With very little background, if any, available on our internationally adopted children, the idea that they may very well have bio sibs in the birth country, the orphanage or adopted by other families, perhaps in your country of residence, is one that arises naturally.

Amazingly, sibling relationships are established more often than some would think possible. A bit of remembered history, something in the child's documentation, a chance encounter with an information exchange that raises questions ... any can pose questions that want answers.

Sometimes... more

A number of readers, while conveying very nice birthday wishes (Thank you!), have commented on the fact that the timing of my birth puts me in that category of astrological identifiers known as Leo.

Yep. A lion I was born, and a lion I will always be ... except when I'm a rabbit.

The day and month of my first appearance on the planet dictate, in terms of Western astrology, my Leo-ness. The year of my birth, in the Chinese horoscope, puts me smack-dab in the middle of rabbit-hood ... a Metal Rabbit, to be exact.

A Leo is ... more

With Michelle over on the Foster Adopt blog, and a load of folks on the forums talking about the right time to add siblings to the family mix, if at all, this report caught my eye this morning.

It's a hot topic on the playground, how much time is the right amount between siblings?

If you have a choice in the matter, is it better to have kids one after the other or wait a few years?

... more

And for the final installment of easy-access info on febrile seizures ...

here's what they look like:

The child having a febrile seizure may:

Have a fever — usually higher than 102 F Lose consciousness Shake or jerk the arms and legs on both sides of the body Roll his or her eyes back in the head Have trouble breathing Lose urine Vomit Cry or moan

And here's what to do:

Place your child on his or her side, somewhere where he or she won't fall. Stay close to watch and comfort your child. Remove any hard or sharp objects near your child. Loosen any tight or... more

The vast majority of febrile seizures are harmless. There is no evidence that febrile seizures cause brain damage.

But ... A history of the cause of fever (eg, viral illnesses, gastroenteritis) should be established. Recent antibiotic use is particularly important because partially treated meningitis must be considered. A history of seizures, neurologic problems, developmental delay, or other potential causes of seizure (eg, trauma, ingestion) should be taken.

In the US between 2% and 5% of kids will have febrile seizures before their fifth birthday. The numbers are about the same for Western Europe. As many of us have kids from other places, it's important... more

I've been writing about febrile seizures ... in general, Sam's and the chances of other parents having kids that have this frightening reaction to fever.

The next three posts consist of the basics. My sources are the NIH, and the Mayo Clinic, although all other information I can find agrees with both of these organizations. I'm publishing this information in back-to-back posts to make it easy to... more

I was writing yesterday about Sam's second febrile seizure and posted info on them from the NIH and the Mayo Clinic.

It was armed with a stack of printouts of such information that I addressed the issues of these seizures and how they are treated here.

Sam... more

As I was saying...

Sam had his first febrile seizure at eighteen months of age, scared the beegeezus out of his father and me, then recovered. The tonsillitis that brought it on was treated with antibiotics and he responded well and quickly.

Mark and I took longer. When I started researching the condition, that set me back even more:

About a third of children who have a febrile seizure will have another one with... more

Continuing on about febrile seizures ...

There's a genetic component to convulsions that come with fever, so someone in Sam's bio background must have been familiar with them. Mark and I were not, so were completely unprepared for what was the most frightening moment of our lives.

Somewhere in the back of my mind there was a flicker of awareness, but the sight of our then 18-month old son going rigid, then twitching spasmodically, then turning blue as his breathing stopped completely... more

What a weekend! And I don't mean that in any gee-whiz-we-sure-had-a-blast kind of way. It was awful. And what can shoot a perfectly good couple of days all to pieces faster than anything? Having a sick kid.

Now, I'm well aware that the usual healthy state of my children is a blessing I can never repay and that other families deal with some truly devastating circumstances I don't even want to begin to contemplate. Even more reason, I suppose, that illness makes us a little crazy around here ... we're just not in shape for it.

Saturday was rolling along pretty well, with Dad and his... more