Starting with the current rumors....

The SDA is going to open May 1 or May 3 or May 8. All the dossiers (without problems) have been transferred and they will quickly issue appointments. The SDA wants to get rid of the backlog as quickly as possible.

A few families who registered in Feb to June 2005 are waiting for an appointment. Some of these families traveled to Ukraine and failed to find their child, so they are returned a second time.

It seems like the bulk of waiting families registered between July and Sept 2005.

I keep saying... more

Last night I watched the stars and was feeling sorry for myself....

Ukrainian adoption is mostly shutdown, except for the families who registered before Sept 2005 or want to adopt a child 10 years or older.

I want to adopt a second child and Ukraine doesn't seem to be an option. Natasha needs to be the oldest child.

Watching the stars always make me feel more peaceful. I am just a tiny speck in vast universe.

But I realized that in way, I am glad that my second... more

I adopted my daughter, Natasha, from Ukraine about 5 years ago. She is in a good place emotionally, physically and mentally. She is so ready to be an older sister. And I want to parent 2 children.

So I started exploring my option adoptions again last year. I wanted to adopt from Ukraine again. But then adoption was closed down in September 2005 to Americans unless they want to adopt a child 10 year or older, handicapped or a sibling of a previously adopted child.

Natasha needs to be the oldest child and will be 9 years of age in May. I want to... more

I listed the primary Ukrainian adoption email lists here.

There are some additional email lists (Christian, Expat, Older Children, State Based) that are Ukrainian adoption focused or of interest to families adopting from Ukraine here.

All the email lists below are for post adoption or if you are hosting a child.

ukrainepostadoptionsupport... more

I listed the primary Ukrainian adoption email lists here.

But there are many others. The email lists below focus on Ukrainian adoption or are of special interest to families adopting from Ukraine.

********************** CHRISTIAN **********************

If you are Christian and adopting from Ukraine you may want to join ukraine_christian_adoption. This is an... more

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

As I mentioned in Ukrainian Adoption Email Lists: Flame Wars email lists are good places to get support and experience a sense of community.

I was sooooooo excited when I got my 171-H, but my friends and family just didn't understand why I was so emotional over a piece of paper. My email friends "virtually" jumped up and down for me when I shared the news.

One of the largest (3,310 members) Ukrainian adoption email lists is Adoption_from_Ukraine.... more

Email lists and forums/boards can be great places to get information and support. But there are hot button topics. And flame wars have been known to break out over

independent vs agency to circumsize or not negative adoption experience

About 50% of Americans adopting from Ukraine use adoption agencies and 50% of families adopt without an adoption agency.

Sometimes I see an email on a Ukrainian adoption email list, that will imply... more

After I decided to adopt from Ukraine, I started looking for an adoption agency and ran into situations that made me uncomfortable. For example:

All the agencies refused to explain the "international fee". I wanted to know exactly what service I was paying for. One agency refused to tell me anything about their program until I paid their $100.00 application fee. One agency actually asked me for more information on the "Ukrainian adoption process". The agency has just started doing Ukrainian adoptions and were open to... more

Blog on why I accepted my daughter's referral is here.

Families' stories about accepting a referral for analytical reasons (Part 1) is here.

Families' stories about accepting a referral for emotional reasons (Part 2) is here.

As I mentioned in Part 2, I have some more stories to share on why families accepted the referral for their child. They are from my "Expectations vs Outcome... more