Voyage to Russia

The New Blog Is Up!

2009-05-04T09:17:00.004-04:00

Follow me .... http://www.ourgiftofgrace.blogspot.com/

Our Gift of Mischa Grace - Home Two Months

2009-04-20T11:49:00.004-04:00

Two months ago today we stepped off the plane at JFK with Mischa Grace and handed her paperwork to the immigration officers. She was finally home. We went to dinner with our newest American girl. (she slept the whole time) Then after traveling for 21 hours (in the IA world they call this labor) and almost not getting on our connecting flight because it was overbooked... we walked through the gates to the best welcome home. Our families had traveled two hours through a major lake effect snowstorm to welcome home our Mischa Grace. Some of the pictures are blurry and I think I have red eye in most of them but these are the best pictures of our journey.

Waiting for us!

Coming through the gate!
(Notice the American Flag)

Today just happens to be my birthday too. I couldn't ask for a better present ... she is my Gift of Grace, our Amazing Grace and Our Saving Grace ... we are so lucky to have her and she was so worth the wait. We wouldn't change a thing. She is doing so good and is growing like crazy. She loves Baby Einstein, FOOD, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, FOOD, chasing Granite around the house, FOOD and her pink princess car. We just love her to pieces. It has finally hit me that she is here. No more waiting and only a little paperwork left. Our first Voyage to Russia is over..our Mischa Grace is home. It seems like the perfect time to bring this blog to a close. I did start another blog that will be just Mischa Grace and I will continue to post pictures and small updates if anyone is interested in checking in on her. It's been such a great way to capture the memories. (actually it's the only way I remember anything these days:) Once it's finished I will post the new address and link on here. We'll leave you with some of her, "Home for Two Months" pictures.

Thank you for all your support, kind words, gifts and for joining us on this journey! We are so lucky to be surrounded by such great family and friends.
Til' next time.
Spasibo!

Happy Easter - First Holiday!

2009-04-17T20:44:00.004-04:00

What MG thinks about going in the car!

2009-04-17T20:42:00.003-04:00

Home Six Weeks (yes...I'm a week behind)

2009-04-11T12:44:00.009-04:00

This is actually seven weeks home but I'm just getting around to posting some pictures from week 6. Being back to work has gone fine. I keep saying it is nice to have time to eat lunch, go to the bathroom and even get a drink of water. (oh and shop at lunch ... shhhhh) The first few days were like a day at the spa. I came home so rested even with a busy week. Of course I missed her and this week was a little harder...she wasn't very happy to see me when I came home and screamed when I went near her. Things are fine now so I'm hoping that phase is over. I feel like I barely see her when I'm working. Playing with her today I can see how much she has grown in size and developmentally.
Now that she is comfortable at home I've been trying to get her out. Last weekend we went to see the Easter Bunny and we also went on a couple play dates. They went well and she is getting used to the car and better in the car seat.
Tomorrow is her first Easter and she is all set with her new Easter dress and bunny ears from Aunt Megs and crew. We bought her some new toys since she can't really eat candy and I know I'll end up eating it all. :) Maybe the Easter bunny will bring her some. I promise there will be lots of pictures.

Hope everyone has a Happy Easter!

Sleeping with my blanket that Aunt Florence
made for me when I was born.

Meeting Mischa Grace!

2009-04-07T13:57:00.010-04:00

Just a few of my favorite photos from our first trip to Russia in November when we met Mischa Grace and signed the papers to adopt her. We never got to post these. Seems like yesterday but it also seems like she has always been here. At some point I need to take down the blog but I'm not ready yet. I still have other things I want to add before making it into a book for her, so for now it will stay. Who knows we could be on our way back for another one before I take it down. :)

Back to work for Mommy! (part-time anyways)

2009-03-31T19:28:00.015-04:00

Tomorrow I head back to work. I'll be working part-time for a bit while Mischa Grace continues to get settled. Am I ready to go back...not really! Could I stay at home...really...I could! It's not that I don't like my job but I would rather be home with Mischa Grace that's all. I have a whole list of reasons why but I won't get into it because I don't have a choice. So I will get up, get dressed in my work clothes, (no more sweats or jeans) head out the door and be thankful that I have a job and work with such wonderful people. (can't wait to see you all)

Home Five Weeks!

2009-03-29T20:47:00.005-04:00

So I lied... I had to get the camera out. I don't think Mischa Grace minded. She is feeling better but not back to herself yet.

Quick Update

2009-03-26T12:07:00.003-04:00

Wow...I can't believe it's been almost a week since I posted. Things have been busy trying to catch up from being gone again and helping Mischa Grace recover from surgery. She is doing well but her mouth has been very sore and she has to wear arm restraints most of the time to keep her hands out of her mouth. She is frustrated but still finds the energy to laugh and play! I think the most frustrating thing for her is not being able to eat as fast and as much because of her mouth hurting. She loves her food and she needs to eat. She is so skinny again but eating enough to get by and soon she will be able to eat whatever she wants.
I've given her a break from the camera for the week but have some pictures from last week to post when I get a minute.

We're home with our Amazing Grace!

2009-03-20T14:18:00.003-04:00

The doctors let Mischa Grace go home this morning! We were so shocked as we expected to be there until at least Sunday. The little piglet ate and drank so much yesterday there was obviously no reason for her to stay for the IV. She ate 5 bowls of pudding, a big yogurt and drank 3 pints of milk and a glass of water. She ate all of this like a little bird with us dropping the food into her mouth. She is a tough little girl...who loves her food! Gotta love her!
Thank you for all the well wishes. We're so thankful to be surrounded by great family and friends and to be home again!

Our "Little Trooper"

2009-03-19T10:56:00.004-04:00

Grace's surgery went very well on Tuesday and she keeps improving every hour. The surgery was 6 hours long and she was in immediate care for a couple days but was moved to a semi-private room on the 8th floor (the penthouse) today. I say semi-private because the nurses station is part of our room, but it doesn't seem to bother her, she is snoring away. She can't have anything in her mouth for at least another week so she has restraints on her arms. This morning she had milk and we literally had to throw it in her mouth with a spoon. :) This could get interesting as she starts eating more. Overall she is doing great and charming everyone with her big blue eyes.
Not sure when we get to go home...we're hoping by Sunday. We'll keep you posted and I have lots of pictures from last week to post while we are here.

