A useful website...

AdoptionNutrition.com calls themselves "the go-to nutrition & feeding resource for adoptive & foster families."

They offer information on nutrition by country (including a page on Ethiopia), possible nutrient deficiencies, common feeding challenges (including hoarding), things to think about before your child comes home and a section on the first year home. They also offer a free global cookbook.

The ABC Webinar

You have been talking to your child about adoption since he came home. But what about the time he spends at school? What does his teacher know about adoption? About birth parents? Does she know how to help him answer why he doesn't look like his mom?

Join Debbie Riley as she discusses how adoptive parents can educate the educators. This webinar, co-sponsored by Adoption Learning Partners and JCICS, costs $15.

This webinar will help you:

• Talk to teachers about creating an adoption-sensitive environment
• Educate teachers on managing discussions about adoption in school
• Discover how much of your child's story to share
• Learn how to handle some standard school projects (family trees, baby pictures)

Thursday, September 22, 2011
7:00 - 8:00 PM Central Time
Q & A: 8:00 - 8:30 PM Central Time
(Start Time: 7:00PM Central, 8:00PM Eastern, 5:00PM Pacific)

Debbie B. Riley is the Chief Executive Officer of The Center for Adoption Support and Education, Inc. (C.A.S.E.), an independent pre and post-adoption organization in the Baltimore-Washington area and co-author of the book, Beneath the Mask: Understanding Adopted Teens.

Click HERE to register.

ESFNA 2011 Event

ESFNA stands for Ethiopia Sports Federation of North America. It was founded in 1984 and promotes soccer and cultural events to the Ethiopian communities within the US.

Every year, ESFNA hosts a week-long event that draws more than 20,000 participants. For 2011, the event will take place in Atlanta, July 3-9. In addition to soccer (men's, women's and children's), I believe there are also concerts, table tennis tournaments, vendors, golf tournaments and cultural activities.

For more information about this summer's event or ESFNA in general, visit their website.

And if you've attended one of these annual events, please leave a comment letting us know more about it and your experience. Thank you...

Doing taxes

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON THE WAYFARER

There are a lot of questions about the adoption tax credit laws and how to file. It has been easy for us to file for the last two years. I think there is only one year left for us. Fortuantely it has been extended. And I think that the limit is about $13,170 this year for 2010 taxes.

Here's the official IRS document that explains it:

http://www.irs. gov/pub/irs- drop/n-10- 66.pdf

A section to note for carry over credits is on page 3 at the bottom - section 3

1. Amounts Carried Over from Earlier Taxable Years to a Taxable Year Beginning in 2010
An amount of an adoption credit claimed in an earlier taxable year that a taxpayer carries forward to a taxable year beginning in 2010 is allowable as a refundable tax credit. An amount that a taxpayer carries forward to a taxable year beginning in 2010 is not subject to an income limitation in that taxable year.

The following examples illustrate these rules.
Example 1. (i) In 2008, Taxpayer pays $2,000 of QAE to adopt an eligible child who is a citizen of the United States. In 2009, Taxpayer pays an additional $8,000 of QAE and the adoption becomes final. The adoption credit for $10,000 of QAE is allowable in 2009.

(ii) Taxpayer's tax liability for taxable year 2009 is $6,000, and Taxpayer applies $6,000 of the $10,000 credit against Taxpayer's 2009 tax liability. Taxpayer carries forward $4,000 of the credit to 2010.
(iii) In 2010, Taxpayer's tax liability is $3,000. Taxpayer applies $3,000 of the $4,000 carried forward adoption credit against Taxpayer's 2010 tax liability. Taxpayer is entitled to a refund of the remaining credit.

other links:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-10-66.pdf
http://www.thompson.com/public/newsbrief.jsp?cat=BENEFITS&id=3137
http://taxes.about.com/od/deductionscredits/qt/adoptioncredit.htm
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=228301,00.html
http://www.cwa.org/taxcredit.htmhowever you feel about CWA this is one of the best posts on this I have read.

