Thursday, September 20, 2012
Home again. Home again.
(Disclaimer: I wrote this with paragraphs but apparently EBlogger doesn't DOOoo paragraphs and it took them out. So I apologize for the HUGE paragraph.)
Reporting live from our new home, we have completed the most recent steps for the home study. We had to have cabinet locks, locked medicine boxes, fire extinguishers, etc. all here at the house though they don't have to be installed yet.
While our house passed without any concerns, we are only approved for one child at this time (though we are open to a multiple birth adoption) because we only have one extra bedroom with a bed and one dresser/closet. So in order to be actually approved for placement of multiple children, we would need to have the "2 beds" and "2 closets or dressers" available. If a mother of multiple children chose us we would have notice and be able to get those at that time and then be approved so unless a mother finds us immediately it's all good.
From what I understand, this is it. Now we officially just wait (for 6 months). If no child has been placed in that time, then we have to update finances, have another home visit, update whatever else is required to update, I think... I got lost in that conversation day dreaming of the possibility of being parents within 6 months.
Meanwhile, Bradley is working long hours at his full time job and pulling at least one full day a week at his part-time job, plus additional hours as possible after his full time shift. While I'm happy that Bradley's working so hard for us, I miss him. But each hour he works and isn't here now, is possibly another hour he can then spend at home when we have a child.
I'm loving my job and my supervisor just asked me the other day about maternity leave. Talk about a reality check. I've let him know that it could be 2 years before a child is placed with us... but I suppose it could be sooner, too. That brought up a new thought to me...maternity leave.
While birth mothers are eligible for paid time off after a child is born for "Short-term Disability" neither of us (my supervisor nor I) knew if that would apply to me. I would of course be given unpaid time off for maternity leave and they would not let me go, but compensation for time off may not apply. Any adoptive parents know anything about this? I suppose it's best to find out as soon as possible.
And then there is the preparation for nursing. Friends of Bradley and mine are eagerly anticipating the birth of their baby boy who they will be adopting ANY DAY NOW!!! She is going to be nursing and has had to begin a weeks long regimen of medications and daily pumping (with a goal of 8 times per day!!!)to trigger her body to produce milk in time for baby's arrival (ANY DAY NOW!!! can you tell I'm excited for them?). While they knew (5?) months in advance that they would be adopting their boy, I'm wondering how it works for mothers who don't know that far in advance. How far in advance is too far in advance? Then again, she also reassured me that of course if for some reason I'm unable to produce milk, there are organic and safe formulas or other sources available, too. While I hope to nurse for as long as possible while our baby is ... well a baby... I am a bit relieved to be reminded that there are options.
Another thought that comes to the forefront as we are now approved for waiting, is fundraising. I welcome ideas for how to fund raise, find grants, or other means to help us to pay for the adoption costs. While we're being frugal and doing our best to plan ahead, the costs are still significant. We welcome ideas anyone has. The pay pal donations were very kind and those who donated are so greatly appreciated, but they only covered the application fee of $200. So we have a way to go to reach our goal of $6000. That will cover the adoption fees. We have already planned for and hope to have enough to pay for the mother's hospital bills unless she should choose to have a home birth or natural birth with a midwife only... which would be my dream come true (for the sake of her and baby... not because of the money). Anyway, I ramble.
Time to go do some laundry and housework while Bradley's out working hard to provide for his family.
Love and peace to you all who have taken the time to read this.
Erica
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Le Foto Album!
Oui oui! Our album is complete... at least until we move. Sigh. The next few months of our lives will prove to be, it is my prediction, quite difficult. I have resigned from my position as Director of Day Support, am still working to complete my work to become a Board Certified Positive Behavior Support Facilitator, minutes ago we signed an acceptance on an offer made to purchase our house, and there is the potential of a child joining us in the next 2 years.
Then again, my not having a job come May 9th may lead to the banks not helping us with a home loan, which may lead to us living in smaller more temporary housing, which in turn could delay the adoption placement. My resignation timing may have been poor, but it was necessary. I know that things work out, "It's all going to be all right". I believe that. Hard times usually pass and coming through them means the start of a better day!
ANYWAY, our album is now complete and you may view it (hopefully by clicking on this web link or copying and pasting it to your browser. Be sure to click on "Full screen view" or else the images will be distorted and you may not be able to read the small print)
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcNWLZi2auGLC_g&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET
Of course when if/when I find a new job, and if/when we move into a new home, we will have to update our book and reprint for mothers to see a more accurate picture of our lives.
