Today I spent a great deal of time searching through various websites for information on adopting waiting children. More than anything, I wanted to get an idea of the types of special needs that appear most often in adoptable children, and specifically, children in Central Asia.

For whatever reason, a large number of special needs children in Asia appear to have cleft lip and/or cleft palate. This condition can be as mild as a slight separation in the lip on one side to full separation of the lip from the nose. Likewise, there are varying degrees of cleft palate. The severity of the condition will play a large role in the medical needs and long term recovery of the child. For a... more

One of the best memories we have about Kazakhstan is its food. Yes, we are big eaters by nature. I remember a family reunion on my side as a child. We had just finished a large buffet breakfast, and someone innocently asked, well, what do you think we should do for lunch? As my Uncle Charles eloquently put it: "We Boltons are eaters. It's what we do. We eat."

Add to the fact that yours truly is a wannabe Iron Chef, and you can see why I was so interested in learning all about Kazakh cooking. To be honest with you, Kazakh cooking... more

There is a terrific post on adoptionblogs.com titled Top Ten Tips for a New Mom. I think this is a great topic because as first time adoptive parents, I know my husband and I focused so much more on the adoption process, and of course the wait, than we ever did on adoptive parenting. Yes, adoptive parenting requires a completely different set of parenting skills that parenting biological children. You still have the normal duties of setting boundries, discipline, positive reinforcement, etc., but adoption brings many additional issues to the parenting table.

I will first give you just a few short personal... more

Today is one of those days where nothing seems to go right. And when you are waiting for a child, the day's problems seem amplified and without solution. And yet I know through experience that things will get better. It doesn't mean I can't have a bad day though, right?

No matter how happy you are for others, when you see other people moving forward with their adoptions while yours is standing still, it's tough to take. I know with our Kazakhstan adoption, it was extremely frustrating to hear about families who started the process so long after us who were now returning home with their child long before us. Why us? I must have asked myself that question a thousand times. And the... more

A good question has come up on the adoption.com Kazakhstan Forum. Should you take prescription medications for your newly adopted child with you on your adoption trip?

This is a delicate question. For doctors, there is an ethical dilemna that exists with regard to prescribing medications for a patient they have never seen. Say the child is allergic to the medication they prescribe and have an adverse reaction overseas; does the doctor face liabiity for prescribing this medications?

Doctors are torn on this issue, but there are still quite a few pediatricians who continue to prescribe medications for parents... more

Boy, was I in for a shocker today. In browsing the various international adoption chat rooms, I happened upon a post with regard to the show "The Daily Buzz." The post summarized the show's conversation about adoption which apparently occurred this morning. Here is the poster's synopsis of the show:

1. International adoption is so appealing because it is cheaper and the process is slack compared to adopting an "American" baby.

2. China has a deficit of girls in its population and American still are taking... more

We are celebrating our son's second birthday this week. Well, actually, for the next two weeks. We postponed the party until everyone could be here: grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. Our son's birthday is a really big deal in a family with 10 aunts and uncles, and no other grandchildren. We jokingly call our son the chosen one, because there is no one else in either of our families to dote on at this point. And let me tell you, he loves all the attention.

Last night, I said to my husband, imagine how much his life has changed in the last year. On his first birthday, we had only been home from Kazakhstan two months. His health conditions had finally cleared up, other than... more

Earlier this week, I wrote a post about The Queen of Kazakhstan Adoption where I featured the Kazakhtan Adoptive Families website, which I think in addition to adoption.com, is a great tool to research Kazakhstan adoption.

Another great tool is Karen's Adoption Links. This website features links and lists of adoption listservs for international... more

This morning when I looked at our family calendar I nearly had a heart attack. The months of April and May are nothing short of a disaster. I start a three week jury trial May 31. My husband has trial starting May 16. My son's birthday is next week; our anniversary is today. Mother's Day is in their somewhere. So is my brother's law school graduation which I wil fly to. I have a mock trial this weekend, and out of town the following two weekends. I just wanted to crawl back in bed after I saw that calendar. Ugh!

Unfortunately,... more

I have been viewing a hot discussion on a rumor blog devoted to China adoption. Once in awhile, the blog owner turns on anonymous posting and you can post pretty much anything you like within the topic she has selected. This week the blog owner, known as the "Rumor Queen," decided to open a category called "chit chat" where you could post anything you wanted. Unfortunately the conversation at this site turned very, very ugly.

The topic somehow turned to whether childless families should... more