I came across this Townhall.com article today and it got me thinking about our presidential candidates and what stance they might have on adoption. I’ve been focused on other issues that matter to me, like affordable health insurance, abortion, humane immigration reform, stem cell research, etc. But it dawned on me that in spite of the fact that I eat, sleep and breathe adoption on a daily basis, I really have no idea how any of the candidates view adoption. I determined that I really should be researching something so important to my family!

Part... more

I-600A – Advance Processing for Orphan Petition

If you’re in the middle of an international adoption paperchase and haven’t yet filed your I-600A, now is the time to get that puppy sent in! On July 30th, fees will increase from $545 to a whopping $750, and biometrics fees will increase by $10 per person from $70 to $80.

The silver lining in all of this is that the new fees will allow for one free extension of your I-600A. If you’re adopting from China for example,... more

Congratulations to member "colgoo" for winning our drawing for an Amazon gift certificate!

And thanks to all of you who chimed in with questions and suggestions for all your wonderful ideas! I will be tackling many of them in the month of June, and would love your input. You're always welcome to suggest topics or ask questions; I'm here to support you! :)

I came across this news story this morning: Children Bad for Planet

Having large families should be frowned upon as an environmental misdemeanour in the same way as frequent long-haul flights, driving a big car and failing to reuse plastic bags, says a report to be published today by a green think tank.

This scares me. China’s one child policy, for example, is grounded in similar concerns about the negative effects of overpopulation, but I don’t think most people could look at China’s decades-long experiment as evidence of the wisdom of limiting population. On the surface,... more

Adoption.com is having its annual adoption photo contest, and I would love to see a great showing of LDS kiddos included! The deadline for entries is May 31, 2007, with winners being announced on June 6th. With $2000 worth of prizes up for grabs, you’ve got nothing to lose!

Photos can be submitted here (click on “upload photos” in the upper right-hand corner) and winners will be decided by our members. Photos must be original and submitted by the owner (no professional photos, in... more

I am reeling from the news we received today that Ethiopia will be limiting adoptions to families with 5 or fewer children in the home. The good news for our family is that the new rules will not apply to us since we are already in the process. The bad news, however, is that a once large family-friendly country will join the ranks of many others who exclude families because of the number of children in their families.

From what I learned from our agency, exceptions will be made for families wanting to adopt HIV+ children, those with severe special needs and for sibling groups of more than three children. (There’s more than a little irony there. “I’m sorry, your family is too big... more