Paperwork once you are home - validation, SS#, citizenship

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY DAISYJ ON THE WAYFARER

Ok, I have been asked this question a lot of times now. I got great help from other moms home with their kids who have done all this. I am going to put in the way we are doing it and why along with the links to the paper work files.
1. Apply for a temporary adoption tax ID number (ATIN link for info and form) for each child. This is a good option if you will not have time to get the validation and SS# done before tax time. This option is only valid if you have NOT done the validation yet. It takes 10 weeks so plan ahead.US adoption validation


2. Apply for the validation of foreign adoption (also called re-adopt or finalization). (El Paso County COLORADO forms if you are in another state just look up your county or state government page and look for forms or information, then look for the word adoptions and then under that validation of foreign adoptions, this should come up with info for you). On this form you can also change your child's name. In most cases the child will not come home with the name you would like for him or her to have, and in many cases will not even have your last name. In many states you can also change the child's birth date if needed. There are varying degrees of proof needed for this depending on your county and state. I would suggest doing this only if it is really needed. In Colorado, I added this to the form under the change of name. I also wrote a letter stating our reasons and attached the "proof" documents. It worked out just fine for us. If you do this first your child's name will be correct on all the rest of the official papers and you will not have to redo it. You have to do this before you can get the citizenship papers anyway. Get the fingerprint reports (FBI and state) and the child abuse record/clearance from your DHS from your adoption agency, ally need is the copies they have on file. Your window of time for them to remain valid is important. Get it done fast or you will need to renew them. That is ok and not too expensive, it just takes time. If you are waiting on age of child to change the birth date, you have time, do the fingerprints again and wait on them to come and your child's progress at the same time. The fee for this in CO is $168 per child if they are not biologically related, $168 if they are blood related and a $3 charge for each additional blood related child. After you validate the adoption your child will be a legal citizen however will still only have the green card. This process and paper does not prove your child's citizenship by parentage. So you have to file for the proof of citizenship.

**A few notes from our experience. *On the Report of Adoption put your child's name that you are changing it to, not their original name.

2b. *After your hearing you will walk the files over to the COURT records, not the county records, this is MOST likely in the same building you had your hearing in. We were actually told the county.... ha! *You can then buy some copies of the decree. They are $30-40 each. This will be filed and sealed and you will have to have a court motion to open it again and so you need the copies as you will not be able to access this again. *Then you wait for the letter in the mail from the state department that handles adoption birth certificates. For us that is in Denver. Then you send them the money and they send you the certificates. This gets you a state birth certificate, which is useful and highly necessary. However, it states right on it that it is not proof of citizenship. It also says that it is just a birth certificate certifying foreign birth.... which is about as good as it gets if you don't have any clue when that precious child of yours was actually born. There is a fee here. In CO it is about $38 per child. You can buy extra ones for a discount at this time. Sounds like a good idea. One for the lock box and one for use. Once you get the birthcertificates you can file for proof of citizenship.

3. Apply for your child's citizenship papers. (USCIS forms and info andfact sheet on citizenship) You will need to fill out the N-600 and pay the $420 per child. They DO NOT accept personal checks you will need a bank check or money order. Until you do this your child WILL NOT be able to prove the he or she is a citizen of the US. If you met your child in Ethiopia BEFORE the court date and AFTER the referral then you are under a different ruling and your child is automatically sent the Certificate Of Citizenship instead of the Green Card, they enter on an IR-3 visa. If not, like most of us, you will have to file the application and pay the fee. You will also be required to validate the adoption to make it valid in the US. This means your kids entered on an IR-4 visa (meaning the court procedure declaring the child officially yours happened before you met them in Ethiopia, this is standard). In addition my understanding of this is that you will not be able to do this until after you have filed for and received the validation of foreign adoption as the US does not consider the adoption full and final abroad for certain legalities that I do not understand. Even though it is, you still have to have this paper. You DO NOT have to apply for the green card, your child is a legal alien until the validation of foreign adoption at which time they become a citizen but can't prove it. If you come in to the States on IR-4 you will get the green card automatically. If you come in on IR 3 your child will be automatically a Naturalized Citizen. If your child comes in on IR 4 YOU MUST FILE FOR PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP, while your child is a citizen they can not prove it without this. This can get sticky after they turn 18. A passport should prove this, but there have been some issues with it for some.

Other notes on this process:
From USCIS "The USCIS has re-engineered its processing in order to streamline the production of Certificates of Citizenship for certain children adopted abroad. Streamlined processes have been developed for newly entering IR-3 children who are automatically U.S. Citizens when they arrive. These newly entering IR-3 children will receive Certificates of Citizenship within 45 days of their arrival instead of receiving a Permanent Resident Card and then filing the
N-600 for a Certificate. (Please see our Fact Sheet for additional information)" This is NOT for a child entering on IR4 visa. It later explains that you have to buy that proof if both parents did not meet the child before the foreign adoption.

