Going to make the blog private

I hate to do this to everyone but I am going to have to make my blog private. At least until our adoption is complete. Besides I found a comment on my last post that was upsetting, someone advertising on my blog like they knew me. I am trying to figure out how to delete it. I think I have to delete my post and repost it Please leave a comment with your email address if you want to be able to access this blog after I make it private in a couple of days. Thanks!

I got a weather sticker!

I found another place to get a weather sticker and it worked! Now you can keep track of the weather in Kirov while we are there. We are prepared to freeze our tails off! I have been in Florida for over 16 years and Don 20 years so our blood is super thin.

New Look

I am sorry about the new look here. The other day I thought I would add a weather sticker for Kirov so people could see the local weather and time while we are traveling. However, since I am a genius with blogging and web stuff I screwed it all up. But the new look is kind of nice. I never got the weather sticker but I was able to get a clock of the current time in Kirov, just scroll down a little. I will try for the weather sticker another time. Maybe Brynn can figure it out.

We are getting excited about traveling in a little over a month. We still don't have travel dates and probably won't until mid January. As fast as the last month has gone I know it will be here in no time flat. The nursery is a state of chaos with Christmas presents that need to be wrapped, baby clothes, and all of our cold weather gear. Not to mention the orphanage donations and other stuff. I am trying to wrap the gifts and move them under trees so at least I can remove them from my mess.

Hope everyone is staying warm, even south Florida has been chilly the last couple of days. Froze our tails off last night at the soccer game.

I'm it! I have been tagged.

