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

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

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

Maybe it's because I've watched the "Wizard of Oz" too many times, but I can't write the word "tigers" without also whispering under my breath "lions and bears, oh my". As luck would have it, this is B week in my little guy's class and they will be having a day about bears. And no nation is more closely identified with bears than the country of his birth, Russia.

A Russian circus wouldn't be a Russian circus without a bear act. You'll find bears on some of the regional emblems around the country, and... more

This past weekend was the best of times--and the worst of times. Ordinarily, I'd say the less said about the latter the better. But to understand the highlights, you have to have seen the lowlights.

Look folks, there is no way around it. A child adopted at an older age is different. They have seen things and have had to do things that most middle-class American kids have not. And when you are different, your differences can be a focal point for taunts. And when your English is still not up to par with the other kids your age, you can't parry those taunts with words. So... more

Two years ago yesterday, September 30, a judge in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk finally wrapped up two days of hearings on an adoption petition. Two years ago yesterday, this judge, new to the family court bench, decided that I would be a good mother for a little boy who had spent most of his life in an orphanage nearby. Two years ago yesterday, I got to tell that little boy that he would be traveling on an airplane to meet a big brother, a grandma, a grandpa and lots of cousins, and to start a new life.

It's hard to believe that it has been two years already, and to believe all that... more

On the Russian adoption forum right now there is a thread that both enlightens and infuriates me. It's about telling a teacher that your child was adopted and those elementary school family tree projects. If you bear with me, I'll explain both reactions.

I've written before that I have told the teachers at my childrens' preschools and schools that they were born in Russia (see "Hello... more

Children in Russia orphanages can often spend long hours in play with meager resources: No crates of building blocks, no bins of art supplies, no dress-up clothes, no grown-ups directing or scheduling the activities. It doesn't sound like an ideal environment.

And yet, I think there's a flip side to orphanage life. A side of creativity and inventiveness, an ability to create entertainment almost out of nothing. I read about it over and over again in the e-mails that Rose Alaimo sent back from... more