Good article re book on parenting.
http://www.npr.org/2012/02/12/146769135/move-over-tiger-mother-french-parents-may-be-better-too?ft=3&f=111787346&sc=nl&cc=es-20120219
Haiti adoption still in hiatus, but consider “famn pou famn”
February 18, 2012 By
Vera Valdivia has initiated a micro business to help Haitian women with children make a living. The women are knitting purses and bags, and they are sold to women any where. They need donations to purchase supplies. Thank you to several families who have already sent donations. Donations can be made through Paypal to International Child Foundation or by check to the office, ICF, 11449 N Mandarin Ln, Tucson, AZ 85737. All donations go to Vera to for the start up and she plans to go to Haiti in April. We are hoping that she may consider living there, again, so we can look into working with her again. We love Vera!
Mexico Adoption program moving forward
February 18, 2012 By
We have several families now in various stages of their adoption process, 15 in fact, with three more in the agency approval or home study stage. Ricardo is going to court for one family next week — this is the last step before getting the new birth certificate and making the trip to Mexico City! Wonderful!
There is a new Director at National DIF. Due to the issues that started with investigations of Irish adoptions from Jalisco, everyone is being extremely careful that the regulations are followed precisely. We expect there to be a national database of available children soon, with the states sending info on legally available children to the National DIF. This may help speed up the referral process. That is generally the longest step in the process.
Welcome to new Infant Adoption Families!
February 18, 2012 By
We have three new families entering in the ABC Infant Adoption program! Thank you and thanks to the agencies who have referred them to us. 
More good news, we placed two babies last month with very happy families! We have one family waiting for their birthmother to deliver, probably this weekend or next week. And, another family matched last week. We are really grateful for your recommendations, patience and flexibility! Adoption is a bit of a roller-coaster and we know it takes courage and perserverance to get through it.
US Dept of State 2011 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption
February 18, 2012 By
Complete report of fiscal year 2011 from US Dept of State on International Adoption
http://adoption.state.gov/content/pdf/fy2011_annual_report.pdf
For Women Under 30, Most Births Occur Outside Marriage
February 18, 2012 By
LORAIN, Ohio — It used to be called illegitimacy. Now it is the new normal. After steadily rising for five decades, the share of children born to unmarried women has crossed a threshold: more than half of births to American women under 30 occur outside marriage.
Read article… http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/us/for-women-under-30-most-births-occur-outside-marriage.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
Adoption Survey for Families re USCIS/US Dept of State
February 10, 2012 By
From the Joint Council on International Children’s Services:
As we announced yesterday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has released a survey the results of which will inform U.S. government policy makers on adoptive families’ experiences when interacting with U.S. government officials during the intercountry adoption process. The survey seeks to collect responses from adoptive families, potential adoptive families and adoption service providers.
This survey respresents a unique opportunity for the adoption community to share their experiences and express their opinions regarding the services provided by the U.S. government. We strongly encourage all Joint Council supporters who have adopted internationally or who have facilitated intercountry adoptions to participate in the survey and to encourage others to do so as well.
In my five years at Joint Council, I have fielded innumerable calls and emails requesting assistance during interactions with our government. Some of those calls expressed postive experiences, but the vast majority were problems needing resolution. Please use this opportunity to share your experiences directly with a key U.S. government policy maker, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Adoptive parent or prospective adoptive parent, please use the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Surveyonintercountryadoptionparents
Adoption Service Providers, please use the following link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Surveyonintercountryadoptionasp
La Fiesta! for Refugios de Dios para Ninos
February 7, 2012 By
Our Humanitarian Aid committee is working on a fun fundraising event in Tucson for May! “La Fiesta” will be a dinner and dance gathering and auction to benefit a shelter in Nogales. We invite you to contribute… your time (if you live in Tucson) or items that would be great additions to the auction. Be creative! Goods and services are both wanted… a massage, a trip to the moon, a resort weekend, a beaded necklace, any sort of western wear or horse gear, art, books, gardening tools, irrigation or landscape services, tree trimming, and more! What do you do? What do you need? Think of what you might contribute for the auction or what you might like to find at the auction and there you have it! We can also use cash donations for the dinner and table rentals. Dust off your cowboy boots and rhinestones and plan for a night of fun and fundraising! We have need for “major” sponsors and please invite your friends. The event is being held at a location near I-10 and Ina Rd. Convenient for both Tucson and Phoenix folks! Contact Tiffany Ragels for more info at tiffanyr@childfound.org!
Refugios de Dios para Ninos de los Ninos is a shelter for girls who have been abused or exploited. They receive excellent gentle care, love, counseling and psychological services to recover from trauma and attend private schools. If you cannot attend the event, please consider sending a donation to International Child Foundation via Paypal. $500 is a scholarship for a child’s tuition for a year. Contact us for more information!
Baby Lead Weaning & Leaner Kids
February 7, 2012 By
New article in Scientific American re: “Baby Led Weaning”
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/02/06/baby-led-weaning-leads-to-leaner-kids/
