Attorney General Teen Ambassador Board

Congratulations to our Big Girl on being accepted to the Ohio Attorney General's Teen Ambassador Board where she will serve for one year with other high school students from across the state.

The mission of the Teen Ambassador Board is to provide Ohio’s future leaders with an inside look at Ohio law and government. Applicants selected will convene twice in Columbus during their tenure on the Board. Members will advise the AG's office on issues relating to teens and work with their peers to develop solutions to those issues. Students will be placed into small groups, advised by an Assistant Attorney General. Members will attend presentations on a wide variety of topics.

Students will also have the opportunity to meet with Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson, attend events around the state throughout the year, visit our Columbus and regional offices, interact with Assistant Attorneys General, and hear from various elected officials.

More here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_uQGTzkFRE

MOJ IAC Results 670-676

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 670 which was held on June 26, 2026:

1) US dossier from September 2023 referred an identified waiting child

2) US dossier from June 2026 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 671 which was held on June 30, 2026:

1) US dossier from February 2025 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 672 which was held on July 8, 2026:

*Not sure what the published information means.*

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 673 which was held on July 22, 2026:

1) Italian dossier from December 2021 referred a brother and sister aged 8 years and 8 months & 7 years and 6 months

2) Canadian dossier from February 2024 referred a female child aged 2 with features in health status and a family history

3) US dossier from July 2026 referred an identified waiting child

4) US dossier from July 2026 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 674 which was held on July 30, 2026:

1) US dossier from July 2026 referred an identified waiting child

2) US dossier from July 2026 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 675 which was held on August 6, 2026:

1) Italian dossier from April 2026 referred a male child aged 11 years and 7 months

2) Canadian dossier from April 2026 referred a sibling group, one boy and two girls, aged 11 years and 8 months, 7 years and 10 months, & 9 years and 8 months

3) US dossier from August 2026 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC session 676 which was held on August 13, 2026:

1) Italian dossier from November 2023 referred an identified waiting child

2) US dossier from December 2024 referred a male child aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health status and a family history

3) US dossier from February 2025 referred a male child aged 5 years and 5 months with features in health and development

4) US dossier from February 2025 referred a female child aged 4 years and 1 month with features in health and development

5) US dossier from August 2026 referred an identified waiting child

One Million Views

When I started this blog in late 2009, I couldn't have imagined that it would be viewed over one million times, especially since blogging has long been overshadowed by other forms of media.  If you still stop by here to catch up on our family, please leave a comment and let me know if there's anything you'd like to hear about.

2026 Family Trip

Our 2026 family trip was a success. We flew into Denver and from there drove to Colorado Springs (Garden of the Gods and adjust to altitude), Taos (Taos Pueblo World Heritage Site, San Fransisco de Asis Mission Church, Rio Grande Gorge Bridge), Santa Fe (Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum), Bandelier National Monument, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park and back to Denver for the flight home... over 1000 miles.

Craig and I checked off visiting our 40th state - New Mexico - and I have to say it's high up among my favorites.

We saw wildlife (elk, mule deer, rams, pronghorns, trout, and various birds), sunsets and sunrises, a complete rainbow across the sky and so many, many stars.

It's All In His Head

It’s official. Middle Kiddo has chronic migraines which means 15 or more headache days a month.

When you have a patient with communication challenges, it can be difficult to diagnose, so it took six months of close observation, data collection, and experimental treatment to reach this conclusion. AI was very helpful in interpreting information, predicting an onset range for the next migraine, and compiling a list of symptoms which for Middle Kiddo consistently includes the classic pain in the head, but also social withdrawal, SIB, agitation and irritability, resistance to typical/preferred activities, nausea, vomiting, changes in sleeping patterns, and decreased appetite.

Middle Kiddo’s quality of life has improved drastically since December when we began treating the suspected migraines and thus far, he has responded very well to OTC medication. However, now that the diagnosis is official, we are moving to trialing a preventative treatment to reduce the number of headache days per month. It may sound strange, but we’re full of hope about how figuring out this diagnosis and providing intervention will positively impact his future.

Going Out On A Limb

A year ago my mom told us to pick a gift for ourselves and we finally did so this spring. We bought a sour cherry tree and a European prune plum tree since these are two fruits that were staples in my childhood that I miss here. Both trees are self-pollinating and were finally delivered and planted today. Now I just need to channel my Opa to get these beauties to grow and produce for a long time.

