Adoption Party Ideas

M.,

Congratulations! Both of our girls are adopted. I love the idea of the "Welcome to the Family Shower". What kind of ideas are you looking for. Games? Invitations? Food? We did a shower for our first one (Avonlea) and we had a open house style party and invited husband and wifes to attend. We did not do any games we just celebrated the moment with our friends. I loved it because it was very low stress and people could come and go and give their well wishes to us. It was enjoyed by all.

I also wanted to tell you about a great song that I just love about adoption. It is called "Happy Adoption Day" -written and sung by John McCutcheon. I have it on a CD Called "Celebration of Family" put out by Music for Little People. See words of the song to follow:

Oh, who would have guessed, who could have seen
Who could have possibly known
All these roads we have traveled, the places we've been
Would have finally taken us home

Chorus: So here's to you, three cheers to you
Let's shout it, "Hip, hip, hip, hooray!"
For, out of a world so tattered and torn,
You came to our house on that wonderful morn
And all of a sudden this family was born
Oh, happy Adoption Day!

There are those who think families happen by chance
A mystery their whole life through
But we had a voice and we had a choice
We were working and waiting for you

Chorus

No matter the name and no matter the age
No matter how you came to be
No matter the skin, we are all of us kin
We are all of us one family

Chorus

My favorite is the whole song but the part that hits me the most is "There are those who think families happen by chance, A mystery their whole life through, But we had a voice and we had a choice, We were working and waiting for you."

I don't know if I was any help but please feel free to e-mail me at ____@____.com if you have any other questions or anything I can help you with. Again Congratulations and I am so happy for you.

R.

Congratulations! It's a long haul and I don't envy anyone who goes through the adoption process. I'm very happy for you all.

I have friends who have adopted and within the adoption community, many parent's call the day that the adoption was final their "Gotcha day" or "Got ya day". I've heard that some adoptive parents celebrate their "Got ya day" like they would another birthday. So, sticking with the theme, you could call it a Gottcha Shower or something like that. Good luck, and congrats again. :)

Congratulations on your (finalized) new addition!

What if you did a tree theme for decorations (as in... we added a new branch to the family tree).

Hi M.,

How exciting! Congratulations & many Blessings!

Cake & ice cream are always good ideas no matter where you live.

A cook out is always nice. Depending on where you live.

It all really depends on how big you want to go and how much money you want to spend and how many poeple you are inviting.

J.

My friend has two adopted children and celebrate their Gotcha Days each year like a birthday. They just gather family and have cake and decorations and some presents. I like the name Gotcha Day too...very cute!

On my children's birthday each year my husband and I take them to a statue that is special to us and take their photo along side it...and each year we look at all of the photos and see how they've grown in comparison. That could be a nice tradition. I LOVE traditions!!!

Congratulations on your new little one!!!

I would love to help you out... i am trying to start a kids' party company (I actually listed it here on mamasource) and this is right up my alley to get going and see how it works. Can you share more about the process you went through so I can help streamline my ideas.... were you involved in the birth mother's pregnancy, is this your 1st child, did you get to name the child, what were the most memorable milestones for you during his 1st 6 months, etc. I'll throw some ideas your way and you can take it from there.

We call it "Forever Family Day"

I just went to one of these this past weekend! Which is why I took this long to respond. The things they did was:
They did a word search out of the child's first, middle and last name. Gave a prize for the most words found and the longest letter word. They made a lunch buffet style with hot dishes and cold fruit salads, make your own sandwiches and desserts.
Then they had the child open all of his gifts, like a birthday party, after we ate, and then had a cake besides! It was done very nicely!
The family did register at Toys R Us, and Target, & Wal-Mart.
Hope these ideas help a little.

I have many friends who have adopted, and their parties were "Forever Family day" and they celebrate that more than the child's actual birthday. "Gotcha day". They take a family picture every year on that day, and talk about how lucky they all were that the birth mother loved the child enough to give him to a family that take care of him and love him for the rest of his life.

Whatever you do, I am sure it will be wonderful! And CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Our daughter is adopted and I just LOVE a quote that is actually an ancient Chinese proverb. It goes: "An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break." You could have a red theme (balloons, plates, flowers, etc.) - Put the quote and a photo of your child on the invitations. You could even read "The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale" by Grace Lin at the party! It is a beautiful book and told and illustrated in a way that could pertain to a child of any race. Give everyone a "red thread" to wear (red yarn w/ a few red pony beads w/ a picture of your child adoption date, etc.) as their keepsake to take home. I go crazy with these things and could go on and on! Just an idea!

S. W