Interfamily adoptions, which are more commonly known as relative adoptions, are defined as an adoption which results in the placement of a child for adoption with a relative. It could be your sister or maybe your parents or an aunt or an uncle. Like any other adoption relationship, your relative would become the legal parents of your child but you might see your child at family reunions, Christmas gatherings, get togethers, etc.

Just as with any other adoption, it’s a huge decision and perhaps one that you may already thinking of, so I... more

My beautiful cousin in law, Jenn sent this to me this weekend. It was so touching and so beautifully told, I thought that you guys might like to check out the story and the site Storypeople.

After reading the story, there are places for people to comment so be sure to read those as well. You can spend quite a bit of time browsing the site and getting... more

I've been reading with great interest posts by my fellow blogger, Angela, on the Ukraine Adoption Blog. She is currently talking about ADHD, its causes and the likelihood of occurence in adoptive children.

Adrienne, over on the Russia Adoption Blog has also covered this subject, specifically how malnutrition may increase the likelihood of ADHD.

Well, I just had to chime in. Current professional wisdom is that ADHD has both genetic and environmental components at the root of its "cause".

The other... more

So, on the heels of my celebrating my abecedarian status in the Chinese kitchen, a friend sends me this thing. I'm honestly not sure if this discovery from the Internet Journal of Toxicology is more admirable than it is disturbing.

The title sort of says it all:

Alexander... more

Five years ago tonight, I received the most life-altering phone call of my lifetime. That call was from a stranger named Sara. Just as I walked in the back door after work, my husband shoved the phone in my hand and said, "It's for you." I can't tell you why, but, there was an immediate sense of foreboding as I took the phone. From the moment he handed me the phone, I felt an uneasy sense of something out of the ordinary.

The phone call was from a social worker at the agency that handled my son's adoption - nearly 32 years earlier. Sara was a soft-spoken woman with a gentle... more

13 If you are an adoptee and do not know how long your natural mother kept you, try contacting the primary newspapers in your town of birth to try to get your birth notice. Often, if it was known the natural mother intended to relinquish a child the hospital would not give the birth info to the newspapers -- some actually would stamp "DNP" on the records (Do Not Publish) so no mistake would be made. HOWEVER, if no decision had been made at the time of your birth it is possible it made it to the paper. A long shot, but worth a phone call... more

I don't know about the rest of you but here in central NC it is ridiculously hot. So hot. Too hot even to swim. We are just staying inside in the nice air conditioning. Dog days of summer are coming up quick.

I found some cooler-temperature Russian recipes to try on days like these. In weather like this I don't like to cook. Freezing stuff or chopping stuff I can handle.

I found a bunch of recipes for cold borscht and another cold soup called okroshka, which involves boiled eggs, potatoes, and beef, all cold, as well as a recipe for holodets,... more

Featured on the "Oprah" Show on August 31, 2006. Bill Gates and his Wife spoke of their fear for our Nations Educational Systems.

They appeared on Oprah to call national attention to the low level of education that American children are receiving. They highlighted the conditions of inner city schools verses suburban schools.

A bill has been passed to up date our school systems in the next 10 years for over a trillion dollars in educational improvements. From construction to new computer systems. While this is a very good idea.... more

The Addis Ababa Fistula hospital is a miracle-working place for many hurting women in Ethiopia. It was founded in 1974 by two Australian obstetrician-gynecologists, Drs. Reginald and Catherine Hamlin. Today, the hospital provides free fistula repair surgery to approximately 1,200 women every year and cares for 35 long-term patients.

The Fistula Hospital has restored the lives and hopes of more than 25,000 women who would have otherwise died or suffered lifelong complications from childbirth injuries. Fistula Hospital has developed... more

13 If adopted, find out if your hospital had birth journals -- small handwritten books of births, often called ob/gyn logs. You can try the records dept, archives dept, or the birth registrar's office, division of medical records. Wherever you go, try not to say the word "adoption" but try "genealogical research". Keep in mind that hospitals are not required to keep your actual records forever. 14 Natural mothers should contact the hospital and doctor and billing departments of hospitals to get their records. Who knows what... more