Whether you are a prospective adoptive parent needing motivation because Moscow is taking so long to sign off on the re-accreditations or a parent already home needing some inspiration, you'll be in luck this weekend: Dateline NBC is going to re-run a remarkable story on Russian adoption.

Correspondent Keith Morrison's story originally aired last June. It is the story of Lisa and Hythem Salem, "two regular people in an average suburb in America", as Morrison called them. Not... more

There's a recent thread on the Russian Adoption Forum that touches on the school and preschool topic I have started exploring: Do you tell the school that your child was adopted from Russia?

It seems that the mother who started the thread was afraid that the school... more

There are challenges to adopting an older child from Russia. And even though they will be offset by plenty of rewards (plenty, trust me), some of the challenges will definitely leave you scratching your head. Many of the early ones will occur in school, so I thought I'd take a few posts to look at some of the issues that parents--and the children they have adopted from Russia--have experienced at school, and how they have handled them.

First up, preschool.

Back in February, Rhonda, who blogs at "Worth... more

I had suspected for some time that my little guy had forgotten all his Russian. But several events of the last few weeks have confirmed that, if it is not gone, it has definitely been packed away in long-term storage.

A bit of background for those of you new to this blog. My little guy was a few months shy of his fifth birthday when he came to America about 18 months ago. His spoken Russian was limited and babyish, in no small part because most of his front teeth, top and bottom, were rotted or missing. Another child in the orphanage did most... more

I got a bit of good news about my younger son last week. It's just strange how long it took me to feel good about it.

My little guy, who came here from Sakhalin Island just short of his fifth birthday, has been going through a series of evaluations to see if he qualifies for an individualized education plan. The verdict last week: He doesn't.

I should have been jumping up and down, right? No disabilities that affect his ability to learn. I probably should have expected this from all that he has piled into his head since arriving here... more

Charles Simonyi returned to earth on Saturday, April 21, one day late, but with a big smile.

Simonyi, who made billions designing software for Microsoft, reportedly spent $25 million of his fortune to ride on a Soyuz TMA-10 rocket with two Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station. On April 7, he became the world's fifth space tourist, courtesy of the space tourism company Space Adventures, and by spending 14 days in space, Simonyi... more

I know of parents who have been brought to their knees by the "Terrible Twos". Personally, I think the "Twos" were a snap compared with the current phase in my household, something I like to call "Science and Scissors".

"Science and Scissors" is a period of intense exploration and experimentation. Will the scissors that should be used on construction paper cut hair as well? Amazingly enough, they do. Will mixing vinegar and baking soda cause an eruption just like a volcano? Yes again. Is the back of your clothes closet the perfect place... more

It's spring musical time at the local elementary schools, and that means the classics: Sound of Music, The King and I, Peter Pan, Annie and Oliver! And someone from my household is working hard to audition for a solo in the latter.

What does this have to do with adoption from Russia? Well, every so often, the debate bubbles up on adoption chat boards about whether to allow children who were adopted to watch Annie and Oliver! The first time I saw the threads on this topic, I was... more

A policeman came to school last week for the "Don't Talk To Strangers" talk. It's an annual thing in our schools and nicely tailored to each age group, which means they add in tips about Internet strangers as the kids get older.

But as an adoptive mother, I keep feeling that one piece is missing from the talk. I mean, after all, 18 months ago, I was a total stranger to my younger son. And he was not only encouraged to talk to this stranger, he was told to take the stranger's hand, leave the only place he had ever known, get on a plane... more

So many, many forever families have just come home or are on their way back. There's Laura at "Confessions of a Russian Adoption" whose family just completed its second Russian adoption. Ditto Mike and Melissa at "Russian Adoption Journey" and Betsy's family at "All Creechers Great And Small". Jeff and Maria--and their new son--... more