Lifebooks

A lifebook tells a child's adoption story. An adoption lifebook records and documents a child's life before his or her adoption. Because children adopted internationally or from foster care are generally older, conventional baby books do not meet their needs.

A lifebook contains as much information about a child's early life as possible. If baby pictures are available, they are included. However, much more can be included in a lifebook - pictures of caregivers, memorabilia from the child's home country or state, photos and information about the child's birth family, and letters and cards from birth family and caregivers. The adoptive parents' process can also be included in a lifebook. You can include copies of important documents, a timeline of the adoption process, photos of the child's room, the answers to some of your home study questions, and how you felt when you received your child's referral.

A child adopted as a newborn can also benefit from a lifebook. The lifebook includes information about the adoption process (What We Did While We Waited) and the birth family (We've Added to Our Family Tree). The lifebook is the perfect place for any letters that your child's birth family may have written to him. Meant to Be can create pockets that leave these very personal items out of view, while still being accessible to those who know how to find them.

Conventional lifebooks are available, but they are generally "fill-in-the-blank" books. Those blanks may or may not be applicable to your family. Meant to Be will work with you to gather and present your personal photos, information, and memorabilia. Each lifebook is as unique as the child it describes.