I was so lucky to be tagged by my blogger friend, Val, http://www.fromrussiaforlove.blogspot.com/! This my first time and I am a dummy when it comes to these things. But here I go, forewarning I am out of my normal Christmas planning and decorating, I've been distracted.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper with coordinating bows and ribbons for everyone but Don and the kids. They get a little less favorable wrapping since they get so many gifts. However, I did find a mother load of bags that I bought after Christmas last year. So I may be using some. I am not the best at wrapping gifts ahead of time so we'll see how it goes. Not opposed to either.
2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial. Sorry, I would love to have real but it just isn't practical. I usually do 5 to 7 trees. This year we only have 4, I've been distracted. We couldn't afford real and they don't last long in South Florida.
3. When do you put up your tree? I usually start Thanksgiving weekend and putter away at it for a week and call it quits.
4. When do you take the tree down? Day after Christmas unless we have a party after Christmas like a New Years Eve party then I'll leave it up till the 1st.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Today it would be the matching outfits my cousin, Jenny and I would get from our grandma each year. One year we got quilted jackets and pants blue (maybe denim) with pink flowers on them and pink shirts and they were so cute. Back then, maybe my Simon game or my Baby Alive doll.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? Yes, but it isn't out this year and I have major guilt about it. I often feel the meaning of Christmas is lost so I try to make it part of my decorating. Lots of thought invoking words and crosses and angels. Minimize Santa maximize Christ!
8. Hardest person to buy for? Not sure. This year it is Steph, she hasn't given me but 2 ideas. But she loves everything, just not sure what she really wants!
9. Easiest person to buy for? My baby, Brynn. She gave me an exact list this year. It was excellent. Michelle was right behind, we went shopping and I remembered the things she looked at and liked.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Couldn't be one cause no present is ever bad! We do funny gifts sometimes in our family and some of them are pretty darn gross! Used, old tennis shoes comes to mind but that was my grandma and I that gave those to my sister!
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, if you are lucky! I am not the best at sending cards out! Sorry everyone. I love you but I just don't get in to it, probably because my handwriting stinks. I have gotten bad and done the family typed letter and will probably do it again this year. I do apologize and realize I am wrong on this one! I have lots of guilt.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story, how can you beat it. Christmas Vacation is great too. My darling step-father is responsible for these two, he watches a Chrimstas Story over and over every year. He even has the sexy leg lamp from it (miniature version)!
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Depends on what I find. If I find firetrucks and fire stuff for Don I buy it throughout the year and save it for his next special day. Usually I don't start till after Thanksgiving.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Of course I am cheap! We regift gag gifts every year in our family. There is a shawl that has been passed around my whole life. Wonder who has it this year? It makes it all over this great country but it is happiest in Minnesota.
15. Favorite things to eat at Christmas? Hmmmm...I love all food (everyone knows) my mom makes some special Swedish meatballs and these almond bars (just ate them tonite). I acutally love Swedish sausage but it is hard to come by and lutefisk but it is really hard to come by. What can I say but that I am a Swede! But you can forget the lefse, I don't like it much!
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Which tree? I am partial to white. Don has red on his tree in the den to go with all of the firetrucks. Actually, it is probably so he can dream of the red light district while sleeping in his recliner in there! I have these round pearlized lights that I love but didn't use this year.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night. My mom used to sing it to me in Swedish and so did my grandma. Might have to have my mom sing it to me again.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel. The last years we have gone to my mom's for Christmas that way we see them and the girls and some years Don's parents are around too. Brynn then gets to go her paternal grandmother's house. It works but we are planning to be home next year and invite everyone to come if they want. The girls are getting older and have other places they would like to be and I would like to try Christmas at home for a change. We'll see nothing is ever carved in stone.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? No but I do recall the most famous reindeer of all!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Which tree? This year we have stars on two and bows on two. I also have angels just not out this year.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve always. When Brynn was little she did open Santa presents Christmas morning. We do our big family celebration Christmas eve. When I was young Santa arrived at my great aunt and uncles house in Odin, Minnesota after dinner Christmas Eve. It was the best!! I am often told that I yelled "Come on down Santa" one year when he was standing at the top of the basement steps. Gosh to be that young again!
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? That people forget that we are celebrating Christ's birth and to be happy about it!
23. What is the "corniest" family tradition you do, or miss doing? The shawl but it is the best!
24. Ugliest Christmas Decoration ever invented? The glass ball ornament or come to our church group Christmas party (last night) we get some real beauties. Actually, we have some real bad ones that can't be described on here.
25. Which looks the best, theme trees or homey trees? Homey trees. I love all Christmas trees. I wish I had one full of handmade ornaments by kids!
26. What does Christmas mean to you? That we all need to love one another! Be kind and good spirited to everyone you meet. That I am truly grateful for everyone in my life and all of my good fortunes and I know Who to thank for it!!

Val, this was kind of fun. But where is number 5? I sure hope my family enjoys my trips down memory lane. We had the best Christmases growing up. My grandma and my great aunt, Lorraine put so much work in to it all. They were two very special ladies. Ok gotta stop cause the tears are welling up! Just not the same without them. I love my mom and aunt, they try to pick up where they left off but I guess since I am old it isn't the same. Maybe the fact that Florida and Minnesota aren't the same has impact.

Ok, tag Marie (www.journeytoparents.blogspot.com) and Kris (http://www.hearttohome.blogspot.com/) are it! I don't know how to imbed or whatever it is! Sorry I am a dummy on this !

Are you crazy????

We seem to be asked this question a lot by people lately. And the answer is "Duh!!" Who on earth is in their right mind would adopt a baby when they have a little over two years left of having kids in the house? Who is sane and spends tens of thousand of dollars to travel half way around the world twice in the dead of Russian winter? We realize we have mental health issues, but we like them. Don't worry the are you crazy comments don't offend us. Deep down I think a few people are envious of our decision. We both love kids and love being parents.

Thank you everyone for all of your support and congratulations! We are very happy, excited and nervous all in one. We will not be traveling until February. The baby will be about ten month old when we get him home. As we get closer in time I will share more of the details with everyone. We have lots to do to get ready. Of course I have shopping lots lately.

The girls all seem to be fairly excited. I think it is a little unreal for them as it is us. Once he is home I know they will love him. It would be hard at 15, 17 and 23 to have a baby brother all of a sudden.