MOJ Bulgaria Referrals IAC Sessions 664 to 669

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 664 held on March 8, 2026:

1) French dossier from February 2020 referred a female child aged 1 year and 11 months with features in health status and a family history

2) US dossier from November 2021 referred a male child aged 1 year and 4 months with features in health status and a family history

3) French dossier from April 2022 referred a brother and sister aged 8 years and 2 months & 7 years and 1 month

4) Spanish dossier from May 2024 referred a brother and sister aged  9 years and 5 months & 6 years and 9 months with a family history

5) Canadian dossier from November 2025 referred a female child aged 10 years and 8 months with features in health status and a family history

6) US dossier from December 2025 referred a male child aged 1 year and 1 month with features in health status

7) US dossier from February 2026 referred an identified waiting child

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 665 held on March 26, 2026:

1) Canadian dossier from August 2024 referred a male child aged 2 years and 1 month with features in health and development status and a family history

2) US dossier from November 2024 referred an identified waiting child

3) US dossier from February 2025 referred a female child aged 6 years and 1 month with features in health and development status

4) Spanish dossier from October 2025 referred a male child aged 6 years and 7 months with features in health and development status

5) US dossier from February 2026 referred an identified waiting child

6) US dossier from March 2026 referred an identified waiting child

7) US dossier from March 2026 referred an identified waiting child

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 666 held on April 1, 2026:

1) Canadian dossier from March 2024 referred a female child aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health and development status

2) Italian dossier from July 2025 referred a male child aged 11 years and 3 months

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 667 held on April 6, 2026:

1) Spanish dossier from July 2015 referred a female child aged 3 years and 11 month with features in health and development status

2) Spanish dossier from March 2022 referred a male child aged 5 years and 7 months with features in health status

3) Canadian dossier from October 2024 referred a male child aged 3 years and 3 months with features in health and development status

4) US dossier from March 2025 referred a male child aged 5 years and 1 month with features in health and development status

5) Italian dossier from January 2026 referred a male child aged 9 years and 6 months with features in health and development status

6) US/Italian dossier from March 2026 referred two sisters and a brother aged 11 years and 7 months & 5 years and 8 months & 4 years and 5 months

7) Italian dossier from March 2026 referred a female child aged 13 years and 8 months

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 668 held on April 17, 2026:

1) Spanish dossier from February 2022 referred a female child aged 2 years and 1 month with features in health status and a family history

2) Italian dossier from April 2022 referred a brother and sister aged 10 years and 10 months and 8 years and 3 months

3) US dossier from March 2024 referred brothers aged 9 years and 6 months & 8 years and 2 months with features in development and a family history

4) Italian dossier from October 2024 referred a brother and two sisters aged 8 years and 4 months & 6 years and 8 months & 7 years and 4 months with features in health and development status

5) Italian dossier from February 2026 referred sisters aged 9 years and 6 months & 10 years and 6 months with features in development and a family history

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 669 held on April 27, 2026:

1) Greek dossier from January 2018 referred a make child aged 2 years ad 6 months with a family history

2) Italian dossier from June 2022 referred brothers aged 6 years and 10 years

3) Italian dossier from February 2023 referred a female child aged 12 years with features in development

4) French dossier from September 2023 referred a male child aged 1 year and 8 months with a family history

5) US dossier from July 2024 referred an identified waiting child

6) US dossier from July 2024 referred a female child aged 1 year and 11 months with features in health status and a family history

7) US dossier from May 2025 referred a male child aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health and development and a family history

8) US dossier from September 2025 referred a male child aged 1 year and 6 months with features in health and development

Arts and Crafts

We restocked Little One's arts and crafts area just in time for the first day of summer break and she's already spent hours flexing her imagination with the new supplies. Little One can get deeply immersed in her creative pursuits and we're so happy that she finds enjoyment and relaxation this way.

From ELL To ACT

It feels fitting that it's National Library Week and I am crying over here because our Big Girl just got her ACT scores back. She scored a 31 on the reading section.

This is the same student that was told at the end of second grade not to expect to pass the Third Grade Reading Guarantee the following year, which motivated us to remove her from public school and begin home schooling. In third grade, we went back to the basics. We started with picture books and worked our way to short chapter books. I read to Big Girl for hours that year and tried to create a fun and language-rich environment.

