The Paperwork is enroute...

I know there are a few of you out there who religiously check to see what is new each morning (Good Morning, Aunt Sadie!) and since it's almost Friday, I figured I'd give you an update to get you through the weekend.

I got an e-mail from our Agency today indicating that all our revised dossier paperwork has been prepped and cleared for Russia and that it will be "hand carried" over to Russia by Deborah and Shawn (our gracious photographers from last post). They are flying to Ekaterinburg this Saturday and will arrive Sunday night. Since we're working with the same Agency and in-country coordinators, Deborah and Shawn will give all the p/w to Olga upon arrival. This means that Olga will take the p/w and get it translated into Russian next week. After translation, the next destination: the judge.

My heart just flutters when I think that I have done all that we can do and now it rests in so many others' hands! The judge may take days or weeks to look at it. She may request more changes (grant me patience now, if so...) or she may simply look on a calendar and set a court date. We just don't know. Talk about feeling out of control!

But that's ok ~ our faith has gotten us this far and we've put all control into God's hands. In the meantime, we talk about K, look at her picture constantly, pray for her, and know that when the timing is right, she'll be in our arms forever. Мы любим вас, K! (We love you, K!)

Thank You
Deborah and Shawn: I remember back in September when we hand-carried p/w for two families...I felt like it was such a huge responsibility! We thank you so much for finding a tad bit more room in your luggage and bringing us one step closer to K. Godspeed and safe travels...and we look forward to hearing from you when you bring G home next week!

Dancing with the Stars

I was feeling really cruddy today -- laryngitis getting worse (woke up not being able to utter a sound!) but a phone call from our Agency's Director perked me up. He said there was a family in Russia last week for Court and they wanted to talk to me. I couldn't hang up on him soon enough!

Deborah and I talked (ok, so I squeaked whatever audible sounds I could make). She and her husband had been visiting their daughter, G, at the temporary Orphanage #5 in the City. The one thing that is strikingly different about #5 is that at Orphanage #6 in the country (K's original "home"), we could never see where the kids eat, sleep, or even see the other kids in the Grupa. But at Orphanage #5, K & G's Grupa was "quarantined" to a small little room area so they wouldn't mix with the original Orphanage #5 kids (can't comingle Country bugs with the City bugs!). Everyday when Deborah and her husband, Shawn, would go to play with G, they would be in the same room with all the other kids, with a 1/2 wall divider between them. The kids would peer over the wall and call out "mama, papa" to Deborah and Shawn. It got hard to see them and not want to just scoop them up and take them all.

One little girl caught Deborah's eye. This little girl laughed, made faces, and smiled at them. She did anything to get and sustain their attention! Deborah said that when they arrived to the orphanage on the last day of visiting, this same little girl saw them and immediately pointed to G and said "Mama, Papa" very clearly. This little girl knew who they were here to see.

Deborah asked their coordinator, Lydia, how she was able to come to the orphanage and see all these children as it was really hitting Deborah hard. Lydia said knowing that most of them will be adopted makes it possible because the children are all so young. Deborah asked about the little blonde girl and Lydia told her that she was being adopted by another couple using their same Agency.

Deborah asked if she could take pictures of the little girl to send to the family knowing how much it would mean to them. The caregivers whisked the little girl away and put on her "Sunday Best". Deborah then took some pictures -- one of them was the little girl dancing!

Presenting here, with much thanks to Deborah and Shawn, a future contestant on Dancing With The Stars, our precious little K!!!!

Any ideas what Stacey and Clinton from TLC's "What Not to Wear" would say?" Who cares....she's still a cutey-patutey!!

Special Delivery

I've been home sick now 2 days this week with a really bad case of laryngitis, chest congestion and a cough that has me convinced I'm going to cough up a lung soon. Yesterday I was too sick to do anything but lounge on the couch and that even made every joint and muscle ache.

Today, I'm a tad better, getting around, and starting to graduate to that raspy, "sexy" voice. I was prepping our dossier paperwork around noon when the FedEx truck pulled up. I ran to the door to be pleasantly surprised that it was JD -- and not the FedEx guy who is due to deliver our last piece of dossier paperwork today!

My first FedEx love of my life ~ JD! (although you can't tell it's him in the truck...)

After JD left to go back to work, I watched the clock knowing FedEx is always on time...and sure enough, at 2:45, my FedEx man pulls up with our last piece of paperwork. I was so excited. After finding out he was from Cleveland (yeah, Buckeyes!!!), I knew he was cool. So I asked if I could take his picture and he gladly obliged.

Michel, our FedEx man, who we hope to see deliver our VISAs soon!!!

Now I have in my hot, little hands everything that the judge wanted:

* Revised Court Petition

* My letter of employment

* JD's letter of employment

* Marriage Certificate (with current date-stamp from Vital Records)

* Two different bank letters stating how much is in our accounts

* Updated Certification of Assets/Liabilities

* Letter of good standing of Enrolled Agent from IRS (person who signs off on our Assets/Liabilities)

* American Board of Medical Specialty certification for one of Jon's doctors (it exp. 12/2008)

I'm heading out to FedEx right now to drop it off and that is it! It will be sent to Russia next week and then we wait.... Hopefully the next contact we get from Russia will be a Court Date.

