Still Waiting...

I wish I could say the waiting gets easier the longer you wait, but it just doesn't. And Friday evenings with no news are the hardest! Knowing that the next possible news is two days away - it feels like an eternity! UGH!
I'm trying really hard to manage my expectations. It looks like trip one will likely be in a couple of weeks - I say that very skeptically, as I've been told "two weeks" for the past three. Sadly, the holidays are rapidly approaching and my adoption agency finally gave me the news that my sweet girl will not make it home before the new year. Since Russia celebrates the holidays for about a month I will probably have court in mid January and a gotcha trip in mid February. I also discovered that the region my girl is in requires 4 trips. Yikes! This means that between court and gotcha there is one additional trip - and rather than 2 weeks between court and gotcha there is about a month.
It's been a rough week - as much as I told myself all along that a Christmas gotcha trip was unlikely - I was holding out hope. Finding out there are four trips required and a longer wait between court and pickup pushed me over the edge a bit.
If I look at just the Russia adoption seven months from start to finish is very speedy! I have nothing to whine about. It's simply hard to pull those seven months out from the last three and a half years of waiting to bring home a child.
I'm holding onto hope....trusting that God has a perfect plan for my family....I'm just doing that through my tears right now.

Fingerprints and Home Deeds and Psych Evals, Oh My!

The amount of paperwork required to adopt a child internationally never ceases to amaze me! And might I just say how sick I am of having my fingerprints taken! Today made just about the millionth time! Ok, maybe a slight exaggeration, but do fingerprints change? I think not! So taking them twice seems to be over the top - and I have easily been fingerprinted twenty times during this journey!
The day started with the coveted appointment with USCIS to have my fingerprints updated - because, again you know these things change...NOT! I waited two months for this appointment - good grief! For some reason they had no record of needing to update my sister's fingerprints and, of course, at the field office where they scan your fingerprints they cannot take just anyone's fingerprints and they cannot look up adoption applications - must have a letter requesting them! UGH! So, my sister, rockstar that she is, drove across town to the office that specifically handles adoption immigration to request this letter and later drove all the way back to be fingerprinted. I truly appreciate her willingness to do this today - since they say that once they have our "updated" fingerprints my new I600A will take 30 more days to receive.
Next, a phone call from my adoption agency telling me that the certified copies of my home deed already provided are too many pages. They only want page one. So will I please provide two new originals of only page one, notarized and apostilled. ARGHHHH! Frustrating, but doable.
Lastly, this evening a phone interview with a psychologist who will, hopefully, :) write a letter, deeming me to be fit to be a parent.
I know it will all be worth it! And I would do it a hundred times over for my sweet girl! But I must say it is exhausting!

Fantabulous News!

Well, not THE news, but good news nonetheless!
One of the really frustrating dossier documents for me to obtain was going to be the certificate of assets. In the general dossier instructions, it must be signed by a CPA. Now, I love my CPA - self-employed for the past fifteen years, I would never have made it without her guidance and direction when it comes to accounting - taxes, write offs all of those details! However, after reviewing the document she quoted me $800 to sign off on this document! $800 for one freakin page, people! One page headed overseas! ARGHHHHH!!! Let's just say, I was not pleased with her jacked up price.
Today, my agency sent me the certificate of assets specific to the region my little angel currently lives in - AND - guess who gets to sign that one? ME! WOO HOOO! YEE HAW! AMEN!
I'm so excited and relieved that I will not need to pay for a CPA to sign off. Thank you, Lord!
In other news, we need a new furnace - but, let's focus on the good news :) shall we?

Feeling Grateful

Yesterday was my birthday and I spent most of it feeling blue...

It is the fourth birthday I've celebrated since deciding to pursue International Adoption and still no little girl at home. Wah!

I find myself in need of a serious attitude adjustment....what usually works best for me is focusing on gratitude and so here is just a short little list of what I am trying to focus on...

I am so grateful that I live just about 45 minutes from my state's capital - I can easily drive there (often :) to the SOS office to have things apostilled. Many familys live too far for two trips in one week. I never expected to have the distinction of being known by the folks at the desk at the SOS office - too funny - they actually know me by name! :)

I am extremely thankful that currently obtaining an apostille is free - if you are willing (and I am) to drop off one day and pick up the next. Many states charge $10 or more per document - which easily adds up to hundreds of dollars. For example, today I picked 24 documents!

I am ever so appreciative of my many bloggy and real world adoptive friends that have come into my life since starting this roller coaster ride - thank you for your love, encouragement and support!

I am grateful that my homestudy agency is working with me to quickly respond to new region specific forms needed before I am able to travel for trip one.

I am grateful that I am self-employed and can therefore create my own schedule - allowing me to run all of these dossier errands!

I am thankful - and very excited - that today I shipped off ALL of the region specific paperwork to my agency! Hopefully, clearing the way for trip one in the next few weeks!

And I am infinitely thankful that the Lord is ever so patient with me and my impatience through this whole process.