Alongside me, many in-home teachers also poured into her over the years and I want to thank those teachers. You’ve made such a difference.

Sometimes you have to take the road less traveled and it’s a harder path that works out regardless. Test scores are never the measure of a person, but I do want to give Big Girl credit for her perseverance and hard work from a 6 yo English Language Learner to a 96th percentile reader.

The Hard Stuff Of Adoption

I'll try to keep this post as general as possible for privacy, but I would be amiss not to chronicle some tough adoption stuff that is happening as all three of our children are rapidly approaching adulthood and starting new phases of their lives that can change perspectives and impact relationships.

One of our children is now directly in touch with their family of origin.  We have had contact with the family for many years and even met in person, but until recently I have served as a conduit, helping with some of the lost in translation situations and mitigating some cultural and personality differences.  However, a recent interest in a closer relationship with a slightly younger full biological sibling brought about the direct contact which now also includes first mom and dad.

With that, our child has been asking some hard questions, requiring honesty, transparency and vulnerability from the family of origin which appears to exceed the family's current capacity to share and engage.  Confusion and distrust are heightened by the fact that information from our child's original documents does not align with the first parents' stated narrative.  Both our child and their sibling are now struggling for answers that may never come or never be enough.

As this process unfolds, I stand by to offer support when it's requested.  I've been able to help with bouncing around thoughts and feelings, with reviewing documents, and with exploring potential scenarios based on what we do know and what might happen next.  I maintain respect and compassion for the family of origin without diminishing our child's complicated, confounding views and evolving emotions as they sort out their own early (hi)story.

And even though this is a difficult time of growth for our child, I know we're lucky to have as much information as we do and to have access to a first family that is interested in a relationship the specifics of which remain yet to be developed.

MOJ Referrals IAC Sessions 659 to 663

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 659 held on December 5, 2025:

1) French dossier from December 2016 referred a male child aged 3 years and 6 months

2) US dossier from December 2021 referred a female child aged 1 year and 5 months with features in health status and a family history

3) Canadian dossier from February 2024 referred a male child aged 1 year and 11 months with features in health status and a family history

4) US dossier from December 2025 referred an identified waiting child

 The following referral was issued in IAC Session 660 held on December 11, 2025:

1) Italian dossier from April 2024 referred a male child aged 6 years and 4 months with features in development and a family history

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 661 held on January 16, 2026:

1) US dossier from April 2025 referred an identified waiting child

2) US dossier from December 2025 referred an identified waiting child

3) US dossier from January 2026 referred an identified waiting child

4) US dossier from January 2026 referred an identified waiting child

5) US dossier from January 2026 referred an identified waiting child

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 662 held on January 22, 2026:

1) Spanish dossier from February 2019 referred a male child aged 3 years and 7 months

2) Italian dossier from November 2023 referred a brother and sister aged 7 years and 10 months & 10 years and 1 month with features in development and a family history

3) Italian dossier from July 2025 referred a male child aged 11 years

4) Italian dossier from July 2025 referred a female child aged 9 years and 5 months with features in development and behavior

5) Canadian dossier from December 2025 referred an identified waiting child

6) US dossier from January 2026 referred an identified waiting child

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 663 held on January 28, 2026:

1) Italian dossier from February 2021 referred a female child aged 12 years and 9 months

2) Dutch dossier from April 2022 referred a female child aged 1 year and 6 months with features in health status and a family history

3) Italian dossier from November 2023 referred brothers aged 9 years and 3 months & 7 years and 11 months with features in development and a family history

4) US dossier from July 2024 referred a female child aged 5 years and 4 months with features in health status

Simply The Best

We've seen it all in the world of therapy and intervention: success and failure, fit and mismatch, progress and plateau.  So when you do find the best, you hold on.  It's been a decade with our trusted Gina (aka Ginabutter and Jelly) and we're so thankful.

School Is Hard - Bacon Helps

When his home school life skills lesson involves cooking bacon, Middle Kiddo is all in.

New Year New Floor

 And home school life/job skills training to boot for our Big Girl.

