Natasha and I recently toured a food bank. I was amazed to find out that about 11% of the United States population are food insecure.

I delighted in Natasha's very developmentally appropriate behavior during the tour. Natasha is now 10 years old and came home from the orphanage 6.5 years ago.

Her longest lasting post-institutional... more

I love reading. During my early teenager years I tried to collect every Nancy Drew book written. Even at that point this was a challenge. There were just so many books. I would go to garage sales and find books from the 1950s and 1960s.

So I was excited to see Nancy Drew was a movie. I was disappointed to see adoption used as a plot device.

I had to explain several things to my 10-year-old daughter Natasha. Natasha understands her adoption... more

Natasha had zero understanding of "play" when she came home from Ukraine at 3.5 years of age. She understood how to clean clothing in a bathtub, wash dishes and sweep a floor. But playing was a foreign idea.

Never in a million years did I think that I would have to teach my child to play. I don't remember reading and preparing for this.

At first I thought it was a skill that she could just pick up. It would just happen naturally as she grew developmentally. But it didn't happen that way.

I... more

During Natasha's (adopted from Ukraine in December 2000 at 3.5 years of age) first year home I kept a journal. I started this writing because it felt like my days were filled with constant power struggles. The journal focused me on Natasha's positive developmental growth rather then negative behavior.

Last week I was re-reading the journal. I found a jewel of a story. So for Love Thursday here is my journal entry.

November 2001

Natasha and I played... more

Back in April I mentioned that Ukrainian Adoption Reunion Season had started. One of my favorite gatherings (that I still haven't managed to attend) is the Father's Day weekend at the Ukrainian resort (Soyuzivka) in upper state New York.

The majority of people who attend have adopted from Ukraine. But preadoptive parents are welcome too.

I know people who went last year and greatly enjoyed... more

I started listing some of the Ukrainian Adoption Reunion/Heritage events. And then I mentioned reasons why I attend these events.

Now I want to complete listing Ukrainian adoption reunions/heritage events. If you know of any others please post a comment or email me at adoptukraineblog@adoptionmail.com.

... more

I have received several comments about the phrase Ukrainian Adoption Reunion over the years. The quibble was that it couldn't be a reunion since you are meeting total strangers for a picnic.

Six years ago, I adopted my darling daughter Natasha from Ukraine. Natasha is almost 10 years old and was adopted at 3.5 years of age. I try to attend a reunion per year. While some of the other families are strangers to me, we share many common experiences.... more

The Ukrainian Adoption Reunion/Heritage Season has begun. Most of these events happen in the Summer months.

There are typically 3 goals with these types of events.

Normalize adoption for your child. Parents socialize and relax. They are good places to trade parenting tips or attachment stories. Many families will share their adoption photos and stories. Let preadoptive families mingle and hear adoption stories face-to-face.

They are organized... more

My darling daughter Natasha is a creative thinker. Last year her Grandma asked what type of present she wanted for her birthday.

Natasha quickly replied with a single word.

Tree

She wanted a tree to climb and play under. And we live in a newly built housing addition. There just aren't very many trees here.

Now Grandma is very used to Natasha's creative and unusual thoughts... And Grandma loves trees too. So she decided to get Natasha a birthday tree.... more

I learn something new every day.... I didn't realize that Love Thursday had a flickr group. Thanks for the information Jenna.

Love is letting the cat groom your hair and enjoying it.

Intelligence is knowing when to stop the grooming. Notice the position of Natasha's hand. Sometimes Jenks (the cat) will move from grooming to chewing. It is much easier... more