And just when I thought, "That's it! Now all we do is wait!" we got a letter in the mail; TODAY! It stated that we may be excused from having to complete all the new requirements for our home before the homestudy is considered "complete". I believe we will be grandfathered in. Otherwise, it would mean we have to be ready for a placement at any given moment, (ex. have beds or crib/pack-n-play/etc. in place for each potential child, have extra fire extinguishers in certain locations, have all meds locked up, emergency evacuation plan and supplies in place,etc).
So stay tuned! We'll be making ch-ch-ch-changes in many big aspects of our lives and will have plenty to report soon.
Then again, my not having a job come May 9th may lead to the banks not helping us with a home loan, which may lead to us living in smaller more temporary housing, which in turn could delay the adoption placement. My resignation timing may have been poor, but it was necessary. I know that things work out, "It's all going to be all right". I believe that. Hard times usually pass and coming through them means the start of a better day!
ANYWAY, our album is now complete and you may view it (hopefully by clicking on this web link or copying and pasting it to your browser. Be sure to click on "Full screen view" or else the images will be distorted and you may not be able to read the small print)
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AcNWLZi2auGLC_g&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET
Of course when if/when I find a new job, and if/when we move into a new home, we will have to update our book and reprint for mothers to see a more accurate picture of our lives.
And just when I thought, "That's it! Now all we do is wait!" we got a letter in the mail; TODAY! It stated that we may be excused from having to complete all the new requirements for our home before the homestudy is considered "complete". I believe we will be grandfathered in. Otherwise, it would mean we have to be ready for a placement at any given moment, (ex. have beds or crib/pack-n-play/etc. in place for each potential child, have extra fire extinguishers in certain locations, have all meds locked up, emergency evacuation plan and supplies in place,etc).
So stay tuned! We'll be making ch-ch-ch-changes in many big aspects of our lives and will have plenty to report soon.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Home Study- Complete!
Home Study- COMPLETED!
Technically, as of February 10th at around 5pm, our Home Study was completed, ending with our home visit! The home study will officially be complete sometime this week (likely on Valentine’s Day) when it is approved and submitted before the deadline (Valentine’s Day). Phew… just under the wire. We are now at the bottom of the list (12th) for potential adoptive parents being represented through CCC in the Roanoke area.
Our home visit consisted of giving our social worker a tour of our house and property. While we don’t necessarily have everything set up to bring a child into our home next week, we were advised to set up the house as though we were meeting Foster Parent requirements. The regulations are quite strict and we may have gotten in just in time as the requirements are expected to become even more intensive this May! We need to have certain things locked up (cleaners, medicines, etc.) and meet safety regs within the home. Technically, we will be Foster Parents for a period of time until all parental rights are relinquished to us, even if the mother chooses us to be adoptive parents. As it was explained to us, that could be within 10 days of the birth of the child or it could be several months, if the paternal rights have not legally been terminated (due to delay in notifying him or exhausting all means of finding him without success). Either way, once a child is placed with us we are told to mentally and emotionally prepare ourselves for the possibility of the child returning to his or her parents until final placement is given.
Because we opted for an “at-risk placement” (having temporary custody of a child before both parents have terminated their rights) we are also accepting that the child could be placed with us immediately upon leaving the hospital. We really wanted that in order to begin the bonding right away and to potentially begin breast feeding. Our social worker told us that more and more mothers are wanting their child to go home with the adoptive family right away, even sometimes allowing them to stay in the hospital until the baby is released, so they can visit with, feed, even sleep in the same room as the baby. That would be ideal. That is what we hope to happen.
All that is left for us to do before our names go on the prospective parents list for mothers to review, is to finish our profile book which is essentially a photo album and at a glance summary of our lives. Once we do that, we have only to wait for calls from our social worker.