MOJ IAC Sessions 649-658

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 649 which was held on September 4, 2025:

1) Spanish dossier from April 2022 referred a male child aged 1 year and 6 months with features in health status

2) Italian dossier from August 2025 referred a female child aged 12 years and 6 months

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 650 which was held on September 12, 2025:

1) Italian dossier from April  2023 referred a male child aged 3 years and 8 months with features in health and development and a family history

2) US dossier from September 2025 referred an identified waiting child

3) US dossier from September 2025 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 651 which was held on September 18, 2025:

1) Italian dossier from May 2017 referred a female child aged 5 years

2) US dossier from July 2024 referred a female child aged 5 years and 7 months with features in health and development

3) US dossier from December 2024 referred a female child aged 1 year and 6 months with features in health and development and a family history

4) US dossier from February 2025 referred a male child aged 12 years and 8 months

5) US dossier from May 2025 referred a male child aged 2 years and 5 months with features in health status

6) Italian dossier from August 2025 referred a male child aged 11 years and 11 months with features in health and development and a family history

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 652 which was held on October 3, 2025:

1) Italian dossier from December 2023 referred a brother and sister aged 7 years and 7 months & 9 years and 10 months with features in health status and a family history

2) US dossier from September 2025 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 653 which was held on October 16, 2025:

1) Italian dossier from April 2023 referred brothers aged 8 years and 1 month & 6 year and 1 month with features in health status

2) US dossier from July 2024 referred a male child aged 3 years and 5 months with features in health and development and a family history

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 654 which was held on October 24, 2025:

1) Spanish dossier from March 2016 referred a male child aged 6 years and 9 months

2) Swiss dossier from December 2016 referred a female child aged 9 years and 5 months

3) Spanish dossier from April 2017 referred a female child aged 2 years and 9 months with a family history

4) Canadian dossier from October 2024 referred siblings aged 8 years (female), 12 years (female) and 9 years and 8 months (male)

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 655 which was held on November 6, 2025:

1) Canadian dossier from August 2025 referred siblings aged 9 years and 4 months (female), 8 years and 3 months (female) and 10 years and 10 months (male) with features in development

2) US dossier from October 2025 referred an identified waiting child

3) US dossier from October 2025 referred an identified waiting child

4) US dossier from October 2025 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 656 which was held on November 13, 2025:

1) US/German dossier from October 2025 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 657 which was held on November 20, 2025:

1) Italian dossier from July 2023 referred a female child aged 12 years and 3 months

2) US dossier from May 2024 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 658 which was held on November 28, 2025:

1) US dossier from January 2020 referred a female child aged 2 years and 3 months with features in health status and a family history

2) French dossier from December 2022 referred a female child aged 6 years and 11 months with features in health and development and a family history

3) Italian dossier from April 2024 referred a female child aged 1 year and 6 months with features in health status

4) Italian dossier from December 2024 referred a male child aged 6 years and 3 months with features in health status

5) US dossier from March 2025 referred a female child aged 5 years and 9 months with features in health status

6) Canadian dossier from September 2025 referred a female child aged 1 year and 6 months with features in health status

7) US dossier from November 2025 referred an identified waiting child

Brand Ambassador

Aside from her longstanding babysitting gig, this week Big Girl started her first legitimate job as a brand ambassador. We're very proud of how she moved herself through the process of getting employment and pushed another step closer to independent living.

The Bonus Lives Of Our Christmas Tree

Little One always has a hard time when the holiday season comes to a close and the decorations are put away. So this year, she and I turned our Christmas tree into a temporary bird feeding tree in the front yard, so she can enjoy it a little bit longer from her own favorite perch on our indoor swing.

Little One knows that come spring, the tree's last and final life will be as part of a backyard campfire that will probably involve S'mores and hotdogs.

Ending On A High Note

It's been a year of big and sometimes hard changes for our Middle Kiddo, but I'm so happy that he gets to finish 2025 on a high note with a volunteer shift at Habitat for Humanity. More good things to come in 2026.

2025 Reading

2025 has been a great year of reading, mixing fiction and non-fiction, serious and light. Far from the Tree is so long and dense in parts that it took me five or six e-loans from the library before I made it through, but I conquered it. On the other end of the spectrum, Perfection was perhaps the shortest read of the year and one that I would recommend for those of us whose lives straddle the before/after internet/social media eras. I'm not sure if there was an above and beyond favorite for 2025, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be Beheld.

Home School Executive Functioning Practice

We're still home schooling all three of our children and still using some creative, individualized strategies to build their skills.  Today's assignment for Little One: Propose three different ways to crush ten Oreos for Oreo cookie balls.  Test out your methods and decide which one works best.  Make and enjoy Oreo balls.