In the meantime, we know there are pictures out there of K taken by a family over in Russia right now. We're just dying to see how big she is. Ohhh, I just can't wait to hold her!

Growing up...

We haven't received pictures yet but we did get K's measurements. Not sure what to make of them but she's still a tiny little girl. Currently, she is 25 months old and 22 lbs. and about 31 inches tall. Since we saw her, she has grown about 2 1/2" and is about 3 lbs. "heavier." Back in September when she was 20 mos. old, she was wearing 12 mos. clothing so I figure she's into 18 mos. about now. I'm sure it won't take long after she gets home that she'll just sprout like a weed!

As for the paperwork, I was up until 3am last night getting e-mails out to the IRS (letter of good standing for our Enrolled Agent who does our Assets/Liabilities forms) and to the American Board of Medical Specialty. Both agencies have completed the p/w and already forwarding to the State for apostilling and to me. It took me over 2.5 hours driving in the rain to get up to and back from Ventura to get an updated marriage certificate. JD thought it was funny that Russia would recognize our marriage certificate as "expiring" but I got an updated copy from the Vital Records Dept. so yes, JD -- we're still married. :)

I thought getting letters from our banks outlining how much moola we have (or now *don't have*!) would be the easiest task but WaMu/Chase, once again, made it challenging. I pled my case to a nice Branch Manager who eventually produced the letter instead of going through "corporate" where it would take anywhere from 6 hours to 10 days.

Only a few more to go so I hope by Thursday to have everything to our agency (oh, yes -- President's Day on Monday means many businesses are closed - UGH!). Fingers are crossed.

We see it - there is light at the end of the tunnel ~ an a little angel awaits us there! :)

Got News!!!!!!!

While on a 15-minute break this morning at work, I checked my e-mail for the umpteenth time. And there it was...an e-mail from our dossier coordinator!!! Actually two e-mails! The first gave some measurement stats on K (height, weight, head and chest circumference) -- but they are all in kg and cm measurements so I have to break out my conversion table before the info can make any sense. She said I would be getting pictures any day ~ just waiting for another family who is there for court to send them to her.

The second e-mail asked for revision of about 9 documents -- some easy to get, some hard (the IRS took about a month back in October -- UGH!). Of course, I'll be up all night tonight to get a jump on as many as possible. (I got tomorrow off from work coincidentally due to a lower census at the hospital -- thanks AimeeB and Nuvia!!)

After asking for the documents, our coordinator in Russia stated that we are aiming for a MARCH court date! omg.....we have so much to do! But the sense of relief that atleast the judge is looking at our paperwork means maybe I can sleep alittle better.

One more piece of GOOD NEWS: The water pump is fixed at Orphanage #6 and K will be going "home" tomorrow (Friday). We'll have a longer drive but I am fine with that -- as long as she's in a familiar setting with familiar friends. And hopefully this is her last move ~ until we arrive to bring her home forever. :)

A looong week...

It is so difficult being out of control. We do all that we can as fast as we can ~ and then wait. And wait. And wait. We knew the judge would be back last Monday and realistically, I knew we wouldn't be her first priority. I just hoped we wouldn't be too far down on the "to-do" list.

The entire last 4 1/2 months have been filled with getting p/w done, traveling, prepping for Christmas and then waiting for the Russian holidays to be over. Now what? For the last 7 days, I don't think I have fallen asleep before 1am...just tossing and turning with my mind racing endlessly. When my alarm goes off at 4:55am, I barely have the energy to turn it off. Is this just preparation for motherhood? I check my e-mail and iPhone about 50 times during the day just to see if there is a message from our dossier coordinator about KD, a court date, anything.

So, next steps? I'm going to start preparing for our trip as if we are leaving next week. I've been gathering together gifts to take for all the caregivers, toiletries, sippy cups, snack containers, clothes and toys for K, etc. My list grows everyday but when you have to plan to be out of country for atleast 3.5 weeks ~ there is so much to consider!

On a bright note, Dawn and Jeff leave next Saturday for Ekaterinburg to get their little boy and officially become his parents a week later. What a great way to spend Valentine's Day! Hopefully we won't be too far behind them. :)

The Honorable Judge S....

Dear Judge S:

It is with the utmost of respect for your position that I contact you and let you know that we eagerly await your return to the Court tomorrow and begin 2009 by giving many children a chance to have a family love them.

It is a gift that you and your country give to families such as ours when you allow us to adopt one of your children. We prepare so long for this gift and the wait is incredible! We also realize that you have to be thorough to ensure safety of the children.

We hope and pray you will find our documents proof enough for you that you will ask to meet JD and me so that we can bring K home, give her the love, support, and nurturing environment that every child born in this world is so deserving of.

We love KD, and miss her terribly. Godspeed with your decision.

Respectfully yours,

Laura and JD, soon to be parents of K

(now, if I only had the guts to mail this to the Judge, she'd actually read our plea!!!)