I love reading. During my early teenager years I tried to collect every Nancy Drew book written. Even at that point this was a challenge. There were just so many books. I would go to garage sales and find books from the 1950s and 1960s.

So I was excited to see Nancy Drew was a movie. I was disappointed to see adoption used as a plot device.

I had to explain several things to my 10-year-old daughter Natasha. Natasha understands her adoption... more

I want your opinion. What topics do you want to read about?

Do you like my blogroll? Want to see it organized in a different manner?

I haven't mentioned anything about the summer hosting programs failing to get visas for the Ukrainian orphans. Want to hear my thoughts and suggestions?

I am single. Want to hear more about adopting as a single... more

Natasha had zero understanding of "play" when she came home from Ukraine at 3.5 years of age. She understood how to clean clothing in a bathtub, wash dishes and sweep a floor. But playing was a foreign idea.

Never in a million years did I think that I would have to teach my child to play. I don't remember reading and preparing for this.

At first I thought it was a skill that she could just pick up. It would just happen naturally as she grew developmentally. But it didn't happen that way.

I... more

Why did President Yushchenko veto bill 2562? I have translated a letter from Yushchenko to Parliament to help answer this question.

Quick disclaimer: I don't earn a living translating Ukrainian to English. I may have screwed up some of the words. I used machine translation to help me out. If you have a better translation please share it.

I freely admit that I took some liberties... more

First came Happy Day and then Happy Day 2... Now we have Super Happy Day. Ukrainian adoption law still hasn't changed.

Ukrainian President Yushchenko vetoed bill 2562. This bill would have made adoption by single men and women illegal. And would have restricted... more

I was pretty happy back on June 7. All signs pointed to bill 2562 NOT becoming law. Ukrainian adoption laws would stay the same. Single men and woman could adopt. +45 adoptive parents could adopt without restriction.

jpandersen correctly... more

Many of my fellow bloggers at adoptionblogs.com have posted book reviews recently. Unfortunately I just don't have the time to read them all.

I want to point out some books that are useful to anyone looking at Ukrainian adoption or culture. The books aren't listed in any particular order.

I know the book is specifically about AIDS in Africa.... 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

I am 99.9% sure this is the final answer. Ukraine isn't going to restrict older adoptive parents. And single women and single men adoption is still legal.

Bill 2562 was sent to Ukrainian President Yushchenko on May 29. This bill would put age restrictions on adoptive parents and make single "foreigner" adoption illegal. But he has stated that... more

Population Reference Bureau tracks population changes for countries around the world. Ukraine has one of the worst negative population growths in the world.

Right now Ukraine has 46.8 million people. 9 babies are born for every 1,000 people. And 17 people die for every 1,000 people. By 2050 it is projected that Ukraine will only have 33.4 million citizens.

The Ukrainian government is rightly worried. Losing 28% of your... more