Third Week Home

2009-03-15T14:15:00.012-04:00

Quick update while MG naps. She has been home three weeks now. She is growing like crazy and is quite fearless. She is starting to walk just holding one hand and is a maniac in her johnny jumper. She is a busy girl and I'm not going to lie I am sooo tired at the end of the day. (of course it's a good tired)

Everyday when she gets up she is so happy and excited. She kind of looks at us like, "It wasn't a dream ...I'm still here?" Of course we feel the same...we still can't believe she is actually here. I still wake up thinking, "is today the day we'll get the call" or "what adoption paperwork do I need to do today" and then I hear her and am so thankful that she is finally here.

Many people have asked about her surgery. She will be having surgery on Tuesday in Syracuse to repair her palate. It's a long surgery and because she will need an IV for fluids she will be in the hospital for 4 or 5 days. We are very confident with the her team of doctors and they have said she should recover rather quickly and should be eating solid foods within 2-3 weeks. It's a surgery that could have been done in Russia, but we chose for her to have it here so that we could be with her and talk with the doctors. We'll keep you posted!

Now for some pictures from her third week home!

Second Week Home

2009-03-09T19:59:00.006-04:00

I can't believe it was only two weeks ago on Saturday that Mischa Grace came home. Seems like she has always been here. She continues to adjust well and eat a ton. We're hoping she puts on a couple more pounds before her surgery next week.

She keeps us laughing... she is quite the spitfire and ham. She laughs a lot too ... her new friends Mady and Kennady had her laughing so hard she threw up one night. (it was more like a spit up but it was funny and we got it on video)

Yes that is my (work) Blackberry in her hand! She is obsessed with BB's and cell phones. If you see her, hide your phone.

A Visit to School!

2009-03-06T19:56:00.007-05:00

Today we visited the school where Dan teaches. Mischa Grace got to meet lots of people and open lots of presents. I've added a few photos but did alot of cropping because I didn't want to put pictures of other people's children on the blog without permission . I also cropped Dan out of a few....for those of you who have seen his face lately, you know why. (Poor Danny :) It was great to see everyone!

The Look!

2009-03-05T20:29:00.008-05:00

I know I'm posting alot of pictures, but for so long I couldn't post any, so bear with me. I just bought a new SLR camera so there will be lots more.

This is the look Grace likes to give us..."Will we
ever be able to say no"?

Granite and Grace

2009-03-04T20:47:00.002-05:00

Many people have asked how Granite is adjusting to Grace. You'll see below that after a little sulking she has decided to join in on the fun!

First Week Home!

2009-03-01T19:54:00.014-05:00

Things are going so good that I'm almost scared to post about it for fear that I will jinx it but here it goes.

We've got a routine and schedule down and Mischa Grace is adapting well. She is sleeping through the night (12 hours) and taking two short naps a day. She is eating like crazy and feels like she has gained a couple pounds. She is soo tiny ...she looks alot bigger in her pictures than she is. If her eating habits stay the same she will be caught up in no time. She has already outgrown a couple things.

She is having so much fun with all her toys and walking all over the place. (with the help of her Princess Ride-On- thanks Deb ... it's her favorite!) She is very curious about everything and is very ticklish. We love making her laugh and are enjoying every minute with her.

We haven't been out in the real world yet, just trying to get settled, but she has two doctors appts. this week so we'll give it a try. We're so grateful to be home with her early... we would still be in Russia until this Thursday if they hadn't waived the ten days and would have just picked her up this past Thursday.

Here are some pictures from her first week home.

Gracie and Granite - this was first thing in the morning and Granite was watching her play with a ball.

Tickle Tickle

First Big Bubble Bath

Watching Baby Einstein

Mischa Grace hanging in Russia!

2009-02-28T10:34:00.006-05:00

A New Beginning - 2.13.09

2009-02-26T14:21:00.009-05:00

Getting ready to go! They didn't leave without me, did they?
Ok, Ok ...I'm readySaying goodbye and thank you to my caregivers.

My Forever Family!
Yeah ... I'm going to American!

My Angels! (we all miss you)My first car ride!Back at the hotel ... Just us for the first time!

After Court - 2.12.09

2009-02-26T14:15:00.003-05:00

Yeah! Outta here tomorrow! Going to get my passport photo with Dad!

Playing with Dad after court.

The day before she was ours forever - 2.11.09

2009-02-24T20:16:00.004-05:00

Home with our Mischa Grace!

2009-02-23T05:32:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we made it home late Friday night with our newest American citizen. The family was at the airport in Syracuse to greet us with signs and balloons...it was so nice to see everyone. She slept through most of it ... but everyone still got to have a turn holding her.

The 12 hour flight was relatively smooth. The first few hours were a little rough but then she was fine for the rest of the trip. (thank you to baby Mozart) She officially became an American citizen when we landed at JFK.

So far things are going well. Still hard to believe we are home. She really liked playing with her cousins over the weekend and continues to eat very well. She is such a little peanut.

I'll post more later with some more pictures!

From Russia with Love

2009-02-19T06:51:00.008-05:00

Here she is...Grace Viktoria Folsom!
Our Little Mischa!

Hello from Moscow.

2009-02-19T05:49:00.006-05:00

Hello Everyone! We have been without internet access since we got to Moscow! (talk about roughing it) We hope everyone is well.

We made it to Moscow late Monday night. Mischa Grace did OK on the flight but getting to the airport was a little rough...she was not happy! Tuesday the doctor (Boris) from the Embassy came to the apartment in the morning to examine Mischa Grace. She got a great report and Boris asked us if we had a shotgun to keep the boys away! We spent the rest of the day just hanging at the apartment playing and feeding her again and again. She is a little piglet ....the caregivers said she wasn't a good eater but she has been eating a ton.

Yesterday we went to the US Embassy for our exit interview. Everything went well and there were 7 or 8 other adoptive families there. It was like a big party. So nice to see so many Americans and speak English. Five of the families are on our flight from Moscow to JFK. Bet you are all thinking, "Glad I'm not on that flight."

Today we walked to Holiday Inn for some good ole' American food and to get on the internet. Later we're just packing and getting ready to come home tomorrow. We can't wait to get home but it will also be sad to leave.

