In early December 2005, Ukraine reported that H5N1 was found in domesticated birds. And just yesterday the US Embassy in Ukraine emailed out a Warden Message on H5N1. It has turned up in wild birds this time in Kherson.

The WHO is very worried about cases of human illness (linked to H5N1) in Indonesia. It looks like human transmittion of the virus may be happening there.

Why you should care about this:

Influenza pandemics are recurring events. The world may be on the brink of another pandemic. All countries will be affected.... more

Continuing from part 1 and part 2.... Here is an old journal entry. I was looking back at the first 4 months home with Natasha.

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We practiced emotions in front of the mirror. OK, the reality is that we made faces at each other in the mirror and giggled. It was very educational and a fun way to develop Natasha's emotional palette.

I modeled behavior. I talked... more

Continuing from part 1.... Here is an old journal entry. I was looking back at the first 4 months home with Natasha.

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She had very poor language skills even in Russian. My translator had a very hard time understanding her. Part of the problem is that Natasha actually used a strange mish mosh of Ukrainian and Russian together.

And based on what I found out in her language screening (done after being home 6 months), Natasha... more

I found an old journal entry about my darling Natasha. She had been home for 1.5 years when I wrote the following. I was looking back at the first 4 months home.

The picture is Natasha standing front of some Azaleas. She had been home 4 months when this was taken.

Notice the position of her hands. When she is nervous she holds her hands. When she is stressed she chews on her fingertips/nails.

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The first 4 months were the worst emotionally for my darling daughter and me. She was 3.5 years old but developmentally... more

I started reading about Transdniester in April. Moldova, EU and Ukraine were certain that this rebellious area was smuggling. Now everyone knows what is being smuggled; Bush Legs.

Chicken legs imported from the United States are called Bush legs in Russia [Ukraine and most of Eastern Europe too], after George H.W. Bush, on whose watch Russia started importing chicken legs from the United States [in the 1990s].

From: Chicken... more

I last blogged about this heritage weekend in February. It is June 16 to June 18 and while it is sponsored by the Ukrainian National Association, people from the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington DC will be there. If you want a chance to ask questions face-to-face, this is a good opportunity.

If you are going, you need to reserve a room now. There is a wedding at the Soyuzivka Resort during that weekend too.

Here is an email from the... more

Many families struggle with finding photos for their child's LifeBook. They may have problems like:

they took a picture of their thumb rather than the orphanage their camera was stolen there aren't any photos of the child before 8 years of age they were enjoying watching their child and forgot to take a photo

I really wish that I had taken a picture of Natasha eating her first meal at McDonald's in Kharkiv. It was very entertaining. First she looked at it. Then she smelled it. Then she pulled... more

I didn't realize just how important a lifebook was until my daughter had one. And it amazes me just how frequently Natasha pulls it out. We call it The Book of Natasha.

It has pages on my adoption trip and her adoption. Pages on her eye surgery and preschool. I have a couple of more school pages and a BFF (best friend forever) page that I need to add it. Well... I need to complete them first.

I decided to just keep growing The Book of Natasha because it has been so loved. It has gone to school for show and tell.... more

I couldn't afford to pay for my darling daughter's occupational therapy for sensory integration disorder (SID). It wasn't covered by insurance, so I had to pay 100% out of my pocket.

Before I made an appointment for my daughter to be screened for SID, I asked to speak to the occupational therapist (OT). I explain my financial situation. I couldn’t pay the 100+ per hour for months. So we came up with a plan together. If... more

My darling daughter, Natasha, was adopted at 3.5 years of age from Kharkiv, Ukraine. And I immediately started telling her adoption story as part of her bedtime. The fact that she still spoke Russian/Ukrainian and didn't understand English didn't stop me. I was telling the story for me really... to practice it.

Natasha was developmentally delayed and I waited until she had been home 6 months before having her language skills evaluated. Families who adopt internationally have 2 options for language skills evaluations. No one seems to have an opinion on which... more