Citizens from many different countries adopt from Ukraine. All potential adoptive parents have been waiting for news for months and months.

The news from the US Embassy in Ukraine feels good. Families with registered dossiers will start getting appointments on September 1, 2006.

If I had a registered dossier, I would wait and adopt from Ukraine. The big question is should non-registered families wait to see what happens on January 1 2007? The SDA said they would accept new new dossiers for international adoption on that date.

I am going to wander around this question for a little bit...... Starting with who has been waiting to adopt from Ukraine? Who has the registered dossiers?

Based on the information provided by the SDA (390 out of 1,200 registered dossiers belong to Americans) here is my guess on who has the other dossiers.

• 390 of the registered dossiers belong to Americans.


• 360 of the dossiers belong to Italians.


• 180 of the dossiers belong to Spanish families.


• 50 of the dossier belong to French families.


• 220 of the dossiers belong to the Israeli, Irish, German, Swedish, Swiss, Canadian and Dutch families.

There are many well used phrases that I have seen over the years in relationship to Ukrainian adoption issues (director switched and changed polices, the medical list changed, etc..). I promise not to tell adoptive families the following:

• You just have to wait and see. It will get better.



• The waiting is hard but the result is worth it.



• Your child just isn't ready for you yet.

These phrases drove me batty while I was adopting. I didn't care to wait and see. I wanted to understand why an adoptive familiy traveled to Ukraine and didn't find a child to adopt. (That is for another blog.... But around 1% to 2% of adoptive families traveling to Ukraine don't find a child to adopt. I am not counting 2005 because it was a very strange year.)

I know that Ukrainian adoption has been very frustating for the last year or so. Many families are starting to update their dossier documentation for a 3 third time now. Documents expire 1 year after their creation date (except for the 171H which expires 18 months).

So should a family wait until January 1, 2007 to submit their dossier? Or should they find another adoption method?

Here are some of the unknowns.

Question: On January 1, 2007 will the SDA accept dossiers without restrictions?

Answer: Unknown

Question: Will the SDA allow Americans to adopt if all the post adoption reports aren't turned in?

Answer: Unknown

Positive items about the SDA:

• They seem better organized then the NAC.



• They have a plan of action.


• 
  They aren't changing the adoption process.



• They will process many more appointments then the NAC in 2005. They should average 75 appointments per week.



• Children are available and continue to fall off the registry and become available for international adoption. The SDA said there are 3,200 children under 5 years of age who are relatively healthy.

I plan for the worst and hope for the best. I would stick with Ukrainian adoption if I didn't have a registered dossier. But I would have a backup plan ready.



I will admit that I am biased toward Ukraine because of my darling daughter.

Honestly... if a family is emotionally torn to pieces over the yo-yo'ing of Ukrainian adoption and they don't have a registered dossier. I would suggest taking a break from the internet and adoption. Go on vacation or do something to clear your head. Get screened for depression. Exercise and enjoy life.

Then make a decision on sticking with Ukrainian adoption or switching countries.

Tomorrow... What does Minister Pavlenko mean when he said the SDA will promote domestic adoptions as a first priority?