Mischa Grace is adapting well to all the changes in her life in such a short amount of time ...car rides, plane rides, new food, new toys, 2 different homes and two crazy parents who talk funny. She loves to play with her blocks, watch Baby Mozart and EAT. She's very ticklish and has had the hiccups many times the last few days from laughing so hard. Those eyes and lips are too die for ... such a cutie!

Again thank you for all the wonderful comments. You have no idea how nice it is to hear from everyone when we are this far away. Spasibo!

A Sweetheart for Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T03:28:00.007-05:00

Yesterday after finishing up some paperwork we picked up our sweet Mischa Grace from the baby home around 1:00. It was short and sweet ...we said our thank you's and goodbye's, got her dressed and we were out of there.

The hotel was just a short drive and she just looked out the window taking in all the sights. The coordinators dropped us off at the hotel and let us have some alone time with her. It was so nice to play and hangout for the first time with just the three of us...someone was always with us at the baby home.

We're spending the weekend hanging out and getting to know each other. Things have gone very smoothly so far. She is soooo sweet and we are enjoying every minute with her. There is no doubt she was meant to be our daughter and was so worth the wait. We wouldn't change a thing.

On Monday evening we will fly to Moscow and then home Friday. We met another couple on the plane on the way over who was picking their daughter up in Siberia. We are looking forward to meeting up with them in Moscow. We will also be on the same flight home so that the girls can play and we can help each other out.

I promise to post some photo's once we get to our apartment in Moscow!

Thank you for all your kind comments and being part of this journey with us. Can't wait for you all to meet her.

Happy Valentine's Day!

She's Ours!

2009-02-12T09:34:00.006-05:00

We are officially the proud parents of Grace Viktoria Folsom a.k.a. "Mischa Grace"! The whole day was a whirlwind but a good whirlwhind. Everything happened so fast that we are still in shock.

Court lasted about an hour and then after a short break they named us as Grace Viktoria Folsoms' parents and waived the 10-day wait. We should be home next weekend. YEAH! The plan is to pick her up tomorrow, (OMG) fly to Moscow on Monday to finish up paperwork at the Embassy and hopefully fly home on Friday or Saturday!

Can't wait for all of you to meet her! She is a little cutie! I'll post pictures of her when we get to Moscow.

Tomorrow is the Big Day!

2009-02-11T11:52:00.003-05:00

We had a great visit with Grace today. She was full of it but we were better rested today and could keep up with her. :)

Court is tomorrow at 10:00 so hopefully we will be parents before most of you are out of bed. :) We will post as soon as we can. I know there are alot of you out there that read the blog and are shy about posting a comment.... once we post our news tomorrow PLEASE leave a comment and share in our celebration so that we will have it for Mischa Grace's lifebook.

Till tomorrow then! (a Russian thing)

We got to see Mischa Grace today!

2009-02-10T10:34:00.002-05:00

Finally after 11.5 weeks we got to see Mischa today! She definitely remembered us and was full of energy. She has more hair and is definitely more active. We couldn't get her to sit still long enough to get a good picture. She was full of it ... laughing and playing. She was also a bit taller and if it's possible skinnier. She needs some food, she's a bird! (a cute bird)

Tomorrow we will visit her again and then Thursday is court. We found out we have the nicer male judge and there is a good chance we could get the 10-day wait waived. If it's waived we could be home next weekend. The social worker at the baby home even wrote a letter for us asking the judge to waive the wait.

We will write more tomorrow after some rest. We are exhausted from traveling and all the excitement.

Back in the USSR!

2009-02-08T12:44:00.006-05:00

We made it to Moscow safe and sound without any problems. We got to the hotel around noon and slept for a few hours while they registered our visa's. Then we ventured out to Red Square and did some sightseeing. It was beautiful....here's a few pics for you!

We stopped at a market on the way back to get some of their yummy bread, mustard, crackers and cheese. We ended up with butter and not cheese. Oops...it looked like cheese.

Tomorrow we have our medicals at noon. We are a little nervous but they've told us that it is really nothing. I hope so. Tomorrow night we fly to Volgograd. Only 1 more day until we see Mischa Grace! OMG we can't wait ... I hope she remembers us.

Last post from the US w/out Mischa!

2009-02-06T12:38:00.004-05:00

We are almost packed and our Visa's are out for delivery, we should receive them this afternoon. (whew...that was close!) We're leaving at 6 am tomorrow morning and we will be in Moscow Sunday morning. And yes we are SOOOOOO excited.

4 more days until we see Mischa Grace! 6 more days until she is ours!

Next post will be from the Marriott in Moscow!

We are going to Russia!

2009-02-03T12:23:00.013-05:00

Tickets are booked, hotel rooms booked, apartment booked and our entry date on our Visa's has been change for a small fee of $600. Serves me right for bragging in an early post that we saved money on our visa's. At this point who cares because we are going to Russia to get Mischa Grace!

Our schedule:
Feb. 7 - Fly to Moscow
Feb. 8 - Arrive in Moscow
Feb. 9 - Medicals - Fly to Volograd
Feb. 10 - Visit Mischa Grace - (11.5 weeks since we left her)
Feb. 11 - Visit Mischa Grace and prepare for court
February 12 - COURT - (Gotcha Day/Family Day)
Feb. 13 - Feb. 26th - Stay in Volgograd & visit her as often as possible
Feb. 26 - Fly to Moscow

March 5 - Fly Home to the US

If the judge waives the 10 day wait we could be home as soon as Feb. 20th but for now we are planning for March 5th. We are a little frantic getting ready as we thought we had this weekend to prepare but we will get everything done and on Saturday we will be on that plane.
One thing we did was pretty much finish her rooom for now, except for some window treatments, so of course I have to post more one picture. Her closets are full of toys and clothes thanks to everyone's generosity ... she is going to have so much fun.

Also I have to say Happy Birthday to our other G, Granite .... she turned 4 yesterday. And Happy Birthday to Mena today!

WE HAVE A COURT DATE!

2009-02-02T10:53:00.002-05:00

FEBRUARY 12th! We need to leave on Saturday morning...OMG! I'll post more details later ... we're so excited but thought we had more time.... so we are in a complete panic. (at least I am)

So what happens now??

