How do you know when it is right to adopt a child? I hear from a lot of people who are considering adopting a child, or who are considering adopting another child. When I talk about adoption or am asked about adoption out in the general public, lots of people comment that they have always "thought about" adopting.

Obviously there are many people out there who never go any further than thinking about adoption, and of course there are also many parents out there who do make the decision to move forward and adopt a child.

If you are in the "thinking about... more

As we impatiently wait out the next 18 days until our case is heard again in the Ethiopian courts and Solomon will hopefully, finally, officially become our son, I have been thinking a lot about disappointments in adoption.

These past few months have been emotionally challenging, but we know that Solomon will come home to us and the day will come when he is in my arms, getting smothered with kisses and hugs.

On New Year's Eve we went to a party with a bunch of people who will soon be relatives through marriage, most of whom we did not know prior to the party. Just a few moments after our arrival, one of the women pulled me aside and told me that her two sons were adopted domestically... more

I was thinking about the new year and the future of adoption, both domestic and international, and I came up with this wish list of things I would love to see happen in adoption in 2008.

I wish that:

- The Hague will be implemented without causing significant delays to U.S. citizens and others adopting internationally. I believe the principles behind the Hague are good, and I sincerely hope that they can be made a reality without causing children to wait longer to be... more

We did not get the news we were hoping for. As is so dang common in international adoption, we have hit a delay. A necessary piece of paper was missing from our file, and so our case could not be approved at the hearing. I do not really understand why the paper was not ready since our case was submitted forever ago (back on October 7), but it wasn't, and our case wasn't approved, and so we wait so more.

Our agency rep called this morning and said that the agency person in Ethiopia was going to go into the government office on Monday to try and obtain the letter and that if they are able to get the letter, they might be able to get the case approved that day and we may not have to another... more

As I often say, adoption is an emotional roller coaster for adoptive parents.

The highs are high, the lows are low and the turns and changes come fast and furious, sometimes without any warning.

Right now we are at the sickening, nauseating part of the ride, where you are hanging; waiting and waiting to reach the top of the climb.

Tonight I am having a hard time focusing on much, as I know in just a few short hours, our case will be heard in the Ethiopian... more

In all things adoption, this is a very stressful week.

First off, our court date is on this Friday, December 21. That means if all goes well, Solomon Tsega will officially be our son! It also means that if all does not go well, all of the excitement and anxiety that have been building up towards this day for almost a month now will crash and burn, and we will likely have to suffer through another two to four weeks of agonizing waiting before we make any progress.

Our agency has assured us that they have gone through our paperwork and Solomon's paperwork and that as far as they can tell everything is in order and is correct, although you just never know what the courts may... more

While many of the lessons that Josh and I have learned through our transracial adoptions have been lessons in parenting and in life, some have been more personal. For me, one of the biggest lessons I have learned (and am still learning) is that I have very little control over the process (and that I do not enjoy not having any control over such an important thing).

Adoptive parents do have control over certain aspects of the process. The agency and program that you choose, how quickly you get your paperwork done, how timely you pay your adoption expenses, what... more

Yesterday, December 12, the United States of America signed on to and become a full member of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The Hague will be put into affect as of April 1, 2008, and the U.S. will have to follow the Hague's guidelines and procedures with adoptions between the U.S. and other countries that are Hague members.

Those who are against the Hague worry that it will cause significant delays to international adoptions, which already often take a significant period of time. Some worry... more

Last week I wrote about some of the things that my kids miss out on because Josh and I have decided to have a large, transracial, adoptive family, and I also wrote about the things that I believe our kids have gained from being a part of a large, transracial, adoptive family.

While I have tried to grow some "thicker skin" over the years, one of the comments that still... more

Back at the beginning of National Adoption Month, I started thinking about and writing about what adoption is to me.

So far I have said that adoption is a business, expensive, hope, life changing, love, complicated,... more