A few months ago I headed to a baby shower for a dear friend who was adopting a precious little girl from China. I stopped on the way to pick up a card to go along with my gift and as I stood in front of the rows and rows of baby cards I was reminded of a harsh reality. There are rarely cards which are appropriate for adoptive families. I pulled out a generic, blank card with a picture of a baby on the front and figured I would just have to write my own sentiments inside. As an adoptive mom myself, I know all to well the anticipation that comes with waiting for that child to be in your arms!
I got back in the car and then vented my frustration on Facebook.
That’s what Facebook is for, right? 
Here’s what I said, “Dear Greeting Card Companies, there are so many people who grow their families through adoption…including me. Would it kill you to make cards to celebrate this incredible event? I mean you have cards for pets birthdays for goodness sake!”
Simply putting it out there somehow made me feel a little bit better. You see, this reminded me all too well of a day about 10 years ago. We had just found out we were going to be adopting our sweet baby boy. So I headed off in search of a baby book for him. It was a search which ended with me in a Hallmark store in tears because I couldn’t find a baby book that was appropriate for adoptive families. I was pretty sure I was just going to have to rip out the pages that said, “Here’s a picture of your sonogram” and “On the day we found out we were pregnant with you we….”
So, this dilemma of trying to find an adoption friendly greeting card was all too familiar! I headed off to the baby shower and then put it out of my mind. That is until I got a message from my friend Laura.
You see, Laura owns an Etsy Shop called Pet Scribbles and specializes in creating beautiful, handmade vintage greeting cards. She had seen my Facebook rant and felt moved to reach out to me to see how she could help fill this void.
And thus began a most amazing journey! Laura asked if I would collaborate with her on creating a card for her shop which would celebrate the blessing of adoption. This just proves that venting on Facebook isn’t so bad after all, right?
As we collaborated, we alternated between getting chills and getting teary-eyed over this incredible venture.
And just last week “our” card was added to Laura’s shop!
Laura and I decided it would be really special to have a quote from an adoptive mom on the front of this first card. And since I just happen to be an adoptive mom I shared with her something I’ve always said about my own children.
Because it’s really about the heart, isn’t it?
Laura created two versions of this card. One is blank on the inside for you to add your own greeting and the other is a celebration of Mother’s Day. Believe me, in 10 years I have NEVER seen a Mother’s Day card which is specific to an adoptive Mother. So this was particularly meaningful to me!
Mother’s Day Card for Adoptive Families
General Occasion (Blank) Adoption Card
For an adoptive family, these cards hold so much extra meaning and significance. They are the fulfillment of hopes and long-prayed for dreams.
As Laura and I worked on this I think we both knew we were onto something very, VERY special!
So, let me just say….stay tuned!
We hope to continue this journey and add more cards to the line.
And we hope you will help to spread the word about this incredible project!
Because I know just how much it means to me and just how much it will mean to anyone blessed by the miracle of adoption!
Thanks so much for joining me today at the Fence,
P.S. Oh, and by the way, the irony of having someone who owns a shop called “Pet Scribbles” reach out to me after I ranted about how there are cards for pets but not for adoptive families was not lost on me!
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