It is unlikely that you will get receipts for all of your adoption expenses while traveling in Ukraine. I had difficulty in getting receipts for housing and driving services. And I never asked for expedite fees receipts.

Several Ukrainian service providers became worried or hostile when asked for a receipt. And yes there were times that I didn't get a receipt.

There seemed to be two different thoughts going on.... more

Prior to my adoption I read Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew (TAKWTAPK). I read blurbs about the book like:

voices of adopted children are poignant

I thought the book just plain sucked. You see I have relatives and friends who were adopted or fostered. Not one of them had ever expressed the thoughts in this book.

But I read the book again... more

The two most common challenges that families experience with post institutionalized children relate to sleep and food. I knew this prior to adopting my darling daughter. But I didn't realize sleep or the lack of sleep would be an issue for both of us.

Natasha came home with PTSD which severely interfered with her ability to sleep. I had always read that sleeping pills were addictive or ineffective for... more

I am not an lawyer nor have I played one on TV. The following blog is just my personal opinion. It is up to everyone to decide what they are ethically comfortable with.

From my Vocabulary Definitions blog:

bribe - You pay someone to act illegally.

expedite fee - You pay someone to work faster.

Let's travel back in time and... more

Over packing is a major issue for families on their Ukrainian adoption journey. I know hundreds of families who wish they had taken less. I don't know a single family who regrets packing lightly.

Prior to my adoption trip, I was provided with the following luggage test. Maybe you will find it useful. First borrow a crabby child. Hopefully the child is hungry and tired. If this fails then recuit a small child who will pretend to be crabby. Encourage them to whine and dart away from you. Now take... more

If anyone asks I can paint a wonderful picture about Ukrainian adoption. I will say that we all have amazing kids. We were meant to parent these kids. Our children's issues aren't that bad. They just have challenges to overcome.

The issues are manageable.

I would leave out my fear, anger and sadness. People want to hear happy stories. Stories full of pain aren't easy to listen to... aren't easy to understand.

Or maybe you catch me on a bad day. I can paint a negative picture about Ukrainian... more

When you adopt from Ukraine your home study must satisfy 3 government entities.

The best place to start is by understanding your state's law. Who can do a home study? How are they licensed or authorized?

I... more

While you are waiting... waiting for your appointment, waiting to submit your dossier, doing your research.

Here are some interesting ways to pass time.

1. Read adoptionblogs.com blogs. I am 1 of 36 bloggers. And sometimes the bloggers interact with each other. So you can follow a thought through them. For example weight loss and the one blogger who refused to believe her scales were correct. :) Or right now a few are talking about why adoption blogs can feel negative.

2.... more

So I have a new animal in the house. Or rather Natasha has a new responsibility named Teddi. He is the Teddy Bear Hamster pictured left.

As I said here, Natasha started campaigning for a rat about 6 months ago. At first I refused. I have never had a pet rat and just couldn't go there mentally.

I could have shut Natasha down on the subject. I could have told Natasha to stop talking about the pet rat on... more

I mentioned in Take Your Time blog that you need to take time and research options when selecting an adoption facilitator. I used David Bentley (formerly named David Dolinsky) as major example.

I was thinking about this and realize I had a little bit more to add.

I had already selected my facilitator by the time I met David.

And I will admit that I was taken in by him. I thought he was one of the good... more