Dossier Instructions are here!!

Our Russia Dossier Instructions came via email this morning!! Whew!

AACK. UUUHHH?? HUH??

Okay. Read them, saved a copy in our Adoption file on the computer. Left the house, ran errands. Got home, read them again, printed a copy, read the copy and decided that it can wait till tomorrow to go back over and start working on it.

Several forms have to be typed and signed in blue ink while being notarized. Have to make sure to follow very specific directions regarding notarization. Hmmm.

Need to create a Picture Book while following specific directions of that (and will need to get it notarized and signed by the social worker). Hmmm.

THINGS TO DO: Clean house so we can take pictures; get yard mowed, edged, cleaned up so we can take pictures; empty bedroom (& hopefully get furniture in it) so we can take pictures; get stuff we want for the bathroom so we can take pictures; bathe the dog so she will look good in the pictures; find money to pay for all the stuff we need......

I plan to get certified copies of our marriage license this next week and drive up to Denton with a friend to get certified copies of my birth certificate. And wait to get Chris' birth certificate copies in the mail. Hopefully they will get here in the next few weeks (or sooner!!).

As soon as we get the go-ahead and all the papers are in order, I will take a road trip to Austin to get it all apostilled (ap-oh-steeled).

Please continue to pray for our children and their current caregivers. Also continue to keep our finances in your prayers. We have enough for the fees related to the adoption, but still need furniture for the children's bedroom (we found storage beds on Wal-Mart.com that we really like that has dressers and such to match). The furniture will cost around $800 (not including mattresses). We still don't have bedding, towels, etc. I have set up a Wish List with Wal-Mart for things we would like to have. Unfortunately the furniture is not able to be listed (no gifting options). Gift cards are always welcome! :)

YEAH!!! We are getting closer......

Papers to get

I sent off the request for certified, English translated copies of Chris' birth certificate today. They should get the envelope on Thursday, but not sure when we will get the copies. Since Chris was born in Puerto Rico, his birth certificate is written in Spanish and we have to have English translated copies. I requested that they send translated copies but I am not sure if they will.

For my birth certificate, I think it will be easier and faster to drive to Denton county and pick them up in person. If I request them through mail or the Internet, it could take any where from 10 days to 6 weeks to get them. In person, it will take about 10 minutes. Road trip!!

The easiest copies to get will be our wedding certificate; it was filed in Richmond. I will see if I can get them this week.

Not sure what else we will need for our dossier, but at least this is a start.

I haven't heard from our social worker if she sent in the Home Study Update yet. She was supposed to send it in last Friday. Once it gets 'approved', we will get a copy, a copy will be sent to Immigration and hopefully we will get the information about the dossier at that time.

Please continue to keep our children and their current caregivers in your prayers.

Update not done yet...

We are still waiting for the Home Study Update to be completed. Hopefully it will be finalized by the end of the week. Hopefully. Please pray that it is!

The social worker got our email addresses messed up and I didn't get the rough draft of her report until after 9:00 last night when she called to see why I hadn't responded to her email. I will be so glad when the Update is done and we can continue on to the next step (putting the Dossier together). I sent her the corrections/additions she requested this morning around 9:00. Haven't heard anything yet.

On a side note, I have opened a new Etsy shop to sell scrub caps, scrub tops, stethoscope covers, etc. I have named it FunkyMedWear. I don't have anything posted yet, but hopefully will in the next week or so.

Adoptions continue!!!

Just got an email from one of the case workers at Buckner. Posted below is what was emailed to the waiting Russia Families. Please keep all those involved in the talks/decision-making process in your prayers.

Good news from the US Department of State:

Adoption Notice
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues

May 14, 2010
A U.S. interagency team met with their Russian counterparts in Moscow May 12 – 14 to discuss an adoption agreement. This most recent round of negotiations ended Friday, May 14, after three days of positive and productive talks. Both sides are committed to the common goal of increasing safeguards for adoption between Russia and the United States. “We listened to each other’s concerns and made significant progress toward an agreement that will improve the safeguards in the inter-country adoption process,” said the head of the U.S. delegation. The meeting participants shared their views on how to improve existing processes to better protect the children and families involved in inter-country adoption. The discussions were detailed and concerned specific issues, including the domestic laws and international obligations of both countries.
The negotiating teams are working on language of a draft agreement and plan to meet again in the coming weeks. The next meeting will likely be in Washington in June.
It is our understanding that there has been no change in the status of on-going inter-country adoptions originating from Russia. Many thousands of Russian children, who were not adopted by Russian families, have found loving, safe and permanent homes in the United States through inter-country adoption. We are pleased to be discussing with the Russian government a future approach to ensure inter-country adoptions continue.

One more thing to update...

