units parental

Children are our future--Whitney Houston was not being ironic when she sang that.

Friends in Champaign-Urbana and central MN are expecting in the next two months, and friends right here in the RIC also have oven-with-bun. Two girls, one boy. We're in "that age," I guess, among that dense and predictable cohort of people who are having kids now. I can think of ten little ones under the age of two in a small group of folks we used to hang out with. It's much like the cycle of marriages among our friends ten years ago.

I learned from my colleague that China has become much more strict about adoption these days. Though they more lenient as a culture in regard to the state's "one-child" idea, there are still a lot of orphans and a lot of us in the U.S. adopting them---30,000 families in the U.S. are waiting right now. Very cool. This also makes for quite the wait these days--it will be four years before the child is here and they can start livin' family style. Anyway, the background check she described is quite extensive now, and includes things like if either parent takes anti-depressants. Taking anti-depressants rules you out.

I don't know if that's the case in other places. But I do know that there has been a happy transition from Russia to Minneapolis in recent months for this new guy. We are so happy for you and we love following along.