2009-01-30T11:55:00.009-05:00

So I know the post below was vague and left people with some questions. It was a rough day as I was suffering from another ailment, vertigo. Seriously I'm not a hypochondriac just a perfect example of Murphy's Law. It could have been much worse so I'm not complaining. I'm dredging on but just a little dizzier than usual. :)

So here's what happens now. On Monday the judge will review our paperwork and ask for any additional paperwork that we should bring with us to court. He will also set our court date! We do not need to be there, our coordinator Lena will represent us. Hopefully we will find out Monday morning when the court date is and then start running around in circles making arrangements. We've already applied for our Visa's so that will save us a little money.

Our tentative schedule looks like this:
February 10 - Fly to Moscow
February 11 - 13 - Arrive in Moscow, rest, have our medicals done, visit Red Square, The Kremlin, St. Basils etc..
February 13 - Fly to Volgograd in the evening
FEBRUARY 14 - Visit with Mischa Grace - Happy Valentines Day!
February 15 - Prepare for court (Court can last 10 min - 4 hours)
February 16 - Visit with Mischa Grace
February 16 or 17 - COURT - ("Gotcha Day")

At the court hearing the judge will decide if they are going to waive the standard 10-day wait. If they do, we will take custody of Mischa right away and then we will fly to Moscow for 3-4 days and arrive home somewhere around the 21st - 24th. If they do not waive the 10 days we will spend about another 14 days in Volgograd. We will visit Mischa as much as we can and take custody after the wait, then fly to Moscow for 3-4 days and arrive home on March 7th. We will book our plane tickets for the 7th and if they waive the 10 days we will make changes then. One good thing about traveling in the winter is that it should be fairly easy to get on another plane. Not that many people visiting Russia in February aside from the AP's.

Of course the schedule can change and it will depend on what the judge sets for our court date on Monday. Normally in Volgograd it is usually 10 days after the pre-hearing.

I'm really happy for the weekend but I can't wait for Monday!

WE HAVE A PRELIMINARY HEARING DATE!

2009-01-27T16:54:00.003-05:00

YEAH!!!!!!! We are scheduled for Monday 2/2 ! (Granite's Birthday!) They are thinking our court date will be February 16 or 17 (on Michele's birthday) but it will depend on the Judge's schedule. Next time we see Mischa Grace could be on Valentine's Day! YEAH! YEAH!

A little birdie!

2009-01-25T15:13:00.002-05:00

A little birdie told us we should hear something this week. :)

Granite waiting for Gracie!

2009-01-22T08:42:00.003-05:00

I couldn't find Granite last night and I ended up finding her in MG's room sleeping by the crib! Even she is tired of waiting and wants her new BFF home. LOL!

Still Waiting for a Court Date!

2009-01-21T17:13:00.006-05:00

I even added a little Tom Petty to the music list, The Waiting! Yes we are used to the waiting but we just want to see Mischa Grace again. It will be 9 weeks on Saturday since we left. We know things are moving along but we just want a damn court date....please! :)

Anyone know anymore songs about being tired of waiting that I can add to the music list? Send an e-mail, leave a comment, call me .... and I'll add them.

Small update from Russia

2009-01-18T12:25:00.005-05:00

Lena e-mailed this morning to say that all the documents are at the court. Now she will wait for a letter from the judge with a date for the pre-court hearing and then our court date will be 10 days after that. So once we find out when our pre-court hearing is we can get started on visa's and tickets. I should have known there would be a little more waiting but it gives us a couple more days to get ready, get our taxes done and get my dental work completed. And I've been in bed all weekend with some sort of bug and I haven't gotten a thing done so I need a couple extra days.

The big thing is that the database clearance letter is done for Mischa Grace...this can be the hold up for many parents. With that done we know we are close to seeing her again.

We hope everyone had a great weekend!

January 16th rocks ... even if it is -20 outside!

2009-01-16T12:21:00.010-05:00

One year ago today our dossier was registered in Volgograd and this morning I got an e-mail from Lena saying that all the paperwork was complete and she was going to the court today. YEAH!
What does this mean? For starters it means that Mischa Grace has been cleared from the database so the chances of a Russian family taking her now are very unlikely. It doesn't happen that often but it is a huge relief for us. Hopefully today they scheduled a pre-court meeting to review our file. (we are waiting to hear from our agency on this) Then our court date will be 10 days after that meeting. Looks like Russia in January and February ... -20 might be mild.
Tomorrow she will be 16 months old and it will be 8 weeks since we've seen her. We hope to be seeing her very soon.

And Happy Birthday to Nancy, another AP who's daughter is from Volgograd and was in the same baby home as Mischa. I think she is bringing us luck today! We hope you are enjoying your birthday as much as we are.

Preparing to Parent the Adopted Child

2009-01-15T17:09:00.003-05:00

Great site with lots of links to other sites.
http://adoption.about.com/od/international/a/preparetoparent.htm

Getting Ready!

2009-01-14T15:42:00.006-05:00

So far, no news about a court date this week. We're busy getting her room ready and also getting prepared to bring home an internationally adopted child that has been in a baby home. We took our classes, read and re-read our books, read other blogs, websites and talked to other adopted parents but all of sudden I can't remember any of it. Many things are parenting 101(not that I'm expert at all) but there are many things that we take for granted that these children never had or experienced. So I'm going to start posting some of it so that I can easily find it when/if I need to look at it for help.

The Top Ten Tips for the First Year of Placement http://www.attach.org/10debgray.pdf

Showered With Love!

2009-01-12T13:09:00.030-05:00

On Saturday our families had a fabulous shower for us. (Trudy, tell your husband we may need an addition;) We received soooo many wonderful gifts and loved everything. Thank you so much! We can't wait to get Mischa Grace home to check out her new room, play with all her new toys, try on her new clothes, sleep with her all new blankets and bedding, take a bath with all her bubble bath and bath toys, spend her all her gift cards and of course to meet everyone.
Thank you to all the girls in our family, Barb, Patti, Nancy, Bobbi, Lyndsay, Julie and Meghan for throwing the shower. It was wonderful and such a great day.

Reasons to celebrate today!

