Ukraine Dossier

From my experience with other countries - the Ukraine Dossier is not complicated and very manageable to complete in a short amount of time while you wait for requested documents. Everything helps when considering where to adopt.

1. Home Study
2. Home Study Agency License
3. Home ownership/rental documents
4. Warranty Deed
5. Employment Verification
6. Medical Forms
7. Marriage License
8. Photo page of passports
9. State Police Clearance
10. Form I-171H from USCIS
11. Application to Adopt
12. Power of Attorney
13. A notarized written consent from adoptive parents to obtain Interpol clearances
14. 1040 tax returns
15. Registration commitment

Adoption Nutrition

What Every Parent Needs to Know

While foster and adopted children may appear healthy on the outside, they may very well be deficient in key nutrients that could impact future growth and brain development. These deficiencies develop because many vulnerable children do not receive proper nutrition in their early years. The most common culprits include:

• Insufficient prenatal nutrition
• Malnutrition in infancy
• Post-adoption growth spurts

The growth spurts children commonly experience during the initial post-adoption period actually results in additional vulnerability to nutritional deficiencies. These periods of accelerated growth call heavily upon their bodies’ already meager nutritional reserves, resulting in anemia or other conditions.

Unfortunately, foster and adoptive parents can’t go back in time and nourish their children starting from the time they were conceived. But parents can provide optimal nutrition once their children are home to boost their children’s development and overall health.

Learn more about:

• Contributing Factors to Malnutrition
• Common Nutrient Deficiencies
• Lab Tests for an Initial Checkup
• Lab Tests to Repeat at 6 Months
  
  
  
  http://www.spoonfoundation.org/
  
  
  
  

Flowers of Ukraine

Lovely flowers are the smiles of God's goodness.

William Wilberforce (1759 - 1833) English statesman 

This picture of a sweet child, who you may wonder what she is thinking, reminds me of all the parts to an adoption process but when worn together they make a stunning picture of God's beauty.

Ukrainian wreath (Ukrainian: вінок, vinok) is a type of wreath which, in traditional Ukrainian culture, is worn by girls and young unmarried women. The wreath may be part of a tradition dating back to the old East Slavic customs that predate the Christianization of Rus.^[1] The flower wreath remains a part of the Ukrainian national attire, and is worn on festive occasions and on holy days

Like most Ukrainian folk dress, the vinok had significant symbolic value and only specific flowers were used.^[2] It was traditionally worn by girls who were eligible for marriage. The wreath's name, vinok, is related to the Ukrainian word for a wedding ceremony vinchannya.

The flowers used to make the wreath were generally fresh, paper or waxen and were attached onto a band of stiff paper backing covered with a ribbon.

The wreath varied in many of the regions of Ukraine; young women throughout the country wore various headdresses of yarn, ribbon, coins, feathers and grasses, but these all had the same symbolic meaning. In parts of central and eastern Ukrainethe flowers were raised in the center front. Usually multicolored, embroidered ribbons were attached to the back.^[1]

Care

I have been inspired lately by the work of Mister Rogers and read a great book about him titled "The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers" by Amy Hollingsworth. I plan to use his shows and methods of care for our newly adopted children in our home. What an amazing man of Faith and Love for all children!

" I give an expression of care every day to each child, to help him realize that he is unique.  I end the program by saying, 'You've made this day a special day by just your being you.  There's no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.'  I feel that if we in public television can only make it clear that feelings are mentionable and manageable, we will have done a great service."  Fred Rogers