4. SS#. (form and explanation of procedure) This is free!!!! Yippee!!! If you do this before the validation and or citizenship you will have to re do the name, if you are changing that. You can get a temporary # like a person on a work visa can get. You have to finalize it after the validation. Some offices will give you a hard time about it and will try to get you to have the cert. of cit. first and validation too. You don't have to do it this way, but we have opted to wait until last so that we have all the needed papers the first time through. We hope anyway. This also will not prove citizenship. If you go after validation but before Certificate of Citizenship or after *Certificate of Citizenship* this is what you need:
US birth certificate
> US passport or *Certificate of Citizenship*
> my driver's license
> a filled out SS card application

Notes on SS#:
While some have been refused a SS# based on not yet having the COC, you should be able to legally do this with a passport.

*“Your Social Security Number and Card,” available at:
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10002.pdf*

* *Citizenship or immigration status: We can accept only certain
documents as proof
of U.S. citizenship. These include a U.S. birth certificate, U.S. consular
report of birth, U.S. passport, Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate
of Citizenship.

*“Proof of Citizenship / Naturalization,” available at:
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/hlp/isba/10/hlp-isba005-ctzn.htm***

We can accept most documents that show you were born in the U.S. If you are
a U.S. Citizen born outside the U.S., we need to see a document such as a:

- U.S. consular report of birth,
- U.S. passport,
- Certificate of Naturalization, or
- Certificate of Citizenship.

5. Some families get a passport (link form and procedure) for their kids right away. :) We are not getting these until we plan to go abroad. Not anytime soon for us. See above note from SS administration. This SHOULD prove citizenship, but has been problematic for many. Therefore, we are not going this route.

Notes on Citizenship:
*****:A word on Citizenship (Italics and bold mine. )

from the US gov. page
"U.S. CITIZENSHIP FOR AN ADOPTED CHILD It’s very important that you make sure your adopted child becomes a U.S. citizen. The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 was designed to make the citizenship acquisition process easier and eliminate extra steps and costs. Under the Child Citizenship Act, children adopted abroad can automatically acquire U.S. citizenship if:
1. At least one parent of the child is a U.S. citizen;
2. The child is under the age of 18;
3. The child is admitted to the United States as an immigrant for lawful permanent residence; and
4. The adoption is final. (re-adopt or validation is complete)

Because of the Child Citizenship Act, many (IR3) parents are no longer required to make a separate application for their children to benaturalized. If your adoption doesn’t meet these requirements, however, acquiring citizenship for your child will require an additional process and additional fees. If you postpone or even forget to file for your child’s naturalization, your child may have difficulty getting college scholarships, working legally, voting, et cetera. In some cases, your child might actually be subject to possible deportation. Make plans right away to protect your child’s future."
Page 31 | FROM A to Z

From the USCIS website:
"Children with IR-4 and IH-4 visas:
- do not acquire automatic citizenship upon entry to the U.S., but
instead become permanent residents.
- will automatically receive a permanent resident card (green card).
- will automatically acquire citizenship on the date of their adoption in
United States, if the adoption occurs before the child’s 18th birthday."
USCIS site on this issue

"Permanent Residence (a "green card") grants the right to live in, leave and
reenter, and work in the U.S. It does not grant, for instance, the right to
vote in U.S. elections. Permanent Residence may be deemed abandoned if the
U.S. government believes that the permanent resident has not maintained
sufficient ties to the U.S. to demonstrate intent to keep it. It can also be
revoked if, for instance, the permanent resident commits certain crimes.

Citizenship includes all those rights, plus the right to vote and certain
other rights. Citizenship cannot be deemed abandoned even if the citizen
resides aborad for long periods of time without strong ties to the U.S. It
can be taken away, but normally only if the naturalized citizen can be
proven to have misrepresented something during the naturalization process
(or does something which could also cause removal of citizenship to a
U.S.-born citizen, such as fighting with a foreign army against the U.S.)"
http://www.reichimmigration.com/ImmigrationInfo/FAQs/PRvCitizenship.html

My personal opinion note on this: It has been the experience of several families and on the advice of several agencies involved with adoptions as well as adoption lawyers, that it is imperative that you get the COC for your child. The passport will not prove citizenship in an official way before you validate the adoption in the US, because they are permanent residents, not citizens. It is debatable if it proves citizenship after the validation/finalization/readopt. I realize that the documents are not 100% clear on this issue, there is debate on this subject. However, I make this statement on the experience of so many others who I have read about and met on line finding out the hard way that they needed the COC. For the passport you pay for it every few years and after they are 18 they have to keep doing it, or they bear the burden of having to go through all the naturalization stuff that you could have spared them, they can not just get the COC after they are 18. You pay for the COC once-before they are 18. In the end the cost of the renewal of a passport and the risk of it lapsing and the burden of maintaining it after 18 is a far greater cost and risk than paying the $420 for the COC one time and never having to consider it again. You KNOW you have done the best thing for your child the first time.

