The Adventures of our Family

2010-04-12T09:40:00.003-07:00

Hey Sorry I haven't posted lately.. but here are some pics to entertain you until I can write more

A Thorn among Roses

2009-12-21T12:11:00.000-08:00

What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all that's nice,
That's what little girls are made of

Okay so we head out to see Santa, and all the girls sat nice as Bobby decided this wasn't a good idea.

Hope Santa doesn't bring him coal!!

Maybe next year we'll get a picture with all four smiling.

Hello..... Anyone out there???

2009-12-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been a YEAR since I posted!!!

Lots of changes over here!!! We have two new additions!!

I gave birth to little Lauren in July, and we brought Luba home from Russia in Nov.

And a week after bringing Luba home we moved!!! Am I nuts... yes..!!!

Here is our new family photo... nothing like being sleep deprived from two weeks in Russia, coming home to four kids packing up a house, moving and then unpacking --- and deciding it's time for a new family photo!!

My new year's resoulation is to post at least once a week with a photo or two.. so please stay tuned!!

Okay -- Who's Billy?

2008-12-13T06:49:00.001-08:00

I'm sorry it's been a while since my last post.. life just seems to be getting ahead of me!!

Anyway N came home with this turkey she made in school for Thanksgiving. On it it says she's thankful for mommy, daddy, B, Mrs. Blase her teacher, and.......BILLY!

Okay -- so I ask her "Who is Billy?"

"Oh, Billy likes me!" she replies.

I guess it's okay she's thankful that Billy likes her. Especially since she now says she doesn't like Billy-- she says he screams too much.

"No I didn't eat B"!

Oh and here's a funny story for ya.....

Steve the other day was in the kitchen and yelled for me to come and help him understand what she was trying to say.

Steve: "Brandie, do you know what she's talking about... I can't figure it out?"

N turns to me and says "Member mom.... member... you ate B. member"

Me: "Ate B... ah... no.... are you talking about when I blow on his tummy, or eat his toes... is that what you are talking about?"

N: "NO.... you ate B! " she then puts her hands in front of her belly and sticks her belly out. "Member mom when B was in your belly --you ate him!"

Me: Remembering she saw a picture of me when I was preg. (I will spare you the photo!) and asked why my belly was so big. I remember I told her B was in there. At that time the talk ended. But now I'm realizing she had understood it differently than I thought.

Me: "ah.. no honey, I didn't eat him."

N: "if you didn't eat him, how did he get in there?"

Steve: "good question,-- the stork did it!" he says as he walks out of the room.

Me: "God put him there." I said

N: looks at me and asks well how did he get out?

Steve yells from the other room..."again the stork did it!"

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Then a few days later she asks why Sophie our little dog has black eyes. I told her it's because that's the way God made her. She looks at me and what seemed to be in total understanding says... "oh, when you ate her too."---- NO I DIDN'T EAT SOPHIE!! No Sophie was never in my belly!!

---------------------------------------------------------

Then at dinner one night she asked me "so, mom, you ate B and B's here, so you ate me and now I'm here right."

I look at her and smiled and said.... "Yes you both are here and mommy and daddy love you both.. and for the last time NO I did not eat anyone!! okay."

She smiled and continued eating her dinner.

The mind of a five year old!!

We Lost One!!!

2008-11-04T05:56:00.000-08:00

That's right N lost her first tooth yesterday.!!!

Halloween!!

2008-11-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

Halloween was great! Our neighborhood does a "Trunk or Treat" where the kids do a parade and the parents park near the community center. Then the kids walk around to all the parked cars and "trick or treat" out of the trunks of the cars. I was told to decorate the trunk so I did, but this was my first year and I quickly found out that not everyone does. Oh well, the kids liked it.

I like this system better than walking around our neighborhood... we live in the woods -- and we'd have to drive our kids around and it would take a long time. N loved the fact that Walter and Sophie were able to dress up and participate too.

B enjoying a peanut butter cup.

Walter in his skeleton costume.
Sophie dressed up as a angel.

No Sophie isn't smelling Walter's butt, it's just a bad photo angle.

B in his Tigger Customer.

N's class photo.

B at N's Class Party.

And Finally our little Princess!! A true Cinderella.

What worries me is she now knows that Halloween is a time to dress up, and she was commenting on how "nice" the horror masks were!!! I think this may have been the one and only nice and pretty Costume!!

First Snow Day

2008-10-31T05:43:00.000-07:00

Yes that's right --- N had her first Snow Day and Day off school. Tuesday morning she woke up to a winter wonderland. Her eyes lit up and she was sooooo excited! We had to tell her there was no school that day. She looked confused but seemed to accept it. What's funny is she ran back into her room and got her photo book that we gave her during our first visit to the orphanage, she ran out and said "Look!!" She showed us the photo of our home, and sure enough it had snow. Makes me wonder how much she thought about the snow and wondered when she'd see it since it was in the photo and we brought her home in the summer. Steve was impressed and commented on what a memory, because neither of us remembered it was a winter photo of the home.!!

Oh and I wanted to say the first photo of N -- she is wearing a white and blue sweater and hat a good friend of mine made her. N just loves it.!!

Life Flies When You're Having FUN!!

2008-10-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

We have been very busy over the past month!!! I'm sorry I haven't updated the site, I hope all the pics in this post make up for any hard feelings!!!

Well, lets see, over the past few weeks we went on a trip to South Carolina and North Carolina, N wrote the alphabet for the first time, she started school, we went pumpkin and apple picking and as you can see took lots of photos. I hope you enjoy!

This is a family photo taken at the apple farm.

N picking apples with my dad.

A family photo of my side, my two sisters, mom and my dad being goofy (not uncommon).

B finally happy he caught an apple.

B thinking he can eat the apple... after all he does have six teeth!!

B fighting the urge to throw the apple at someone.

N and Steve after picking the ONE!!

N and her cousin A taking a snack break in the corn maze.

Making mommy happy and posing for the "Kidz photo"

N and A with my mom.

N with her first dozen and a half of roses (yes she got more than me -- I only got 12 red roses!!)... which Steve gave to her on our wedding anniversary. (I didn't realize kids got gifts too... hahaha) I think he just wanted to be the first guy to give her flowers --- and it worked... he made her soooooooo happy! Then she asked "Papa, why you give mama and N flowers?" He looked at her and then at me and said... "Because I love you." How sweet. Meanwhile here I was later that night joking around asking if I would get three dozen next year -- he looked at me and asked why-- I said because you brought home two bouquets this year. He said... no honey they really are her roses not yours!!! Well just burst my bubble!!

This is N's first time writing out the alphabet.

N's first day of school, as we leave to go to the bus stop.

N as she got on the bus.

N in her classroom.

Steve and the two kids relaxing on my grandparent's dock in SC.

N and my grandfather getting ready to fish.

We've got a loose one!!

2008-09-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Both N and B have updates!!

B is now officially crawling. You put him on the floor and he's off. Now I can't let him play on the floor play gym without me hovering overhead. He heads right for cords and things he shouldn't!

N is concerned her tooth is loose. She has a space in the back of her mouth from one that was already pulled (it happened back in Russia-- we don't know when).. and the adult tooth hasn't grown in. So I think she thinks it's going to be a space forever.
Last night she came to me in tears... "MAMA MAMA.... look!!" Now how do you explain the tootfairy? Her English is coming along great. She only speaks English to us with a few words still in Russian.. but it's all English now. And she seems to understand everything Steve and I say. In fact the other day I called one of her girl friends from the children's home.. (I know the family she was adopted into) We put them on the phone together.. and she only spoke English to her. How sad! I've had people who speak Russian try to talk to her.. .she wants nothing to do with it. She only responds in English.

Our school visits are going well. We visited the lunch room and the library on our last visit. She was shy but curious. These were new rooms she hadn't been to yet. She seems okay in the hallways now and likes looking into the classrooms. She seems to enjoy our visits. Since she was shying away from he new rooms we sat down and spoke with the librarian. We even sat in the story reading space and read a book together. I also had her sit at the table in the lunchroom. Next time I'll bring lunch and we'll eat together.

This morning -- out of the blue she asked me if she sleeps at school. After saying a quick.. "NO, no..." I explained how daddy goes to work and sleeps at home, she will go to school and sleep at home. ( I think N thought the school was an orphanage. In Magadan when the orphans turn 7 they go away to school. It's a boarding school. So I think that's why she was asking if she'd sleep there.) She seemed happy with the answer and even told Steve when he called that she wouldn't sleep at school. It makes me wonder what other things she's thinking about. I think this is the first time she was able to communicate her fear.... well this and her fear of being toothless!!

Happy Days

2008-09-19T13:32:00.001-07:00

Life with two kids

2008-09-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

Life with two kids is great.

Update on "B"

B is seven months old now and he knows his name when you call it. He is getting into position to crawl, he can get up onto all fours and rock, but instead of moving he forms a butt pyramid. I think he might walk before crawl... or maybe crawl and then quickly learn to walk-- either way it's not far around the corner. He has two bottom teeth in and has four more coming in on the top. He loves his Cheerios and sweet potato puffs.... or anything that he can finger and feed himself. He currently is on a five foot barrier zone from strangers... his raspberries are shooting real spit now! Oh fun!!

