Dossier...On its WAY!!! Our paperwork is FINALLY on its way to Eastern Europe!!! Hopefully we will be able to travel the 2nd week of Oct!!!
The mommy in me is going CRAZY!!!! So I thought I'd share with yall the board book/photo album I made to leave with Mila. It's ALMOST done.
I hope she likes it. I'm gonna have to wipe it down really good before I go, because everyday it gets "Hope gunk" all over it!! She LOVES it! Soooo, I know it's toddler proof! Even better..Ds toddler proof! I'm working on 1 more to leave with the orphanage, I'm really excited about doing that one!!!!
I don't know the odds of finishing up this adoption before Christmas, or even this year....but I really hope and pray that we get to have each other for Christmas. The odds are slim, but nothing is impossible.
So not only did I experience one of the hottest Texas summers on record...I also get to experience Siberia in the dead of winter....
This whole year has been AMAZING. I hope it ends that way too!
Well, I guess I will never live down the nickname "Lucy"
Let's start from the begining.....
May...Home study DONE!....but wait...I sent it in for review and turns out it has to be done by a certified AGENCY...NO INDEPENDENT SOCIAL WORKERS!!!! NEXT
We thought since it was done, that we could have another agency review it and update it...NOPE...
Start ALL over!!! another 1100.00 + re fingerprinting costs and time+ references and everything else that I choose not to think about... SOOOO......
almost 2 months later (sw was out of town, then exec director out of town, etc...........)
Hometudy DONE... AGAIN... BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE
Homestudy somehow gets stuck in the fence at the Exec Director's house in California during delivery (I don't even ask anymore)
another 2 week delay.
Get paperwork ready to mail to USCIS (government orphan petition) This should have been done a long time ago, but we needed our home study to accompany it, without this, we cannot get a court date. It is only 35 minutes away, (the USCIS office) so we hand deliver the documents there. BIG NO-NO! Get kicked out immediately and told we are not to enter a government building like that. SOOOOO..... We go to the FED EX down the street and pay 20 bucks to have them deliver it(a few blocks away) on Tuesday...That's right, it's now Friday afternoon...of Labor day weekend! So it won't be there until Tuesday afternoon!
We gathered all notarized documents for Apostilles in Austin (State Notary) Send them off to a Lawyers aid service. Which will over night directly to agency then she will forward directly to Eastern Europe. PHONE CALL..... "What do you mean my notary didnt date 4 of the forms and what? The marriage license has to be a CERTIFIED copy, not a notarized photocopy!" (which my agency and I thought it could be photocopy)
Trip to Downtown Dallas ...AGAIN to get certified copies and trip to the notary.
BACK to the post office to overnight them, but now it's Friday again, so we wait until Lawyers aid opens on Monday.
FINALLY, it can be over nighted to my agency in NJ and sent to Mila's country.
Checked USPS tracking..Arrived the very next morning!!! BUT WAIT!! THAT'S NOT ALL..... EMAIL..."I thought you understood you were supposed to send it to my home office, NOT the main office"
OMG!!!!!!!
Really!!!!
Look back at the dossier instructions, and you know what is printed in big bold letters in the middle of the page...
You guessed it! DO NOT SEND TO MAIN OFFICE..SEND TO MY HOME OFFICE AT *********,NJ
All this for a perfect little being..AND if you stay tuned within the next 2 days, I'm sure you can hear more! That's right...I can GUARANTEE more fun and exciting delays! Wouldn't be right without them! And you know what.....
Shes TOTALLY WORTH IT!
I will be so interested to find out the reason why we are supposed to be delayed in being there...and it better be a good one!!! :)
I do have to say that my "Ethel" gave me a good laugh, that I really needed. She called my husband a "lint licker" on facebook. I'll take you back to that commercial:
Awe...Good Times...Thanks Alma! Toatally LOVE you!