Michelle has been visiting the last couple of days and it was fun to share all of the travel things and baby things with her. I want the girls to be interested and happy about this too.

Happy Day!!! We got a Thanksgiving surprise!

We got a referral on Wednesday evening for an infant boy!! I know when you least expect it, boom it happens. We are very excited but apprehensive at this point. We will not travel to Russia until early February for our first trip. Between now and then a Russian family could come and adopt or foster him. This is unlikely but still a possibility!! Anyway, we are truly thankful that God found our son for us and pray that He will continue to watch over us on this journey and hold him safely in His arms until we can get him home!

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Not much new to say. It is doubtful that we will receive a referral this year. So I am going to put my energies in to having a wonderful Christmas that isn't all about money and gifts but about the love and joy we should have around this wonderful holiday! I will put all of the Christmas trees up, bake tons of cookies and breads and probably make a bunch of gifts. I am hoping to find the energy!

Wish I had something new to say

Hi all! I so wish had something new to report. I guess we are getting close, our agency has started talking to us about updating our documents. Now that I am no longer working certain things will need to be redone. Also, many of our documents have expired since they are only good for 90 days or 180 days, by Russian standards. Of course this means more money to spend. But what the heck, you can't take it with you. But I could get a new purse or some shoes with it instead. Don would want to pay a bill or put in savings. Go figure!

We have also been told that our dossier will probably be registered in a region very soon in anticipation of a referral to that region. I know a few people who have already done this. One of them, my friend, Marie left Saturday to meet her son on trip one. It is my understanding that this has been done for a long time but it is becoming more prominent. Since the re-accreditation in July the process has slowly been evolving and it is just not the same as it was before.

It would be nice to get a trip in before Christmas but at this point, I am just not sure. There will be U.S. (embassy) government closings for the holidays and once again the Russian government closes for the first few weeks in January for Russian New Year. Gotta love it, lots of holidays. The Europeans have the right idea, less work and more play!!!

I am currently enrolled in Guardian Ad Litem (child advocate) training. I hope to be certified next weekend and get my first case at the same time. It has been something I wanted to do for many years. At this point in our lives we are not ready to be foster parents but probably will some day. In the meantime, this is something I can do to hopefully have a positive impact on a child or two involved in the scary world of child dependency. My time commitment is minimal (4 hours or so a month) and I plan to continue to do this once we have a little baer.

I have to share what my sweet daughter did for me yesterday. While I was at training all day for the GAL program, Brynn went shopping and then to the boat show with Don. When I got home I had a wonderful little gift bag waiting for me. In it were a thermal body suit, warm sweat pants, bear slippers, and some skin balm. They were all for her little brother to use in Russia. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it!! What a sweet girl she is. She knows lately I have been down in the dumps about the adoption and it is so wonderful that she takes an interest and tries to cheer me up. This is one of the moments when I know that we are doing the right thing adding to our family. The sweet rewards of being a mom, seeing love in your child's heart!

Brynn is now playing soccer, a nice change from her beloved volleyball! I enjoy the evening games in the great outdoors. Especially now that fall has arrived in South Florida. She is driving with Don (I just cannot do it) and just turning in to a beautiful, young woman. She was confirmed a couple of weeks ago. Poor kid has done 4 years of confirmation!

I think Don and I have finally gotten beyond the disappointments that we have experienced in our delayed wait. At this point (as it was all along) we know it is in God's hands and He has a plan for us and we are just waiting for Him to show it to us. It isn't always easy but you have to just roll with it sometimes. I am honestly ready to be done and move on to the next step, being parents to a little one again.

I hope everyone has a truly blessed Thanksgiving!

The nursery

Ok I have no news on the adoption front. All we keep hearing is "anyday now". So we keep dreaming, hoping and praying!