Update on N

N is excited about school. I took her the other day for the first time. I have an agreement with the school to bring her in when I want until I enroll her. This way she can get used to the environment with me around and feel better about it with each visit. She was excited to see her elementary school has an indoor pool. Unfortunately only first grade on up use it not kindergarten.. but she will have something to look forward to next year. We won't be starting her until October, we are going on a trip in the end of Sept. and didn't want to start her and stop her... plus.. I wanted to give her more time to learn some language and feel better about interacting with other kids. Her interactions so far seem okay in some ways but she gets frustrated and Orphanage behaviors pop out.. possessiveness, nasty yelling, hitting..etc. It seems the more words she learns the happier she is interacting with other kids.

She will be in public school and yes... lucky for us..... she has a uniform policy to follow. And boy was this fun.. I tried every store in our area ( 45 minute radius) and couldn't find approved clothes, luckily I ran into a mother in one of the stores who told me about a website. So I ordered some clothes from there. I also bought her a clear backpack... no we don't live in the hood.. but you'd think we do when kids in kindergarten have to carry clear backpacks!!

Smile Mama Smile!!

2008-08-27T06:55:00.001-07:00

It's been one month since court, which is hard to believe. In some ways it's going too fast in others it feels like she's always been here. She keeps growing and surprising us each day. Here are a few short stories.

I was in the car with her the other day and we were listening to music. Then I heard our little N yelling from the back seat.... "Smile mama Smile.... Da..." I looked in the rear view mirror to see her pointing to her smile. Lonestar was playing at the time and I realized in the song they kept saying "Smile" --- It made me laugh and proud to know she was connecting and understanding words she heard.

While we were in Magadan, Steve wore a Key West shirt. It was N's first English words. Steve would point to his shirt and she'd yell Key West and laugh.
Well the other night on the radio Steve and I were driving home and had both kids in the back seat. The DJ was talking about Jimmy Buffet and Key West, next thing we know she's screaming "Key West, Key West" -- we couldn't help but laugh. We agreed we'll have to take her there some day.

Her dentist appt. went okay. She wasn't too happy to see the dentist again, but they both made it through. He filled the three cavities on her front teeth and then bonded them to hide the cavity. It actually doesn't look that bad. She wouldn't let him get too close to the edges so if you look closely you can see the dental work, (it kinda looks like she needs to brush her teeth..) but again you have to look for it. So all and all we are pleased. Our dentist also took x-rays and said her teeth will fall out in about a year, so he didn't want to do anything major.
Now her "pretties" as we call them make her happy. She looks at my teeth and then puts her finger on them and rubs mine to show me how smooth my teeth are and then rubs her finger over her teeth and says "Pretty". So now that we have her happy with her teeth --- we have been gum free for two weeks. I told her she can't have any gum with the new pretties. (While that's not really true-- it was a nice way to break her habit of always asking for gum!)

So far we had her and B baptised, took them to Dorney Park, had fun at the neighborhood community day and Knobels ( an old fashioned amusement park) She is adapting well. Steve and I live a fast paced life, so we talked about putting things on hold or to just let her jump in and take it as it goes.... We chose to take it as it goes and so far she is doing great. If she gets too stimulated we just leave. I'll post pics soon.

Her vocabulary is growing. She says things now like---
"Oh my gosh!!"
"How cool" ( I think her little learning computer is teaching her those)
Her learning computer is also teaching her the alphabet and she keeps surprising us how quickly she is learning the letters.
Now she so confident in counting 1-10 that she's pointing the calender and asking what is 11-20. So we sit with her and go through the numbers.

Her understanding is coming along much faster than her talking. (Which is expected) We, again, were in the car the other day and I had a Russian Learning CD on. It was going through different phrases. She was repeating the Russian I was repeating the English. Then when the CD announcer said.... " I am an American Citizen" She yelled.."MAMA" she said the sentence in Russian and pointed to herself. She makes me so proud!!

She has started to play with baby dolls. One day I walled into the living room to find a china doll, I had sitting in her room in a high chair for decoration, laying in B's swing. The hair had been fully brushed. Next to her was her real baby doll in the exersaucer. I couldn't help but smile. While I would have preferred her not to have brushed all the curls out of the china doll (I got from my Great Aunt... ) what did I expect by leaving it there. I wasn't thinking. It looked cute for a little girl's room, but now it's just part of her play toys. I am happy she is finally playing and loving her dolls. She now has three. The blond china doll doesn't have a name, but the one with the brown hair that looks like her -- she calls N... (not her actual name but her nickname) and the third baby doll is a bald baby.. she calls.. B. So her names aren't too creative but she is learning to love and care for them. She's also having fun telling me that "her" B has ca-ca-ed and she has to change his diaper. My husband came home one day to find a diaper folded up like I do on the floor in the living room . In surprise he asked "what is this?" I said that is "N's little B's diaper.. he ca-ca-ed." My husband then asked the next logical question.. "where did she get the diapers?" I said your mother. She gave N some new born diapers to change her baby. "Great" was his only response as he shook his head and walked away.

My all time favorite story since we've been home is this:

It worked out that the hardwood floors we wanted were scheduled to be installed the week we came home. So we get home.. try to relax and enjoy being home and then boom... move all the furniture out of the living room and master bedroom so the floors can be installed. Meanwhile I'm trying to catch up on laundry from our trip and get her situated into her room. I had asked Steve to watch the kids while I went to get my hair cut. Steve called me and asked me where her clean clothes were. I said in the basket in B's room. I didn't get a chance to fold them yet. When I got back Steve just had this smirk on his face! I asked "What happened?" He said... "Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be smelling little girl's underwear!!" Chuckling I smiled and shook my head. "What happened?" "Well you did the laundry. And put the clean clothes in a basket that looks like her Tinkerbell basket for dirty clothes. So she assumed the clothes were dirty. So when I went in to get her a clean pair of underwear.. she backed away and waved her hand and shook her head no. I said yes, these are clean. She just kept shaking her head. Then she Screamed something in Russian and put her finger over her nose! Then I realized she thought these were dirty. So I said.. no... and smelled them to show her they really were clean. She then smelled them and smiled and started to laugh."
I couldn't help but laugh at this story as he told it to me.

Two Weeks and LOVIN' IT

2008-08-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Our court date was three weeks ago, we've been home two weeks now and we are loving life. Little N is doing great. She is picking up the language so well. Here is a list of sentences/phrases shes saying regularly.
1. Sophie come here. (Sophie and Walter are our dogs)
2. Walter eats.
3. "B" sleeping mom.
4. Good Job!
5. Mom, toilet, mom.
6. All Gone!

Oh and how could I forget... she can count to 10 without us helping her!! The board game Chutes and Ladders helped her to learn her numbers quickly!

We took her to get her lab work done this week. She was great. I was expecting her to scream at the needle. She didn't -- She continues to amaze me. Steve went with me for support. I asked the nurse to pretend to give me the needle first and do blood work on me so she could see what was going to happen. She then sat on Steve's lap, and despite the few pokes it took to get the blood flowing, she was great. No screams, no tears ---- just smiles!!. I couldn't have been prouder. She did better than me-- and I was just faking it!!

She has another dentist apt. next week. I've been working with her on what's going to happen. Now every time we get into the car she points to her teeth -- asking if we are going to get them done now. So I hope she's excited and this next appointment will go well. She was okay at the first one last week, but she was a little scared. So we all agreed to bring her back for X-rays. The dentist says she has had some major dental work done -- he's not sure how much or to what extent but x-rays will help him figure it out. He wants to be friends with her and since he doesn't know how much pain she was in the last time she saw a dentist, he wants to take it slow. We'll let you know how it goes.

Her behavior is getting better. Her meltdowns aren't nearly as bad or as often. In fact Steve's loving the "1.....2.... " by then she's already doing what you want.
While our dentist won't be happy with the following form of rewarding we do it anyway. If N eats all of her dinner and drinks all of her milk she gets to pick out a gumball from Papa's gumball stash. Well the stash was running low (actually only the container was low.. the hidden box of gumballs is filled) So when the gumballs were all gone, she seemed sad to take the last one. However the next morning I showed her it was filled.. and she lit up like a little girl who won the lottery! Then when Steve got home, she ran and gave him a kiss and thanked him for filling the gumball stash!

A friend of ours who adopted her girlfriend "D" and "D's brother" (From the same children's home) called the other day. The two girls got to talk. It was so funny. N just kept laughing and got louder and louder as she spoke. I hope it was all good and she was saying how much she loves her new parents.. but only the two of them know what was said!!!

HERE SHE IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here is our little (5 year old) girl saying hi to her little brother.

Enjoying the play ground.

Here we are as a family leaving Magadan.
Her first Breakfast with us.In Moscow looking forward to her new life.

Simple Pleasures

2008-08-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

Watching Little N experience the world for the first time is so much fun. The doctor the other day gave her a tootsie pop -- she thought it was a toy. She reluctantly gave it up to Steve when he asked her for it so he could show her what was under the wrapper. Her eyes lit up. She was even more surprised when she got to the middle!

Then today on our way to church we were all in the car when we realized Steve needed something in the house. He opened the garage door and N started to yell in Russian. Her eyes were so big. She was saying "Look mama, another car-- look another car" I smiled and said "Da, Mama's machina" N was so impressed and thrilled to tell Steve when he entered the car and we took off. I guess she hadn't explored the garage yet. :)

Then in church I took her out to go to the bathroom. She was fine until she saw the seat. it was black. I don't think she ever sat on a black seat before.. she started screaming, so I took her off and I sat down to show her it was okay. With a puzzled look she sat down and trusted me that it would be okay. And it was.