2009-01-09T11:04:00.008-05:00

So many things to celebrate today:
1. Our voyage to Russia began two years ago today! We never thought it would take this long but Mischa Grace was worth the wait and she will be home soon! It will be 7 weeks tomorrow since we left her...seems like forever. We had a conference call today with our agency to do our travel and court prep for our second trip. They think we will get a court date within the next two weeks. YEAH! Once we have a court date we have about 6 days to get ready to go! OMG! We are not sure about the 10 day wait being waived so we will need to plan to be there for about three weeks. We hope it gets waived but if it doesn't it will give Mischa Grace time to get to know us before we turn her world upside down. The poor girl has never been in a car not to mention a plane.

2. Aunt Lyndsay, Dan's little sister, turns 30 today! She is being whisked away by her friends to a secret location to celebrate! Have Fun and Happy Birthday Lyndsay!

3. Granite has officially hit the 12-week mark of her recovery so she should be fully recovered from her surgery. She will never be able to do many of the things she used to (not sure that is a bad thing:) but we can put away the crate and she can get some more exercise and play time. She is excited for her new playmate and has been sleeping by Mischa's crib. Even though there is black dog hair all over ... it's pretty cute! We're not sure if we should put Mischa Grace on the wall in her room or Granite & Gracie!

4. It's Friday and we have a fun-filled weekend planned!

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-07T12:29:00.010-05:00

Wishing Mischa Grace and our friends
in Russia a Merry Christmas!

The Month of January!

2009-01-05T16:50:00.010-05:00

January 7th - Russia Celebrates Christmas

In the days of the Soviet Union, Christmas was not celebrated very much. New Year was the important time. With the fall of Communism, Christmas is openly celebrated, either on December 25, or more often, on January 7. The date is different because the Russian Orthodox church uses the old 'Julian' calendar for religious celebration days. Merry Christmas Mischa Grace!

January 9, 2007 - The Adoption Began
We talked to numerous agencies the first week of January and sent our application into our agency on January 9th. We can't believe it has been two years. It has been a long process but worth every minute of it. Without the wait we would have never found Mischa Grace. She was born almost nine months after we started this journey. My coordinator kept telling us we would forget the waiting once we met our child. I would never admit this to her but she was right. ;)

January 16, 2008 - Dossier Registered in Volgograd (finally)
It seems like all year we kept saying "we're hoping to hear something any day." And finally almost nine months later in October we, "Got the Call" for a little girl who had just come off the database and was available for adoption. Again without the wait we would not have found her.

I think these are all good signs that we will, "Get the Call" with a court date in January! Russia is back to work next week so after that, "we're hoping to hear something any day."

Christmas E-Card from Russia!

2008-12-29T17:00:00.004-05:00

We received this from Lena and Natasha on Christmas Eve.

Who knew you could send an e-card from Russia!

Wishing you and your family a wonderful and blessed holiday season.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
With Love from Russia
Lena and Natasha

Merry Christmas Mischa Grace!

2008-12-26T16:26:00.003-05:00

I wanted to post a picture of all the wonderful gifts that Mischa got for Christmas from her family so that she can see how excited everyone was for her to come home.
Thank you for all of this and thank you for the monetary gifts to help bring Mischa home... we will use the money to buy her ticket, passport and visa. We can't thank you enough!

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

The tradition continues ....

2008-12-22T13:19:00.005-05:00

Remember this photo from last year. Cooper threw up on Andrew right as my brother was taking a picture for their Christmas card.

The brotherly love continues this year only Cooper is crying because he wants nothing to do with Drew.

1 month down!

2008-12-21T19:53:00.002-05:00

We have one month of waiting down! Next week Russia goes on vacation for New Year's and they celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7. We haven't heard anything about court at this point so we probably won't until after Jan. 12, when everyone goes back to work. We hoped we would hear sooner but we knew it would most likely be after the Russian holidays. We have lots to do to keep us busy so hopefully the time will pass quickly.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

A note and pictures from Russia!

2008-12-18T12:04:00.004-05:00

As promised Lena and Natasha sent us an update and pictures yesterday. It was so nice to see Mischa. Her hair has grown and is very blonde. Lena's update is below. Some of it may sound funny but it's just the translation. They also sent pictures of Mischa talking on a toy phone saying Hello to us.

"Hi Jill! Mischa is doing great. Katerina (social worker) said that her behaver became fresh after she had understooden that she has somebody like you who can help her. When she saw me she was interested in a toy I had for her. You can see on the picture she is calling you and saying you HELLO! Mischa didn't like that I had interrupted her game. Mischa was very serious and she didn't give me any smile. Mischa keeps her smile for you! In the orphanage they have decorated a Christmas tree in the yard, may be you will see it! It has been snowing in Volgograd for two days, so we can feel Christmas is coming soon! Enjoy seeing pictures of your little Mischa!"

Waiting for you, Natasha and Lena

15 months old!

2008-12-17T11:59:00.002-05:00

Mischa is 15 months old today! The good news is we are suppose to get an update and pictures of her today from Lena, our coordinator in Russia. She was going to the baby home to visit her today. The bad news is we need to redo another form asap ... seriously! UPS and FEDEX here we come again!

Surprise Shower for Dan!

2008-12-16T13:21:00.014-05:00

The staff at Dan's school pulled off a surprise shower for him this morning! He had no idea and thought he was going to a meeting. He showed up armed with a notebook and pen, ready to go! It was so nice for him and we got so many wonderful gifts ... books, clothes and generous gift cards! (OMG, we're going to have fun!) Thank you so much!
And thank you to all of you for being part of this journey with us. You have all been so kind and supportive and it has made this long process so much easier. We can't wait for all of you to meet Mischa! (and have her in your class someday!)

Check out the cake with the blue-eyed piglet and paisley's! Love it!

Thank you for everything!

Teetering on the edge ...

2008-12-12T12:05:00.013-05:00

The last couple days have been quite eventful with a broken car, broken computer and even a broken tooth that is going to require surgery. (minor surgery but there will be stitches involved) All of it stinks but it it could be worse and it almost was or at least it seemed like it.