The big news is I am learning about photos, our camera and how to upload photos on to here. So, I thought I would show everyone the nursery! Of course it is all done in fire trucks! Don would have nothing else. I did get the pretty cream beadboard with a picture rail I dreamed of. It was a happy compromise. I think it is a dreamy little boys room!

We already have the fire truck pedal car ready and waiting.

Sorry I haven't posted anything in so long, but there really is nothing new to share. We honestly don't have much idea when we will be getting a referral or traveling to Russia. It seems that is taking a while for things to get up and running after the summer holidays and re-accreditation process. We continue to hope and pray for a referral soon but we just don't know. Luckily Brynn is keeping us busy with volleyball games and tournaments. She has dramatically improved and is a wonderful player! Not to mention she is captain of the team and take her responsibility seriously. I promise to post as soon as we know something more.

July Update

Just a quick note to say things are starting to look up but we are also trying to stay grounded about it all. It is rumored that the Russian government will be issuing accreditation certificates on the 4th of July. Our agency is already seeing an increase in the number of referrals this past week. Hopefully, something will be happening for us this month but they are saying September if not sooner.

I am no longer working outside of the house. That is except for church where I have been busy volunteering at vacation bible school and now I am doing meals on wheels. Things will quiet down next week as Brynn is off to Servant Camp in Key West and vbs is over. I have many things to do before we travel to Russia.

I had to change the ticker since I found a bear to use. We are tossing around names and are pretty sure on a family name, just waiting to meet him to make sure it fits. I hope you all have a wonderful July 4th.

The Waiting Game

I haven't posted anything lately since we are just waiting. We had been told initially to expect a referral in May. We were then told when I called in the middle of May it would probably be June but it could still be May. I was getting word from several people that things were slowing down for our agency and every other agency still working in Russia.

I spoke with our agency director last week. The agency is just not sure what to tell us at this point. The accreditation problem with adoption agencies in Russia has just slowed things way down for everyone. Luckily our agency is still working with families and processing them as independent. Our agency director did say if not before then it should be in September. Also adding to problems is that government offices in Russia close down for part of the summer for vacations, like most other European countries. However this past week some families received referrals so we have moved up on the list. Where we are on the list, I am not certain. We are just waiting and praying for a referral this summer but September will be ok to0. We knew this going in to it so we are not really surprised just disappointed.

We have been working on the nursery and we are getting close to posting pictures on here of it. The walls are done, the bedding is done and the last of the furniture is on order. It is very cute with creamy colored bead board walls with denim blue above with some red fire trucks here and there for Don. As soon as the last of the furniture arrives I will put pictures up for everyone. We have left a twin size bed in there for me to sleep in the first couple of weeks we have him home. They are not used to being alone and it will help with the transition. We also fenced the backyard so that we don't have to worry as much about the creek. Don did a beautiful job on it, now I have to landscape it. I am hoping to have an English garden Florida style out back.

My last day of work is June 14th, just around the corner. I am very excited to have some time with Brynn this summer and to get some long needed maintenance done around the house. Not to mention closest to clean, etc. I also want to spend some time this summer working at our vacation bible school and doing more at church. God has truly blessed us with our church family, we feel very fortunate to have found them! They are terrific support for us through this journey along with our family and other friends.

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

Short Update

I guess we have encountered one of our first delays. Hopefully there won't be too many more. I spoke with our agency today and things are moving slowly right now. We were told not to expect a referral this month, maybe in June. However, several of the regions will be closing for two months this summer, they usually only close for one. So things could take most of the summer which is what we were told in the beginning. I am hoping otherwise but I it is how most Russian adoptions go.

Keep us in your prayers!

Update

Just a quick update. Our dossier made it to our adoption agency today, hopefully there is nothing that will have to be redone. I am counting on at least one thing needing revisions. It seems to be the way things go for us. We are half way through what I am hoping is a four week wait but one never knows. Tomorrow we have to be in Davie (2 hours away) at 8:00 a.m. for fingerprinting for immigration paperwork, it will be an early morning.

