International Ukrainian adoption has started up again as I mentioned in Ukrainian Adoption Happening: Sept 6 Appointment.

And Starbucks Loving Mommy has another interesting post about her adoption experience so far. She has her referral and is traveling by train to the Oblast.

RUMOR REMINDER: Remember... more

Picture: This is Methylphenidate which is a generic drug. Many people think of it as Ritalin but this is a brand name.

I am slow.. I just spotted this comment on my blog. And it made me think and do some research of my own. Interesting questions...

I adopted my son from Russia. He is now 5 1/2. He was diagnosed with ADHD last summer. We have been testing different meds and found one to be working well since Jan. I am also a special education teacher - I teach middle school students.... more

My darling daughter has ADHD and language based disabilities. It can take her twice as long as the "average" person to learn something new. And I wonder what her adulthood is going to be like. Will she be a happy and productive citizen?

I really wonder what I should focus on. Should I make Natasha practice her handwriting more? It is really awful. Or should we be drilling on spelling? Again it is awful. (Natasha... 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

This morning I had breakfast with my daughter at IHOP.

I blame the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) for this monthly breakfast ritual. My darling daughter, Natasha, take 2 pills for her ADHD every day.

These 2 pills are Schedule II drugs. It is a little confusing, but both pills are the same medication. She takes Concerta... more

This morning my daughter, Natasha, and I got up early so that we could visit the locally owned donut shop. It is a "hole in the wall".

The donuts are small and not too sweet. * The coffee and hot chocolate are hot. Sections of the current newspaper lay over all the tables. The owners and employees are always happy to see us. And everything is well worn, but comfortable. Last but not least it is inexpensive.

My darling daughter has Combined (Inattentive and Hyperactive) ADHD. And therefore she does her homework... more

Image: www.freeimages.co.uk

My daughter's last 3 years in school has taught me much. The most important lesson that I learned was to trust myself. If I believe something is wrong, then probably something is wrong.

I briefly wrote up my daughter's journey in part 1, part 2, part... more

So my darling daughter was 7.5 years old had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia... Now the adventure really began.

And Natasha wasn't actually diagnosed with dyslexia. She was too young according to the federal government's rules to have a learning disability. She was officially developmentally delayed.

Two weeks after my daughter's evaluation, I attended my daughter's IEP meeting. (This meeting must be held 30 days after parents are informed their child qualifies for special education.) Since I am single I took my mother with me as a witness.

The... more

Honesty time...... I didn’t want to medicate my baby with a controlled substance. So I didn’t push the doctor on the ADHD diagnosis, but after an unsuccessful kindergarten and first grade (unsuccessful because she still couldn't recognize 1/2 of the alphabet and she was struggling with focusing) I knew something was wrong.

But instead of listening to myself, I listened to others. Her first grade teachers suggested repeating first grade. I was told, "Sometimes children don't start reading until 8 years of age". I didn't have any better idea and the public school... more

Part 1 of this story is here. Just a quick note..... when Natasha's first kindergarten teacher told me that my daughter had ADHD, I discussed it with her pediatrician. An ADHD diagnosis (DSM-IV diagnostic criteria) wasn't quite met. And she had SID which sometimes looks like ADHD.

So my daughter spent her kindergarten year under stress and not learning very much..... other then she did not understand things that other children did.... more