Before I adopted my darling daugher from Ukraine and after I adopted, I found myself fascinated with why did a family accept a specific referral? It was something that a few families talked about in their journal but it seems to me it is a the central question.

Under the NAC from 1996 to March 2006, an adoptive parent traveled blind. They don't receive a referral until they arrived in Ukraine. No one knows if the new State Department on Adoption and Children's Rights will be handling this any differently starting in May 2006.

From... more

This is the first photo of my daughter Natasha. She was sick and in a hospital crib taking a nap. The orphanage lawyer had traveled with me and my translator from the orphanage to hear my answer. Would I accept the referral and adopt this child?

Would I adopt this squinty eyed (another word for crossed eyes), developmentally delayed, gray skin, drooling child? You cannot see in the photo but she was drooling on her pillow. *

I looked at this child and the only thought that I remember... "I can do this." There was no love-at-first-sight. I watched... 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

Part 1 is found here.

Ukraine is the same as the United States. When you have no job skills, finding a job and supporting yourself is difficult to impossible. So many teenagers turn to prostitution and crime to feed themselves. They are adults at 16 years of age with few options or support system.

My brief relationship with Luda is why I sponsor a young man named Andrey Tokarchuk for $40 per month... more

As I mentioned in my Kharkiv Air Pollution blog, I met my daughter, Natasha, in a hospital room that she shared with 4 other orphans. They were from 4 different orphanages. I visited Natasha and her roommates at the hospital for about 7 days. *

Luda was the oldest in the room at 16 years of age. Here is her picture. She was beautiful inside and outside. She mothered the 12 year old, 10 year old, 8 year old and 3 year old children in the hospital room.

For example, she always made sure... more

Photo: Ambulance parked at Green Forest Orphanage in Kharkiv

I met my daughter, Natasha, in an Ukrainian hospital in the winter of 2000. I was told that she had a cold.

The orphanage doctor didn't want the other children at the orphanage to get sick. So Natasha was transported to the hospital in an ambulance to isolate her. Natasha was 3.5 years of age at the time and she remembers this ambulance ride as fun.

I visited my daughter at the hospital. It was like most public buildings. The building manager struggled... more

This morning my daughter, Natasha, and I got up early so that we could visit the locally owned donut shop. It is a "hole in the wall".

The donuts are small and not too sweet. * The coffee and hot chocolate are hot. Sections of the current newspaper lay over all the tables. The owners and employees are always happy to see us. And everything is well worn, but comfortable. Last but not least it is inexpensive.

My darling daughter has Combined (Inattentive and Hyperactive) ADHD. And therefore she does her homework... 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

Here is the latest news..... It is what I expected. However it sounds like adoptions won't be processed between April 3 and May 3.

So any family who hasn't finished their adoption by April 3 may have to leave Ukraine and return in May. At least that is my opinion based on the translations below.

RUMOR ALERT: I did read on http://www.frua.org/chat_main.html that officials of the Ministry of Family, Youth, and Sports stated no adoptions will be processed during April.

I hope, I hope... more

We are still waiting for the Ukrainian final election results. Election was on Sunday. This election is for the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Some folks shorten it to Rada. By the way Rada is an Ukrainian word meaning council.

The election was reported as fair by the election monitoring groups (European Parliament members, Organization for Security and Cooperation, European Election... more