So that everyone who reads this is aware, the waiting period will be a time we keep fairly private. Similar, I suppose, to the choice a couple makes to not share that they are expecting until the 3rd month of pregnancy, we too, will not be announcing every call from our social worker that indicates a mother would like to review our profile. As our social worker warned us, there may be several or many calls in the next few years but we must keep in mind that just because a mother reviews our profile, or even narrows us down to a couple families, or even decides to choose us for placement, things can change. Telling everyone, every time there is a potential child to place with us, would likely be too difficult for us to have to explain every time plans change. We will rely on our closest supports for prayers and comfort through those difficult times. It is our choice to reserve the right to keep our hopes to ourselves and appreciate everyone’s understandings if/when we choose not to talk about each potential placement. When there is good news, that we are confident about, we will share it in due time and welcome prayers and celebration then. We may answer simply with “We’re still waiting,” which will not be untrue. Please do not take offense but know that is just a way for us to deal with the roller coaster in our own way, without bringing everyone else along for the emotional ride.
So our last project before we start getting these inquiring calls, is to put this photo album together to show mothers who we are in about 40 or fewer photos! Whew… it’s hard to express to a stranger who may never meet you, what your beliefs, family life, interests, personalities and life goals are in as few words as possible. We have to find photos that are unique and creative and interesting because a mother’s and father’s glances may be our only chance to introduce ourselves. We don’t have any professional photos other than what were taken at our wedding, so we may look into getting some taken… something unusual and creative. There is one local photographer we are considering. But now I am just rambling.
At last, we have reached the end of the paperwork (at least until the legal matters come into play). So within a few years… could be as long as 3 years… we hope to have wonderful news to share with you all. In the meantime, we appreciate your prayers for strength as we receive calls, interviews, hopes and heartbreaks while we wait, and prayers for the mothers out there who are dealing with the very difficult and loving decision to place their child into the care of someone else.
Technically, as of February 10th at around 5pm, our Home Study was completed, ending with our home visit! The home study will officially be complete sometime this week (likely on Valentine’s Day) when it is approved and submitted before the deadline (Valentine’s Day). Phew… just under the wire. We are now at the bottom of the list (12th) for potential adoptive parents being represented through CCC in the Roanoke area.
Our home visit consisted of giving our social worker a tour of our house and property. While we don’t necessarily have everything set up to bring a child into our home next week, we were advised to set up the house as though we were meeting Foster Parent requirements. The regulations are quite strict and we may have gotten in just in time as the requirements are expected to become even more intensive this May! We need to have certain things locked up (cleaners, medicines, etc.) and meet safety regs within the home. Technically, we will be Foster Parents for a period of time until all parental rights are relinquished to us, even if the mother chooses us to be adoptive parents. As it was explained to us, that could be within 10 days of the birth of the child or it could be several months, if the paternal rights have not legally been terminated (due to delay in notifying him or exhausting all means of finding him without success). Either way, once a child is placed with us we are told to mentally and emotionally prepare ourselves for the possibility of the child returning to his or her parents until final placement is given.
Because we opted for an “at-risk placement” (having temporary custody of a child before both parents have terminated their rights) we are also accepting that the child could be placed with us immediately upon leaving the hospital. We really wanted that in order to begin the bonding right away and to potentially begin breast feeding. Our social worker told us that more and more mothers are wanting their child to go home with the adoptive family right away, even sometimes allowing them to stay in the hospital until the baby is released, so they can visit with, feed, even sleep in the same room as the baby. That would be ideal. That is what we hope to happen.
All that is left for us to do before our names go on the prospective parents list for mothers to review, is to finish our profile book which is essentially a photo album and at a glance summary of our lives. Once we do that, we have only to wait for calls from our social worker.
So that everyone who reads this is aware, the waiting period will be a time we keep fairly private. Similar, I suppose, to the choice a couple makes to not share that they are expecting until the 3rd month of pregnancy, we too, will not be announcing every call from our social worker that indicates a mother would like to review our profile. As our social worker warned us, there may be several or many calls in the next few years but we must keep in mind that just because a mother reviews our profile, or even narrows us down to a couple families, or even decides to choose us for placement, things can change. Telling everyone, every time there is a potential child to place with us, would likely be too difficult for us to have to explain every time plans change. We will rely on our closest supports for prayers and comfort through those difficult times. It is our choice to reserve the right to keep our hopes to ourselves and appreciate everyone’s understandings if/when we choose not to talk about each potential placement. When there is good news, that we are confident about, we will share it in due time and welcome prayers and celebration then. We may answer simply with “We’re still waiting,” which will not be untrue. Please do not take offense but know that is just a way for us to deal with the roller coaster in our own way, without bringing everyone else along for the emotional ride.
