I have just stumbled upon a super Russian adoption blog. Click here to see it. Its title is actually "The Longest Journey is the Journey Inward" and it's all about one family's adoption experience.

Normally I am not a big fan of the "our adoption experience" blog. I don't love them largely because they focus a lot on that particular family's experience and not so much on other issues like travel and culture, etc. They are often quickly abandoned after the child comes home, too (Ummm..I am guilty of this, of course. I believe each of my children got a welcome home website that was quickly dropped once the realities of taking care of my new babies struck home).

But this website is worth the time. Caroline, the blogger, and her husband Blake (the sometimes blogger) give fantastic information not only about their new son, Nikolai, but about their time in Moscow.

Highlights of the blog:

1. pictures of Nikolai. It's funny, shows about babies being born used to make me tear up, as well as holding my friends' new babies, but now it's adoption pictures that make me want another! Look at this picture of Nikolai (or scroll about half-way down the first page of the blog for a smaller version). You can tell he's going to be a little devil (and I mean that in the most affectionate way!)

2. The Q&A about orphanage life. It's obviously just Caroline's experience, but I think every bit of first-hand information about orphanage life is very useful.

3. The "Ways Russians know you're a tourist" section. Very true! Especially the smiling part. Russian people do not smile on the street - or in stores - or in restaurants - or anywhere in public. It's a little forbidding and off-putting to us (we like service with a smile, after all) but you need to get used to it and try not to take it personally.

I am definitely going to keep this blog on my must-read list. I'm really interested in what happens with little Nikolai after he comes home!