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 in together. Where do you find these resources? Well, I'd certainly hope that this Web site can be a guide to many of them. Indeed, if there's a category of information you have a pressing need for that I haven't gotten to yet, please let me know. But it also helps to bookmark or pick up a copy of the Russian Yellow Pages for your area. There are several competing versions online here, here, here and here.

These are my five tips for top categories for your list.

1) Language: List the names and phone numbers of every Russian-speaker you can find here. Mine included not only my friend Leslie, who majored in Russian, but also Alex, the Khabarovsk-born operator of a local shoe repair business, and Nina, a St. Petersburg-raised retiree. I figured out where the Russian grandmas congregated in two nearby parks. See if a nearby college has a Slavic studies department; there might be a student or two who can help you.

2) Medical: The Web sites of most health insurers let you search for doctors by languages spoken; you're likely to find more than a few Russian speaking doctors in family medical practices in your area.

3) Culture: If you live near a major metro like New York City, San Francisco or Seattle, there's probably a Russian cultural center around, offering language classes and heritage celebrations. If not, try flipping through your television system for a Russian-language channel--you might be surprised. Find out where you can buy Russian DVDs and books for kids.

4) Food: I wrote a piece a while back about tracking down a Russian grocery store near my new home. Quite a few people contributed names and addresses to the related forum post. If there's not a Russian grocery near you, take a stroll through your favorite supermarket and look for things like kasha.

5) Education: Many of the Russian Yellow Pages list Russian-language pre-schools, but don’t forget to ask if the pre-school you are considering has Russian speakers on staff. You might be pleasantly surprised. But you should also call your local school district and talk to the special education staff about the available resources for a post-institutionalized child.