So our last project before we start getting these inquiring calls, is to put this photo album together to show mothers who we are in about 40 or fewer photos! Whew… it’s hard to express to a stranger who may never meet you, what your beliefs, family life, interests, personalities and life goals are in as few words as possible. We have to find photos that are unique and creative and interesting because a mother’s and father’s glances may be our only chance to introduce ourselves. We don’t have any professional photos other than what were taken at our wedding, so we may look into getting some taken… something unusual and creative. There is one local photographer we are considering. But now I am just rambling.
At last, we have reached the end of the paperwork (at least until the legal matters come into play). So within a few years… could be as long as 3 years… we hope to have wonderful news to share with you all. In the meantime, we appreciate your prayers for strength as we receive calls, interviews, hopes and heartbreaks while we wait, and prayers for the mothers out there who are dealing with the very difficult and loving decision to place their child into the care of someone else.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Adoption Etiquette
We have rung in a new year and with it may come many changes in our lives; not least of said changes would be the possibility of becoming parents. Today is January 3, 2012. 2-0-1-2. I remember when any of the ought years seemed so far away and futuristic and now we are into the second decade of the century. We are approaching the middle of our lives and will, hopefully, soon be parenting child(ren)who will look far off into his/her future and think, "Wow. The year 2025 is forever away!". Likewise, he/she may look back in the year 2025 and think back to 2012 as being soooo long ago. If we adopt an infant this year, he/she will be about age twelve in the year 2025. How's that for a reality check? And when he/she is old enough to drive it will be around the year 2030! And when he/she is old enough to rent a vehicle it will be about 2037! Uh huh... chew on that! And our child may not even be a sparkle in his/her mom's eye as of right now. But oh how I expect time to fly from this point forward... well until we meet our little bundle of sweetness time will probably feel like it's dragging it's hands(er... in this digital age time will be dragging it's satellite signal).
Okay. I digress. My title was "Adoption Etiquette". Have I already written about this before? Either I have or I've just thought about it for a long time. Did you know there are particular words to use and not use when speaking to families choosing adoption? I know I may be bringing to light some things that people have said, and the intention is not make people feel bad, but rather to give some perspective on feelings and thoughts that they may not have otherwise considered, especially not having been through the same sort of situation themselves. (Isn't that just like everything? Sometimes we mean well but because we're not in the same shoes and haven't been "educated" or had honest discussions... or blogs... about a topic we end up saying the wrong things or at least less than helpful things). Okay so here are some common things that you can take with you and consider to avoid or use in your next conversation with someone regarding adoption. Again, no offense intended. Some of these are from our class and some are from people I know who have adopted. Some are from our own experiences. All are intended to help you and others around you gain perspective. And by-the-way, I'm totally open to discussion and questions if you ever want to bounce questions off me. I'll only share what I'm comfortable with and won't be shy to say, "I'd rather not answer that," without being embarassed or offended. I promise.
Okay here goes:
1) A mother does not "give up her child for adoption". She "chooses adoption". It's a very difficult and painful decision because she cares enough to consider her child's best interests.
2)A mother is the mother is the mother. When her child is adopted by a family, the child's mother is then the woman who raises him/her. It is okay to then refer to the 1st mother as "birthmother". But remember, a family who adopts is the "real" family, the "real mother," the "real father" as much as the birth parents are "real". So please don't refer to the birthmother as the "real" mother. That may hurt the child and the rest of the family.
3) Please understand that though you've heard of a story where your friend's Aunt's 1st cousin got pregnant as soon as they decided to adopt, does not mean that everyone who decides to adopt a child will miraculously conceive a child "completely unexpectedly". Infertility is a painful thing and though there are some cases when people have been known to get pregnant after adopting, it's not something a couple necessarily wants to hear as a gesture of "hope". Adoption is exciting in itself because a couple chooses whole-heartedly to adopt. It's not a fertility treatment plan.
4) Adoption comes with a lot of grief. The mother who is deciding to choose a family to raise her child is grieving the loss of her child. A child, even a newborn, is potentially in the care of 3 different families (birth mother, foster home, adoptive parents) before he/she is even a month old. The child is grieving the loss of security in those crucial first days (or months or years) of life and has to adjust to many changes beyond what is typical. All this being said, respect a family's wishes to spend a lot of private time together at first to help the child transition to (yet another) home in his/her short life and build trust in his/her new home.