Her Aunt Kristen painted her toe nails yesterday and N loves it. It just makes me wonder if she's ever had her nails painted.

N is such a loving little girl with such personality. She has already made herself part of the family. There's no question she's ours and we're hers. I think if she spoke English no one would even know she lived in a children's home. She really doesn't show too many signs of being an institutionalized child. She is adopting very well and seems to understand the boundaries we set.

Just before logging on to put this post up, I had the children's site up and I was looking over the pictures... she came over and smiled really big and started to name all the kids. It's sad to know that some will never be adopted. But we gave N a home and every time I look at her -- all I can think is how lucky we are. She is a gem and a true blessing.

We're HOME!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

We are home!!! It feels so good to be home. "N" is doing great. I'll post pictures after the full 10 days are up... they waved our ten day wait. But as we all know, it's not over till it's over.... so I'll wait until the 10 "BUSINESS" days are over. We took her to the doctor yesterday and found out she has an ear infection. So she's on meds for that right now. The nurse taught her how to say "Good Job" so that is her favorite phrase right now. We are trying to catch up on sleep and laundry. Little "B" seems to like having a big sister. And our two dogs enjoyed her at first, but I think she is wearing them out. She is very cute and loving. She doesn't seem to have any attachment issues really. In fact after court when we went to see her, we were given the option to take her for good or take her in the day and let her sleep there at night, as soon as she saw us she yelled "good bye children's home" in Russian and started to walk out the door. She didn't want to wait to get changed. So while we knew we wanted to take her for good (even against the wishes of everyone there-- they wanted to keep her on a schedule for as long as possible) we got her changed into her new dress and left the children's home. She has not once looked back. She doesn't have any problems sleeping (except for a few active dreams-- which don't seem to be a big deal). She has had a few melt downs. But that's to be expected with the language barrier and new freedom. She does test us, but Steve and I are firm and stand our ground. So she is learning very quickly the boundaries. She knows when she's in time out and that she has to kiss Steve or I when it's time to come out. Since she can't say she' sorry yet, we have her give us a hug and a kiss. She does well with these boundaries and we are very proud of her. I can't wait to share more, but Little B is crying and I must go.

FINALLY -- We're Headed to COURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

We just found out we have court on July 23rd!!!!

A Great Mother's Day Gift

2008-05-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

I have to say thank you to some strangers I've never met (in person). We met on our agency's chat one night. I had just gotten back from Magadan and she (and her husband) were about to leave. I gave her my phone number and said if she has any questions feel free to call. She did the next day during a long layover. We spoke for about an hour. I told her to give our little girl a hug if she sees her. Well she did more than that!!!

I opened my e-mail one day to find a message from her... and a picture of our little girl. She says she took this picture not knowing it was our girl. She took it because as she watched "this girl" run an errand -- she thought -- wow this girl has such confidence. She saw "this girl" again when she went into her son's group. She realized "this girl" is a helper to her son. She helps keep the peace and tries to keep her son from having little "melt downs". So she took pictures of her son with this girl. Again not knowing it was our daughter.

It wasn't until she was in the car with the agency rep and talking about me and our recent visit that she realized this girl was our daughter. Before I left Magadan I gave a family photo (with me, Steve, our little girl and little B-- we had just taken it on the trip) to our rep. I guess she had it in her purse/ or car and showed it to her. It was at that moment and to her surprise that she realized this little girl she had been taking photos of -- was OUR daughter.

She was soooo kind to e-mail me 10 photos of our little girl in action, playing in her room, surrounded by her friends. It felt so good to see her and to see her happy.

While I don't wish our girl to stay in an orphanage, I have to say she is blessed -- this home is very clean, nice and warm. It has soooo many toys and an indoor playground as well as a blow up bouncy (the kind you find at fairs) for the kids to play in, and there's even a ball pit. So while this wait is so hard, I know she is safe and having fun and for that I am thankful.

Below are a few photos.
This is the Magadan Airport.

This is the bus that drives you from the airport to the plane.This is the Okhotck Sea. Magadan is on the east coast of Russia. This is our little B doing what he did most of the trip. Sleep. No complaints from mom and dad. He was truly an angle.

Stay tuned for the next post.... Steve is trying to get a video post together. He gives you a tour of our hotel bathroom... and it's not to be missed!!

We're Back!!

2008-04-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

We are back. It was a long trip -- but sooooo worth it. Our little girl is adorable. She is full of energy and showing affection already. We just love her. We can't post pics of her until after court. But I will post some of our trip. Above is a picture of downtown Magadan. Below it is a picture of the mountains surrounding Magadan. And below is a pic of little "B" on the flight to Magadan.
I'll post more after I get some sleep. Yeah... now we can't wait for court!!

I'll post more after we get some sleep.!!!

Off to see our little girl!!!!!!!

2008-04-18T18:01:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that in a matter of days I will meet our little girl!!! I can't say much as many of the adoptive parents know... but I will tell you she is "four fingers and a thumb" old!! We leave JFK Saturday and arrive Monday at 9:10 am in Magadan -- that's a direct 9 hour flight from NYC to Moscow and a five hour layover in Moscow before we head over to Magadan. It's a nine hour plane ride with one stop for about an hour on the way. So yes that is 20 hours in flight and a five hour layover --- notice NO HOTEL stop on the way to Magadan!!! 25 hours of travel without a bed and it will only be 9 am when we arrive!! WOW... We are having an agency rep meet us in Moscow to take us to the other SVO airport... since the international and domestic terminals are about 15/20 minutes apart.

We are excited and can't wait!! I better finish packing. I'll try to touch base when I can if not I'll certainly let everyone how it went when we get back.
Wish us LUCK!!!

Magadan here we COME!!!

2008-04-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

We've been waiting for an MOE official to sign off on the invite. While everything was ready on Monday it took until Wed. for that one signature. BUT I'm told the invite is official and we were told to book airplane tickets and visas!! So we did!!

Now I'm just waiting on the official referral. My agency says that should be e-mailed to me on Monday. (I've already received a mini referral, but I still want the BIG Referral letter before I start talking about her to family and friends) So today I started putting together the photo book we are going to leave with her. It has pics of me and my husband, little "B", both dogs, our home, her room, and both sets of grandparents. I figured that should be enough people and things for her to start with. I tried to find pics of us having fun and doing things. The photo book is a Disn*y "Princess Book".... and I'm thinking about putting the photos I took of Steve this past August with each of the princesses in the book.

I actually took the photos for him to study up on his princesses, because he didn't know Sno* Whit* from the others...( yes I do believe we have all the princesses represented!!) so I took photos with each one and know he knows who is who!!

Can you guess which two are his favorite.... and no it's not either of the ones here!! (Stay tuned I'll post pics later)

But anyway getting back to the photo book. The orphanage director said in the small bio we have of her, that she loves fairy tales -- so maybe she'll think her dad is cool because he knows all the princesses personally!!

Travel Dates!!!!!!

2008-03-29T05:09:00.000-07:00

We are soooooo excited..... but for the first time I am stressed!!!!!!!!

Nothing like getting an e-mail at 6:30 Friday night asking if April 21-23 is okay to be in your region. While these dates are still tentative, I was asked to start working on plans to see if it could happen. Normally this wouldn't stress me out at all......

HOWEVER--- I am leaving my house Saturday for our trip to Grand Cayman. Nothing like planning an international trip while on an international trip!!! I'll have e-mail so I guess my nice relaxing beach vacation will be overshadowed by my rush to plan this trip. Meanwhile this is how our schedule looks for April...

March 29-April 6 ---------- Grand Cayman
April 12-13 ---------- Annapolis, Md for a wedding
April 19-26 ---------- Magadan, Russia

I hope it all works out!!! I'll keep you posted!!!!

Updated Home Study Arrived Unharmed

2008-03-25T18:47:00.001-07:00

One year ago I sent our dossier packet to our agency only to find out it was ruined in the mail. This time, it arrived safe and sound!! "Perfect condition" is how our agency director described it. And not only did it arrive in good condition, she approved it and said the updated pics with little "B" were great!!

Now we are just waiting for the official referral. Like I said before, we have some info about our little girl, but until it is official I don't want to share any details. SO stay tuned!! We are hopeful the referral will come either this week or next. This is good timing because we are heading out on vacation this weekend. And we won't be able to send our passports for our visas until we get back (we could send them while we are on vacation and risk not being permitted back into the country... which on one hand wouldn't be bad.... sand, sun and palm trees --- sounds nice... but I have a little girl waiting for me to come and pick her up... so we'll send the passports when we get back.)

A Busy Week

2008-03-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, I was certainly on the run this week.

Mon: NYC (non adoption related)
Tues: B's shots
Wed. 40 minutes north and back --to pick up our home study-- drive 90 minutes to Harrisburg then rush to the post office to get it in the mail to the agency.
Thurs: Drive to Philly to get B's passport

Hopefully everything is done and we'll get our "official" referral soon. The social worker was just suppose to do an update or add a page or two about the changes in our family.. (the arrival of little B, etc) but she went through and made the changes to the actual home study.. so now we kind of have a new home study.
I know the agency director has said we will be traveling the end of April. And while we know some info about our little girl ( I'll share once it's official) ... it will be nice to have the Official Referral in hand and the invitation to travel. All of that will happen once the home study is updated in Russia. I'm hoping that comes before or while we are in the Caymans. Then when we get back from the Caymans... I'm hoping we'll have to send our passports out for our visas.

