Russian Adoptees are said to be toilet trained as soon as they can sit up because as soon as they can do this they can certainly sit on a potty or a pot and go to the bathroom on their own. Of course, some of the children who can sit up on their own can’t stand on their own or walk by themselves but they can certainly scoot on their potty and play with the other children in the bathroom. It becomes more of a game to them than potty time. Read more

Lisa, the president of ArkAngels for Russian Orphans, is hosting an online fundraising auction and is currently looking for donations of products and services. ArkAngels is a 501(c)(3) non- profit raising money to improve the living conditions and educational opportunities in orphanages in Russia; you can visit her web page. You can check out their auction site here.

And for some ideas of the kinds of donations we are looking for, you can check out the March 18 entry on her blog.

I donated this beautiful necklace because you all know exactly where AJ is from, right? Ark!

Dr. Federici, who has visited hundreds of orphanages, explains some of the health issues a child may encounter in Adopted, The Movie.

Dr. Jane Aronson does a FANTASTIC job of explaining Sensory Integration issues for kids from Institutions.

Ethiopia adoption is on the rise, there is no question about it. In 2000 95 children were adopted from Ethiopia. In 2006 732 children were adopted.

Ethiopia, rumored to be plagued by floods, famine, and disease (most commonly AIDS), is a land “of rugged beauty and is the oldest independent country in Africa” Adoption Associates calls Ethiopia the land of one thousand miles.

There are currently seven U.S. based adoption agencies that are able to work in Ethiopia;
Adoption Associates
Children’s Home Society and Family Services
Wide Horizons for Children
Gladney Center for Adoption
Adoption Advocates, International

The estimated cost for Ethiopia adoption is between $15,000 and 21,000 and with timeline is approximately 6 to 24 months from submission of the dossier (although most agencies will tell you the wait is much closer to 6-10 months).

Children in Ethiopia are living in orphanages and hospitals mainly because they are orphaned due to poverty, war, drought or famine. Some of their parents have even died of disease. They are all tested for HIV and other infectious diseases and illnesses.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that the Guatemalan shutdown that seemed temporary will most likely take a lot longer than expected.

It also seems that our fine State Department has also been behind the shut down and for a reform not necessarily for bringing our children home in an expedited manner like we have always been told.

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Gayle Christensen, the Executive Director of The Theraplay Institute has announced that they have received a grant from the Pioneer Press Charitable Foundation to conduct an attachment based parenting class for newly adoptive families.

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