So what if you are adopting your child from another state? Previous blogs have talked about how your visits and placement will go, but when interstate adoption is involved, things will progress differently.

Before you schedule a visit with your child, be sure to clarify whether this a pre-placement visit, or if this is simply to see if this a potential match. You do not want to go thinking that this child is going to be placed with you, only to find out that you are one of several families being considered.

You... more

Still writing about my birthday for a moment or two longer, and wanted to add that thanks to Sam and Cj I am now able to jettison fifty-some years of unwrapping caution that was drilled into me by my mother. Ever the frugal and practical woman, in her world wrapping paper is not some disposable frippery meant for magical moments of mad mayhem in frenzied ripping. No way! It's a durable, reusable product meant to last for years, so to be handled not with kid hands, but with kid gloves.

Granted, shrinkage... more

So, I'm now fifty-six-years old, and although it is still my birthday in California where I was born, it's all over but the wrinkling here in Seychelles.

I had a pleasant enough day, although it was little like the imagined happenings that came with the numerous ... and very welcome -- thanks to all who conveyed lovely greetings! ... birthday wishes that came my way. Those all assumed that the kids and I would be passing the day beach-side, basking in the sun, lolling in the sea, and generally doing all the stuff... more

If you need to apply for a new passport or even apply for a renewal on an expired passport, please be sure to do so as far in advance of your anticipated travel date as possible. The United States is still facing a backlog of passport applications that has caused serious delays that are affecting many would be travelers.

New rules were implemented in January that required passports from travelers coming into the US from countries that did not require passports before the new rules. This caused a large scramble for passports, thus causing... more

After seeing several posts on forums inquiring about what to take on the pick up trip, I’ve compiled a list that may be helpful. If anyone would like to make additional suggestions, please add them in the comments section.

For You:

1. First and foremost, get all your paperwork organized in a binder, preferably in page protectors so it will be easy to find each page. Put everything you need in this binder and guard it with your life. 2. Pack a camera along with extra batteries or chargers. The electricity there is the same as here.... more

This week I have been writing about adoption medicine and common health issues in internationally adopted children. Today I am going to conclude this mini-series with some thoughts on adoption and health.

While many parents worry about the health of the child they may adopt, especially when it is an international adoption, it is important to know that most children come home to their new parents with only minor ailments, such as the things I have... more

In reference to yesterday's post, I promised to bring you some snip-its of how others were affected by the subject and the wording of the quote itself. I made a post on my personal adoption blog that included the quote and prompted readers, no matter their triad title, to tell me how it made them feel and if they had been faced with a conversation of similar substance. People got talking. And I got to listening.

It didn't surprise me that birth... more

In planning to go to Ethiopia, I have been trying to decide what might be the best way to carry our 28 pound 2 year old. She can walk, but in strange situations she insists on being carried, and does not have the stamina for walking long distances. In Addis the roads are rough (and often muddy)making a stroller an impractical option, except maybe for wheeling around in a hotel.

Over my years of parenting I have tried a variety of carriers. In the next two posts, I'll be giving you my impressions of the NoJo sling, the Snugli frame-style backpack, the Hug A Bub, the Hip Hammock, and the Ergo. All of these are decent carriers with plenty of good points. I'll try to explain what I... more

In my last few posts I have been writing about recommended health screenings for newly internationally adopted children, and about the "yucky side" of adopting a new child internationally. I have given some general information on some of the most common creepy crawlies that new adoptive parents often have to deal with. As I have written, lice, scabies and ringworm are all fairly commonly found in newly arrived international... more

The big news with the adoption label today has to be about the New York woman arrested in Florida for multiple child abuse charges.

According to the now more than 96 news articles ... and counting, as I'm sure by tomorrow the hundred mark will be left in the dust ... chasing the story within the past few hours, Judith Leekin adopted 11 children in New York City between 1993 and 1996 from the foster care system, using four different agencies, a slew of different identities and hefty bags full of lies and slime.

At the time of the arrest, five teenagers... more