Don and I spent the weekend and the last two evenings working on the "nursery", sounds so strange to say. We put up cream beadboard with a shelf around the top and painted the top half of the walls a medium periwinkle/denim blue. It looks wonderful. Due to all of the company coming we are putting it back together as a guest room but it will be easy to change in to a nursery when it is time.

Michelle is graduating from USF on Saturday morning. Yippee!!! It is very exciting for her. She will be starting nursing school in the fall in the Tampa area. I hope it all works out for her. Her and I put together a luncheon after the graduation for family. One of her good friends is getting married that day and she wants to go to the reception in the evening so we didn't do anything big. When Michelle graduates from nursing school we'll have to do it up right. Don's sister, Carol, from Rhode Island is coming for the weekend and Don's parents will also be there. And then they will visit us for a couple of days afterward.

We are on the waiting list

We are officially on the waiting list with our agency. We are number 6! I am so excited. We have been told to expect a referral within 4 weeks with travel (if we accept) two weeks after. Which means we should be in Russia the end of May or first part of June. I am trying to stay calm and not panic, boy do we have work to do!!

We got the bulk of our dossier sent off to the Florida Department of State for apostilling and they should be to our agency the end of next week. Our hold up may be US immigration but everyone keeps telling us that will pan out in the end. You call when you have travel dates for trip 2 and they rush it through for you.

I will post as soon as we get our referral!

Some great news early in the game

Our last home study visit went great on Monday evening. I really like our social worker, I think we could end up great friends in the end. We turned in to her all of our paperwork that she needs from us. She is waiting on our background checks to come in and then can finish things up. Hopefully it will be done within a couple of weeks.

We got our contract and dossier package on Monday from our adoption agency. Of course I dive right in to it to get it done as fast as humanly possible. I gave our social worker the list and examples of what is needed from the home study agency on Monday night. I then worked on it until late trying to get a head start. On Tuesday I called our agency to ask some questions, while I was at it I asked how long for a referral. I was quoted a month or so for a boy. Oh my gosh. I sent our contract in on Tuesday and they should have it by the first of next. Which would put our referral in May, best case scenario. I have a ton to do before then. I am in gathering paperwork mode and plan to send our first package to the Secretary of State on Monday for the Apostille. We should have our psychologist and MD appoints done the first of the week along with our CPA paperwork. We had a friend offer to do the CPA portion of things. And a friend of a friend agreed to do the psychologist portion in a hurry for us.

Anyway the great part of all of this is that we should be traveling for trip one and two in the summer months and have our little guy home by fall. I am trying to stay grounded in case something happens and we start encountering delays. This is always very possible with international adoption especially Russia. I keep thinking I am misunderstanding things. I will be nervously asking again, however this is the second time they have told me. I just can't believe it.

I have to get a crib by the weekend so I can take pictures to send with our package. We also have to buy a camera to take pictures with. Our pastor and his wife are graciously donating a crib to us. I haven't seen it yet so I hope it will work in the nursery we have planned. The nursery will be firetrucks in case any of you had any doubt. Ok, I am off to do my real work so I have time to get my dossier done! I probably need to take a day off of work to work on it all. Maybe Monday that will give me the weekend to do what I can at home and Monday to hit the notary, maybe one of my darling friends. Great thing about being in the legal field.