This week we've also been trying to get the last of our "bring Mischa home" paperwork done and it's always tough trying to find time to "run" to Albany, it's 7 hours round trip in good weather. So lately we've been overnighting it, panicking until it's delivered in Albany, calling and begging for them to rush it through in one day, panicking until they call and say it's done, and sending them a prepaid FedEx slip to send it back out overnight to another family traveling to Russia, and then panicking until it's delivered. The people at the State Department have been so nice and our latest package was being sent out from Albany last night. All was fine until this morning when we turned on the news and saw that Albany had a major ice storm and there were thousands of people w/out power. Of course we panicked some more and we couldn't track the package because our computer wasn't working. This is when we started teetering on the edge ...

Thank god ... after checking at the office we found that our package had been delivered to the family in Michigan this morning and will be on it's way to Russia tomorrow. Whewwww ... we made it through another week, another stack of paperwork and now the rest of it all seems minor.

Cleared by the FBI! (again)

2008-12-09T13:16:00.003-05:00

Yeah! We got our FBI clearances today. We also found out we need to redo a form that we sent last week so we are frantically running around (again;) getting this done and getting everything notarized, flagged and apostilled. These need to be sent to a family in Michigan by Saturday. Looks like another trip to Albany Thursday or maybe my new friend at the Department of State will rush this through if I overnight it.

When I spoke to my coordinator today she said she really thinks we will be traveling toward the end of January. YEAH ... so happy to hear this as we're already tired of the waiting and it's only been 2 1/2 weeks. We have plenty to keep us busy but waiting till the end of February would be awful.

Since we are so busy we've officially decided that we will not be decorating for x-mas and we will be working on Mischa's room instead. I already feel less stressed ... it's like taking two things off my list, putting the decorations up and taking them down.

Ticklish Piglet Feet!

2008-12-06T12:30:00.005-05:00

Just remembered Mischa's little piglet feet were so cute and so ticklish so I had to post this picture!

Final paperwork ... that much closer to Mischa!

2008-12-04T18:39:00.010-05:00

Today we sent off 16 more documents, all notarized, flagged and apostilled for our court package. We only have 4 more left out of the 70 document package! Of course the judge could always ask for more and we are still waiting on our newest FBI clearance, so we're not celebrating yet. When Mischa is home I'm going to count how many documents it took to get her here . Then when she is older and we are arguing about her outfit or messy room, I will remind her. (lol)

Just in case anyone has been wondering how Granite is doing, she had a check up and x-rays today. (humor me, she is till my baby for now) The vet and the physical therapist said things look great. Actually they were quite impressed as they didn't think she would do this well because she can be so hyper. For the next week she gets to take two 10 min. walks a day and they will increase by 5 min. each week. (lucky dog) She should be in good shape next time we go to Russia and almost back to normal by the time Mischa comes home. :)

We did take pictures of Granite and a stuffed black lab to Mischa. She loved the stuffed animal because it was soft but got bored with it because it didn't make any noise. Boy is she in for a surprise when she meets Granite. She barks if the rug is out of place. Dan's mom got Granite a special outdoor bed for her doghouse for x-mas because she thinks she is going to spending lots of time outside in her kennel.

Photo of the Day
Cooper giving us kisses while we
were in Russia ... what a cutie!

Getting to know Mischa...and another peek!

2008-12-02T19:59:00.017-05:00

We learned on our first day with Mischa that she loves her head rubbed/petted, just like Granite. She would lean against your hand and fall right into us if we stopped. It was so cute and funny, because Granite does the same thing but also a little sad because she is not a dog and it was obvious that she wasn't used to being touched.

While the caregivers take wonderful care of the children I don't think they have alot of time to spend with them one on one everyday. There were about 10 children in Mischa's group, all around her age and only 2 or 3 caregivers. They are busy women, but it was obvious that they truly care about the children. When the doctor was examining Mischa, she was not happy and it was the only time we heard her really, really cry. One of the caregivers was right by her side talking to her in Russian. It was very sweet and later they told us that she has "white coat syndrome" and that the baby home doctor usually examines her in street clothes so that she doesn't get scared. (I'll need to remember this for doctor's visits :)

Mischa and Dan looking at a card from Drew
and Cooper and chatting about home!

The Piglet Outfit!

2008-11-30T11:17:00.009-05:00

Throughout the two years that we've been in the adoption process we have met many AP's. (adoptive parents) We met one couple from Long Island earlier this year who were also registered in Volgograd. Some of you may remember them from the blog when I posted about them getting a referral back in March. They traveled in March to meet their daughter and brought her home in July.

We have kept in touch and when we got home I sent them some photos of Mischa and she was wearing the piglet outfit. The first question they asked was, "Did you take that piglet outfit with you ... because we took one for our daughter and left it at the orphanage?" It was the same Piglet outfit that they had left when they met their daughter.

We also found out their daughter was in Mischa's group and they remembered seeing her on their second trip and he had commented to his wife about how cute she was.

That's my story for today! One week of waiting down ... not sure how many to go. We're finishing up some paperwork this week and back to Albany on Thursday so that we can send it with a family traveling this weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving Mischa Grace!

2008-11-27T09:28:00.036-05:00

We're Home!

2008-11-24T09:15:00.010-05:00

After almost two days of traveling we made it home around 11 last night. Saying goodbye on Saturday was very hard...awful! But there is nothing like your plane being diverted to another airport somewhere in Russia to get your mind off things.

After a few delays out of Volgograd we took off for Moscow ... about two hours later(the flight is only an hour and 15 min.) the captain came on and said something only in Russian. (hint: Rosetta Stone would be a good x-mas gift) There was alot of moaning from the other passengers and the girl next to me started crying and talking to me in Russian and got on her cell phone and we were still flying! We were nervous and finally found a girl who spoke English and translated that they were taking us to another airport about 150 miles from Moscow to wait for the weather to clear in Moscow. We were still pretty nervous! (also we only had 10 Rubles left...that's another story) We finally made it to Moscow around midnight and then we were back at the airport first thing in the morning.

We are exhausted but of course it was totally worth it! We've got some paperwork to get done today and they told us yesterday it might be shorter than three months. :)

I will leave you with a sneak peek of our little Piglet. Obviously her favorite orphanage wear ... on Friday we finally got to switch it up to some Gap Kids!

One More Visit!

2008-11-21T08:50:00.003-05:00

Today was a long busy day but we were relieved to find out that we will get to see her one more time before we leave for Moscow tomorrow. We're not looking forward to leaving, but we know the sooner we get home and finish the last of the paperwork, the sooner we will be back.