That is all!

I would strongly suggest starting on this while you are waiting for the embassy date. You can download most of the forms to your computer and fill out what you can and get the name off the adoption birth certificate, etc. when you receive it. You will need the court adoption forms from Ethiopia. You can have the validation papers ready to go when you get home with a few add in's and that will be great being as tired as you will be when you get home. Sometimes, for older kids you need to wait a bit to see if their given age is off or not. Mostly it is, but if it needs changed is entirely up to you.

Legal information
Government page on International adoption
Inter Country adoptions A-Z
Adoption magazine guide to paperwork, clear and well laid out.

Hope this helps.

Another word on birth date change.
If you need to change it after the validation a mom on one of my groups had this experience (this is a segment of her note):
3) Obtained CO Birth Certificate (not evidence of citizenship)
4) Found out through dental examination and developmental assessments at International adoption clinic that our daughter was two years older then reported
5) Compiled documentation of evidence to change age and submitted to juvenile court via a general request to the court to petition for a order to CO Vital Records to change birth date (no charge for this, you do not need to re-finalize adoption a second time to change the BC)
6) Order approved by court so we sent a request for new BC and fees for new BC to CO Vital Records
7) Received new CO BC in which they literaly crossed off her old birth date and typed in the new one
8) Sent ALL documents of for US passport with a note emphazing that the birth date had been changed
9) Received passport with correct (new) DOB at which time I went in person to the SS office and they corrected the birth date and changed number to a US citizen number

Amharic Online

More online resources for Amharic:

Amharic online flashcards

Amharic lessons on youtube

LanguageLine Services (Amharic over-the-phone interpretation and document translation)

Amharic/Sidama phrases (must be a member of EthiopiaAdopt yahoo group)

Click HERE for posts about language. And as always, please add a comment if you know of any other good resources to share. Thanks!

ESFNA 2010 Event

ESFNA stands for Ethiopia Sports Federation of North America. It was founded in 1984 and promotes soccer and cultural events to the Ethiopian communities within the US.

Every year, ESFNA hosts a week-long event that draws more than 20,000 participants. For 2010, the event will take place in San Jose, California, June 27-July 3. In addition to soccer (men's, women's and children's), I believe there are also concerts, table tennis tournaments, vendors, golf tournaments and cultural activities.

For more information about this summer's event or ESFNA in general, visit their website.

And if you've attended one of these annual events, please leave a comment letting us know more about it and your experience. Thank you...

Amharic for ferengi*

Ethiopia has 84 languages and more than 200 dialects. Amharic is the official working language of Ethiopia. The following post has several language links for Amharic and one for Sidama.

This blog post has a ton of useful Amharic vocabulary for adoptive parents like simple commands, expressions of affection, descriptive words, clothing, food, counting, etc.

Another option is the Amharic Dictionary. Type in an English word and click the "search" button to translate into Amharic.

Another blog post gives tons of links to learning material (towards the bottom of the page).

And just to prove that there is a Yahoo group for everything, here is the link to the Amharic Online Yahoo Group.

Lastly, as most of IAN kids are from the Sidama Province, this link with useful English-to-Sidama phrases for adoptive families could prove to be very helpful.

Please add comments with any words or phrases that you have found to be useful. Also add any resources (books, websites, CDs, etc.) that might be helpful. Thank you!

*Ferengi (Feh-REHN-jee): non-black foreigner

Useful links to grief and attachment articles...

From Anita, an IAN mom:

Here's some of the links I've found helpful.

