With so much to write about ... so much news, so little time ... I'm popping over here from the Adoption News Blog to post about some Korean adoption-flavored stories.

Starting with this one on an unexpected reunion with birth family.

Nineteen-year-old Korean-born adoptee Robin Gellinger and her mom took a trip to South Korea to see her birthplace... more

I came across an article in New America Media about Asian Americans and cancer. I never know how much of these articles I should worry about and how much I should ignore. After all, Korean American adoptees are generally raised differently than ethnic Korean Americans – different cultures mean different foods, health patterns, etc… However, we also can’t ignore the statistics – some of it has to be genetics.

Cancer is the fastest growing cause of death for Asian Americans compared with other ethnic groups. – New America Media, see link above... more

Last year I wrote about Mongolian Spots and I'm bringing it forward. I thought that all agencies warned their parents about Mongolian Spots, but from some of the messages I've seen posted recently - I guess not.

Link - Mongolian Spot Article

Link - Mongolian Spot - My Commentary

Some Mongolian Spots are pretty small and inconsequential, but many are very large and disturbing looking. From what I've been reading, Mongolian Spots will sometimes cause a child to be listed... more

Dry skin was a huge topic on one of the message boards that I read so I decided to revisit a post that I wrote back in March 2006 about dry skin. It’s not just the message board that made me think of it. I am suffering through it right now. The super cold weather that we are currently experiencing is not helping.

Link: Dry Skin

One of the things that I am able to use (but my son runs screaming from) is the St Ive’s apricot... more

Here is one of those times where the western cultures are definitely not a good influence. I’ve read so many articles about the healthful nature of Korean food. Kimchi is supposed to be able to cure just about anything. Traditional Korean food is not fried and uses a lot of the vegetables with very important properties. There is an emphasis on various spices and less emphasis on salt.

Link: Diabetes In Asia

Diabetes is on the rise in South Korea... more

I was thinking about make-up today and I have no idea why. Quite frankly, I hate makeup, but understand the necessity of playing the corporate game. So, I wear makeup. Granted, I don’t wear much makeup, but I did learn how to apply lipstick without ending up with spots on my teeth.

It’s always been a joke among my family and friends that things were a little backwards in my mother/daughter relationship. When my friends were complaining about how their mothers didn’t understand them and their mother’s didn’t let them do anything, I generally kept my... more

I was in Ohio again today. My son and I drove down for my cousin’s wedding shower. Her sister was the one married in July. We’re having a wedding crazy year. I was joking because it was a six hour round trip for a two hour shower, but it’s not her fault that I moved to Michigan. (I did get the prize for coming the farthest…dark chocolate with raspberry filling.)

So what does this have to do with Koreans and height? My one cousin is actually on the short side for my family at five foot eight. My other two cousins (the ones with weddings this... more

This is just a quick follow-up. Earlier this month, I wrote a blog about medical history that was spurred on by a post on another Korean adoptee's blog concerning her leukemia.

Link: Medical History

I am reminded by blogger Third Mom that I don't always think past the moment. She thought to go beyond the topic and provide some links about Asian bone marrow. For those of us who are Asian, it's a way to help. For those of us who have... more

Unless the Korean adoptee has an open adoption, we have no medical history. For those of us adopted in the 70s and earlier, it isn’t likely that we have medical history because open adoptions were so rare. This hasn’t been a problem for me, but I was reading a post by Julia on her blog, Julia’s Jam and I realized how important it can be for someone to know their medical history.

I felt her annoyance while I was reading it. Every time I go into the... more

Awhile ago I wrote a post on Koreans and dry skin. I have it and I hate it, but I hate eczema more. It is so hard to explain to my two year old son why he itches so much.

I noticed the other day that he had a bad rash, but that it was underneath his hair, behind his ears and around his neck. With all of the 90 degree weather we’ve been having, I thought it was a heat rash. I used to get those when I was little and, with his predilection for rashes, it made sense that he might... more