We got an email today telling us that we have one more paper to update! That's what we were afraid of. It is a Medical Form (4 yes/no type questions), so it isn't that bad. We won't need any blood work or testing done, just need to get the doctor to fill it out, sign it and send it in. It's on my list of things to do tomorrow.

As far as the social worker, I spoke with the lady who supervises the Home Study social workers about the situation and feel much better! Lack of communication can be a horrible thing! We did have to submit a Grief & Loss paper (new thing added to Home Studies for Russia). Of course I cried, read Chris what I wrote, cried some more, typed what Chris dictated, tried not to cry some more and sent it off to Pat & Kristen. Talk about stirring emotions...

Hopefully the Update will be finished soon and we can continue going forward.

Please continue praying for us during this time.

School is almost over for the year (last day with the kiddos is Thursday, June 3!).

Home Study Update update

Not the best hour & forty-five minutes of our adoption so far.

She called at 1:30 to let us know that she was running late and that she would call again when she was leaving her house. She called just after 4 pm and didn't get to our house till almost 5:15. She left at 7:00.

She kept mentioning that she didn't feel prepared because she didn't have our updated forms (I sent them off this afternoon) and she needed them for the update. She should get her copy tomorrow in the mail. Love the US Post Office Flat Rate Priority Mail!!

She kept referring to "at DePelchin, we....." even though our adoption is through Buckner. She works for DePelchin, so I can understand, but really?

Last Russian Adoption Home Study she did was in 1986. Things have changed since then. A Lot Has Changed Since Then!!

She asked about things we weren't told that we needed to update: physicals for us, Fire & Environmental Health forms (CPS forms), etc. When I showed her the letter I received from Kristen (coordinator for Home Study paperwork for Dillon), she wrote down the forms listed that we filled out and said, "Well at DePelchin, we update all parts of the Home Study, not just some of the things". Again, really? This is NOT an adoption through DePelchin!! Forgetting that are we? I know that the state requires certain things, but REALLY??

When she asked about if we had been working on the things the psychologist suggested in his report, we asked What Things? We were never told of any things to work on! After 5 minutes of conversation and her looking at her notes, she realized that we have apparently improved in those areas. Never did find out what she was referring to. We didn't get a copy of the original Home Study, so I have nothing to look at. I guess whatever she referred to wasn't an issue to Buckner as they never mentioned anything. We figured they would have said something if it was important!

After about 30 minutes into the meeting, Chris started getting nervous. He Never Gets Nervous or Anxious!! Not a good sign, because that just made me wonder if we did something wrong, forgot stuff, or would have to go through this again!

I emailed Kristen our concerns regarding the meeting on Sunday and she seemed to appreciate my comments. After she talks with the Adoption Supervisor, she will get back to me about it. Hopefully nothing will be delayed because of all this. I don't want to get the lady in trouble or have to go through this with someone else, but, Really?? Not a good sign when you make your client nervous and the client isn't sure why!

Please pray that all goes well with this situation!!

Home Study Update meeting

We heard from Pat (the social worker who is doing our update) Thursday afternoon (5:00ish) and found out that she wanted to meet with us this weekend, preferably early Saturday morning. I was able to convince her that Sunday afternoon (3:30ish) would be better. So, she should be at our house around 3:30 Sunday (May 16) to meet with us and go over any changes that have happened since our first Home Study meeting. Shouldn't take too long, not a lot to report. Okay, the fact that we have $26,000 in the bank is a GREAT update to report! Thanks to family, we were able to get there!! Chris' Wal-Mart paychecks are also helping (about $450 every two weeks). I will add $270 after next weekend (I am delivering cinnamon rolls & catering a graduation party). Oh, and our IRS refund came in today. That is going to pay for the Home Study Update and getting the air ducts cleaned out this summer.

I was really praying that I would have a large amount to deposit today, but the rain made it impossible! Liz & I had scheduled to be at a craft show in the Heights area today (scheduled it several months ago) and when we were there in October, we both did really well. Liz sold 5 of her toy cloth balls and that was it! The forecast in Houston was 40% of scattered showers. We had RAIN (not showers) starting at 9:30ish and it never stopped! It did seem to lighten up several times, but when the lightening & thunder showed up around noon, we decided that it was time to go. Over half of the vendors had already packed up or were in the process of packing up at that time. At least we got the rest of the afternoon (after lunch & two shopping stops) to get things better organized & packed back up. Now, I just need to finish drying my blankets (about half got semi-soaked) and they will be ready to go back to Liz's house for storage (at least until they sell).

Anyway, God has & still is blessing us tremendously!

Now to eat some dinner, clear off the dining table, put stuff in the garage for storage and finish cleaning for our visit with Pat tomorrow. Probably another night of little to no sleep (okay I will probably get about 5 hours), but it will (and is) so worth it!!!!

Oh yeah, only 12.5 school days left (weekends don't count)!!!