December Newsletter 2005

Adoption Newsletter for InternationalAdoptionStories.com?

Welcome to all of the new International Adoption Stories newsletter subscribers! Please feel free to forward this newsletter to any friends as you like.

----------InternationalAdoptionStories.com----------

It’s been a busy few weeks at InternationalAdoptionStories.com. We took our daughter Alice to two parties and visited with 2 new moms. The mothers of Dimitri, from Russia, and Dora, from Guatemala were both glowing with pride for their beautiful children—it really shows what a difference love can make.

November saw more additions to InternationalAdoptionStories.com. Some of the things we’ve added are the latest adoption statistics for 2005, a new section on Post Adoption Issues, articles on Choosing and Adoption Agency and more stories.

The holidays are fast approaching. A time when some would think that adoption might take a back burner to the other pressures of life. But the holidays offer a unique opportunity to reconnect with a child’s heritage, the local adoption community, your travel group or to start planning the next addition to your family.

We’ve got a new section on the site called Post Adoption Issues and an article on culture that you may find interesting this time of year.

http://www.internationaladoptionstories.com/culture.htm

----------An Amazing New Book----------

We’ve just started trying to contact the author’s of an amazing book. “Mama’s Wish/Daughter’s Wish”, written by Debbie Blackington and her daughter. I’m hoping to add more information about this book on our site soon. Until then, please visit their site: http://www.pebbletonpress.com.

The Book, “Mama’s Wish/Daughter’s Wish” is written front to back in the viewpoint of an adoptive mother and back to front from her daughter’s point of view. The illustrations are beautiful; it includes a Mandarin translation that runs throughout the book. Please visit Debbie’s site and let us know what you think!

----------2005 Adoption Statistics----------

The U.S. Census Bureau released their adoption statistics for the year 2005 last week. Over 21,000 children were adopted by U.S. citizens in 2005! There was a dramatic increase in the number of children adopted from China—up over 12%.

Russia saw a reduction of over 20% between 2004 and 2005. There continues to be pressure placed on Russian adoption officials to continue reforming adoption in Russia including implementing a more stringent set of guidelines for prospective parents. (More 2005 Stats)

TOP COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN
FY2005
1 7,906 - CHINA (MAINLAND)
2 4,639 - RUSSIA
3 3,783 - GUATEMALA
4 1,630 - S. KOREA
5 821 - UKRAINE
6 755 - KAZAKHSTAN

----------Laura Christianson----------

We got a great mention on freelance writer Laura Christianson’s blog and web site. Laura’s work specializes in adoption-related issues. She has written numerous general-interest features and essays for national and regional publications, and is writing a book, "What's So Great About Adoption?: A Self-Guided Tour for the Uninitiated."
Laura lives in the Seattle area with her husband and two children, both of whom joined their family through adoption. She founded and coordinates the Heartbeat Ministry for infertile couples and pre-adoptive families at a large church in Seattle. You can visit her site at: http://www.laurachristianson.com/

----Post Adoption Issues----
Each month we get a number of emails from people asking about post adoption issues.

So, we’ve partnered with a non-profit organization called Post-Adoption Information to provide articles on some issues that relate to adoptive parents and adoptees – focusing on the International Adoption Community.

We’ve added articles on a number of issues that many will find interesting. I’ve included a few of them in links below, but you can also check out our Post Adoption Issues section to see the growing list:

IEP (Individual Education Plan)
Sensory Integration Disorder
The Reality of Parenting Post Adoptive Children

----Share a Story or Idea ----
We’re always on the look out for adoption related information. If you’ve got a story to share, book to review or service to recommend we’d love to hear from you. It’s always great to hear from our newsletter subscribers.

Thanks for the support. Happy Holidays!

John
International Adoption Stories