News & Adoption Webinar Update

Hello Adoption Friends,

Wanted to share with you some information that I believe will be helpful for you on your adoption journey and update you on our September Adoption Telecourse and Webinar schedule.

New "Adoption Blogs" Page on ThinkingOfAdopting.com
I'm excited to announce that we've added a new "Adoption Blogs" page to ThinkingOfAdopting.com. I know that we may never have made our "leap of faith" and adopted our child if it wasn't for those who shared their stories with us -- stories that gave us hope, showed us we weren't alone, and ultimately helped provide us with the inspiration we needed to make our "leap". Most of the blogs listed were started by our adoption friends who learned to blog by taking the ThinkingOfAdopting.com webinar, "Share Your Story: How to Create Your Own Adoption Blog". I think they've done a tremendous job and I love following their adoption journeys by reading their blogs. The new page will also provide you with easy access to our "Adoption News and Information Blog" as well as the "Thinking Of Adopting Podcast". My thanks to all of these bloggers who are sharing their stories with us. I truly believe that these blogs will help inform and inspire others! See for yourself by visiting the new Adoption Blogs page!

I Really Like This Book!
I want to tell you about an excellent new book I'm currently reading, "Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections" edited by Jean MacLeod and Sheena Macrae. The book contains contributions from numerous adoption experts and covers a wide variety of adoptive parenting topics including sleep issues, discipline, and attachment just to name a few. This book also has a great resource listing of other books and web sites where you can get additional information. I've been searching a long time for a book like this to recommend to adoptive parents -- it's a "must have" no matter if you're just starting your journey or already have brought your child home. You can learn more or purchase the book by visiting the "Adoption Books" page on ThinkingOfAdopting.com.

Favorite Adoption Links
If you haven't visited it already, you should check out Karen's Adoption Links -- one of my personal favorites. This site, created by an adoptive mom who's also very active in the adoption community, has a wealth of information about adoption in general with a tremendous number of links to other adoption related sites and discussion groups. It even has a list of orphanage addresses! You can also find some other useful links by visiting ThinkingOfAdopting.com's "Adoption Links" page.

Featured Webinar: "Russian for the Adoption Traveler I" with Tatyana Komarova"
Native speaker and Russian language instructor Tatyana Komarova returns to ThinkingOfAdopting.com starting this coming Monday, 9/11/06, for the second offering of "Russian for the Adoption Traveler I". This four part webinar is the only Russian course I know that covers words that you can use to communicate and play with your new child, especially on the first trip. Plus, it offers you the benefit of having a native speaker be able to give you live feedback on your pronunciation so you know you'll be understood in Russia -- a great comfort once you're there. If you're thinking how can I learn some basic Russian over the Internet from my home, I thought you might find some of the feedback from previous participants informative:

"We were very impressed with the format. At first, we were a little skeptical of how we would be able to practice Russian over a conference call, but we were amazed at how well Tatyana was able to pick up on our pronunciation. Each class seemed to go by very fast and we looked forward to our next class and what we would learn. My husband and I took the course together and practiced the new words in between sessions together. Tatyana was very open to answering any questions we had. We felt that we got a lot of personal attention. The amount we learned jump-started our learning of the Russian language and gave us the confidence to pursue other more intensive CD courses."

"Excellent webinar! everyone going to Russia should take this!"

If you're adopting from Russia, I highly recommend that you consider taking this webinar. Learn more or register (including listening to my podcast interview of Tatyana).

Upcoming Adoption Telecourses & Webinars
9/11/06: "Russian for the Adoption Traveler I" w/ Tatyana Komarova
9/13/06: "Share Your Story: How to create your own Adoption Blog" w/ Dennis Bartko
9/17/06: "Medical Aspects of International Adoption" w/ Dr. Alla Gordina, FAAP
9/21/06: "A Discussion About ADD" with Parent Magic's Dr. Thomas Phelan
9/24/06: "Adopting the Orphanage Child: Overcoming Orphanage Life" w/ Dr. Todd Ochs

To learn more or register go to the "Adoption Telecourses" page on ThinkingOfAdopting.com.

Help Spread the Word
As always, if you find the telecourses and webinars on ThinkingOfAdopting.com useful, I'd certainly appreciate if you would help spread the word. Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone who you feel would be interested. I'd sincerely appreciate your help in getting the word out.

My best to you on your adoption journey. If there is anything I can do to help you, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Robin Bartko