Home Study Visit

2008-03-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

The home study visit seemed to go well. I am just waiting on the social worker's e-mail to send to our agency to make sure everything is good. then it's off to Harrisburg. I'm hoping to go on Wed. We'll See.

B's passport apt is set for Thursday. My husband and I have to both be there for that. That means a trip to Philly.

B gets his shots tomorrow.

Getting Closer

2008-03-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we pick up the notarized letter from the lawyer stating we have health insurance and my husband is indeed self employed. I'm still waiting on the letter from the state police (that should have been mailed Monday-- so any day now). Our home study update will happen Friday morning.

So next week's schedule includes:

1. A trip to Harrisburg (apostille the docs and send them off)
2. A trip to Philadelphia (B's Passport/ and we need our fingerprints redone)
3. A Dr. visit (B has to get his two month shots!! ouch)

My Turn for a Pot-Luck Post

2008-03-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

While I wait for several documents to arrive, I'll do a pot-luck post.

This week I took little B to get his passport photo. In about a week or so we will head to the Office in Philly to get the passport. But meanwhile he is ready for the beach!!!!

I've wanted to thank both my sister Becky and blogger friend Rachael for a while for the beautiful mini bag. My sister reads my blog as well as the blogs on the side. She is now an avid reader of Rachael's blog. Rachel has completed her adoption and is now raising money for orphans by selling handmade bags like this one. My sister Becky bought three of them: one for me, my mom and our other sister. I love it. It was a nice surprise that supports a great cause. Thanks!! It's a great pouch to keep our passports and other important documents.

Once Again Waiting

2008-03-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

Things seem to be going nicely.

1. My social worker called me yesterday and we set up a home visit for next week. So we have to wait for that. Once that comes back.. (and I should have everything else) I can go to Harrisburg to get it all apostilled.

2. The state police (after many many calls and transfers) connected me to the one person who had a clue of what I needed and she said it will be in the mail by next Monday. SO I wait.....

3. Our lawyer wanted proof that our health insurance would cover an adopted child. I provided that today. So we should have his letter by the end of the week. So I wait.....

4. We need to get "B" a passport for both our vacation and our trips to get our daughter. So we are working on that. It's too late to send everything off, so we now have to go to Philadelphia and get it done in one day. But the catch -- they won't set an appointment until 14 days within travel, that will be in about a week or so --- So again.... I wait

Step by Step things are happening..... I think right now I am done with paperwork. I am just waiting for others to get things to me. Then I go to Harrisburg. Except for the home study update, I'm told everything is for court which won't be until after the first visit. So I'm actually ahead of the game. YEAHHHH.

Does size really matter?

2008-03-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

Today I went to the county courthouse to get our residency requirement done. The county office had to type up a letter with specific info about our home. It simply states that : we own our home, what the home is worth and a brief description of the home. Well, I wanted to.... but didn't ask the nice lady if I could double check her letter before we had it notarized. I didn't want to look like I was proofing her work. After all she was a nice lady. So nice in fact that when I got back to the car I realized she put down that our home is 18,000 sq feet. Oh well, the Russians are going to think we live in a mansion!!!
Tomorrow I meet with the lawyer to get the employment and financial requirements. Wish me luck!!

Re-introduction -- of sorts

2008-02-28T05:21:00.000-08:00

My husband commented on how I've now posted pics of our dogs... our little boy... but I haven't posted pics of us. He seemed annoyed by this, so here are a few!! (At least it shows me he reads the blog!!)

Now, these pictures were taken within the past two years.. I assure you once I lose some of the baby weight I will post more recent ones, but right now I'm not feeling too camera friendly! And speaking of dogs, here is a photo of our little four legged friends. This is one of my favorite ones, it has all three dogs:Walter (in blue), Sophie (in tan coat) and Butkus (Black Lab).

Butkus passed away this summer and has left a big hole in both our hearts.

Moving Along

2008-02-27T20:26:00.000-08:00

Today we set up an appointment with our lawyer to sign off on a few documents (employment/insurance/income). We will meet with him next week. Also, I'm working on setting up the last home study visit for mid March. This will just be an update visit. Then early next week I will go to the courthouse and get another document signed off on. (residency/home verification statement). Our new child abuse clearances arrived today. So things are moving along quite nicely. Give me two weeks and I hope to have it all done!!! I'm not sure how our State is going to do the Police checks...usually we just got a form back that said we were cleared, but our agency says it has to be on Police letterhead, so I'm sure I'll be working on that soon as well.

And the countdown is on... we are going on vacation the last week of March first week of April. As I look out my window I see snow flakes galore. While I don't mind the snow, I do enjoy each of the four seasons, I can't wait to be sitting on the beach, under a cabana, reading a book. I need a vacation!!!!!!
I've been on the go since Thanksgiving. First the holidays (Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas, New Year's), then I graduated with my Master's degree (just two days before my son was born!!! walking across the stage nine months pregnant was quite a sight! ) then "B" came along, and now I'm finishing up the adoption. It literally has been non stop for months. So relaxing on the beach will feel quite nice! I just pray I finish everything for the adoption before we leave.

Update

2008-02-23T08:47:00.000-08:00

Let me apologize, I know it's been a while since I have posted anything. But there have been many changes in our lives. Like with most adoption families our adoption story is changing too. Yes we are still adopting, but instead of a boy we will now be adopting a girl 3-5. We expect to fly in April and have court in June. Now with that said, let me explain the reason for the change. You see Russia closed in March for adoptions while the accreditation process happened. My agency was accredited in Dec. ----- it just so happened ( not planned--we wanted to wait until after the adoption was complete) that during that time my husband and I found out we were pregnant. I gave birth in Jan. to a beautiful little boy. So while I won't have a Borris... I do have a little "B" in my life. We are thrilled. And after talking it over, we decided it would be nice to give little "B" a big sister. So that is the way our adoption journey is headed right now. I promise now that I have cleared the air and have a bit more sleep (B is sleeping more now) I will post more updates. As for where the paperwork stands... everything is is processed and the court would like an update and a postpartum update. That will happen in March. Once that happens we "should" get a referral soon. I'm told our paperwork is still at the top of the list and is just waiting this last update. Meanwhile, I am working on the paperwork for the courts in June. I know there are always changes in an adoption, but so far I'm rolling with the punches and loving each part. It feels good to be back. By nature I am a writer and I missed writing updates on our lives. So stay with us and I'll keep everyone up to date.
This is Little B. He's keeping us very busy!!! And he can't wait to meet his older sister!!

Re: Accreditation

2007-12-30T03:35:00.000-08:00

Dear B...,

On December 28 our agency received accreditation!!!!!! After January 10 , after Russian holidays we will be able to resume our operations in Russia.

Happy holidays and best wishes to you and family!!!!!

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a way to ring in the new year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy New Year Everyone!!

Still Waiting

2007-10-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

This has got to be the hardest part about adopting, the endless waiting. I know our time will come, but man is it taking forever. I'm told that once the accreditation thing is done, it will go fast. We are one of the first families, if not the first, for our region and our agency. SO I pray and I hope October brings good news. Meanwhile, to help me stay positive and deal with this later than expected travel, I just tell myself, the later it happens, then maybe there's a chance I can catch the Nutcracker/Swan Lake at the Bolshoi Theater. I know it's playing a few times this winter.
(Lets not tell my husband I've been checking up on the ballet, I know what he will say. I have to find a way to "spring" it on him nicely and in a fun way!! That should keep me occupied while we wait for news!! Suggestions on how to take a "manly man" to the ballet would be nice.) He doesn't care too much for hockey or that might be a nice comprise.

Any Day Now for Several Months

2007-07-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Last night my husband and I were out to dinner with a friend. He kindly asked how the adoption was going. I replied... it could be any day now. That's when my darling husband chimed in and said "It's been any day for months now. My friends are beginning to wonder if it's ever going to happen.!" This hurt for a moment. Then I realized that from the outside looking in, it probably seems like that.

I know I should not have done this......
but I have picked out two boys from the data bank that I truly think we'll be matched with, only time will tell. If I'm not matched with either of them, then that's okay it helped me to pass the time, but how cool would it be to open the referral and see one of the little ones staring back at me!!!

Christen (blogger friend living in the Caymans) asked about our preference. Many people ask how old the baby will be when we get him. Well... he won't be a baby. We asked for a boy with an age range of 3-8.

The question people ask most is why an older boy. Well, because adoption is something I always felt called to do. And when my husband and I got married he knew this and was completely supportive. He knew nothing about adoption and asked "Are we able to choose a gender? If so can we get a boy?" How could I say no --- he was smiling and had stars in his eyes of his little boy being the best athlete in school. (I warned him that while Russia may be know for great athletes, it also is known for ballet and male ballet dancers) --(not that I wanted to burst his bubble... ) My husband is 41 years old and has coached many teams. While he will be respectful of Boris's talents and preferences -- my husband can't wait to play/watch -- tennis, football, soccer, wrestling, baseball with his son. Choosing an older boy gives him the opportunity to interact now rather than waiting for the little one to grow up.

