After writing my last post about the family who is separated due to struggles with their international adoption and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), I thought I would write some about the role that USCIS plays in international adoptions and what is involved and required of families in the United States who adopting internationally.

Please take this as general advice and information,... more

As there are only a few days left in 2007, I have been reflecting back over the past year and all the things that have happened in my life that personally relate to adoption. It hasn’t been a terrible year but it hasn’t been the best either.

The biggest thing that happened adoption related in my life was that Charlie’s Mom and Dad separated in January, although I didn’t mention it publicly until September. One of my reasons for making an adoption plan in the first place was because I already had... more

Awhile back a mom was agonizing over her decision to return to work when her newly arrived 6 month old had been home just 4 weeks. Would her baby be able to attach to her in just 4 weeks? How would her absence 8 hours a day affect him?

I think she is smart to be asking these questions. Babies who have been home only four weeks are highly unlikely to have already formed a secure attachment to their parents. They may be beginning to get attached. But a primary caregiver's return to full-time work at this point is likely to seriously slow the attachment process.

I know that some women... more

I took the eight children that still live at home to the movie theater tonight to see The Water Horse movie. It kept their attention riveted to the screen even though there wasn’t any blood, guts, sex, nor did I hear any swearing. In fact, I only had to leave my seat twice, each time to take a different child to the bathroom. The rest of the children never left their seats and they were quiet even the one year old. It is truly a kid friendly movie.

The movie is based on the stories of the Loch Ness Monster. While the scenario is imaginary, it is not a cartoon or... more

In the process of getting caught up in her history workbooks, our 10 year old decided to lag behind in her computer assigned history and science. Apparently, she thought I wouldn’t notice. However, if she considers the last three years of school then she would realize that I would notice, and that I would care. She is a very bright girl so I am not exactly sure why she keeps making these choices, unless it is passive aggressive behavior. I asked her to work on catching up her computer schoolwork while I was delivering mail so that I could have my computer when I got... more

There is a popular saying that "No news is good news", and while I can definitely see how in many different situations that would certainly be a true statement, I can also say with confidence that most often when it comes to adoption, no news is definitely not good news.

When you have sent in your initial application to your homestudy and/or adoption agency and are waiting to get the paperwork you need to officially start your adoption process, no news is not good news.

When you have filed your I600A for an international adoption and have sent... more

Back on November 6 of this year, Michelle Ransavage traveled to China and was united with her new daughter, a two year-old with special needs that Michelle and her husband, Andrew, named Mia.

The couple, whose adoption is being handled by Children's Home Society and Family Services, had completed numerous background checks and screenings for their homestudy, their USCIS approval and for their adoption agency. Everything came back fine and the couple proceeded on their adoption journey to Mia.

With the length of time that many adoptions from China are now taking, many adoptive parents are having to have their fingerprints for... more

Tuesday, December 4 was Gotcha Day for Chris, Danica and their new twin daughters, adopted in Perm. It was a long time between trip one and trip two, but the girls were home in time to celebrate Christmas. As new parents, Chris and Danica may not have much free time to blog about their adoption journey any more, but you can read all about how they got to their happy conclusion here. Congratulations!

One funny note about how small the world of Russian adoptions can... more

Biological siblings have the benefit of the same gene pool, genetic wiring, yada, yada, yada. Even adopted sibs can create a bond through artificial twinning in the sense that they are, generally speaking, going through the same developmental and cognitive milestones at the same time. But how do you explain a brother and sister who are not related biologically, and are not close in age, but yet can read each so well that they know each other better than they know themselves?

Let... more

2007 is about to be history. 2008 is eagerly waiting to pounce upon us, forcing us to face another year of our lives whether we're ready or not! With the big holidays behind us, I'm sure there are many of us who would like to take a rest. In fact, a long nap sounds heavenly to me! For those that maybe missed a visit during the holidays due to the fact that we all have increasingly busy schedules, maybe you could consider making a tradition out of New Year's Eve festivities!

Here are some ideas.

1. Plan a party. Nothing is more fun for young... more