Adoption announcements let everyone know that you have a new member in your family. Like birth announcements, they express your joy and excitement. Unlike birth announcements, adoption announcements can be sent at anytime during a child’s life. You may have a newborn or a teenager. Either way, it’s time to tell the world how much you love the new addition to your family.
Picture Perfect
Announcements are a timely place to introduce your friends and family to the new family member. A picture or series of pictures in the announcement shows off your new child to everyone. This is useful if your son or daughter has not yet met many of your loved ones. You can buy photo cards from picture-processing stores or adhere pictures to a notecard. A group of little pictures of your child help your recipients get to know his personality. Include a family picture or two so that loved ones can see how other siblings, pets and the parents are responding to the new addition. Picture announcements are also ideal for online or email announcements.
Let It All Out
Adoption is often a long process, full of highs and lows, expectations and disappointments. Share this intimate story in your card to express your gratitude and elation in this moment. You can write out the full story, in a chronological essay, much like a holiday letter. If you don’t wish to share each and every detail, write a short poem or prose, summarizing your emotional journey and everything you are feeling now. You can even share this story in pictures, such as photos of the verification letter, the location where you met your child, the first time you embraced her and her new home. Include a short narrative from any of her siblings or herself about the road you’e all taken to get here and the hopes for the future.
A Little Surprise
Sometimes it can all happen so fast. With forms to fill out, planes to catch and people to meet, you may discover that you have many friends and family who didn’t even know you received this new family member. Let the announcement act as a surprise to let them know. Buy or make a folded notecard. Leave the outside rather plain, with a generic greeting, such as “Just writing to say…” or “A little hello…” On the inside, you can break the news with a picture or written announcement such as “We have a new love” or “Our family has grown.” Family members will be delighted with the surprise. Be ready to share the story dozens of times as the phone starts ringing with exclamations of “I didn’t know!” and “I can’t believe it!”
Photo Credit
- enveloppes image by Gautier Willaume from Fotolia.com
