Look at the image to the right of these words. It is something that many adoption agencies have not seen in a long, long time. It is a certificate of accreditation from the Russian government to operate as an adoption agency in Russia. And it is absolutely beautiful. OK, maybe not as beautiful as your children or the children who will be joining your family soon, but as stunning as official documents ever get. And I wish I could have published it to fit the full page.

This one belongs to International Assistance Group of Oakmont, Penn. It and three other agencies have confirmed to me that, just like Cradle of Hope, they have received new accreditation from Moscow. Together with Catholic Social Services and Frank Adoption Center, both of North Carolina, and Children's Home Society & Family Services, of Saint Paul, Minn., they received certificates that were dated June 27 and handed out yesterday.

"It is wonderful to have the accreditation process moving", Carol Meyerriecks, International Adoption Program Director of Catholic Social Services, told me in an e-mail. "We hope many agencies will soon receive the same news in order to get as many children home with families as possible." (One small correction on my part: I indicated in the earlier post that CSS's previous accreditation had expired on May 17, 2006. Ms. Meyerriecks told me it was September 15, 2006.)

I am tempted here, in the face of all this lovely news, to thumb my nose at the dolts who penned the stories this spring that Russia had shut down international adoptions. Or those who were trying to contend that the lapse in accreditations was part of some anti-American plot by the Kremlin. Very tempted. But I won't.

Who's still waiting? Among the agencies whose accreditation expired on May 17, 2006 that I have heard back from, Homestudies and Adoption Placement Services in New Jersey said it expects to be part of the second group, as does Maryland-based Adoptions Together. Christian World Adoption told me it expects to receive its accreditation "soon". Beacon House said it is waiting, but didn't put a timeframe on it.

To the five agencies that are searching for shiny new gold picture frames today, congratulations. To the rest, I hope you'll get your certificates soon. And to all you waiters, as soon as I get a confirmation, you'll hear about it.

UPDATE: There were eight American agencies that got their accreditation in this first round. They are Adoption Options, Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte, Children's Home Society & Family Services, Cradle of Hope Adoption Center, The Cradle Society, Family & Children's Agency, Frank Adoption Center and International Assistance Group. There was also one French agency, L'Agence Francaise d'Adoption.