:: With Birthmom Allison ::
About Allison: Allison is 22 years old, and currently lives in Colorado. 
She is the birthmom to four year old Mckell in a semi-open adoption. She also has been married to a wonderful man for almost 2 years. Allison is very active in the adoption world, because she believes in standing up for the rights of birthmoms. You can see the layouts of Allison's in every issue of FM Magazine.
Those who are familiar with the world of scrapbooking know that those involved in adoption scrapbook too. But they usually picture the a-mother scrapbooking pictures of her children. Because open adoption is such a foreign concept to many the fact that a birthmother scrapbooks photos of her child she placed seems strange. Hey, it’s just weird to them that we have photos of our children in the first place. Also many birthmothers don’t even think to scrapbook the photos they have. So because I have found it so therapeutic, I have wanted to share this hobby with as many birthmoms as possible.
How is it therapeutic? When I first saw a birthmother’s scrapbook I was very surprised. And I wondered if it was harder on her seeing pictures all the time of the son she placed. So I was a little skeptical. But then I got my first supplies when I met my daughter’s aparents, and I got excited about it. Well, after the placement I got my pictures from the hospital developed, and received my first pictures of my dear daughter after the placement. I sat down for four nights in a row and just scrapbooked. They weren’t the best pages I have ever done. But they carried the most love and sorrow in my heart. And you know what? After I was done every night I felt good. I found through the course of four years I live for scrapbooking her photos. I feel it is a great way to remember her and in a way be close to her. It creates a hobby for me, and something special to give her in the years to come.
So why scrapbook? Because, you sillies, it’s great fun!
Tips for Getting Started:
1. Get Organized, One of the keys to enjoyable, productive, and affordable scrapbooking is organization. There are so many “cute” and neat things in the store that overspending can happen quickly. Having your photos organized before you begin can give you an idea of what you will need before you hit the store. Plus organization can help you move along quickly with your pages.
2. Keep it Simple, this goes along with saving money. You don’t have to do elaborate pages with the most expensive embellishments. Sometimes a simple layout is more striking and brings more emphasis where you want it, your photos.
3. Don’t be Afraid to Borrow Ideas; Again there are many supplies in stores, and frankly it can be a little overwhelming. And this overwhelming feeling can stump you on layout ideas. We have something in the scrapbook world called “scraplifting”. This is when one takes an idea someone else has already done and uses it in their scrapbook. This is something that is encouraged if your “stumped”, or just starting out. I recommend surfing the web for layout ideas. Also scrapbooking magazines can have some really awesome ideas. Don’t worry because your personal touch will come through.
4. Start out Slow, don’t break the bank all at once. Don’t worry about getting all the latest and fancy tools you see in the store. Chances are you may find you don’t like one, or that some may not fit your scrapbooking style. In fact see if your local scrapbook store has tools available for you to try before you make a purchase.
5. Have fun, don’t make your scrapbooking about being the best. Just enjoy the time you are preserving precious memories of your dear one. Every one has a different style; one is not better then the other. So sit down, get something to drink, put in some music or a movie, and have fun.
What can I put in my adoption scrapbook?
Things that can be included are:
1. Pictures of yourself before pregnancy.
2. Sonogram pictures.
3. The "Dear Birthparent" letter from the adoptive couple.
4. If you have some, pictures of your first meeting with the adoptive parents.
5. Labor and hospital experience.
6. A page with the baby's hospital bracelet and if you have it a lock of baby's hair.
7. Possibly include your favorite adoption poem or song.
8. A picture of you as a baby with a picture of your child as a baby.
Sweet Treat
I made this page using Sandylion Halloween patterned paper, purple cardstock, and pearlescent black cardstock. The 3D embellishment are Jolee's By You, in the Halloween theme.
Sleep Sweet
This layout was done quickly and inexpensively. I use bordered paper and, put a cream colored mat for my photo, and added an acid free iron on lamb. This layout is great for a picture of your dear one sleeping. And it was done in less than five minutes.
I’m Never Alone
You don’t always need photographs to do a layout. Something like a birth certificate or a sonogram picture can be used. For this layout I made the pregnant silhouette by tracing an outline of a pregnant lady from an ad. Some scrapbook stores though do carry pregnancy die cuts. I then printed the poem on yellow vellum and mounted it using green eyelets. I chose Keeping Memories Alive meadow green ribbon Cutie Pie paper for the background.
