Still Waiting

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??

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!!!!

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

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

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

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??

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!!