5)Please remember that a child who is adopted may have many questions left unanswered about his/her birth parents throughout life. The story about the birth parents belongs to the child and is very private as it may, in some cases, be the only connection and tie to his/her biological family history. Therefore, if a family chooses not to share about a birthmother's story, and chooses to let the child decide for him/herself whether to share that information or keep it confidential forever, is his/her right. Don't be offended if some or most information is not divulged... it's just precious and private and belongs to someone else.
6)NEVER ever speak negatively or even pitifully about a birth parent in front of their child... or even to others (words get around). Unless you are speaking about your own story, it is not polite or helpful to a child to hear harsh words about his/her parents. They are still, after all, his/her biological parents. (Ex. Don't say, "Oh he is so cute! How could anyone give him up?!" because that's very insensitive to the mother and child).
7) Be careful when using the term "adoption" for anything other than a child (especially in front of a child who was adopted). Reason; a child should never question that his/her adoption is real and permanent. Unlike adopting a pet or a highway, adopting a child is a lifelong commitment and cannot be reversed. It is an intentional choice. In class they used the example that a child may hear the term "adopted a puppy" and see that puppy be given away because it was "bad" and associate it with him/herself because he/she is "adopted". That was an eye opener for me.
8) Don't use the word "adoption" like it's a bad word and don't glorify it as a title or label either. Adoption is a part of a person's beginning but it does not define a person. Just like we don't typically introduce our children as, "... Erica, my vaginally-delivered-by-me daughter," don't introduce a person as someone's "adopted daughter". It's just not necessary or telling of anything. Families are typically comfortable with others knowing about their choice for adoption but they also don't typically think of it as being part of their family intros.
9)this goes with #4... If a mother chooses to feed her child (this doesn't just apply to adoptions) she should feed her child. Feeding is a vital bonding experience to aid in the relationship between mother and child. Even if the child is bottle fed, do NOT offer to feed the infant or bath the infant, etc. No one but mom and dad should feed an infant in the early stages of bonding. It is all the more necessary for a mother to do these things with an infant who was born to another mother because there is a missing biology to connect the two and they need all the opportunities they can get to develop that bond. So if you are helping out, change little baby, talk to little baby but when baby is hungry... wake mommy up and say, "here's little baby. Little baby's hungry" and let them bond.
10) Don't stare at interacial/blended families or families with children with disabilities. It's not polite and would it really change your life if you never found out if "that child is adopted or not" or what the family's story is? Chances are if you're asking, you might already have a good guess and unless you have a personal connection, it's fine to just smile genuinely as you would with any family and keep walking.
Gosh, I feel like I'm lecturing and i haven't even experienced most of these yet! Anyway, I'm getting tired and will be heading to bed now.
Write me if you have any questions or comments about Do's and Don'ts! I'd love to learn what you think or what should be added to the list. Of course also, it should be noted, I was not referencing our class curriculum so I left out a lot of helpful info, I'm sure. But those are what came to me on a whim.
Peace to you all, this chilly January night.
-Erica
Okay. I digress. My title was "Adoption Etiquette". Have I already written about this before? Either I have or I've just thought about it for a long time. Did you know there are particular words to use and not use when speaking to families choosing adoption? I know I may be bringing to light some things that people have said, and the intention is not make people feel bad, but rather to give some perspective on feelings and thoughts that they may not have otherwise considered, especially not having been through the same sort of situation themselves. (Isn't that just like everything? Sometimes we mean well but because we're not in the same shoes and haven't been "educated" or had honest discussions... or blogs... about a topic we end up saying the wrong things or at least less than helpful things). Okay so here are some common things that you can take with you and consider to avoid or use in your next conversation with someone regarding adoption. Again, no offense intended. Some of these are from our class and some are from people I know who have adopted. Some are from our own experiences. All are intended to help you and others around you gain perspective. And by-the-way, I'm totally open to discussion and questions if you ever want to bounce questions off me. I'll only share what I'm comfortable with and won't be shy to say, "I'd rather not answer that," without being embarassed or offended. I promise.
Okay here goes:
1) A mother does not "give up her child for adoption". She "chooses adoption". It's a very difficult and painful decision because she cares enough to consider her child's best interests.
