Perhaps more A-parents (which is a trendy abbreviation for "adoptive parents" I can only promise I'll try never to use again) should read more stories like this one, in which England's foreign secretary, David Miliband, is praised by a mother who adopted from Shenzhen eight years ago. He's just adopted internationally, too.

From the United States.

There's more detail about his adoption in ... more

Just when you thought the period of time between the moment you mail that dossier off to Beijing and the moment you say, "Hello, small person. Welcome to my family!" couldn't possibly get any longer - pushing twice as long as a pregnancy of the biological variety - it is.

So says Brian Stuy. His argument is that families from here (and there, and everywhere) are... more

The Wall Street Journal just ran a piece on International adoption in the workplace that hopefully will have the baleful eye of a many a CEO upon it.

Well does this humble typist remember the anxiety of the wait. The first time, it just went on and on because we really had no idea how and when that "pack your bags and GO!" call would come in. The second time was no better, because we had too many ideas. The time stretched and compressed like a zydeco accordion.

Thankfully,... more

One of the things about adoption that's a bit like having kids the biological way is that there's this interminable period of waiting between the point when you know you're supposedly having a child ("Oh, the strip turned blue!" compared to "Oh, we're finally DTC!" ((which is "Dossier To China" for those new to this game)) ) and the point when said child appears on the scene demanding milk and attention. Unlike the biological variety, the paper pregnancy is prone to stretch out so that it measures years rather than months, or can... more

Quick note to prospective parents (and some folks "enjoying" the long wait times): the fees for filling out I600 & I600A forms are going up. You can read the new fee schedule on this pdf from our beloved Homeland Security office.

I read about this in a ... more

So, yesterday we just had our post-placement. This is the last of our home studies, when a social worker (other than the one to whom I am married) comes and evaluates your family to make sure you're all, like, not going to toss a baby in the crock pot for dinner or something.

(We have been tempted.)

The post-placement gets done at the end of everything, a year after the bundle of joy is plopped in your arms at the Social Welfare Institute or Civil Affairs Office or hotel conference room or wherever and you're wondering, "Is this it? When... more

The Been-There-Done-That families are no doubt happily forgetting about all the paperwork that goes into the wacky process of adopting from China -- especially the paperwork you have to wait for from the US government. (That's assuming some of the people reading this are Americans and not our noble friends to the north or those... Europeans, who have arcane bureaucracies of their own.) Some have suggested renaming this the WOO! BABY!" form, which would be easier to remember, if nothing else.... more

We're working on Daughter's habit of asking when we can send Son (son!) back to China. Children. Always saying the unsayable.

Until we can break their spirit, we're keeping them on display in a wrought iron cage, as you can see here.

Meanwhile, for those readers who're into stories of the miraculous, here's an unusual audio experience: Angels in Shandong. Ahem.

I really don't buy this guy's line, but, y'know, it's a pretty good story... more

Been to China between February 1996 and November 2006?

Spend money with a Visa, Mastercard or Diners Club card?

You could be in line for some money back.

I haven't been through this system yet, so I don't know how easy it is, but hey, it's worth a shot, isn't it?

If you remember the case of Anna Mae He, the not-quite adopted girl who's been officially given back to her biological parents, it's back in the news again. The Nashville City Paper, to be specific.

The custodial family (is that... more