Now if only ---- our agency could receive accreditation and we could get a referral!

Still Waiting

2007-07-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

We are still waiting to hear our "agency is accredited." I'm hoping it's soon. It was hard knowing that Russia was closed. But now to know folks are getting referrals and moving, it kinda makes the wait even harder. I want to be moving. Some say there will be another batch in a week or two, others say not until the mid/end of Aug. while others say not until Sept. Our agency director seemed to think we'd get accredited by the end of July/beg. of August. So I'm really hoping for a another batch soon.!!

I'm told that our paperwork is "next" in line to get a referral and we are requesting an older boy, so I don't anticipate the wait to be too long once the accreditation comes. But then again, it's all out of our control.

What's the Lucky NUMBER??

2007-07-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

Someone on FRUA posted that 10 more agencies had the accreditation certificate signed. I hope that's true. If so, it looks like a certificate ceremony will happen within the next week. Russia won't post which agencies are approved/signed off until certificates are actually handed out. Keep your fingers crossed. My agency isn't saying anything, except that agencies really aren't suppose to be talking. However, the director did say (a month a ago) that she didn't see any reason for us not to have the certificate by the end of July. So if that's true, we might be in this batch. Rumors are that the next batch won't happen until Sept. because of Russian vacations --- many take the month of Aug. off. That's not official, just what folks are saying. I REALLY hope my agency is in this batch!!! I am soooooo tired of waiting.

What a 4th of July!!!!

2007-07-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

Of all days, I think it's GREAT that Russia picked July 4th as the day to start handing out accreditations. So far, we're told 8 agencies -- 7 American and one French received certificates to continue adoptions. Word is and history has shown that it shouldn't be too much longer for other agencies to get accredited too. My agency director said while she can't guarantee anything, she wouldn't see any reason for it to take longer than the end of July/ beg. of Aug. for our agency to get its certificate. Please pray this is true!!!

Congratulations to all the waiting families who received good news.. I heard many of the agencies that did received certificates.... have been waiting for more than a year!!

I'm sorry -- I know I haven't posted much lately, it's just been depressing not knowing... and just waiting. So now with good news and hopefully my agency finding out good news, I will be posting more often!!

Two Months

2007-05-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

It has now been two months (March 20th) since the Ministry of Justice (in Russia) requested the additional documents from all agencies. The United States -- State Dept. stepped in and assisted. It provided the necessary documents needed to prove that any adopted child "that is naturalized" is granted the same citizenship rights as a natural born citizen. While we take it for granted here in the U.S. --- Russia requested the same info from all countries. So there may be others that don't offer the same rights to internationally adopted children.
Lets hope this week proves to be a good one. The end of May/ beg. of June is the six month mark on when the Gov. opened to accept applications for accreditation.

Not much else to say,
other than I'm sorry I haven't posted more often and I haven't posted on my favorite blogs. I can assure you I have been reading all of them. I just haven't felt in a spirited mood lately and while I'm usually a talkative person, I haven't been lately. I know it will change once accreditation rolls around.

Waiting and Waiting

2007-05-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not sure what I'm waiting for... But I'm sure I'll know it when I see it.
I know I'm waiting for accreditation in Russia... but how will I know when it happens?
Will I get an e-mail from my agency?
If my agency isn't one of the first accredited... then will I see it on FRUA?
Will there be posts galore in the blogger world?
Will there be a million responses on my board sharing and shouting out the good news?

Here's to dreaming through another week of wishful thinking!!!

Notice of Action

2007-05-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

That is the title beside the I-797C... which I'm told is the old 171-H.
(At least that's what I've been told)
Bottom line, we have approval from the U.S. Gov. to bring Boris to the U.S. and he will automatically receive citizenship.!!
We don't need this approval for the first trip, but we will need it for court.
Now, if only........

What are the Chances??

2007-05-02T23:20:00.000-07:00

I figured while I'm waiting to hear from Russia, I'll call and check up on the I600A. That's the advance application to petition citizenship for an unidentified orphan. Since we don't have his name or know who our little "Boris" is right now, we had to apply for the I600A.

My region only needs a home study to go for the first trip. They want to make sure that the home is approved for a child. The immigration forms are needed for the second trip when we bring Boris home.

This application takes several months. We submitted it in Nov., we were fingerprinted at immigration in Dec. and the home study was sent to immigration in Feb/March. I haven't heard anything, so I figured I would call.

The lady who answered the phone asked me my name. Then she started to laugh. I asked what was so funny. She said, "well actually, I have your application on my desk in front of me right now. I just got it out to review it. "
Now what are the chances? The one day I call immigration --- to talk to the international adoption clerk who processes the entire state -- is actually looking at my application as I call. So I am hoping something will be in the mail soon. Once the immigration approval arrives it will be valid for 18 months. While the immigration fingerprints are good for 12 months. Go figure. Anyway, I'm praying Boris will be home before either expire!!!

P.S. Check out the side blog.. "TO CHINA AND BACK"!!! What a cutie!! It's nice to see someone moving in the adoption world!!

I'm Still Here.. with a countdown to something??

2007-04-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted much lately. But I'm still here. I'm just trying to get through each week. I seem to look forward to Saturdays. While most adoptive parents looked forward to Mondays... (when there were accredited agencies, that seemed to be the day info came out since Russia is a day ahead) I seem to like Saturdays. I'm not sure why, possibly because it is one more week that's gone in this waiting period. I don't know. But lately I've been a Saturday girl.
Still no "official" news on the accreditation front. Although I read in a Moscow paper (translated to English.. I don't read Russian) that the MOE officials were stating/quoted as saying-- June is when agencies can expect new accreditations. If that's true then I only have six more weeks. Now if that is true, then agencies should start finding out in about four or five weeks. I'm told by my agency director that agencies will know about two weeks before the accreditations come out. So let the countdown begin. I know it's hopeful thinking.. but at least it gets me to my Saturdays!

Nothing New

2007-04-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Nothing new to report. For those not in the adoption loop, (as one who works in the media) I can assure you that most of the newspaper articles that are out there are a little strong in the message and give the impression Russia is STOPPING adoptions.
The articles really don't say anything more than what you've read on this or any other adoption blog. Accreditations have expired. Yes. This we knew would happen. It's not like Russia put a sudden stop to everything, it's something that's been happening over time. Now there is a process in place to get things going again. Any agency interested in working in Russia has applied for accreditation. Now it is up to the government to decide when that paperwork will be approved. So until then we wait.

What Have You Heard?

2007-04-05T23:34:00.000-07:00

I know it's hard to get info from the Russian Gov. But has anyone heard anything from their agency about reaccreditation? Right now I just want to hear anything.. something... I heard something about the Dept. of State getting involved and giving Russia a form stating that all states will consider the child a citizen and the child will have the same rights (minus becoming president) as natural born children. But other than that form being submitted, I think it was to happen by today, I haven't heard anything?

And since I'm bored, just waiting for this accreditation thing to happen, I've been playing around with the blog site. Please tell me what you think of my Russian additions. :) If it's too much or too hard to understand, please let me know. Thanks!!

To Keep a Name-- To Give a Name -- That is the Question

2007-04-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Again, I will say...... "While we WAIT for Russia to give out accreditations"--
Lets talk about a "hot" topic on many blogs.
Do you keep the child's Russian name or do you Change it?
I've heard over and over again that judges will ask this question while at court, so it's something adoptive parents should think about before heading in.

Some people feel keeping the child's Russian name is best. It permits the child to connect with his/her heritage. It says to the child, while you are an American and you are our child, we wanted to let you know it's a gift your birth parents gave you and we want you to keep that. And it's a way for adoptive parents to keep the discussion door open, to say it's okay to talk about the past and your name and where you are from.

Now on the other side of the discussion, are parents who say this is my child now and I should be able to change his/her name! For some, they don't want the child to feel "different" with a name that will stand out. Or maybe they've had a name in mind for a long time, and now they can name the child what they've always thought.

There isn't a right or wrong answer here. It's simply what's best for you and your family. Where do we stand on the issue? I digress for a moment.

My mother is a school nurse. And what you are about to hear is a true story!!! There was one time the school administration got together and asked a parent to change the name of a child who just transferred in from another country. The family was Asian. The child's name was Fook Yu. I'm not kidding this is a true story.!! I don't remember what it meant in their language, but it did have a meaning, HOWEVER, in our country the child would have had a hard time in life.

Now again, where do we stand with the name issue? Well, we don't think Boris will have a name that will cause as many problems as the one above. But we do look at the name of a child as a gift from the parents. We want Boris to have a name we chose for him-- we want him to have that gift. Now with that said, we will more than likely keep the name his birth parents gave him as a middle name. That way he can still connect with his Russian heritage, understand where he's from, but also understand he's moving forward with our family and feel apart of us.

Lets do the HAPPY DANCE ---- shall we!!!!!!!!!!

2007-03-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Brandie,

Your package arrived in pristine form, although I got feeling that I am undressing the mummy opening your package, but on end it's played well, everything looks just perfect!!!!

I will organize your paperwork and will forward it to Zoya.

It should be in Magadan by mid April and by the time we will get our accreditation ( don't know when , but hopefully not too long) it will be ready to filed the next day.

