The Kinahan Family

Bill, Nancy, and Julie

Hi Everyone! Welcome to our web page. This page is dedicated to providing everyone with updates and photos. I have also tried to make this site useful and informative for those curious about Russian adoption and a good resource for those adopting from Birobidzhan in particular. I'd like to be able to promise regular updates, but time has been scarce since little Julia came home.

As I mentioned, I'm trying to make this website a source to keep the family up to date and also a resource for other couples looking to adopt from Russia and maybe even Birobidzhan. To do this, I've arrange the site into multiple sections. Our family and friends will probably be most interested in the "Latest News", which is a little further down this page. Families interested in adopting from Russia (and our family too) will want to take a look at some of these other areas which describe our adoption experience:

• A Description of Birobidzhan
• The Specialized Children's Home of Birobidzhan (the orphanage)
• Our Adoption Process
• Trip Report
• Helpful Links

Feel free to let me know what you think, or e-mail me ( kinadopt@optonline.net ) if you have questions. I hope you all enjoy it!

Latest News

Of course all the news is about Julie!

As many of you may know, Nancy and I recently adopted a little girl from the Russian city of Birobidzhan. Her name is now Julia Svetlana Kinahan and she arrived home with us on May 18, 2002, just a few days after her first birthday. Julie is adjusting very well to life here and with our family. She began walking shortly after we got home and now toddles her way all around the house. She sleeps well at night and is gaining weight to make up for lost time, going from 15lb 5oz to 18lb 12oz in a little over two months. Here are some of her favorite foods:

• Pancakes (especially banana pancakes)
• Bananas
• Scrambled eggs with cheese
• Buttered Toast
• Grilled cheese, either plain or with ham
• Smoked turkey
• Hot dogs
• Bread
• Ham steak
• Macaroni and cheese
• Broccoli
• Graham crackers
• Anything with cheese

When we first got home, her appetite was voracious. She would literally try to climb in the high chair herself and would scream if we weren't feeding her fast enough. She would eat a large bowl of rice cereal, half a banana, some yogurt, and still want more. At first we were concerned that Julie might have a parasite causing her to require such large quantities of food, but pediatricians and other adoptive couples have described similar experiences with their children, so its really not that unusual. Its not that she wasn't fed enough in the orphanage, we were amazed at the portions, but more likely that the nutritional value wasn't where it needed to be.

All of the doctor visits have come back with no sign of problems except for a minor ear infection (all cleared up now). Unfortunately, she has to make up for a lot of vaccinations and has gotten 7 shots in the last month. The doctors we have talked to have both recommended not trying to figure out what vaccinations she received in Russia and to just start the whole process from scratch (poor Julie!).

All of us are having a wonderful time as a family! It really is amazing how much our lives have changed and how much fun it can be. Julie is an energetic little girl who never sits still. She seems smart and picks up on every detail.

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Nanna and Pop's house in Florida.

Julie and Mommy playing in the sand	Being tickled on the floor
The family at the beach	I crack myself up!
Come on in, the water's great!
Mommy and Julie play in the water

Julie is interested in animals and birds and especially likes dogs. Here are some pictures of us at a nearby petting zoo.

Here are some pictures of us in our yard. Julie wasn't too keen on grass at first, but she's getting used to it.

Bath time is a lot of fun too!

We've had some nice visits from Grandma and Grandpa (Gohsler). Here are some pictures.

And here are some other pictures we think are just plain cute!