How to Make an Adoption Scrapbook
Commemorating the journey you and your child took to adoption is a special project that will mean a lot to you both in years to come. Even if you adopted your child as an infant, an adoption scrapbook is still a treasure you can share with him when he grows up. Your child may deeply appreciate the opportunity to see pictures and mementos of the path you took to become a family. No matter where you are in the adoption process, you can start an adoption scrapbook today.
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Instructions
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Start taking pictures. You should be documenting everything having to do with the adoption. Photos of the exterior of the adoption agency, your caseworker, paperwork you filled out and even the birth mother make excellent material for your scrapbook.
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Decide what pictures you're going to use in your scrapbook. Lay them all out in front of you and pick the best of the bunch.
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Arrange your photos chronologically. When you make your scrapbook, it's best to start at the beginning of your child's life (or at the earliest point you met the child) and work your way forward in time. Your scrapbook should end at the moment the adoption became final.
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Select any mementos you'd like to include in the scrapbook. Any paper, lightweight or otherwise flat tokens are suitable for inclusion. You may want to consider such things as photocopies of the adoption papers or your child's birth certificate, drawings your child has made and letters from the adoption agency or birth mother.
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Buy a scrapbook with a cover that will appeal to both you and your child. Make sure the interior pages are archival-safe.
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Put your scrapbook pages together. Starting with your earliest photos and mementos, affix your chosen remembrances to the scrapbook pages using archival-safe glue or scrapbook tape. The layouts for each page are up to you, so be creative.
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Include a handwritten note on each page. Scrapbook pages typically have what are known as "journaling boxes" on them. These boxes are for you to write in captions on the mementos you've affixed to the pages. You'll need a scrapbook pen for this.
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Tips & Warnings
If it's allowed, take some photographs of your child's birth at the hospital. Make sure you ask the birth mother and the attending medical personnel for permission, however.
Use a digital camera for all of your photographs. This way, you can take more photos and choose the best ones when you make your scrapbook.
Print photos from your digital camera on glossy, photo-quality paper, using a laser printer for the sharpest appearance and highest durability.
Make the last photo in your scrapbook a picture of your new family together, just after the adoption becomes final.
