Just a quick recap.... Ukrainian adoption is shut down as authority over adoption is transfered from the NAC (National Adoption Center) to the SDA (State Department on Adoption and Children's Rights). Both of these are Ukrainian government departments.

The NAC was in the Department of Education. The SDA is the in Department of Youth and Sports. All adoption processing is shut down from April 3 to May 1...... or May 3. I have seen a couple of different dates.

There is one exception to the shutdown. Anyone who started their adoption process (traveled to Ukraine... more

Ukraine's National Adoption Center (NAC) had its last day of operation on March 31, 2006. Adoption authority in Ukraine is moving to an new government department called, "State Department on Adoption and Children's Rights". At this point it looks like this new department may start process dossiers and scheduling appointments on May 3, 2006.

NAC employees are in the process of packing and moving. However it appears they are processing families who are already in the country and have accepted their referral.

Two families blogged today, April 3 2006, that the NAC... more

Here is current news from families who are in Ukraine now.

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Wade and Julia adopted 2 children in 2003. Then they returned and adopted 2 teenagers in 2005. And now they are returning for Katya (15 years old).

They met Katya in 2003 during their first adoption and tried to adopt her in 2005, but her paperwork was lost and had to be re-filed. Katya is from the same region that my daughter is... Kharkiv.

Wade and Julia had their NAC appointment today, March... more

I purchased a book titled The First Thousand Words in Russian to help me learn Russian in 2000. It is organized in an interesting manner. For example page 6 and 7 is a colorful picture of a kitchen. The picture is full of humor. Son number one has a pot on his head. Son number two just broke a dish. The trash can is overflowing. Dad seems to be washing dishes. One daughter is feeding bread to the dog. The cat is on the top of the cabinets knocking over a container. Mom can be seen... more

I love all of Todd Parr’s books. But It’s Okay to Be Different holds a special place in my heart.

My daughter (like all children) has special needs and one of her special needs was help with self-esteem. I find myself occasionally assessing her feelings of self-worth like you would check to see if there is enough gasoline in the car. I do this type of periodic assessment with her attachment too. And if there is an issue, we work together to fill her tank with cuddles or affirmations or role-playing.

Back to the book… I found it when I was looking for self-affirmation books to... more

One of the most readable book on Ukrainian history is by Anna Reid. It is called Borderland: A Journey Through the History of Ukraine.

While Ukraine has only been a country since 1991, there is a very rich and long history. It isn't a history book in a tradition sense. But it supplies context, stories and even jokes that explain the culture.

A quote:

UKRANINA is literally translated as 'on the edge' or 'borderland', and that is exactly what it is. Flat, fertile and fatally tempting to invaders. .......... Until the Soviet... more