On grief:

• http://www.interfaithfamily.com/life_cycle/death_and_mourning/Childrens_Grief_Reactions_to_the_Death_of_a_Loved_One_What_to_Expect.shtml
• http://www.extension.umn.edu/specializations/familydevelopment/M1187.html
• http://www.bereavementcare.com.au/articles/bereaved_children.htm
• http://www.a4everfamily.org/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=176&Itemid=108
• http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/adoptive_parenting/80104
• http://library.adoption.com/articles/grief-and-loss-in-adopted-children-2.html
• http://library.adoption.com/articles/grief-and-loss-issues-for-adopted-children.html
• http://www.childwelfare.gov/outofhome/casework/helping.cfm
• http://www.helium.com/knowledge/73288-how-to-help-adopted-children-grieve
• http://www.missfoundation.org/cherish/family-community.html

On attachment:

• http://www.mental-health-matters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&i\d=295

Since this a well researched area I'm only sending this checklist...I like check
lists :) and these with ideas to try:

• http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/adoptive_parenting/70170
• http://library.adoption.com/articles/specific-techniques-to-increase-family-attachment.html

And since they were mentioned lately....
Post adoption depression:

• http://www.connectwithkids.com/tipsheet/2005/231_jun1/post.html

On breast feeding:

• http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1459116
• http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/adoption.html
• http://www.blisstree.com/articles/breastfeeding-an-adopted-child-yah-or-nay-360/
• http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVOctNov04p99.html

Ethiopia Travel Resources

Travel Books:

• Ethiopia & Eritrea, Lonely Planet Travel Guide
• Ethiopia, Bradt Travel Guide
• Ethiopia - Culture Smart!

Language Books:

• Ethiopian Amharic, Lonely Planet Phrasebook
• Our First Amharic Words
• Simple Amharic for Adoptive Families

Travel Websites:

• Ministry of Culture and Tourism
• US Department of State
• Lonely Planet
• Wikitravel
• Virtual Tourist
• Africa Guide

Travel Forums/Community Websites:

• Thorn Tree
• Fodor's
• Virtual Tourist

Language Websites:

• Amharic Dictionary

Please leave a comment if there are any other Ethiopia travel-related resources you can think of. Thanks!

Eating with Injera

Injera is the Ethiopian staple bread. Its a thin crepe like flat bread that the dishes such as Wots, Tibs and Fitfit are served on. To eat the dishes pieces of injera are torn off and used to scoop up mouthful.

Injera is unique to Ethiopia, from its distinct taste and main ingredient the Teff cereal. Teff is the tiniest cereal and used as a staple food only in Ethiopia (in other parts of the world its associated with common grass). Teff is believed to have originated in Ethiopia between 4000 and 1000 BC. Teff seeds were discovered in a pyramid thought to date back to 3359 BC.

Injera preparation usually takes two to three days, the teff is milled into powder then mixed in water along yeast and small quantity of flowers. This mix is set aside at room temperature for 2 days so it ferments and raises. During the second day it starts to give tangy aromas as the fermentation releases air bubbles; this is where the Injera's slight tangy taste comes from.

After the fermentation process is finished the mix is cooked on hot flat iron pan called 'Mitad'. A circular motion is used to achieve thin consistency. When the hot pan and the fermented teff mix/batter contact thousands of tiny air bubbles escape, creating thousands of tiny craters/eyes - creating the familiar look of Injera.

The side touching the hot mitad pan gets its flat look, while the one facing away towards the air has the a porous structure with thousands of mini craters. This porous structure allows the injera to be a good bread to scoop up sauces and dishes.

Restaurants will serve your dishes on injera and they bring a side dish of injera for scooping purposes either rolled up or folded. When you are about to finish your side injera attentive wait staff will bring your more free of charge.

Teff - tiniest cereal
Teff is one of the smallest grains in the world, measuring only about 1/32 of an inch in diameter. Approximately 150 grains equal the size of a kernel of wheat. Teff is considered to have an excellent amino acid composition and lysine levels. One cup of cooked teff contains 387 milligrams of calcium (40 percent of the USRDA, which is more than milk), 15 milligrams of iron (100 percent of the USRDA and twice as much iron as wheat and barley). Teff is high in protein as well as fiber. A rich source of boron, copper, phosphorus, zinc.

Eating with Injera - Handling Instructions
Starting Note:
- Side A = With Holes
- Side B = Flat & Without Holes
- Use one hand (left/right - ok)

1. Tear of a small piece (size of your palm)
2. Side A - side with holes is the one that contacts with the sauce/meat
3. Scoop/Grab sauce or meat with the injera (similar to Indian/Middle Eastern eating)
4. Use your fingers to control; so pieces won't fall down as you put the scoop your mouth
5. It's ok to grab/sample more than one sauce or dish on each scoop-trip
6. Finally you can proceed to eat the bottom/table cloth injera where the sauce was first served, by now it soaked with all the tasty juices and is full of flavors

Source: Ethiopian Restaurant.com

_____________________________________

Get the recipe for injera here.
Read about gursha, the act of hand-feeding another, here.