Best regards,
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the e-mail I received today!!! I told everyone the mailman could have dropped my pkg in the ocean and it would have been fine. There were just two things that could have happened... one: they could have lost it / or two: set it on fire. But thankfully nothing happened and it is PERFECT like she said!! YEAHHHHH
And my paperwork might actually be there sooner----- there is a family heading over in the next week.... and they will see ZOYA!!! And to be honest... I do feel better about a fellow agency family delivering my paperwork after all the mail problems I have had. I trust it will be in safe hands.
Now what can we do about this accreditation issue?????

Still Waiting

2007-03-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still waiting for my documents to arrive at the agency!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I sent them out by Registered mail through the United States Post Office on March 15th. I was told the package should arrive in about a week. I was told this was the most secure way to send and a signature was required once delivered. Well it hasn't arrived. I called the phone number and asked why it hasn't -- she said "although we have anticipated time lines for things, this is registered mail, your package is under lock and key, so it could take up to 15 business days to reach the location!!!!" I asked if we could track it and see how far it is in the process, she said "no, not until the 15 business days are up and that won't be until next week or so. So call back then!" And HUNG UP!!!

I am pulling my hair out!! While the documents weren't easy to get,
My GOD THEY WERE EASIER THAN SENDING THEM!!!
I am not joking, if this package doesn't arrive or there is a problem -- I will be on the next flight to to hand them to our agency director personally!!!

Borris your DAD is in the HALL OF FAME!!!

2007-03-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

While we wait for the Russian Gov. to decide what they want to do, lets see if Steve even reads this blog, shall we???

A few weeks ago I posted that Steve was being inducted into the PIAA Hall of Fame. It was a very nice ceremony held during the state competition. This is the picture that was posted in the program. It's Steve's State Champion photo.

(I told him I was going to post it, although I don't think he believed me!!)

And here is a photo with his two brothers and his dad. (Steve is wearing the red tie.. he said he had to wear the school colors!! ) Now when I say I married into a wrestling family, that is an understatement. Both brothers are state champs too and his father is in the Hall of Fame for coaching. He coached all three boys and the school teams to numerous championships. His dad was featured in Sports Illustrated for his accomplishments. So needless to say, Steve is excited and prays Boris is into sports of some sort. I keep reminding him Russia is known for ballet as well!! We could be adopting a dancer! Which I wouldn't mind, I took dance lessons as a child!

A Longer Wait than Expected

2007-03-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

On Monday I took the papers to the post office, showed them and filed a claim. They said a check should be in the mail within 4 weeks. Meanwhile, I am still waiting for my agency to receive the last shipment of documents. It should be there by today (I'm hoping).

Once our agency director gets everything, she will then send all of it to Russia. That is a two/three week process. It takes a while to reach Siberia. From what I understand our papers have already been scanned and translated. So by the time the original documents arrive everything will be ready to submit to the Russian Gov. for a referral.

However, there is now a HUGE glitch. All agencies except for three (and by the end of April-- they too will be in this situation from what I understand) are waiting for the Russian Gov. to give out the certificate of accreditation. All agency directors were expecting that to happen by the end of March. That is what the Gov. had everyone believing. But this is Russia, and self imposed deadlines move. So they will do it when they get to it. Meanwhile this basically means international adoptions are shut down until the certificate is issued.

It is pending, so it's not like a few years ago or even last year where the Gov. was trying to figure out a new process. Now the process is in place, and from what I understand (which is little) most agencies are waiting for two ministries to sign the documents. Once that happens the certificate of re-accreditation will be issued within 10 days. So word could come anytime now or some are guessing by June. We will just have to wait and see.

It all works out!!

2007-03-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

Well, this is Take Two and the documents are once again on their way to the agency. I have to say things turned out much better than I anticipated. The county gave us 6 free marriage certificates ($20 each) after hearing what happened and the Apostille Office in Harrisburg redid all 25 forms($15 per page) free of charge. So if all goes as planned and the post office reimburses us the $100 for the package that was delivered damaged then we actually make money in the deal? Go figure. Actually the parking and gas and stuff all cost about 100-- so it ends up being a wash, but hey my husband is happy!

As far as the post office goes, well that was a fun time. I ended up in line with the same guy I had on Friday. I had filled out the form ahead of time and marked YES in the insurance box. He rang everything through and said the price. I looked at him and said "no, that was what it cost last time without insurance, it was delivered damaged-- I want insurance on this these documents they are worth over $400 dollars." He laughed at me and said that's impossible. Paper is never worth that much and you can't insure paper. The look on my face told him very clearly I wasn't nearly as amused. As nice as I could, I said "These are adoption documents that cost over $400 dollars to put together to give to the Russian Gov. Would you like me to show you the receipts your government charged me to obtain them!" He said no, and referred me to the manager. That manager laughed as well and told me the only documents that can be insured are stocks and bonds. Nothing else. I said -- "Look the insurance costs what like $5 -- just give it to me and I'll deal with that when the documents are delivered damaged again." He said "Nope, I can't insure something I can't cover, you have to go to the main post office. We are just a branch."
So I went to the Main Post Office. The people there were much more helpful. They informed me that "yes, non-negotiable documents (which mine are, each document has a set value assigned to it at each office) are covered up to the $100 basic insurance, but only up to $100 in express mail. The added insurance is for product. (Okay what-ever.)
Even had I paid for the extra insurance last time the replacement coverage would not have changed. If I want full coverage and replacement value on the documents I need to send it registered mail." I said thank you, lets do that. So if these documents end up in a fire... because, they are currently waterproof, then I am covered.

Take Two

2007-03-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Harrisburg today. I have all the paperwork.
- 3 notarized home studies with original pictures attached
- 3 notarized licences of both the social worker and her agency
- 3 notarized letters of post adoption reports
- 2 original marriage certificates (actually they gave me 6 )
- 2 agreements to register child with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- 4 notarized copies of our passports
- 2 notarized copies of Power of Attorney
- 2 notarized post-placement verification

This list is shorter than the original packet and I only have to get 15 of the above apostilled. So this list isn't that bad.
I am sealing everything in plastic!!!
Wish me luck and pray all goes well.

Did I do something BAD in a former life?

2007-03-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

Please read the warning before reading this post!!

WARNING
If you have any idea what a Russian Dossier is, then please know that the following post can cause shock or extreme laughter which COULD result in a trip to the E.R.
You have been warned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(for those who don't know what a Dossier is: it's a pile of all the documents needed to send to the Russian Gov. to get a child. Included are dozens of notarized and original papers (marriage certificates, home study) and the all the apostilled forms that can only come from the state capital (in my case Harrisburg) that tells the Russian Gov. every notary mark is a real notarization. There are about 25 documents that needed to be apostilled and each one costs $15. yep... that's $375 just to say the notary is real!! )

Well, all weekend I waited for the e-mail telling me my agency received all the documents. The e-mail (s) came! This is where it starts to get blurry. All I remember is opening the latest of the first two sent and seeing something along the lines of "only 20% is readable" and then the word "DESTROYED" popped into sight. I immediately picked up the phone and called the agency director! "Olga, I got the e-mails, my hands are shaking, please explain what happened?"
She agreed her hands were shaking too. She couldn't believe her eyes. It seems that somehow during shipping another package leaked perfume into the overnight envelope. Not only did the documents have a strong odor, many were wet and unreadable. I could not believe my ears.!!!

Immediately I called my mother, (I admit I had a meltdown!!) then I called the social worker to see if I could get all new copies of the home study and social worker packet. Meanwhile., Olga, the agency director told me that she was scanning as much as she could to the contact in Russia so translation could begin. But she wasn't sure how many documents would even be able to be scanned. She would have to wait for them to dry!!! So I had to wait for another round of e-mails.

While I waited, I called my husband. Although I think he handled it pretty well, he did question why I didn't get insurance on the package. I told him the guy never asked me, HAD HE ASKED... I WOULD HAVE SAID YES.. but because he was sooooo excited about how they could overnight to Alaska, he forgot to ask. And while I'm usually good with details like that, I was emotional as I mailed the dossier. After all, I rushed around all day and then mailed it. I was thrilled, excited, in the moment, proud of myself!!! So like I said had he asked, I most definitely would have said yes to insurance. But he never asked and I walked away thinking everything was done. So Olga is mailing us the unusable stuff and the post office WILL-- I say WILL reimburse us the standard $100.

Meanwhile, the third batch of e-mails came. Olga says that I only have to get one dossier packet and a page or two apostilled.( so the number went from 25 to 15. -- and at $15 a page that's a savings of $150). According to the contact in Russia the Dept. of Education (the folks who have custody of all orphans) will accept "SEMI-DAMAGED" pages. However the courts won't. SO I have to redo all the court papers, but she can submit some of what she has to the MOE/DOE with the translation. (I hope the perfume was a nice one!!)

So it's another wait zone for me. I will start recollecting everything tomorrow. I will be able to pick up the social worker's packet on Wed. and I pray by Thurs. I will be able to head to Harrisburg. Olga said she'd like to have all the new documents by next Monday (give or take a day). And yes they will be insured and sealed in plastic and whatever else I think of between now and then to make sure they are safe.
So as the saying goes... where there's a will there's a way. I just seem destined to take the long way!!

