Fetal Alcohol Syndrome affects 1 or 2 out of every 1000 births and it’s a completely preventable disorder. But, with the United States in one of the worst recessions in history, more and more people have been turning to drinking to ease depression. Experts recognize losing a job as one of the...

Russian tea cakes first appeared in Russia in the 18th century, as a pastry in a tea-sharing ceremony. By the 20th century, they were a part of wedding and Christmas traditions in the US…and now they are seen in bulk at Costco and in the  Betty Crocker recipe file. INGREDIENTS * 1 cup butter *...

Did you know that Christmas used to be banned in Russia? After the 1917 Revolution Christmas was banned. Not until 75 years later, in 1992, was Christmas allowed to be openly celebrated. However, most of Russia celebrated in private because of their religious beliefs. Christmas is rooted in the Russian...

If you have adopted from Russia then you surely know about Grandfather Frost, or Ded Maroz…the Russian version of the man in red. He comes decorated with traditional embroidering and edged with the same snow white fluffiness, the red cap, white mittens, and felt boots. He has the same snow white...

I have to admit that this is my absolute favorite adoption book on the market. Borya and the Burps: An Eastern European Adoption Story could have been drawn from pictures of the three of us the day we went to meet AJ for the very first time so it holds a special place in my heart . Borya and the Burps:...

Since adopting AJ we have been dealing with symptoms of Institutional Autism, something that the Autism community thinks is a quack theory but an illness and diagnosis that we know to be very real. We know that AJ had a very traumatic life in the orphanage but we don’t know why. Sometimes, we...

No matter what kind of visa your child enters the U.S. on (an IR-3 or an IR-4) he/she will benefit if you re-adopt them in your home state. Since the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 an IR-3 visa means that a child is automatically a U.S. citizen upon entrance to the country (so make sure you cheer as...

Recently there has been a lot of talk in the adoption community about prospective parents receiving referrals (or being matched with a child) that are “less than perfect.” Chafe at that term being applied to human beings? Me too. I think most of us who have adopted, particularly kids with some...

“Sometimes its not the child we carry that belongs to us but the child we have in our hearts.” One of the most difficult things to deal with regarding infertility is the fact that we can not bear/have our own children. I still deal with this on a regular basis and I will be the first to...

The first time I saw this I was so saddened that it was all I thought about all day. The images flooded my mind when I lay my head down to sleep. Some, It makes me think that AJ was one of the lucky ones to be placed in the orphanage. When you watch you will see that so many of the children are actually...