Here is some additional info and resources regarding injera from some IAN families:

"We buy injera at 10 pieces at a time and freeze it (this was suggested to us by

our ethiopian friends). When you want to use it thaw it out and then just steam
it in the microwave. I usually tear into big pieces and steam it in my pampered
chef steamer but I big bowl covered with wet paper towel or saran wrap will work
too."

"We have found rolling the injera before freezing to be a bad idea. It seems to

defrost better when folded into 'pie' shapes."

Teff flour is available on Amazon.

Websites that sell injera and spices:

• http://www.zelaleminjera.com/
• http://www.ethiopianspices.com/
• http://brundo.com/

Attachment and Bonding

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY DAISYJ AT THE WAYFARER

Attachment is a real issue. It is as real for infants and toddlers as it is for older kids. There is so much information out there there is no reason to not arm yourself with information, tactics, strategies and ideas so that you have a warehouse of information when you get your child home at long last. You will know what to look for and what to do to help him or her and yourself. This is by no means an exhaustive list, nor even a really very good one. But, it is what I have found to be helpful for us and what I have posted on this blog. Happy bonding!

Here I will post some of my posts and links on attachment, as a matter of consolidation for those of you searching:

I am not going to advocate for any certain style of attachment therapy. I don't know anything about it. I am just listing resources that have been helpful for us. :)

From a general list on adoption resources:

Attachment:
Attachment Disorder Nancy Thomas Parenting Attachment.org Reactive Attachment Disorder
"Attaching in Adoption" by Deborah Gray
This is an important topic. Read all you can while you are waiting for your child referral and court date.

From a post on book recommendations:
Adoption and race for parents:
Toddler adoption the weaver's craft by Hopkins-Best
Taming the tiger while it is still a kitten by Nancy Thomas (the book is not particularly focused on Christians but I hear she is a Christian) I found this book to be a complimentary (to the Deborah Gray's book) list of attachment signs to look for and practical ideas for attachment. It is more of a booklet. I do not know anything about her particular theory's as this book does not address that.
Attaching in adoption by Deborah Grey
I'm chocolate you're vanilla by Marguerite A. Wright
Before You were mine (on making a Christian life book)*
Twenty Things Adopted Kids wish their parents knew by Sherrie Eldridge

Affording Adoption

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY DAISYJ ON THE WAYFARER

Few who desire to adopt can pay for it out of pocket. If you can not take a second loan or adoption loan here are some ideas for you.

Many a church will be willing to donate from the deacons or mercy fund for orphans. More will be willing to allow you to hold a fund raising event at your church. Get with your Sunday School or small group and have a dinner or garage sale.

Here are some resources for funding an adoption.
Financing Adoption:

Adoption Financing on Squidoo
Affording Adoption a list
Adoption Assistance - Cadman Foundation
adoption funding - adoption source mortgage adoption loans, credit based adoption loans
Adoption Fundraising - Raising Money to Pay for Adoption Costs and Expenses
Adoption Grant-Loan Application
Available Resources To Help Defray The Cost of Adoption
Gift of Adoption Fund
His Kids, Too! - A Christian Charity Impacting Ukrainian Orphans
Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries - Home Page
Shaohannah's Hope
The Adoption Guide The Cost of Adoption
Ethiopia Adoption Blog, Ethiopia Adoption Blog - The cost of an adoption
Wiley, Morgan Parker Fund giving grants for international adoptions, out of date site but still funding.
Sea Of Faces Foundation grants for international adoptions
Both Hands Foundation
The ABBA fund
Lifesong for Orphans
Project Hopeful resources for families adopting HIV+ kids.
147 million

Sensory Processing Disorder

Recommendations from IAN families -

Books for parents:

• The Out of Sync Child
• The Out of Sync Child Has Fun
• Raising a Sensory Smart Child
• Sensational Kids

Books for kids:

• The Goodenoughs Get in Sync: 5 Ways SPD Can Affect You and Me!
• The Goodenoughs Get in Sync: A Story for Kids about the Tough Day When Filibuster Grabbed Darwin's Rabbit's Foot and the Whole Family Ended Up in the Doghouse--An Introduction to Sensory Processing Disorder

