This richly photographed book is filled with the heartfelt and touching words of adopted children, adults who were adopted reflecting on their important life passages, and birth mothers speaking of their hard choices and their ultimate satisfaction regarding the homes their children found.

Adoptive families find themselves struggling with many emotional issues, such as a missing biological father and what that means, or what having an open adoption is like, or whether adopted kids really feel as though their adoptive parents are just borrowing them on some level, and this book can reassure that such problems are common and can be overcome with love and patience.

Featuring more than 225 simple activities to delight and stimulate children during their first year, this book includes numerous intriguing variations on games and notes on what babies will learn from each game.

Games vary from the tried-and-true – but perhaps forgotten – "Where Is Thumbkin?" for the first half year, to newer ideas such as using a powder puff with a silly rhyme when you change your 9- to 12-month-old’s diaper to teach body awareness or using a toy bear along with a "find-the-bear" rhyme to help your child learn spatial relationships. Any equipment needed is readily available and each game is fun and natural – no flash cards here!