Aaaaaggggggghhhhhhhh!

I am very sick of the Madonna thing. Very sick. And I'm sick that I'm even posting about it BUT the two places I go to "get away" from adoption issues on-line, Salon.com and one of my favorite blogs whose site I won't link to since it is full of swears and political thoughts that adoption.com won't like (but e-mail me at adoptrussiablog@adoptionmail.com if you'd like a link) both have comments on the old material girl and so I can't get away. I might have to actually get off the computer and read a book, I'm so annoyed by it all.

You are probably asking, Adrienne,... more

Yesterday I went over to my new friend N's house. She is my "international conversation partner" through the university and she is Russian . We have a good time together - I find her interesting and she gets to practice her English in a way that she doesn't get to do when she's at work. She has children, too, which gives us something in common.

For the first time we talked about her views of Russian adoption. Of course we've spoken of Little J's adoption before. It was the reason I requested a Russian conversation partner. She is very pro-adoption and she feels that the children in the orphanages are much better off with Americans (or with other foreigners) than if they stayed in the... more

Oh, poor Little J.

He has gnawed the entire nail off one finger and chewed the tip of his other finger. I've spoken to his ADHD doctor about it and she thinks his meds have exacerbated it...but the only thing she could really do is give him an additional med and she thinks he's too young for that.

Here's my first post on this problem.

I tried magnesium sulfate (by way of an Epsom Salt bath), as suggested by our Parenting... more

Looks like an important registration date has passed for NGO registration in Russia and it's impacted 33 adoption agencies as well as organizations like Doctors Without Borders (the Belgian office), Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.

Ouch.

Here's the article in the NY Times, if you want to read the whole thing for yourself. You have to register, though, so I'll give you the lowdown.

Basically, it sounds like these... more

Sigh.

Family Day is over, and only one drink was spilled inside my house - and that was by my older son, who in his excitement at being able to drink a soft drink forgot our rules about food and drinks in places other than the kitchen. Of course chocolate cake is now ground into the rug under my kitchen table, but what were we thinking, putting a rug under the kitchen table?

At last count there were 47 children here last night. I'm thinking probably 50 or so parents went with those kids, too. It was a very fun party but it went by so quickly! Funny how at parties at your house you never really get to talk to anyone. I need someone else to have a party so I can hang out with... more

Hey ya'll - I have a book coming out in about a year. It's called Mishka: An Adoption Tale, and it's about a teddy bear who's given as a gift to a little boy by his prospective adoptive parents. The bear stays with the boy while the parents have to return home, and he's there when they return as well.

My main character (the bear)'s name is Mo. Here he is on the way to Russia with his new people!

My very talented illustrator, Miranda Mueller drew him. Isn't he adorable?

I am very... more

This post was supposed to be about other Russian adoption blogs but I've made an executive decision: I will not spend the next 2 hours on the computer playing around reading blogs. I will post what I need to post and get on with it. Maybe later in the week I'll report on those blogs. Any suggestions for me?

Here's the deal: I have some deadlines coming up and I have about 8 real hours left in my week (and yes, I know it's only Tuesday but I have many commitments this week that will take me away from the one spot I need to be: in my desk chair) and I need to get on... more

Continued from part 1:

How to fix it, however? Here's what she suggests:

Think of him as an anxious and frightened baby who can’t self-soothe. Provide a consistent, predictable pattern to the day. Structure his activities, and make a special effort to help him organise himself using structure, lists, reminders and plenty of time for planning.

Help him to settle by limiting the time he spends at exciting, physical play and by getting him involved... more

Here's a link to an interesting article I found on the International Adoption Articles Directory: ADHD or Hyperarousal? Hyperactivity in Traumatized and Adopted Children, by Debbie Jeffrey, a counselor and mental health nurse, as well as an adoptive mother. In this article she argues that what parents might read as hyperactive behaviors could also be the behaviors of a traumatized child.

When we first brought our adopted... more

Oh. My. Word. The things that little boys say.

Tonight my husband and I were in Little J's room, waiting for him to finish going to the bathroom so we could tuck him into bed, and we overhear him talking to his brother, who was brushing his teeth.

Little J: "Hey, Big J. Smell this!"

Big J: "Eeeeeuuuuuuuw."

I didn't want to know...oh, the joys of being a mother of two boys!