The Russian Adoption Process

1. Home Study with a local adoption agency. Time frame for ours is 6 weeks, started in March of 2007, hopefully it will be completed by May 1st.
2. USCIS I600A. This is the immigration paperwork that ultimately leads to approval by US government to adopt your child and make them a US citizen. Time frame for our USCIS office is eight weeks upon completion of home study. Initial application March of 2007, eight weeks starts once home study is submitted.
3. Dossier to Russian government. This is the time consuming portion. It is a compellation of paperwork including marriage license, physical, phsych exams, home study, criminal background checks, etc. All of it must be notarized or certified copies then sent to the Florida Secretary of State, translated and sent to the Russian govt. for your approval to adopt in their country. At this point you must select a region of Russia that you want to adopt from, everything is done in the region except the US side of things.
4. Referral of child. You usually receive minimal background information including some medical information along with a photo and possibly a short video of the child. You then submit all of this to an international adoption physician and they review it to assist in medically assessing the child. Based upon that information you have to decide if you want to travel to Russia for trip one to meet the child. If not, you decline the referral and wait for another one. Time frame for referral from completion of dossier can be two weeks to several months depending upon your request. Right now our agency is saying 2-4 weeks for a boy. We are hoping they are right.
5. Trip #1. This usually takes place within a month or two of acceptance of the referral. This is usually a one week trip. You meet your child at the orphanage and decide whether or not to officially accept the referral. If your physician had additional information needed you can try to obtain it, sometimes they need more pictures, etc. You then email the information to the Dr. and they get back with you pretty quick since you have to sign paperwork before you leave the region . If you do not accept the referral while in country one of two things can happen, you may get another referral while there or you may have to return home to wait for another referral and start all over.
6. Trip #2. This hopefully will take place a month or two after you return home but may be much longer. This trip is usually a couple of weeks. You travel to the orphanage and see your child before your court date. You then go to court for a hearing for a judge to hopefully approve the adoption. Here is sticky part, Russia has a 10 day waiting period after the judge's approval which sometimes is waived. If it is not waived you may or may not get to have your child with you for the ten days, once again depending on the region. You may spend the 10 days visiting him at the orphanage or some people return home and do trip #3 to bring him home. You then have paperwork to finalize in region so you are there a few more days. Depending on that you must then travel to Moscow to complete the US immigration paperwork at the US Embassy.
7. Home at last!! The minute the little touches US soil he is a dual US/Russian citizen. They must decide at 18 which one to relinquish.

Home Study Paperwork is done

Yippee!! We have completed our home study paperwork and our adoption classes. Monday evening is our final visit from our social worker. It took us less than two weeks to gather all of our paperwork for our home study. I had a jump start on it since I was reading up on what is all necessary. Our social worker told us the last time I spoke with her last week that it would be four weeks for completion, so hopefully just three weeks to go. It is all dependent on the background checks coming in to her. Oh, I forgot hopefully the social worker will approve us?? Never know we might have scared her off with our bickering.

Anyway, we decided on an adoption agency last week, Adoption Options in San Diego, California. For those of you unfamiliar with international adoption, it really doesn't matter where your agency is located since they must be recognized by the foreign government. They have come very highly recommended to us by several different families. The final decision came when some people we have become acquainted with through a Russian adoption message board were in country adopting two babies and encountered some pretty big challenges and Adoption Options staff handled it all for them.

We are now starting on our dossier, which is referred to as "the paper chase". It is a bunch of paperwork that has to be notarized, apostilled with your state's Secretary of State, etc. and then translated before being submitted to the Russian government for approval by them for you to adopt. This might be a long process, I am hoping that my background in the legal field will help me. Of course I have already been acquiring a lot of what I have been told is needed so I am hoping to have a jump start on it. I understand we need very thorough physicals and psychiatric evaluations. Those are scary for us since you all know we are just a little on the crazy side, both of us!!

By the way, Brynn is very excited to have a new little brother in the house. Michelle and Stephanie are very supportive but of course all three think we are a little nuts starting all over when they are just about adults. See I said we are crazy. They all want to go to Russia too. We will see how things pan out on that front. Everyone says the trips are pretty hectic with adoption things each day. Not really a vacation but we plan to add a few days on to one of the two trips to be tourists. It will be whichever trip is in the nicest time of the year. If we end up with both trips in the dead of winter we may not be tourists but wait until the little guy is older to visit his home country.

We are off camping this weekend for Easter. It will be interesting to camp once our little guy arrives. At some point I need to put pictures of the Airstream and the girls on here.

Happy Easter!!!