We started hearing this introduction to observations by S, which we soon figured out were actually memories of his life in Africa! I think he must have heard something along the lines of “You’re going to America with your new family” while at the orphanage, and he interpreted that to mean that “America” means “place…

No, this isn’t a reflection on skin color, but on skin smoothness. When we first brought the boys home, and put them in the bathtub for the first time, I was struck by all the scars they had all over their bodies.  It hadn’t been so noticeable before, when they had clothes on, but on…

In the developed world, we place such emphasis on our date of birth – we read horoscopes, and throw huge parties to celebrate each passing year. So, it comes as a bit of a shock to realize that for many people in places like rural east Africa, children are born, and no one records the…

It is always fascinating to watch a child learn language, and many academic disciplines have extensively studied the systematic way that children learn to communicate. I wish I had documented the process with our boys better – it has been a fascinating process to watch. It’s been a two-fold experience, given that S had already…