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

In the two years that I have been writing this transracial adoption blog, I have written about many different aspects of transracial adoption.

I have written about international transracial adoption and domestic transracial adoption.

I have looked into ethical, medical and racial issues related to transracial adoption, as well as other big issues involved in adoption.

I have... more

To celebrate the end of 2007 on the transracial adoption blog, I am sharing my 12 favorite posts from the year. I have already shared posts 12 through nine in my countdown and posts eight through five, and now I am going to wrap it up by sharing posts four through one. :)

If you have a favorite post of mine from this past year that I didn't mention, please leave... more

Happy New Year's Eve everybody! To celebrate the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008, I am highlighting my favorite 12 posts from 2007 on this transracial adoption blog. I have chosen these posts for a variety of reasons, but mostly because they truly represent to me what transracial adoption is all about, and what I feel the most passionately about. I hope you enjoy the recap. :)

#8 - Walking... more

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and I thought it would be a fun way to wrap up the year on the transracial adoption blog by highlighting my twelve favorite posts from 2007. By the end of tomorrow, I will have written 514 posts on this blog this year. It takes a lot of time and a lot of work, but I learn a great deal and I really do enjoy it. I hope you do too.

Here are my posts numbers eight through twelve in my "Top 12" posts of 2007 countdown.

#12 - Large Transracial... more

I have already written about the I600A and I600 steps in the immigration process for an international adoption, and now I am going to write about a few other forms that can be required to obtain a visa for an internationally adopted child.

If your child is entering the United States on an IR4 visa, meaning that the adoption is either not final in the child's country, or that the adoption is final but both parents did not personally meet the child prior to... more

After writing my last post about the family who is separated due to struggles with their international adoption and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), I thought I would write some about the role that USCIS plays in international adoptions and what is involved and required of families in the United States who adopting internationally.

Please take this as general advice and information,... more

There is a popular saying that "No news is good news", and while I can definitely see how in many different situations that would certainly be a true statement, I can also say with confidence that most often when it comes to adoption, no news is definitely not good news.

When you have sent in your initial application to your homestudy and/or adoption agency and are waiting to get the paperwork you need to officially start your adoption process, no news is not good news.

When you have filed your I600A for an international adoption and have sent... more