Once Upon a Time

A couple of weeks ago I bought a book from an LDS bookstore. The book is called, "Once Upon a Time, an Adoption Story". It is written by Ashley Hansen Bigler with Illustrations by Amy Hintze. It is a great book! Katie LOVES it! And I mean LOVES it! She has us read it to her before her nap and bedtime. In fact she has already memorized a lot of it.

Here is the book:

Mommy, tell me a story.
     Sure, what do you want the story to be about tonight?

ME!
     Okay. Once upon a time, Mommy and Daddy fell in love and got married. We couldn't wait to have a    baby and start a family.

Is that when I was born?
     Not yet. Mommy wasn't able to make a baby in her tummy, and we were very sad. We just knew you were in Heaven waiting for us.

So what did you do?
     We prayed every night asking God to help us find a way to bring you home.
Then what happened?

     Well, while we were praying for you, there was a young woman who was going to have a baby, and she       was praying to find out what to do. She loved her baby very much, but she wanted her baby to have more than she was able to give her.
That baby was me, wasn't it?

     Yes, and the young woman is your birth mother. Although she loved you very much and she knew it would be hard, she felt in her heart that you belonged to someone else. She decided it was time to find your forever family.

Did you know my birth mother?
     No, she lived very far away.
So how did she find you?

     Mommy and Daddy made a scrapbook that had stories and pictures in it about our family. We gave that to an adoption agency. That's a place that helps bring families together. The same agency was trying to help your birth mother find a family for her baby. They sent her lots of scrapbooks to look at. One of them was ours.

How did she know to pick you?
     She said she knew as soon as she opened our book that we were your forever family. The Holy Ghost gave her a peaceful feeling inside as an answer to her prayers. She couldn't wait to call and tell us that our baby was on the way.

Did you get to meet my birth mother?
     Yes, that was a wonderful day. I loved her from the moment I met her. She was so beautiful, and I could tell she loved you very much. I was even able to feel you move in her tummy. I couldn't believe how much I loved you without even seeing you.

What happen next?
     We had to wait, and wait, and wait. I kept busy by getting your bedroom ready. I was in there every day looking at your crib and wishing you were home.

Tell me about the day I was born.
     That was the best day of all. You were the most beautiful baby. When I held you for the first time, it felt like I had known you forever. I never wanted to let you go, but I knew I had to share you with Daddy. You had him wrapped around your little finger from that very first day. Oh, how we loved you.

Mom, in the morning, will you help me make a scrapbook?
     Sure, but what do you need a scrapbook for?

To give to the adoption agency, so they can help me find my new brother or sister!


Isn't that the sweetest book! When we read the book to Katie she will say all the little girl parts. It is the cutest thing ever. I love it when she yells, ME! (from the first part of the book)

Katie has never taken to a book like she has to this book. When we gave it to her we told her it was her special book about adoption. (She now calls it her special adoption book.) We believe that because we have used adoption language around her since she was a newborn she gets that this story is special because it is like her story. Plus reading her this book daily gives us a great opportunity to talk more about her adoption and her birth mum Kirsty. We also get a daily reminder about how special that time was!

I highly recommend this book if you have a child that is adopted!

(If you have a great adoption book that you read to your kids please share!)