This weekend my dear friend “P” and her husband “M” are flying to Guatemala City. This is their "umpteenth" trip since they accepted the referral for baby Nola 2 year, 10 months, 3 weeks and 1 day ago. Pam has made four trips in the last two months – one of which my daughter and I joined.

P and her husband are going to give POA to a new lawyer to handle the adoption; the lawyer who was (mis)handling their case (and was my daughter’s lawyer by the way) recently announced that he was not going to continue with this case. No surprise – he has done almost nothing in the last 2 years.

There are 395 other children stuck in various hogares (orphanages) in Guatemala, and a few fortunate ones who were left living with their foster families until their adoptions are complete.

A long wait in my doctor’s office today gave me ample time to read an interesting magazine  "Disney Family Fun" cover to cover. In addition to great recipes it had innovative ideas for activities for children and for reusing household items. This is one time I wish I had “taken” the magazine home with me, but fortunately I found it online.

In any case, two ideas stuck in my head from this magazine:

1. Cardboard Egg Cartons: These make great card holders for younger children who cannot hold and organize multiple cards in their hands. Invert the egg carton so the depressions are facing upwards and remove the carton top. Put slits along the flat areas for the cards and voila, you have a card holder. Another suggestion just from my own experience: My daughter has tons of play jewelry – we store the various pieces in the individual sections of an old egg carton. You can let your child decorate their homemade jewelry box with paint, crayons, markers, stickers or any medium you choose.

Yes, according to UNICEF this is the number of children who die around the world every day for any number of reasons, the reasons unfortunately not mentioned in their newest radio ad. Halloween is in the future and this is their fundraising season; they have a famous movie star with a dramatic voice giving these stats - too bad he didn’t do his homework before he agreed to support this top heavy and corrupt organization that is totally an “end in itself” as opposed to being a “means to an end.”

Any of you who have read my previous posts condemning UNICEF for wasting money, bribing countries to close adoption, corruption, lying, and rarely putting children’s interests first, may question my using their “numbers” when it is convenient. There is a reason for this: I think that is the only thing UNICEF does  well – count starving, sick, and orphaned children. Gross over exaggeration on my part? Perhaps, but I doubt it.

So UNICEF is asking you to give them money for their various funds. Before you put your hand in your pocket, pull out your check book, or click “PayPal” please consider the following facts:

1. UNICEF is anti-intercountry adoption PERIOD. They view adoption as the “last resort” for a child who is not being parented by any family member, nuclear or extended. UNICEF claims that orphanages are not ideal, but support keeping children in them under the pretense that they are “pro-reunification of parents and children” who have been separated for various reasons in third world countries: storms, earthquakes, famine, war, hurricanes, floods and the list goes on.

Point in case Haiti – UNICEF is fighting to halt all adoptions from Haiti telling the world they want to reunite children with their parents down the road. When? How? Well, that isn’t really their concern. They talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. Children are living on the street and in filthy tents, being sold into prostitution and slavery, but not being placed for adoption.

I recently reread the prose poem Desiderta.; I thought I’d share it with our readers here at Adoption Under One Roof . 

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. 

As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

___

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

----

To date Katie Kramer does not have a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant she desperately needs. If you are interested in being tested to be a bone marrow donor for Katie or anyone else in need, please click here for more information.

This is one of the latest updates from Katie’s mother:

The appointment at Stanford has been rescheduled for next Thursday. Katie will have a GFR test (for kidney function), then we will meet with the cardiologist and then the oncologist. It will be a very long day, but we are hoping to come home with a plan for the transplant. It has been four months since we learned that Katie has relapsed, so we are ready to move forward with this transplant. It appears more and more that she will either have a transplant from the 9/10 donor they have found, or have a transplant using double cord blood units.