We will see everyone in a few days!

The Papers are Signed!

2008-11-20T15:13:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone! It's Meghan. Jill asked me to update the blog for them today as they were having trouble with the computer. Here is the email she sent and asked me to post:

Today we signed the papers saying that we want to adopt her!
We spent about three hours with her today and also had a doctor in from Moscow for a second opinion. He reviewed her medicals and gave her a physical. He was wonderful and said she just needs some hugs and kisses. The rest of the time we played and we heard her laugh for the first time.
When she was having her physical the caregivers let us into the nursery with her and the other children. They introduced us to the children and let us play with them. We're still only adopting one but that doesn't mean we won't be back.;) We haven't officially given her a name yet...we don't have to decide until next week. Sorry...we're still undecided...maybe tomorrow!
Tomorrow we will also do some more paperwork, be observed by a social worker and visit with her. We are hoping to see her Saturday before we leave but we won't know until tomorrow if that will happen. We're hoping we won't have to say goodbye tomorrow as they are saying it could be three months until court.(Sigh) We have lots of pictures and videos to show everyone but can't post anything on the blog. Believe me it's killing me more than you. ;) Thank you for all the wonderful comments, it's so nice to read them everyday!

She is a doll!

2008-11-19T10:11:00.000-05:00

Things went great today and she is a little ... very little doll. Everything happened very fast this morning. We met with the officials as planned and then went to the baby home. We were only there ten minutes when they brought her out to us. She went right to both of us and didn't cry once. We got to see her twice today and she played well and picked right up on things. We will visit her again tomorrow. We are already dreading leaving.

Looks like the Crystal Lake Regatta is going to be quite big next year ... her birthday is 9.17.07!

Greetings from Volgograd!

2008-11-18T11:14:00.002-05:00

We made it to Volgograd! The flight was great, very clean and they served a huge lunch and the flight was only 1 hour and 15 min. The ride to the hotel was very interesting, it was like stepping back 50 years. Same goes for our hotel but the area all around the hotel is beautiful. The streets are all cobblestone, lined with good restaurants (so we hear, we've only been to one) and a grocery store. The menus are sort of in English ...Dan just ordered a Buffalo pizza .... it's a pizza with Buffalo meat on it. LOL!

Tomorrow Alex, Natasha and Lena will pick us up at 8:30 and we will go and meet with the officials and then off to the baby home to meet our little girl. We are pretty calm but not sure how much we will sleep tonight. :)

We'll keep you posted!

Greetings from Moscow!

2008-11-17T11:34:00.004-05:00

We made it safe and sound and on time! The flights were fine and our flight attendent was from Ithaca and her brother lives in Clayton. We had a great chat with her and she said she spends lots of time up there and they go cliff jumping at a small lake about 15 minutes from Clayton. LOL! Oh and she used to work in Eastern Europe orphanges. There was lots to talk about.

The drive from the airport was a little rough. There is a ton of traffic and they drive very fast with a smoke going at all times. I was in the backseat and a little sick by the time we got to the hotel.(sigh) We finally ventured out for a little sightseeing and dinner but we are completely exhausted. We're back in the room and going to call it a night so we can get over the jet lag and get on Russia time.
Tatiana is picking us up at 10:30 to do a few things and catch a flight to Volgograd! It's really starting to hits us that we will see her on Wednesday. Only 1 more day!

We're Packed and Ready to Go!

2008-11-15T15:13:00.003-05:00

We're getting picked up at 6:30 am tomorrow morning!

Our Schedule
- Arrive in Moscow at 10:00 am on Monday.
- Spend Monday and part of Tuesday in Moscow sightseeing and resting up from the flight
- Tuesday afternoon we fly to Volgograd
- Wednesday morning we go to the Department of Education and meet with the officials. Then we go to the baby home and meet her. :)
- On Friday, if all goes well, we will file the paperwork to officially adopt her. (and name her!)
- Saturday afternoon we fly back to Moscow, spend the night and fly back home on Sunday.

Thank you for all your votes and comments for names. You will find out next Friday what we decide. We should be able to update the blog throughout the week and will also have a cell phone and a skype phone. So feel free to call, text or e-mail us.

We have our Visa's!

2008-11-11T19:55:00.002-05:00

We got our Visa's today and everything is correct. Thank God! For the next trip we will be paying the extra money to get them faster ... it's not worth the stress of waiting and hoping everything is correct. We have 8 more documents to get flagged by the County Clerk tomorrow and then I'm off to Albany on Thursday to get all our documents apostilled. Packing is almost done and list's are almost complete.

1 more week till we meet her! (It's already Wed. in Russia)

Thank you to everyone who voted for their favorite name.

Names!

2008-11-08T10:19:00.005-05:00

We're asking for some opinions and suggestions for names. We will need to name her on our first trip next week so we need to be prepared. With all the excitement and work preparing for this trip we can't think straight so we're asking for some help.

A few things:
1. We will find out her full Russian name once we get there and may use part of that.
2. We want her to have at least one family name. (non-negoitable :) BTW ... Grace, Viktoria, (Russian Spelling) Catherine and Emma are all family names. Paisley is a name my brothers LOVE!
3. You can vote on the right for some of our choices or leave a comment with suggestions.

Keep it clean! :) Thank you in advance!

Uncle Dan, "I think I broke my arm"

2008-11-07T10:33:00.009-05:00

Drew's x-rays after falling at the playground at school.He didn't even cry ... what a trooper!

Hope you arm is feeling better soon Drewsey!

Two weeks till we meet her!

2008-11-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

Seriously ... a Root Canal!

2008-11-03T13:02:00.006-05:00

Seriously ... I had an emergency root canal this morning. I've had a tooth that was bothering me a little, nothing major but I was nervous about traveling to Russia with even a minor problem, so I called to see if I could get in. Well I got in and within 30 minutes he was drilling away. I hated every minute of it including the bill but am glad I went in. He did part of it today and will finish it when I get back.

Two Weeks!

