OK, we've played amateur directors to cast the lead of a new movie version of Anna Karenina. Now comes the hard part: Vronsky.

Why so hard, you ask? Hollywood must be brimming with young men who could fill the role of the dashing young army officer and Don Juan.

Maybe it's just me (as I've said, I don’t get out to see many movies that are not G-rated) but I don’t see a lot of choices. Remember, my starting point for Anna, in the initial... more

Over on the Hoping to Adopt Blog, Faith wrote about adopting a sibling, and how kids can react to the idea of bringing another child into the family.

Sam was all of two-and-a-half when we brought Cj home, too young to form opinions on issues as big and life-altering as becoming a big brother some might think, but he was thrilled to bits and had been all through our waiting process. With every... more

“Regret is insight that comes a day too late.” ~ Unknown

I think the question I probably get asked the most from both birthmothers and pregnant women considering adoption alike has to be “Do you regret your decision to place your baby for adoption?” On the surface, one might think that question would have a simple yes or no answer. But oh boy, that’s a loaded question with a very complicated answer.

The way I look at it is that I made the best possible decision with the information I had at the time... more

How many international adoptive parents have certain proof that their children were not stolen from their beds in the middle of the night by criminals intent on making a few bucks out of selling them on to the nearest broker?

With adoptions of Cambodian kids by Americans essentially coming to a screeching halt in December of 2001, most were completed before allegations of corruption appeared on potential... more

In case you don’t know what Don Pablo’s is or you are not lucky enough to have one in your area, let me enlighten you.

Don Pablo’s is a “Tex-Mex” restaurant well known for its blazing purple neon sign, killer margaritas, and real enchiladas. I worked at the local Don Pablo’s before, during, and after my pregnancy with Charlie.

As cheesy as it may sound, Don Pablo’s will always hold a special place in my heart. Don Pablo’s is where I met Charlie’s adoptive parents, S and A.

S and A were regular customers often coming in to each lunch on their... more

I find it humorous that Ukraine's Parliament has a poll on their front page. The poll started on April 22, 2004 and has never closed. The poll question is, "Are Verkhovna Rada's activities open (transparent)?"

87% of the votes are "no" or "not at all". I translated the Ukrainian to English with the help of the Babylon application.

Can you image the US... more

Watching my son last week with his new siblings has encouraged me to read up on the sibling relationship. As an only child myself, I don’t “get” the sibling things my husband and his brother share.

The visit last week, though wildly successful, also pinpointed some areas that we can be working on with our biological child before his new brother and sister arrive. Nothing major, but our son naturally fell into the “Big Brother” role, complete with the occasional very bossy tone of voice (and about very minor things, at that). Though we spoke to him when these “infractions” occurred, we also realized that clearly this was a pretty major transition for our heretofore only child!

I... more

Having both a Mom and a Dad seems pretty important in a child’s life, doesn’t it? I thought so and still think so.

But should it be a sole reason for placing a child for adoption? I don’t think so. It was a large part of my reasoning in placing Charlie. I had split from Noah’s dad and already felt guilty enough knowing one child was going to be raised in a "broken home." I began to think that I really might not have been capable of parenting two children alone.

Today, almost six years later, I know I would have been capable. But for me personally,... more

For children that have been abused and in foster care, bath time can become a nightmare for a foster parent. The bathroom has been the place of the abuse that some foster children have lived through.

In the eyes of a foster child that has suffered abuse in the bathroom, it is no longer a safe place for a child to take a bath or go to the restroom. This can be a challenge that a foster parent face rather quickly. I have seen children that were afraid of what might happen in the bathroom to the children that would go berserk in there. We probably cannot even begin to imagine what some of these children suffered in there own bathrooms.

I have tried different things to help... more

When I entered “adoptive family” into the google search engines today (just looking for blog matter again) I pulled up the interesting, abbreviated, life story of one Mr. Ronald Stanley Hedrington.

Mr. Hedrington passed on the 29th of May, at the age of 54, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. My condolences go out to his family and friends. It appears he led a very full, and interesting life and... more