Warning is over, but please take a deep breath and check your pulse.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

2007-03-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

With 30 seconds to spare. Really. I arrived at 3:30 and walked out at 4:00. There was one moment where my heart stopped and my eyes almost rolled out the tears. The lady doing the apostilling questioned our marriage certificates. Now of all the documents, this one already has its own gold seal and everything!!! But she didn't like how there were two signatures and one was the assistant of the notary. But in the end, since the notary signature WAS on the document they apositilled it.!! Yeah.
Then, on my way home, as I was trying to find interstate 81 to go home, I found a post office. So I stopped in to see if I could mail my stuff to the agency. I asked How long will it take to get to Alaska? He started to laugh and then said in shock--- "How does tomorrow by noon sound?" I said "I'll take it." He started to laugh and said in his wildest dreams never thought you could overnight to Alaska. I think I made his day. And that's good because I know he made mine!!

Woman on a Mission

2007-03-08T22:06:00.000-08:00

Today (friday) I'm a woman on a mission. Our agency director approved our home study. So it's off to Harrisburg. Now, this would all have to come together, on a day I signed up to volunteer on a panel. Over a month ago I was asked to serve on a panel that would talk to college students about "Media and the Gov." And it happens to be in the opposite direction than Harrisburg. So I'm heading up there in the morning. Then Picking up the APPROVED Home Study, meeting a friend to notarized everything left over and then Heading to Harrisburg --- all by 4pm. Pray for me and wish me luck. I really want this all in the mail to our agency so it gets there by early next week. Then she can look it over and send it out.

Home Study Update

2007-03-08T06:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I got the call this morning to say the home study has been e-mailed to our agency director. The agency director e-mailed me earlier this week to say although she'll be out of the office, she'll look for it and still let me know if it's alright. So I just need her approval to move forward. Cross your fingers. Once I get the long awaited "OKAY" it's off to Harrisburg!!
Then straight to the post office to mail it all to the agency director!!--- Then it's off to Russia!
Time Line:
The agency director said it takes 2-3 weeks to mail something to Siberia. (I believe it-- I heard there were only 2 flights a week to get to the town we need to go!!)
Now if anyone is heading that way (it's a two-three day trip) please let me know! HaHa.

A Good Day

2007-03-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, today is a good day. I met with the social worker and gave her all the supporting paperwork needed to update the home study. I told her our agency director is out until the end of the week, so she said she'll finish it up and e-mail it to her by Tuesday or Wed. This way as long as our agency director likes all the changes and updates in the home study, I could be off to Harrisburg by Monday. Which is going to be a very busy day. I live half way between the social worker and Harrisburg. And my husband and I have an apt. with the accountant/lawyer on Monday to go over taxes and will stuff. He is in the opposite direction. So if this all works out I will spend the whole day in the car. I guess that will be a good time to continue playing the "Learn Russian" CD's.

Okay -- New Plan

2007-03-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking, it is possible... that if I get an "okay" for the home study by Monday the 12th I can then pick up the notarized copy from our social worker agency and then head to Harrisburg by that Monday afternoon. Not so bad.

The only rush I have is that every week that passes is a week closer to August. And my husband and I are heading to Orlando for his work for a week. Well, he'll work, I'll play -- and I want to bring Borris. Other than that I really wouldn't mind the waiting. But it really does seem that right now I seem to run into every "wait zone" there is! I'm not blaming anyone... it's just my bad luck. You know this always happened to me when I played Monopoly. I always ended up in jail and had to watch everyone else around me go as I skipped a few turns. I just sat there and waited. I should be used to waiting by now, but I'm not. All I can say is with the luck I'm having I won't be buying any lotto tickets anytime soon. :)

I Can't WIN!!!

2007-03-02T21:49:00.000-08:00

Good news...
always start with something positive -- right?
The Child Abuse Clearances CAME!!!! And WE PASSED!!! (that I knew, but the state had to confirm it!) So we meet with the social worker on Monday to give her all the updated forms. She told me she can have all the "i's" dotted and the "t's " crossed by Monday night Tuesday morning -- and the e-mailed and final version of our homestudy will be off to our agency for final approval.
Sounds good RIGHT!!!
WRONG
Our agency director just e-mailed me and said she'll be away next WEEK!!
SO yet again... I take a deep breath.. and just wait.
She did send me all the forms filled in that need to be apostilled with our homestudy. So I have the initial dossier put together now---- But I can't get anything apostilled until she approves the homestudy.
I am not good at this waiting game!!

Hurry up and Wait

2007-03-01T21:53:00.000-08:00

Not much to say. I'm just sitting here waiting for the mailman to bring me a little piece of paper that will allow me to proceed. The child abuse clearance. Like I said before ours were about to expire so our agency director requested we get updated ones. Nothing like just sitting around and watching the snow fall. I found a phone number to call and ask for an update on the processing of them. So maybe tomorrow I will call it.

UPDATE:
I called the Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance office. I was told our forms were sent out Monday!!! So he said expect them in the mail any day!!!
Harrisburg is an hour from me... I would have gladly gone and picked them up!! But for now... it's back to praying to the mailman!!

GOOD NEWS

2007-02-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

Today was a GREAT day! Not only for us but for Susan and Wayne too.. (click on the link on the side) they have a COURT DATE!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS.

And a big congratulations to Melissa and Mike who are in Moscow this week finalizing the paperwork to bring little Olivia home. (love the name) And to Lauren and Marco who are doing the same for little cupcake.

I want to thank all of the families for updating the blogs throughout the process. It has really helped me keep everything in perspective.--- and to keep in mind that in time it will be our turn!

Today we received our state police background checks.... and both say NO RECORD!!! YEAH!!!
I already knew that.. .but it is nice to know that the state agrees with me! Now I just need the child abuse clearances and our last home visit and it's off to Harrisburg to get it all appostilled and then it's off to Russia.

Our Bloggerfriend Christen (who is in Med school on one of the most beautiful tropical islands out there--- AKA---Grand Cayman! Not that I'm jealous or anything... I actually prefer building snowmen to sandcastles... NOT!!) Anyway she asked a good question...
How long have we been on our adoption journey?
Now this blog is used by family, friends and fellow bloggers. Some of the info will make sense to the adoption bloggers... while to the rest.. I apologize in advance if this bores you.

1. Jan. 2006 -- We applied to one of the summer hosting programs. We were going to host a little boy from Kazakhstan for about six weeks over the summer and then proceed to adopt him.

2. Spring 2006 -- Did a mini-home study and had all the background checks done. (thus ours are expiring now and we had to reapply)

3. Summer 2006 - Found out that the summer program was NOT going to happen due to visa issues with the kids.

4. Summer/Fall 2006 - I started to look around and research adoption agencies and countries. We decided that Russia was the country for us and I decided that the agency that was going to do the hosting program was not going to be the agency we would go with. So the hunt was on for an agency. And THAT'S when I found out about this "ACCREDITATION" thing! I spent quite a bit of time on the Embassy websites.. Especially the one in Moscow. I found out at the time there were only 16 agencies in the US that were accredited to adopt in Russia (That should change in a matter of days-- as the new batch of agencies are processed). I then spent time looking at each of the websites, calling them, and that's when I started to find out about this blog thing. I admit I was a lurker for several months before I started one. I found Melissa/Mike's website and she listed an e-mail once in one of her posts. SO I responded and introduced myself. She has been a big inspiration and a huge help through this process.
I should add the bloggers are a great source of information-- everyone is helpful on sharing info on their agencies, the countries, what to expect etc.

5. Nov. 2006 - We apply to CIS and submit the I600A.

6. Dec. 2006 - We get notification for fingerprinting. We both head to Philly to the CIS office. Also, since I was born in Bermuda I had to get my Naturalization papers Certified. Was that a task. The CIS website says make an appointment and come down. I did. The immigration officer looks at me and laughs and says you are the fifth one this month and we don't know why the website says to come here. We don't know what to do!! Well, after a long long long talk and another long talk with his supervisor (I was very nice.. it really was just a long talk) I convinced them there was a BIG difference between a notarized copy and "a true certified" copy!!! I then asked them to call the immigration officer for adoptions and see what needs to be done for the Russian Gov. They did this and then asked me to come back after lunch. They then agreed--- they are the only ones who can certify my Naturalization papers and now agree and see why a notarized stamp wouldn't work. They then proceed to give me three copies. I ask for two more just to be safe. Now I have five copies in case anyone loses any of them.

7. Dec. 2006 - We apply to our adoption agency. And we are approved!! Our home study is completed. We stayed with the same social worker agency since they already started the home study last spring.

8. Jan. 2007 - Our social worker e-mails our agency the home study. She reviews it and sends corrections.

9. Feb 2007 - We are waiting for a few things. Some of the corrections were to have some of the clearances (State police background/Child Abuse) redone/updated since they would be expiring in a month. Also our agency wants one more home visit with a newer date. That will be done next week.

And that brings us to today. I hope this is helpful to anyone who is just starting out. Our process was longer than some but shorter than others. Our agency director says she thinks we'll be traveling this spring for the first trip. I hope so. My husband has a conference in Disneyworld in Aug. and I'd love to go as a parent!! But then again I have to remember it's all out of my control now.

Things are Moving

2007-02-20T10:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, we have a date scheduled with the social worker. She'll be here next week. And now we are on week two of waiting for the child abuse clearances. Hopefully they come this week or next. Then I can run to get everything appostilled and sent to the agency. The agency will then send it to Moscow!! The agency director said it is possible to have everything sent out by the first week or so of March. This is a goal I would to see happen.

