Have you ever Googled your name to see what comes up on the Interwebs? I did this recently, and while I didn’t find anything surprising (no mug shots or anything like that – kidding, kidding), I did stumble upon an article I wrote for The Foundation for National Adoption more than a decade ago about how to have a successful open adoption. As I read through it I couldn’t help but think “I sounded kind of smart back then!” I also realized that many of the insights I shared then still apply today. So I updated the article to reflect current times (as a more seasoned birthmom) and posted it here ..read more

July 11 marked a truly special occasion: Deanna’s 18th birthday! It also marked 18 years since my open adoption journey began. I thought this would be good timing to sit down and write about some important things I’ve learned since becoming a birthmother in 2005. Life doesn’t end because of an unplanned pregnancy – When I first found out I was pregnant, it felt like my life was over. As an 18-year-old senior in high school, a lot of things changed immediately: my reputation, relationships with family and friends, hopes of a college swimming scholarship. While it all seemed like the end of th ..read more

Amy’s college graduation; NC State 2009 “God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or think or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” – Ephesians 3:20 As I sat down to write about my experience attending Deanna’s high school graduation last month, the words “immeasurably more” kept flowing into my mind. Specifically, Ephesians 3:20. When I placed Deanna with her adoptive family 18 years ago, I put my trust in God to work it out. As difficult as this journey has been at times, I’ve seen God working and moving though all of it. He took the sorrow and pain and regre ..read more

Deanna, High School Grad! It’s not every day that you get an invitation to attend your birth-daughter’s high school graduation. But that is exactly what’s happened! I’m beyond excited and honored to celebrate Deanna’s graduation this weekend. This means my husband and I will be taking all three youngsters (7, 5, 2) on an airplane from Raleigh to Tampa. It will be oh-so-worth it, but wowww am I nervous to travel through airports and on airplanes with my wild kids. In preparation for the trip, Aaron bought a leash to keep the 2-year-old from running away as he often does. Initially this felt lik ..read more

The decision to become an au pair host family should not be taken lightly. My family recently embarked on this process when my youngest essentially got kicked out of daycare because he had mastered the art of escaping the classroom. At the same time, I was considering a new job opportunity that would require me to be back in the office full time. I knew my family needed help, but daycares and nannies hadn’t quite solved the issues we were facing as a family with three young kids, two in elementary school, and one wild baby who refused to be tamed and needed to be free to roam outside the walls ..read more

I wish I could think of a more creative title for this post. But I’m all for cutting to the chase. A few months ago, I got a call from my kids’ daycare. I was expecting it to be about my 5-year-old daughter, Hadley, who was a few months away from starting kindergarten and didn’t particularly like being in daycare anymore. Except this time it wasn’t about Hadley. It was about the one-and-a-half-year-old, Lawson. My immediate thought was, shhhhcrap. He’s probably sick (again) or threw up (again) or caught another random virus (again) so I mentally prepared to stop working and go pick him up. The ..read more

Hi! I’m Amy. I am a wife to Aaron, mother to Teague (7), Hadley (5) and Lawson (2), birthmother to Deanna (17), follower of Jesus, and lover of watermelon and crab legs. I come across as serious and reserved, but those close to me know that I am quite silly and don’t take myself too seriously. I often use inappropriate humor and sarcasm to deal with uncomfortable/awkward situations – apologies in advance for that. In 2009, I started a blog about open adoption called Amstel Life. (Seemed like a good choice at the time. Amstel Light Beer Co apparently didn’t think so). Anyway, the blog was about ..read more

July 11 marked a truly special occasion: Deanna’s 18th birthday! It also marked 18 years since my open adoption journey began. I thought this would be good timing to think about the top 18 things I’ve learned since becoming a birthmother in 2005. Life doesn’t end because of an unplanned pregnancy – When I first found out I was pregnant, it felt like my life was over. As an 18-year-old senior in high school, a lot of things changed immediately: my reputation, relationships with family and friends, hopes of a college swimming scholarship. While it all seemed like the end of the world, looking b ..read more

Amy’s college graduation; NC State 2009 “God is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or think or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” – Ephesians 3:20 As I sat down to write about my experience attending Deanna’s high school graduation last month, the words “immeasurably more” kept flowing into my mind. Specifically, Ephesians 3:20. When I placed Deanna with her adoptive family 18 years ago, I put my trust in God to work it out. As difficult as this journey has been at times, I’ve seen God working and moving though all of it. He took the sorrow and pain and regre ..read more

Deanna, High School Grad! It’s not every day that you get an invitation to attend your birth-daughter’s high school graduation. But that is exactly what’s happened! I’m beyond excited and honored to celebrate Deanna’s graduation this weekend. This means my husband and I will be taking all three youngsters (7, 5, 2) on an airplane from Raleigh to Tampa. It will be oh-so-worth it, but wowww am I nervous to travel through airports and on airplanes with my wild kids. In preparation for the trip, Aaron bought a leash to keep the 2-year-old from running away as he often does. Initially this felt lik ..read more