From The Center for Adoption Medicine:
Sensory integration dysfunction (DSI), or as it is currently known, sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a complicated, somewhat controversial disorder of "sensory processing" - the ability to take in, filter, and respond appropriately to sensory input (touch, movement, vision, hearing, taste, and smell). Some children are felt to be "sensory-avoiding", or "sensory-defensive" - feeling bombarded by overly intense experiences of touch, lights, sound, and so on. Some children are "sensory-seeking", or "sensory under-responsive" - seeking intense stimulation, bashing and crashing around, and seeming less aware of pain and touch. Some children have trouble using sensory inputs to plan and perform gross and fine motor tasks ("dyspraxia", or motor planning disorder).

SPD is one of those diagnoses where definitive research on prevalence, validation of diagnostic tools, and effective therapy is lacking. It's especially hard to know when normal developmental, temperamental, and other individual differences in sensory responsiveness becomes a "disorder". It's underdiagnosed in many arenas, and overdiagnosed in others, just like any disorder where convenient but unvalidated checklists proliferate on the web, and where "cottage industries" marketing products and treatments are competing for your parental attention and money.

Having worked with a lot of post-institutionalized and alcohol-exposed children (two populations that are at higher risk for SPD), I am convinced that there are many such children for whom SPD is a real disorder - one that significantly impairs their function in home, social, and school environments. And I've seen children respond well to occupational therapy (OT) sensory interventions, especially functional approaches that integrate sensory work with the child's needs in motor skills and social interactions.

Even if your child's issues are more reflective of developmental immaturity or individual temperament than a definitive disorder, the sensory approaches can be fun, stimulating, and helpful with self-regulation and self-soothing. It's still hard to convince insurers and schools to fund such interventions, and depending on your situation, sensory-based therapy may not be the most pressing use of your time and money ... but here are some good resources on the topic. A lot of interventions are ones that you can do at home, and while there are scads of nifty products marketed for SPD, you can get a lot done with simple, cheap, or home-made tools and toys.

Sensory Processing Disorder Resources:

• SPD Network
• SensorySmarts.com
• The Out-of-Sync-Child website and books (The Out-of-Sync Child andThe Out-of-Sync Child has Fun)
• Building Bridges through Sensory Integration, Second Edition by Ellen Yack, et al
• Sensory Processing Disorder Resources from Auer Therapeutic Services - Links, email newsletter, and information on their upcoming book.
• Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World by Sharon Heller (an adult perspective on these issues)
  
• Sensory Toolchest Workbooks for Parents and Teachers
• Movement With a Purpose: Perceptual Motor-Lesson Plans for Young Children - a sequential activities program for developing gross motor skills in children 2 1/2 to 6 years old
• How Does Your Engine Run? - the "Alert program" for helping kids with self-regulation, and maintaining appropriate levels of alertness
  
• Ye Olde Therapy Shoppe ... one-stop shopping for sensory-motor and learning books, chewies, fidgets, weights, balls, and more ... see alsoAbilitations, Integrations, and others
• Seamfree socks, snug undies, flat-seamed clothes, and other items are available from SensoryComfort.com

Ethiopian Names and Meanings

Heritage is very important and traditionally a child grows up to know at least 7 generations of his/her ancestors. For example a child named Abraham Alemayehu Zerihun carries 3 generations of names, his own (Abraham), his father's (Alemayehu) and his grandfather's (Zerihun).

Why are children named like this?

One reason is that many people have the same first name so the father's name identifies them like the English "Robert - son" = Robertson. The grandfather's name adds to this and also shows heritage which is important in determining status - the more names you know the higher your status in the community.

Another reason for naming children this way is that when Ethiopian men plan to marry, traditionally they send a delegation of 6 elders to the girl's family to negotiate the marriage. This negotiation includes determining if the bride and groom are related. Both families must provide the male lines of both sets of parents back 7 generations. Therefore, it is the names that are handed down through the generations that are the evidence of their family line. -From AACASA

The following sites contain lists of Ethiopian male and female names and their meanings:

• AACASA
• Baby Names World
• My Ethiopian Name
• Meaning-of-names

If you know of any other good 'name' resources, please add them in the comments so I can add them to the list above. Thanks!

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Added 4/21/10:

This blog post gives some insight to Ethiopian nicknames.