My darling daughter, Natasha, was adopted at 3.5 years of age from Kharkiv, Ukraine. And I immediately started telling her adoption story as part of her bedtime. The fact that she still spoke Russian/Ukrainian and didn't understand English didn't stop me. I was telling the story for me really... to practice it.

Natasha was developmentally delayed and I waited until she had been home 6 months before having her language skills evaluated. Families who adopt internationally have 2 options for language skills evaluations. No one seems to have an opinion on which... more

I recently served ant pancakes to my daughter and her friend. I really wish that I had taken a photo, but I was too busy cleaning up. In other words I wasn’t in the moment enjoying the strangeness of ant pancakes.

I was living in the future of

My daughter had GW her BFFFFFFF* sleep over. And the following morning I was serving a full breakfast with pancakes, eggs, bacon and toast. I served the food and forgot the syrup. So I went to the pantry and got the syrup bottle. I handed it... more

I found an old journal entry about my darling Natasha. She had been home for 5 months when I wrote the following. The pictures is from the same time frame. Natasha was trying to catch bubbles with her mouth. :)

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When Natasha first arrived in the United States she was 3.5 years old. She was 3 feet, 1 inch tall and 31 pounds.

Five months later she is 3 feet, 3 inches tall and 32 pounds. Her skin looks much healthier and she is very active. She is a joy.

She doesn't use many Russian or Ukrainian words anymore.... more

Before I get to the rumors, I want to review what we have been told via official channels about the SDA and Ukrainian adoptions starting again.

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

Resolution Number 367

March 25, 2006

..... within the period of one week, the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the Ministry of Family, Youth, and Sports, should develop a transition plan for the transfer of all paper and electronic data from the NAC to the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Children’s Rights

From: American... more

In part one I shared part of an old email. Natasha had been home for 13 months.

The picture above is from that timeframe. Natasha had a buzz haircut when I adopted her. Her hair had finally grown in. And then a few days before this picture, she found scissors and cut her bangs off.

This was the first tme she did it. She did it at least once a year. Somehow she managed to find scissors no matter how "out of reach" they were. But with her ADHD diagnoses and the medication,... more

I was reading old emails and found one about my darling and food. In this email, Natasha had been home for 13 months after being adopted from a specialized (think handicapped) Ukrainian orphanage. I had forgotten how she used to beg food off strangers.

The above picture is of Natasha in front of her "food cabinet".

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Natasha has food issues. She has been home for 13 months and still has some problems walking away from food. If we are at a restaurant she feels a strong urge to see what other people are eating.... more

Here is my orginal blog on this weekend.

If you are interested in going to a Heritage Weekend that is focused more on socializing and letting the kids play together, this would be a good event to attend. It is a laid back.... relaxed type of event. My daughter loves meeting and playing with other children who were adopted from Ukraine.

It is in central Wisconsin on Father's Day weekend.

You need to have a hotel reservation by March 31, 2006 to get the group rate. For reservations email info@dellspolynesian.com or call 1-800-272-5642 or 1-608-254-2883.... more

My daughter was a human ping-pong ball when she first came home. She bounced off the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. She was 3.5 years old and always touching, touching, touching. And she was always moving. Her attention span was about 1 second. It was extremely easy to over stimulate her. Common activities like shopping for food or taking a walk in the park were big challenges for me because she was always on the move. At this point I totally understood why parents put leashes on their children.

Then I discovered the calming influence of bathing. Natasha could be... more

I have an email friend who gave me permission to share her story about adopting an older child from Ukraine. She went to Ukraine to adopt a child over 10 years of age.

Friday, Feb 24, 2006

There were several couples in NAC on Thursday. Today (Friday) we went to pick up the referral (at 12 instead of 3) and it was a ghost town. [Translator] says the director is "on vacation".

My friend and her husband received a referral for a 13 year old "gentlemen". They traveled on Sunday so they could visit the orphanage on Monday.

Wednesday,... more

The National Adoption Center (the primary adoption authority in Ukraine since 1996) loses authority over adoption on April 30, 2006 to the new State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC). These are both Ukrainian government departments. Ukraine adoption is centralized and 100% controlled by the government.

Good-bye Scooby-Do hallway in the National Adoption Center (pictured above).........

Translation for anyone who doesn't watch Scooby-Do cartoons. A group of 4 kids (young adults) and a dog named Scooby-Do try to solve mysteries.... more