Seriously, could this all have taken any longer!!!! Finally, we should be able to set a travel date at the end of this week...HOPEFULLY!!!!! We are READY!!!! Dossier should be on its way back from Austin and to our agency. Then off Eastern Europe. It is really scary how close we are cutting it to the holidays. If we can just have a smooth ride from here on out, hopefully we can get her home before her region closes for the holidays!!!
So I mentioned before setting up a Skymiles donation, well HERE IT IS!!!
4. PLUS...... Delta is having a special 100% promotion right now through the month of September. That means, If you purchase 2000 miles, they will match it 100%!!! So you will get 2000 miles for FREE!! So if you buy/gift us 2,000 miles, It will be doubled to 4,000 miles!
We need roughly 60,000-90,00 miles EACH to get there and back for 1 trip. We have 2 trips to make. Soooo, If you have any miles you could donate,transfer or "gift", we sure could use it. The plane tickets are the most expensive part of this whole process.
Again, Thank you everyone for ALL the donations and help/support. I'll update ASAP and keep the blog up daily!!! This is the EXCITING part!!! I did finally get around to updating my lil' Hopie's blog. Wow I've been behind!!!
As hard as this whole process is, it is so rewarding to see all my fellow bloggers coming home with their new additions. It keeps me hopeful, and so happy for them.
AND........ It rained today, not just rained STORMED!!!!! My "lightricity"(as my kids call it) even went out...for like an hour!!!I cannot tell you how much we needed that. We were getting close to having another "Baby Jessica" situation with some of the cracks goin on out in the field!!!!!
So, as I was going through some blogs and RR, I came across this little girl. Her name is Vika(Vicky)
She is soooo adorable. She just turned 6 in May, which doesn't give her much time at all untill she is transferred to an institution. She does NOT need to be there. She had a family committed to her and she already has almost $20,000 in her adoption fund...that is a HUGE amount! Her family is no longer able to adopt her, and she needs a home ASAP!
The thing that struck me about her is the words that her caregivers at the orphanage wrote about her:
"In the highest Volochek live girl – Vicky. The girl's alive, radiant blue eyes, a mischievous "tail", winning smile and open face. It is well built, childishly naive and coquettish – a child wants to love, embrace, lisping with him. Âèêóëÿ and she is always glad to new people, smiles all around, laughing loudly and zalivisto, fins and happy sitting on their hands. Wick – a lovely little girl, clockwork, energetic, affectionate and sociable, and in general, little girl, whose place at home, at the table with mom and dad, where you can happily talk down, sitting on a high chair, twist and tuck into cakes with apples …
In May 2005, in Tver maternity mom did not know that her daughter will be a bright and good, she thought that this child with Down syndrome becomes a burden and an object of ridicule, and therefore given it up … Vike almost 3 years, her illness with proper care, attention and care can be greatly adjusted. And now it is not very different from their peers. Vikusya already said a few words, knows the names of animals and birds can show them the picture. Of course, it is not very assiduously in the classroom, her mood quickly changed. But she already knows itself to assemble and disassemble pyramids, cups-liners, understands the differences in the sizes of objects can draw straight lines and closed lines. Likes to play with the doll, feeding her, shakes and washes. Girl with easily imitate adults, able to dress with a little help, eating – not a bit careful, but herself, asking for a pot, washes her hands … She loves affection. Vika – a normal child."
A NORMAL child. That is amazing for an orphanage to say. It is so true. These children ARE normal and have love that is beyond our comprehension. A perfect love. A love that anyone and everyone should get to experience day after day. Maybe you have thought about adopting, but were worried about the money, or you never thought of adopting, but have a tug at your heart when you look at her sweet picture. Maybe you know someone who would LOVE to give her a forever home. Maybe you are her mom or dad. Single mothers are also able to adopt in this particular region:) Think about it.
To learn more about her and many others click on this link:
There are many many more children (besides those listed under the "ages" links) If you look on the Right sidebar where it says Children By Country and click on a country...
