I didn't realize just how important a lifebook was until my daughter had one. And it amazes me just how frequently Natasha pulls it out. We call it The Book of Natasha.


It has pages on my adoption trip and her adoption. Pages on her eye surgery and preschool. I have a couple of more school pages and a BFF (best friend forever) page that I need to add it. Well... I need to complete them first.


I decided to just keep growing The Book of Natasha because it has been so loved. It has gone to school for show and tell. Natasha pulls it out during sleepovers to show the girls what an orphanage looks like.


And she sometimes uses it to prove that she (Natasha) is from Ukraine. My darling daughter is 9 years old and has run into this several times now. Kids will talk about where they are born. Natasha will say, "Ukraine". No one will believe her, which frustrates her. One kid told Natasha that she sounded American so she must be American.


I was slow at making it... Didn't get the adoption trip pages completed until I had been home about 9 months. And there are still a couple of pages that I want to add. But the main story is there in pictures and words.


So if you haven't started on your child's lifebook, today would be a good day to start. It is incredibly important. The pictures supply context to the adoption story.


I read a book by Beth O'Malley called LifeBooks : Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child. This helped me get moving. Besides explaining the value of a Lifebook, it has good examples and guidance on what should be in a Lifebook.


Beth also has a web site full of ideas on creating LifeBooks.


The AdoptionShop has an option where you supply the information and they create the lifebook.