book, starting with her birth and first foster family, pictures and names and everything. now she's three and I add in a page for each holiday and vacation.
