The other day I posted some general information about adopting from Russia. Today I'm going to describe the actual process.

Before I get started, I recommend you buy a copy of The Russian Adoption Handbook, by John McLean, if you're even remotely interested in adoption from Russia. It was last updated in 2004, so a few things may have changed, but overall it's an excellent resource.

Second, I recommend you join the Internet lists: APR on EEAC, and Russian_Adoption... more

This post is intended to be a very broad overview of the process of adopting from Russia. You might want to check out my Adopt from Russia blog for a ton more information (as well as a lot of blah blah blah) involving Russian adoption, but here I hope to present Russian adoption in a nutshell.

This is part 1 of adopting from Russia: the basics. Part 2 will be about the paperwork and procedure.

People generally choose adoption from Russia because they are looking for a Caucasian child, although it's very possible to adopt children... more

When you adopt Internationally...there are some advantages and disadvantages to doing so.

The biggest factor for you to consider, realistically, is cost. Can you afford an international adoption, or do you have the credit to finance the costs of the adoption?

When you move beyond that, you should ask yourself why you want to adopt internationally. Do you have friends with successful adoptions? Do you have fears of domestic adoptions failing? Do I want a baby vs. an older child?

All of these are valid questions, and should be considered when choosing... more