I started answering some of Jan's questions about ethical international adoptions yesterday. She wanted to know why families ignore warnings and take the risk of an unethical adoption?

Yesterday I wrote about the sometimes useless and general warnings that adoptive parents receive from the US State Department and US Embassy in Kyiv. Today... more

I am linked to Ukraine because that is where my first child was born. I would like to adopt a second child. And I have been exploring my adoption options.

My research has been going on for a while now. I have been looking at adoption from the US foster care system, US private adoption and international adoption.

I have been exploring... more

The picture on the right has nothing to do with this blog. I just liked it. My cat, Jenks, decided to throw himself away... curled up in a trash bag.

This is the same cat who attacked me because I smelled like a Hamster.

This blog contains a list of different phrases that you will run into with Ukrainian Adoption.

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Thinking about adopting from Ukraine? Me too... I have been thinking about adopting a second child from Ukraine for a while now.

I have always wanted to parent 2 children. I think the sibling relationship is important. But things got in the way.. finances, work, special needs that turned out to be more special the I realized.

I posted why I adopted from Ukraine in 2000. And it did involve analyzing ... more

I told another women thinking about adoption to take her time... do the research. For my first adoption, I researched about a year before deciding to adopt from Ukraine without an agency (indepedently).

There are few protections for adoptive families, which is why the best advise I can give to any family looking to adopt. Read, read and read some more.

For example Yunona in early 2006 had its California offices raided. Their... more

There is a single woman posting on Ukrainian email lists and forums.

She is asking all the questions that I asked back in 2000. And these are questions that I am asking in 2006. I would like to adopt a second child. I don't want my daughter Natasha to be an only child.

Question: How much time to complete an adoption?

Answer: In the past it was 1 year from start to finish. Now it is about 2 years.... 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

You have many choices.... In some ways there are too many choices and not enough protections for the adoptive parent.

The theme of this blog is take the time to do your research. It can save you a world of grief. Don't just read a web site and decide this agency or state-side help or facilitator is for you. Ask the agency/facilitator for references. Ask for references on different email lists. Ask for references... more

I am going to review some history in Ukrainian adoption as it relates to facilitators.

Cathy Harris runs a business out of Florida. She started helping with Ukrainian adoptions back in 1999.

She fills a role that is sometimes called "state-side" helper.

She clearly states that she isn't an agency or attorney. She charges a fee to provide advise and support on creating the dossier. She also provides an email list for support. And she hooks parents up with... more

If you are just starting out, you want to do some researching and thinking on the Ukrainian faciliator. You hire this individual directly (independent adoption) or indirectly (agency adoption).

This person can be a lawyer, translator, tour guide or Christian evangelical. Adoptions can be their main means of earning money. Or adoption could just be a sideline. Some facilitators only work with adoption agencies. Some only work with independent adoptors. They could live in the US, England, Ukraine or Russia.

If... more