Happy Days are Here Again

2007-02-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

I just read an e-mail from my social worker. This is the first point of contact in two or three weeks. But it was GOOD! She said it wouldn't be a problem getting everything done and making the changes suggested by our agency director. And she added that she'd like to do the updated home visit within a week or two!!
YEAH!!! Cross your fingers!!

Not Much to Say

2007-02-13T22:42:00.000-08:00

Hello,
I don't have much to say. Steve and I filled-out the forms for the state police/child/driver's records again. They went in the mail on Monday. We are hoping to hear back within two weeks or so. I'm not sure what to do about the social worker situation. Like I said, she was out of the office last week for personal reasons. So I understand her not getting/responding to my/my agency's e-mails last week. Now, after I didn't hear anything on Monday I sent a "touching base" e-mail Monday night , here it is Wednesday (1:30 am) and I still have heard nothing. This is a little annoying. She has a habit of not responding to e-mails and then she has a habit of saying she never got the e-mail. So what should I do? She has to redo a visit so I'm at her mercy for that. (our agency director would like a more recent visit-- it boils down to just having a visitation date closer to the dates that will be on everything once it's all finalized so that time lines and dates match up.) I was just hoping to have everything ready to go so when the clearance checks arrive we can get the home study notarized and apostilled. Is that too much to expect or ask?

Back to Paperwork

2007-02-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

The forms for our child abuse clearance and police background checks came in the mail today. So I'm in the process of filling them out again. Family members on my side will get a kick out of this, the child abuse clearance asks for every address since 1975!!! Yep!!! Oh, like I have a chance of getting all of them listed!! Anyway I'm not too worried, I've been cleared twice before without everyone listed, so I'm sure since it's only been a year and I still live in the same place everything will be fine.

The dogs have a BAD case of cabin Fever!! It's really bad. It's too cold for them outside and yet they are so stir crazy it's driving me crazy. I called home the other night and asked Steve what he was doing, he said I'm chasing the dogs around my chair to try to tire them out.
Yea, it's bad. Poor little guys and Big guy!! The warm weather is just a few weeks away! I HOPE!

Standstill

2007-02-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

I called my social worker around noon today. She is not in the office and won't be until next week! So... there goes my wishful thinking that we could progress quickly. My selfishness ended when the office manager told me there was a death in her(social worker's) family and that's she won't be in until Monday. So this I can be patient for... and understand. It's not like she's on a cruise to Bermuda or something. It'd be easier to be upset if she was sitting on a beach sipping umbrella drinks.

I did probe to see if there was anyone else who could help us in getting our clearances started. The office manager said she could mail us the forms. I said that would be great!!

And if you read Susan's comment to my last post, we too have many questions/answers that our agency director would like to see added our home study. Things like occupation of my mother and Steve's mother. I guess the home study talked about our father's jobs but not enough about our mothers. In reality I think we could be done with everything within a week, except for the new dates for the child abuse clearance checks. And if that comes in two weeks -- okay three to four.. I could be in Harrisburg getting it all apostled by the beginning of March. That would be nice. And my husband can give a sigh of relief... he's being inducted into the State Hall of Fame for Wrestling March 10. He knows from here on out all our commitments are on standby. But it is nice to know we can both attend this ceremony and he can stand there and be honored. Good for him.

You know this "I'm not in control thing" just might be working out. But I won't say that too loud just yet!!!

UPDATE!!

2007-02-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

So our agency director got back to me about our home study.
I'm not too sure if what she sent is okay news or bad news... She listed plenty of suggestions for our social worker.
Some, simple things like: move this section to page three...this section to page two etc.
to things a bit more complex like: one of our clearance checks is about to expire.
So she wants new ones for both of us. I think at most the checks take like 30 days to get back.. but I'm not sure, it may be quicker since they really only have to check the past year.
I guess the real question will be how long it will take our social worker to make the changes.
I'm hoping for a quick turn-a-round!!

A Few Shout Outs

2007-02-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

I've been surfing my usual sites and found several things I'd like to share. (I can't share everyone this time.. but if you are feeling left out.... please send me a message if you would like one too-- and I'll post your site in the next "shout out" edition. :) )

First check out Debbie's site.. she did a great job listing the cities many of us are adopting from. I loved it. Thanks Debbie. Now if only there was a way to get a map and put dots on it!!!
http://russianbrown.blogspot.com/

Also Check out Steve's site.. (loved his superbowl commercial post about feeling old!!) He also listed the top Disney movies... (and if my husband Steve is reading this.. yes dear I told you there are dads out there blogging TOO!!!) Thank you Steve... (Stef's Steve.. not my Steve)
http://frwl-fromdad.blogspot.com/

Susan and Wayne have done a great job journalling their first trip for us. It happened back in January. Each day she posts a new entry, I find it extremely enjoyable to see what happened when they first met their two sons and then when all four of them were together.
http://www.susanandwayne.blogspot.com/

Also Congrats to those who are in Russia right now.. Melissa/Mike
and Lauren/Marco will be by the weekend!!
Melissa/Mike http://mmrussianadoption.blogspot.com/
Lauren/Marco http://laurenandmarco.blogspot.com/

The Waiting Game

2007-02-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a few days since my last post. I'm sorry. I was kinda hoping to hear something from our agency director about our home study. Did she like it? Are there revisions to be done? I guess reading all the blogs over the past few months I just hoped Monday would bring something good for me.
It's funny my husband and I were at the mall the other day and he said it's getting harder to go shopping with me. It used to be -- he'd look in the men's section and I'd look in the ladies, but now he finds me in the toy section. And boy do we have fun!
He is a big kid at heart. My sister/brother-in-law and mother/father have the new Wii. And now as we look at toys Steve keeps moving over to the electronics section. I know he would love to have a Wii to play with Boris. He even tried to justify it by telling me a Wii would improve his score on the church bowling league. (it comes with a bowling game). Luckily every store is currently sold out around here. I told him if we have Boris by June that wouldn't be a bad father's day gift.

Our Three Darlings

2007-02-01T22:50:00.000-08:00

Meet Butkus (100 lbs black lab)

Walter (10 lbs mini poodle)

and Sophie (10 lbs bishon).

All three are anxiously awaiting Boris's arrival.

Butkus will turn 10 this month and looks forward to his daily walks, Walter will turn three in April and enjoys resting on your lap, while Sophie is a wild woman and needs someone to play fetch.

My hope is that Boris is an animal lover because obviously we are. Actually I hope he likes small dogs. You see I'm a small dog person. Steve on the other hand is a big dog person. Thus our marriage created a blended family of big and small dogs. Right now the small dogs out number the big dog. Now.... as long as Boris likes small dogs Butkus will be able to keep the coveted title as "THE BIG DOG." The ONE and ONLY BIG DOG. However if Boris likes big dogs then I may need to rethink things a bit.

Introducing Boris

2007-01-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have known we were going to adopt for about a year now. During this time I did lots of research on accreditation, agencies and I even became a regular visitor to many blog sites. (all have helped inspire and inform me during this process... some are listed on the side). It feels go to know that finally we are moving in this process.
Our little boy has fondly become known as "Boris". It's something I've since learned isn't uncommon for adopting families to do. Picking out a nickname for the child before you even know him is a way to start connecting with him. For the past year my family grew to understand that when they came to visit they would be staying in "Boris's" room.
At first they laughed at me. "Why are you calling him Boris? Do you know who you are getting? Is that is real name?" The answer is no. We simply picked the name Boris so we had a reference point when talking about the child and because Steve liked the name. You see, Steve is an athlete. A state champ in wrestling. And well, according to him Russians have done nicely in the Olympics... and so picked the name Boris... at least for now. (I think there might have been a champion wrestler named Boris -- somewhere) So Boris it will be on this site. (I've noticed how the child's real name is usually protected in the posts).
A few weeks ago we went to see the movie Rocky, boy am I glad that didn't come out a year ago... for all I know we could be calling our boy "Rocky"---- Don't laugh... we have a Butkus!! (a black lab)

How Cool!!

2007-01-29T23:07:00.000-08:00

WOW,
Thanks for all the kind words and comments. I work nights and I got home around 12:30 am and my husband surprised me when I got home and said, "Did you see you had 3 comments on the blog".... I quickly said... "well it's up to six... (thanks Melissa for the shout out!!) but wow honey you looked!!" And as of this moment it is up to eight. It's so nice to know there is a supportive community out there. Thank you to everyone. And to Susan -- thanks for the info on how to post a clock. As you can see.. I DID IT!! I even posted a map and temp. site. Thanks.

Our progress thus far:
Today our social worker sent our homestudy to the agency. This is just an e-mailed version for review. An official one will be sent once our agency director reviews it and makes any corrections. Our agency director e-mailed me last week and asked for a scanned copy of our passports.
It felt good that for once she was finally asking me for things!!!!
I don't know what will come of this step.... But if I understand correctly we should plan to have things ready to send off to Russia by Mid Feb.
But don't quote me on this..... :)

Introduction

2007-01-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

Hi,
This is my first blog site. I will try to post as much as possible about our adoption here. Please feel free to leave comments and ask questions.

My husband and I live in the Pocono region of Pennsylvnia and are in the process of adopting from Russia. We are excited and can't wait to meet our future child.