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Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14th each year across the world, mostly by Westernized nations. Originally St. Valentine’s Day began as a celebration of the Christian saint named Valentinus. Later, it assumed its current day of devotion to romantic love in the circles of Geoffrey Chaucer during the middle ages. Originally, a day to ...

As Valentine’s Day rolls in on February 14 every year couples, families, and friends are trying to figure out the best way to say “I love you” to the people they care about most. We find ourselves asking questions like, “Should I buy chocolate?” or “What color roses are the best?” or “Where should I ...

The top 10 things you should consider when choosing your country for international adoption: Does the country allow for international adoption? (If so, proceed to following criteria) Have there been any international adoptions from the country in the past three years? (you can find this information at adoption.state.gov) Do any licensed/accredited international adoption agencies provide ...

With Super Bowl XLVII on the horizon, football fans are focused on HarBowl – brothers, John and Jim Harbaugh, battling it out on the field in an attempt to coach their team to ultimate victory. Adoption fans, however, are focused on a completely different Super Bowl faceoff. The Baltimore Raven’s Michael Oher and San Francisco ...

Adding children to a family comes after a long process, either pregnancy or adoption. There is one major distinction between these two journeys: visibility. One is more visible than the other. Once expecting parents announce their pregnancy, there is a visible sign of their changing status – the mother’s expanding belly. When expecting parents announce ...

The Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act 2012 was passed by Congress and signed by the President this month. Since then, international adoption agencies have been seeking clarifications and information about the implementation of this Act. While the concept of Universal Accreditation has been known by international adoption professionals and adoption agencies, some of the details ...

Quick – what are some reasons you can think of for attending MLJ’s cultural events this year? Here are my thoughts: Who doesn’t love a party? Meeting other families who adopted from the same country and through MLJ Really good food – our potluck contributions are fantastic! Hanging out with foreign staff The Arch has ...

We often hear that an international adoption program was closed because of corruption. We have also heard of international adoption agencies being investigated for corruption. Corruption is a scary word to many and especially prospective adoptive parents. Adoption professionals/advocates, government officials, and adoption agencies from Indiana and across the U.S. have been battling corruption in ...

We recently had our year-end review and we’re very excited to share our findings with you. Below is an infographic detailing MLJ’s growth throughout the past three years, broken down by overall placements, country, and the number of children who came home each month in 2012. Thank you for helping us continue to grow and ...

Over the past 15 years we have seen significant changes in International Adoption. We have seen international adoption agencies in the U.S., adoption agencies in Indiana and adoption agencies in Indianapolis grow and others close their doors. We have seen countries open and countries close international adoption programs. This has been a result of the ...

As reported by the US Department of State, January 3rd, 2013, President Vladimir Putin of Russia signed into law Russian Federal Law No. 186614-6 on December 28th, 2012, which prohibits the adoptions of Russian children by U.S. citizens. This law went into effect on January 1st, 2013. The law bans adoption of Russian children by ...

With the NFL playoffs underway we thought we would take a look at some memorable football players who were adopted and the impacts they have made. Daunte Culpepper is a great advocate for adoption. He was born to a single teen mother, Barbara Henderson, who was in prison. He was adopted when he was a ...

A dossier is a detailed file of information. For an adoption dossier, the file includes detailed information about you and your family, and information the country has requested for an international adoption. We often only use the term adoption dossier for international adoptions but some agencies use this term for domestic adoption as well. Whether ...