Before we adopted Little J, and maybe for a year or so afterwards, whenever I'd see an image on tv or elsewhere in the media about a baby being born I'd get all teary-eyed and weepy. Adopting Little J didn't cure it - I think I was still reacting to all the miscarriages I'd had.

Then a friend of mine had a baby. I reluctantly went to see him. I was worried that the emotions I'd experience holding a newborn would be too much for me. We'd already adopted Little J, but except for about the first two weeks we had him, essentially we had adopted a toddler. That was ok. That was what we wanted. But... more

Now, this is not a problem we have in our house...yet. Big J didn't have this issue, except for the adjustment period while we got him potty-trained at night, and Little J is still wearing pull-ups to bed. We have tried to start night-time training with Little J but it was FAR TOO EXCITING for him. Each time we've tried, he's run to the bathroom every five minutes, yelling down the stairs that he was doing so, and would not go to sleep. It's like we gave him permission to get out of bed. Every time we've tried this we've had to tell him that potty-training at night was over and he wasn't... more

Sometimes I find it really difficult to think about the topic of adoption from Russia practically every single day. Not that it's a negative thing - the adoption part. Quite the contrary! It's a joyous event and something I'm really proud to be a part of.

It's not the adoption part - it's the part where I think about where my son came from (an orphanage) and how there are hundreds of thousands of children still in Russia (not to mention the rest of the world) who need homes.

I just read this article... more

When we first went to meet little J, underneath his pink and yellow flowered overalls he was wearing a thick, aqua pair of girls size 7 tights. This on a little punkin weighing no more than 20 lbs. They were all bunched up around his crotch, probably causing him more trouble moving around than his diaper.

In practically every picture I've seen of children in Russian orphanages they are wearing tights. I am not exactly sure why, but I have some theories.

First theory: it's cold in Russia! Little J's orphanage was quite chilly inside, so the tights were probably giving... more

Well, I had absolutely nothing to worry about! Mrs. Clark's 1st grade class was a wonderful, intelligent, and receptive audience to my talk about how my book, When I Met You, came to be. Not only did they ask great questions and listened in all the right spots, they gave super, constructive feedback which will help me with future presentations. I had a great time!

What I was worried about: I'd have to talk a lot about what adoption actually was and why kids got adopted and why they couldn't stay with their 1st family. With this group,... more

Owlhaven, our Adoption from Ethiopia blogger, suggested that we post about something we experienced in our adoption journey that was "unphotographable." What immediately came to mind for me was Little J's orphanage. We were able to take some pictures, but overwhelmingly, it was the smell that was unphotographable. Actually, it's almost undescribable, but I'll try.

Imagine the smell of old, and of cold, and of disinfectant and cabbage soup and of dust, and underneath it all urine and feces and the tangy smell of anxiety. That was what... more

I've spent all morning getting ready for my very first author visit! Luckily, I have a familiar audience: Big J's 1st grade classroom where I volunteer every week. I'm counting on them to be forgiving but also to give me honest feedback. What was boring? What took too long? What was confusing?

I'm hoping to eventually earn money doing these visits. Next fall I will have a second book out, Mishka: An Adoption Tale, and it would be great if I could go around to schools talking about adoption and writing books and Russia.

So I've sat here, scanning and Powerpointing and freaking... more

This past weekend we went to Shakori Hills Music Festival and a very good time was had by all. We needed a break, even if we only went 10 miles up the road. Despite all my protests we even slept there two nights, although believe you me, we came home for a couple of hours mid-day to clean up and take a break from our mini-vacation!

The second morning we were there Little J and I got up really early and walked over to the coffee bar to get me some joe. Little J had slept pretty well, despite the fact that we had camped right next... more

When last we left the expectant couple, they'd just traveled by train from Moscow to the city of Voronezh, 250 kilometers south of Moscow. The train trip took all night, but apparently driving was out of the question (the state of the roads? the cost) and flying is quicker but for some reason discouraged by the coordinators.

We were met at the train station by Julia, our coordinator, and Sasha, our driver, then we were taken to the Hotel Don.

The Hotel Don is apparently where all the adopting Americans stay in Voronezh. Stepping inside is like stepping into a time warp.... more

There've been some happy stories about Russian adoption in the news as of late. It's about time!

The first one is about Natasha Smith. Adopted at age 10, she is now 19, and kicks serious butt as a baseball player.

"I thought kids never grew up," she said.

She didn't even understand the idea of parents until she had them.

"I thought all the kids lived together forever," she said.

When missionaries Carol and Harry Smith brought her to La Verne... more