2)A mother is the mother is the mother. When her child is adopted by a family, the child's mother is then the woman who raises him/her. It is okay to then refer to the 1st mother as "birthmother". But remember, a family who adopts is the "real" family, the "real mother," the "real father" as much as the birth parents are "real". So please don't refer to the birthmother as the "real" mother. That may hurt the child and the rest of the family.
3) Please understand that though you've heard of a story where your friend's Aunt's 1st cousin got pregnant as soon as they decided to adopt, does not mean that everyone who decides to adopt a child will miraculously conceive a child "completely unexpectedly". Infertility is a painful thing and though there are some cases when people have been known to get pregnant after adopting, it's not something a couple necessarily wants to hear as a gesture of "hope". Adoption is exciting in itself because a couple chooses whole-heartedly to adopt. It's not a fertility treatment plan.
4) Adoption comes with a lot of grief. The mother who is deciding to choose a family to raise her child is grieving the loss of her child. A child, even a newborn, is potentially in the care of 3 different families (birth mother, foster home, adoptive parents) before he/she is even a month old. The child is grieving the loss of security in those crucial first days (or months or years) of life and has to adjust to many changes beyond what is typical. All this being said, respect a family's wishes to spend a lot of private time together at first to help the child transition to (yet another) home in his/her short life and build trust in his/her new home.
5)Please remember that a child who is adopted may have many questions left unanswered about his/her birth parents throughout life. The story about the birth parents belongs to the child and is very private as it may, in some cases, be the only connection and tie to his/her biological family history. Therefore, if a family chooses not to share about a birthmother's story, and chooses to let the child decide for him/herself whether to share that information or keep it confidential forever, is his/her right. Don't be offended if some or most information is not divulged... it's just precious and private and belongs to someone else.
6)NEVER ever speak negatively or even pitifully about a birth parent in front of their child... or even to others (words get around). Unless you are speaking about your own story, it is not polite or helpful to a child to hear harsh words about his/her parents. They are still, after all, his/her biological parents. (Ex. Don't say, "Oh he is so cute! How could anyone give him up?!" because that's very insensitive to the mother and child).
7) Be careful when using the term "adoption" for anything other than a child (especially in front of a child who was adopted). Reason; a child should never question that his/her adoption is real and permanent. Unlike adopting a pet or a highway, adopting a child is a lifelong commitment and cannot be reversed. It is an intentional choice. In class they used the example that a child may hear the term "adopted a puppy" and see that puppy be given away because it was "bad" and associate it with him/herself because he/she is "adopted". That was an eye opener for me.
8) Don't use the word "adoption" like it's a bad word and don't glorify it as a title or label either. Adoption is a part of a person's beginning but it does not define a person. Just like we don't typically introduce our children as, "... Erica, my vaginally-delivered-by-me daughter," don't introduce a person as someone's "adopted daughter". It's just not necessary or telling of anything. Families are typically comfortable with others knowing about their choice for adoption but they also don't typically think of it as being part of their family intros.
9)this goes with #4... If a mother chooses to feed her child (this doesn't just apply to adoptions) she should feed her child. Feeding is a vital bonding experience to aid in the relationship between mother and child. Even if the child is bottle fed, do NOT offer to feed the infant or bath the infant, etc. No one but mom and dad should feed an infant in the early stages of bonding. It is all the more necessary for a mother to do these things with an infant who was born to another mother because there is a missing biology to connect the two and they need all the opportunities they can get to develop that bond. So if you are helping out, change little baby, talk to little baby but when baby is hungry... wake mommy up and say, "here's little baby. Little baby's hungry" and let them bond.
10) Don't stare at interacial/blended families or families with children with disabilities. It's not polite and would it really change your life if you never found out if "that child is adopted or not" or what the family's story is? Chances are if you're asking, you might already have a good guess and unless you have a personal connection, it's fine to just smile genuinely as you would with any family and keep walking.
Gosh, I feel like I'm lecturing and i haven't even experienced most of these yet! Anyway, I'm getting tired and will be heading to bed now.
Write me if you have any questions or comments about Do's and Don'ts! I'd love to learn what you think or what should be added to the list. Of course also, it should be noted, I was not referencing our class curriculum so I left out a lot of helpful info, I'm sure. But those are what came to me on a whim.
Peace to you all, this chilly January night.
-Erica
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