I'm starting today off with numbers ... the number of children adopted in a year worldwide.

Any guesses?

Somewhere around a quarter of a million would be about right -- 250,000.

Sound like a lot?

It's 1.5% of the estimated 16 million orphans placed in care each year, and 85% take place within the country of the child's birth.

In the US?

125,000, or about half of the total number of adoptions... more

Or: Why it occasionally looks like Sandra goes out of her way to annoy some people.

If you're approaching the international adoption world from somewhere out there where it all seems reasonable, clear-cut and simple, sooner or later you are bound to come up against brick walls intentionally built to make the process sound either impossible, immoral, unethical, or otherwise a generally bad idea.

As an adoptive parent, an advocate for children and for adoption, and a blogger for Adoption.com, it is my responsibility... more

Not new news, but another take on some countries banning overweight people from adopting children, this one from Australia, points out that South Korea, Taiwan and China have all decided that hopeful parents of a certain girth need not apply, citing the reasoning as wanting, "the most stable and harmonious environment" for children.

Excuse me, but … ahem … horse hockey.

I don't care what sort of tidy health-by-the-numbers... more

As with every sort of journey, at some point someone had to take the first step, and like in human migrations from Africa toward the Russian Steppes, then across the Bering Straights to North America and eventually the corner nearest you, the international adoption journey has pioneers, as well.

Sometimes, it's familiarity with a certain country that instigates investigation into adoption where no program has yet been tried or tested. In other circumstances, it's an awareness of tremendous need that prompts a family... more

An interesting thread on the forums a while back focused my attention on adoption from Taiwan and possible differences in considerations parents may have when looking at adoption from either there or the PRC (People's Republic of China). Although some of the talk revolved around the differences in fees, with China apparently being a bit less pricey than Taiwan according to some experiences, but input from a Taiwanese-born adult adoptee... more

I received email from a reader overwhelmed by the "hoops and obstacles" she senses lie between her and a potential international adoption in the future and looking for some reassurance that the process is doable. Aside from merely pointing her to Holly's Blog where she details her very recent adoptions in Zambia, or Mary's (Owlhaven) as she writes about plans to add more kids to her... more

New China regs in a nutshell from IAAP:

1. The adopters must be a male and female couple with a stable marriage. If this is the first marriage for the couple they must have been married two years before submitting a dossier. If the husband or wife has been divorced they must now have been married for at least 5 years. They can have no more than two divorces.

2. Both Husband and wife must be at least 30 years old and under the age of 50. For parents adopting special needs children they must both be at lease 30 years old and both must also be under 55.

3. Both parents must be physically and mentally healthy and... more

It's been a while since I've done a wrap specific to details of international adoptions, so today I'm pointing in directions that lead to knowledge and understanding.

Since many readers navigate to this site directly, you may have not taken the time to look through the other blogs listed on the right of this page, but they're well worth a look.

Erin, over on the transracial blog, has been doing a wonderful job... more

What's in a name?

In the adoption world, a lot.

It's hard enough to stick a life-long moniker on any poor, unsuspecting infant when you're making one from scratch and have nothing but your own roots, family, hobbies ... whatever, to influence your choices. But when your child comes complete with an identity that has little to nothing to do with anything you're familiar with, it's tougher. So ....

To change, or not to change? That is the issue, and vociferous factions line up on both sides.

Birth names, orphanage names, family connections in names,... more

Torture. That's the only word that truly sums up the time between referral and travel. It's torture, plain and simple.

Every morning brings a crossing off of a day passed, and a counting up of days-to-go. Referral photos, stuck up all over the house, begin to get a bit tatty, and worry that in some strange Dorian Gray fashion the same may be happening with your child begin to make waiting families a bit crazy. Rooms are decorated, stuff and more stuff is bought, washed, ironed, assembled, and stared at while imaginations stretch to perviously unknown limits trying to... more