Russia continued to come out of its winter holiday slumber this week, but unfortunately not with more accreditations.

On Friday, Russia signed a multibillion-dollar deal with Serbia to make the Balkan nation a key transit point for the natural gas pipeline that Russia is building to supply Europe. In addition, Gazprom announced that it is taking a controlling stake in Serbia's government-owned oil company. According to the Associated Press, the Russian government-controlled... more

We passed a bit of a milestone the other day: It's been six months since my little guy has had an episode of night terrors.

Once every two to three weeks or so after coming home to America, he would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and shaking. He wasn't really awake, though he would get up out of bed and race for my room--or even down the stairs. When I got to him, his heart would be racing and his eyes would be wide open but not focusing on anything. And even if my Russian or his English had been better, I got the sense that there wasn't anything... more

I have two cautionary tales to bring to your attention today. They don't involve Russia, but they reflect attitudes toward inter-country adoption that could have reverberations there. And if nothing else, I hope you will take away from these stories some common sense steps to take in your own adoption journey.

The first involves a family who posted to their blog a picture of the child they had been referred--before their court date. The authorities in this country found out--the Internet is a global phenomenon, folks--and canceled the adoption.

Could... more

There is perhaps no undertaking that begins with as much hope as an adoption. It's a strong, positive emotion and that can be a good thing since getting through an adoption can sap mental and physical reserves.

Most of the time, the hope we place in the adoption process is richly rewarded. Mine comes from the joy my two Russian-born kids bring to me, even on the days when they are enacting World War III in the living room. But sometimes there is no fairytale ending. Sometimes, an adoption becomes the nightmare described in a Chicago Tribune story... more

It's a safe bet that any American who was working on an adoption in Russia in 2005 knows the name Peggy Hilt. On July 1, 2005, she beat a two-year-old girl that she and her husband had adopted from Russia so severely that the child died the next day. Peggy Hilt was sentenced to 19 years for second-degree murder.

Her story, and that of Nina, the child she murdered, is back in the news now because of a profile in the Dec. 17 issue of Newsweek magazine, "When Adoption Goes Wrong".

Hilt isn't looking... more

From time to time since I took over this blog in January, I have seen stories around the Internet of families who found, and adopted, the biological siblings of the first children they adopted from Russia. You might remember that, back in May, I alerted you to a re-broadcast of the Dateline NBC piece about Lisa and Hythem Salem. The couple adopted two Russian siblings, only to discover that there were four more siblings still back in Russia. They went back and brought all four back... more

If you live or work in New York City and you want to get involved in a new philanthropic effort for Russia's orphans, head to the Times Square area today or Saturday.

St. Malachy's Church/Actors' Chapel Square is hosting a two-day exhibition and sale of art work created by orphans in Saratov. The church is located at 239 W. 49th, which is between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. The exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. There will be a piano concert from... more

This is the hardest time of the year for me to accept that my little guy is color blind.

Thanks to some sharp-eyed observations from one of his teachers, I suspected pretty soon after he came home from Sakhalin Island in October 2005 that he wasn't seeing colors the way the rest of us did. He was overtly fond of yellow--had to have yellow sneakers, yellow boots, a yellow Polartec--but lots of little kids love yellow. Subsequent testing by the two most fabulous pediatric ophthalmologists on the planet has confirmed that he is red-green color blind, the form of color blindness... more

I am famously clueless about soap operas. When I went to college, I had so little understanding of their stars that, when I heard the girls in my dorms talking about "Nancy", "Kimberly" and "Jennifer", I thought they were talking about members of their families. I can remember telling my parents what terrible lives and families these girls had until I figured it out.

But I learned enough about the basic plot lines that semester to know that there is almost always one big love, and a character who sacrifices everything for it. So I was not at all surprised to read a... more

There were two interesting stories about older children adopted from Russia in the last week, and I'd like to tell you about them both.

The first appeared in The St. Cloud Times, under the headline "Prep soccer: He's from Russia, with (game) love". Now, let's just agree to pardon the pun, which is getting a bit tired. Headline writers can be pressed for space and they often revert to the obvious, even when it has nothing to do with Sean Connery.

The story is about... more