When waiting for the referral of a child or for news that finally they can travel to get their child, many parents like to spend some time learning a little bit more about Addis. Recently I found a website called What's Up, Addis? that is a nice resource for adoptive families.

The website features pages about many different topics. There's a page of frequently used phone numbers. Here are some of the ones most likely to be useful to adoptive families.

HOSPITALS (in case of illness) Black Lion 001-5511211 Hayat Hospital 001-6624488 (This... more

Sometimes, despite your best efforts at caution in Addis, you succumb to the dreaded stomach crud. Because of this, it is wise to come to Ethiopia prepared.

When your stomach starts rumbling, your first line of defense should probably be something like Pepto-bismol or Tums. If the stomach upset is mild, this treatment along with very cautious eating and maybe some lemon-lime soda will probably get you back to normal within a few hours.

Imodium?

If... more

A huge question in the minds of many adoptive parents is how on earth they'll ever be able to afford the costs associated with an international adoption. I have blogged in the past about the estimated cost for our current adoption, and how we afforded the adoption costs for our other children. I also wrote about the timing of adoption-related expenses (hint: you don't have to come up with all the money at once!). I want to write now about some of... more

I've crossed the line. I am now an older parent. I survived my 40th birthday in June, mainly by thinking of it as just my birthday and pushing aside the thought that I am now in my 40’s. I remember my husband taking his 30th birthday really hard and not quite understanding what the big deal was. But I have to confess that I’m still adjusting to the thought of being an older parent. Whenever I remember that I’m 40, I hum and stick my fingers in my ears. (That’s adjusting, right?)

One of the things that hit me on my birthday is how long I’ve been parenting. On my 20th birthday I was 2 months pregnant with our first child. On my 30th birthday I had four little children, ages... more

The other day Anita, a mom who just adopted a child from Ghana, blogged about the dilemma of finding out that your child has a sibling who has not yet been adopted. In a case like this, an adoptive family can feel tremendous pressure to adopt the child who remains behind.

Sometimes this does work out to be possible. I know of two families right now who are in the process of adopting the teenaged siblings of Ethiopian children they've already brought home. Since both of these children were older, they had to get bone age tests done before the paperwork could begin.

This is to meet a requirement of... more

The CDC announced on July 20th that several cases of hepatitis A have recently been reported in people who have come in contact with adoptees from Ethiopia. Because of this, Hepatitis A immunizations are recommended not only for parents traveling to Ethiopia, but also for all members of households that will be welcoming Ethiopian children home.

Two doses of the Hepatitis A vaccine confer life-long immunity, but even one dose will provide 70% immunity. If you do not have time to get both doses before traveling, you will still probably be OK. The Hep A vaccine is safe for children as young as 12 months. Most children under the age of 6 years do not get sick from the infection,... more

Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. I've included a summary of each piece. You can click on the title of each story to go read the full story. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service.

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Ethiopia releases protest leaders

The biggest news out of Ethiopia this week is the report from the BBC that 30 protest leaders have been released. Just days after being given life sentences over the June 2005 election protests, the group has now reportedly confessed... more

Almost all parents want to document those precious moments when they see their child for the first time. But when you're packing to travel internationally, your bags can fill surprisingly fast. You may not want to pack lots of bulky video equipment.

I've found a really great camcorder that may make a little more space in that crammed suitcase of yours. A couple months ago on photojojo, I read about a cute new camcorder called the FLip, and it interested me immediately because of its size and ease of use.

It is no... more

Along with all the normal moments that parents treasure, like seeing our kids for the first time, catching first smiles, first steps, first ice cream cones, and first days of school, we're also visiting their homeland maybe for the only time in our lives, seeing their caregivers, and possibly even meeting members of birth family. Darn tootin' we want to get good pictures of these precious events.

I recently made the switch from film to digital cameras. The more I know about digital, the more I am convinced that digital cameras were made for travelers. Picture cards are much easier... more

I mentioned in my previous post that I was planning to bring Benadryl strips in my carry-on luggage to and from Ethiopia. Sandra asked some questions about the Benadryl strips and since I figured that others might have questions as well, I thought I'd bring the answers to the top of the blog.

What is it?

Benadryl strips are a fairly new form of Benadryl that is equivalent to liquid Benadryl. The strips look to me like a very thin piece... more