A friend of mine is in the process of buying a house in town. I think she's in the middle of attorney review or just out of that stage. The other day I was on the phone with her and she made a comment about "the house we are not supposed to talk about." Now, I'm a homeowner myself. I think we may not have spread the word around before we were well into the process simply because - well - we were selfish and didn't want our friends to become our competitors in bidding on the house.

But it is unclear - at what point during the period leading up to a major life event does it become appropriate to discuss the specifics or make your news public? So how do you know when is the... more

So your friend or relative is celebrating the adoption of their child and you'd like to get them an appropriate gift, but you're not sure where to start. Here are a few ideas to get you going:

-- Are they registered? Many (though not all) families decide to register for the arrival of a baby - it's okay to ask or ask around to see if they've registered. Quite often, people prefer to buy something that is really needed or wanted rather than guess.

-- Is this a first child? Or first child of that gender? If so, go with clothes. Clothes are always good. Actually, when we first met Anna (on a Friday - she came to live with us that Monday) one of the first things I did was to check... more

What is meant by the term "Jewish Adoption?" It is, after all, the title of this blog. Jewish Adoption - in my humble opinion - refers to the adoption of a child by a Jewish couple [Edited to add: or single adult] with the intent that the child will be raised Jewish regardless of his or her religion at birth.

Adoptionblogs.com has a nice variety of blogs on different types and aspects of Adoption - which makes sense. Especially when you are first starting out and are looking for information on the different types of adoption, what your options really are and when you are looking to hear from "been there done that" parents, it's nice to see that there are lots of people out there to... more

This Tuesday is the Ninth of the month of Av, in Hebrew called Tisha B'Av. I always have trouble calling it a holiday per se, because in my mind, the word 'holiday' evokes a sense of joy and celebration. Tisha B'Av is neither of these things. It is a fast day - a day of mourning and remembrance.

I find that happy holidays are much easier to explain to children and certainly much easier to get them involved with days of celebration. Those holidays tend to have family centered or family friendly rituals, foods and customs. Also, they often are marking an interesting point in our people's history - for example, Passover marks the... more

A few years ago when we "got off the train" as I like to say, and stopped pursuing treatments for infertility, we turned to adoption. I know that we had talked about the possibility of adopting before we got married, as we suspected that I may have trouble conceiving, but nothing was ever carved in stone. I also don't recall having a serious sit-down discussion with my husband regarding our options post fertility-hell. I guess it was just obvious to both of us that we would go through the adoption process.

And yet, it's not so simple for many people. There is a huge pressure to have children within the Jewish community - we have all gotten the "So, when are you going to have a baby?"... more

"What's it like having adopted kids?" Is a question I have actually been asked. While I'm never sure what the best response is to this kind of a question, the answer - in my opinion - is this: "Having adopted kids is pretty much like having biological kids."

Try as we might, I think that it's hard to imagine our life with kids - before they join the family. Dooce - a blog I read off and on - put an interesting spin on explaining life with children: Friday: "For those of you who do not have kids and have ever wondered what life would be like, just go turn on a blender and stick your... more

Who's afraid of an open adoption? Lots of people. Really - even today, in 2007, when adoptions have come such a long way from the back alleys and black markets, people are still afraid of committing to an open adoption.

And it is a scary concept to a large degree. A lot of the issues stem from fear of the unknown - maybe this isn't the adoption you imagined. But the more you read about it, and the more you talk to people - maybe even a potential birth mother - it seems like a good idea.

And yet... Will I be the real parent? Will my child's birth parents come and take my child back? Will other people understand the arrangement? Will our child be confused?... more

Some thing that I haven't really touched upon is dealing with anti-Semitism when going abroad to complete an international adoption. Some people will report having no problems whatsoever, and others may find themselves in rather uncomfortable situations.

Whether a person is recognizable as a Jew from appearances or not really does not necessarily matter in terms of whether that individual will face some form of anti-Semitism in his or her lifetime. But how much should we hide who we are to 'protect' ourselves? And how appropriate is it really?

I remember being in school at times when things were not so good for the Jews around the world or in certain areas. During the days... more

Adam's case was set to go to trial at the end of May, but for various reasons got pushed off. I am still waiting to hear about a new court date which I am hoping will be soon. As much as I obviously hope - for our sake - that the case will go to termination and we will be able to adopt Adam, it could still go either way. Regardless of what the determination is, I hope the case is decided soon so we can know what is going on.

Anyway, I met with his law guardian this week. When a case is in court to determine guardianship or issues of termination, a law guardian is appointed to represent the interests of the child or children in question.

Adam's law guardian discussed the issue... more

I did not get into my first choice college. Granted, my first choice was a 'reach' school for me, but I felt that I still had a halfway decent shot. Instead, I was accepted into a very nice college - albeit my second choice.

And then I got psyched. I read more about the college I'd be attending. I got in touch with current and former students. I started to map out which clubs and organizations I'd be joining, and what places were nearby for me to explore on the weekends.

Most importantly, when people asked me where I was going, I did not say "Well I applied to this amazing school and was rejected. I'm crushed. Oh - and I guess I'll just have to go to this other school that... more