I put up this post the other day to dispel the notion that the Russian government has, somehow, acted deliberately to shut down adoptions. But I realized, in re-reading the item, that I didn't explain what is, and isn't, possible to do for a Russian adoption right now. So here goes:

1) Can I start a Russian adoption now? In a word: Yes. All the early paperwork takes place on our side of the globe, not Russia. So, spend some time ... more

One of the most useful things my adoption agency made me do, as I was working on my second Russian adoption in 2004-2005 was to create what I'll call a Russian Resources list: One document on which I collected all the Russia-related help I might need, from cultural to medical. If you're among the many prospective parents waiting for Moscow to finish the re-accreditation process, compiling this list can be a great, productive way to pass the time.

The object is to list everything you might need to help you and your newly adopted child settle... more

OK, I figured I'd start with the most straightforward headline I could write and work out from there. Especially now that the smoke and steam has stopped pouring from my ears.

On Wednesday, I was up in Connecticut doing interviews for another project I am working on, and I picked up a copy of USA Today. "Russia curtails American adoptions" blared a front-page headline. What followed was a day of misery for many adoptive parents that could have been avoided by more informed reporting and a better choice of subject and verb in that headline.

Let's start with the title. The headline on... more

In my other post on taxes, I looked at some of the potential red flags for the Internal Revenue Service when you are raising money to adopt a child from Russia.

But there are ways of coming up with money that won't cause conflict with the tax man, and I want to go over some of them now. You should go over these options--and the issues I raised in my earlier... more

It's tax time, and I'm worried. Not for me, but for some of you.

I've been trying to find a nice way of putting this, but I'm afraid I have to be blunt: Some of you are not thinking smart about the tax implications of financing your Russian adoption.

I am not an accountant, but I have labored in and around financial journalism for 20 years, and I have written and edited a fair amount of personal finance stories. And having done two adoptions, I know just how much their cost can weigh on a family budget. But there are good... more

This past Friday, the state of Minnesota revoked the license of Reaching Arms International, an agency that advertised adoption services in Russia, Ukraine, Guatemala, Poland and Armenia.

Back in January, the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the state Attorney General announced that they were investigating RAI, which is based in New Hope, a suburb of Minneapolis. Reaching Arms's Web site also lists has an office in Oregon. Reaching Arms is not listed on the... more

I had really thought that the dark days of Russian adoptions were behind us. Yes, I know, this whole NGO and re-accreditation process has taken way, way, way too long. But I believed that, as it progressed, certain practices of the past had been weeded out. And then I read this thread on the Russia Adoption forum.

Folks, nobody should be bringing this... more

In the first part of this post, I looked at some of the issues that Russian and U.S. officials will want to see on your homestudy.

Most of the homestudy, however, will be devoted to answering six basic questions: Who, What, Why, Where, When and How. It can speed things along for the social worker if you jot answers to these questions down before your first meeting and print or send a copy.

By "Who", I mean talking about who you are as a person or family.... more

So you've decided to adopt from Russia and you've picked an agency with NGO status and pending accreditation to work with. Now, it's on to the homestudy.

A homestudy is a document required in every adoption, international and domestic. It is, at its most basic, a biography of your adoption journey. Some of the "chapters" will focus on the information required by the state in which you live; others will be written to answer Russian authorities' concerns.... more

Once again, the posters on the Russian Adoption Forum have put forth an interesting question: What did you ask for on your referral, and how specific were you?

I think that the hardest task I had--with both adoptions--was filling out the form for my agency about the type of child I was open to adopt. Nothing has ever made me feel more limited--or more shallow. After all,... more