2008-11-02T08:34:00.003-05:00

We leave two weeks from today! We've started packing and making lists. This week we will tackle paperwork and getting new money. Next week we will make a trip to Albany to get our paperwork apostilled and stalk the FedEx man for our visa's. We chose the 8 day service for our visa's not knowing the Russian Consulate is closed for two days this week for holidays. We are scheduled to get them on the 13th, but hoping we can get it moved to the 11th or 12th ... just in case something is wrong. We are a little nervous but there is nothing we can do. For the next trip I think we will just pay the extra money to have them in 3 days, just for peace of mind.

The Vet

2008-10-31T16:24:00.005-04:00

Granite got her staples out yesterday in the lobby of the vet's. Why in the lobby?? When the physical therapist went to take her to the back she put on the brakes, laid down, rolled over on her back and started crying and shaking. Black fur was flying everywhere! She was a complete spaz. The therapist was nice and took the staples out right there on the floor in the lobby and then let us go. She's got 4 more weeks of rest(sitting in the crate) and then back to the vet for x-rays. Can't wait for that trip, she will have to stay all day.

Happy Halloween! (and no we are not dressing up our dog;)

For the dog lovers!

2008-10-28T19:43:00.010-04:00

With all the excitement I haven't posted much about Granite, but this week our friends had to put down their dog, Cosmo. While Granite's surgery was expensive and the recovery has been rough, we are grateful to have her and are glad she is doing well. I remember when Cosmo came to the lake for a visit and Granite guarded Cosmo's food and growled at him when he came near it. We will miss you Cosmo and we promise to teach our child better manners.
Overall she is doing well and gets her staples out on Thursday. After that it will be another 4 weeks of the crate and out to go to the bathroom. It has been quite a lifestyle change for her. Anyone that has met her knows what I'm talking about it.

First day home and ready to chase rabbits already!

One week home after a pain pill!

We're Really Going!

2008-10-27T19:19:00.012-04:00

Tickets are booked, visas ordered, hotel rooms reserved in Moscow and Volgograd! We leave Nov. 16th and come home on the 23rd. We are scheduled to meet her on Nov. 19th. OMG!
Time to start on the paperwork ... more notarizing, county clerk flags and apostilling. :)
Thank You's!
1. Mom and Mike for the cute outfit and more hats and mittens for orphanage.
2. Dad and Nancy for the cute outfit w/the adorable hat, the travel journal, the Viking bear and the dog for Granite. She loved it and it is on top of her kennel.
3. Julie, Erik and the girls for the polka dot blanket. It was the start of the paisley, stripes and polka dots.
Also thank you to everyone who has left a comment. We love to hear from you!

Busy...Busy...Busy

2008-10-26T20:36:00.006-04:00

We've been busy making our plans for trip 1 to Russia. Our Visa's are ordered and our tickets are on hold and will hopefully be booked tomorrow. We're just waiting to get the OK on our itinerary from the staff in Russia. Right now we are scheduled to leave on Nov. 16. Three weeks from today! :)
Tomorrow night our social worker is coming to visit. Our homestudy expires at the end of November so we need to get that updated. Once that is done we will start tackling the paperwork and packing.
Now for some details on the her. She turned one in September and has super blue eyes. She doesn't have much hair so we're not sure on the color. It's listed as dark brown but it looks light in her photo so we will have to wait to meet her to find out. We've heard she's the favorite of the caregivers (not sure if they tell everyone that) and she has quite the personality and likes things a particular way. I know...poor Danny! We would love to post photos but unfortunately we can't post any until after our court date and she is ours. (Maybe a sneak peek after trip 1)

Finally ... We're Going to Russia and It's a Girl!

2008-10-22T18:20:00.004-04:00

It's official , we are going to Russia! We have lots to tell but things have been super busy with work, Granite's surgery and recovery(sigh) and planning for Trip 1 to meet our little girl. Trying to make the blog look more girly... we totally expected a boy. We're still in shock. I'll post more when I get time.

Fall at the Lake!

2008-10-07T12:54:00.002-04:00

Nothing today ...

2008-10-06T20:29:00.000-04:00

next update Wednesday!

Another Week ... No Referral!

2008-10-01T19:28:00.001-04:00

Next update is Monday.

Who knew there were so many Russian's in Boston!

2008-09-29T19:37:00.003-04:00

Our waitresses, cab drivers, girls working at AT Loft ... all from Russia! Some have lived in the US for a few years and others have only been here a few months. It was fun talking with them or at least trying. One girl didn't speak much English and thought I was from Russia and came here as a baby instead of I was adopting a baby from Russia. Another lady told me I looked Russian and no one will know I'm American ... at least until I speak.

Million Dollar Dog!

2008-09-23T19:25:00.011-04:00

The fingerprinting went fine! The vet ... not so much. Granite has a torn ACL and needs surgery ... expensive surgery and our health insurance doesn't cover it. Maybe a spaghetti dinner fundraiser! LOL We are trying to keep our sense of humor. :)

More Fingerprinting...and a Visit to the Vet

2008-09-22T20:05:00.003-04:00

We're off to Syracuse bright and early tomorrow morning to get fingerprinted AGAIN. We need to get them done to keep our immigration paperwork up-to-date. If we do it now it's free, if we wait, it will cost more and there will be more paperwork. (sound familiar)
We also finally made an appointment with the vet for Granite to get her leg looked at. She is barely using it to walk now ... of course she runs like maniac if she sees a rabbit or a rock. It's so hard to tell if she just pulled a muscle or if she really did some something major. After 3 months of this ... it's time to find out.

8 months in Vologograd!

2008-09-15T19:25:00.009-04:00

Today marks the 8 month that our dossier has been registered in Volgograd. 20.5 months since we started this process. We've lost count on the number of documents and money invested.

In China, 8 is a lucky number ... we're not adopting from China but we will take any luck we can get. :)

The Annual Crystal Lake Regatta

2008-09-11T16:46:00.008-04:00

This weekend the boat races are going on at the lake, but because we haven't been able to plan much in advance with the adoption, we are not having a big bash this year. However if you feel like stopping over on Sunday to watch the races and hang out, please feel free, we would love the company. If it's raining ... we'll just see you next year. LOL

P.S. Since we aren't having a big party on Saturday, we're pretty sure the weather will be perfect. So feel free to make outside plans. LOL

Just wanted to say thank you!

2008-09-10T19:55:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to say thank you to a couple people who have given us gifts lately.

Thank you to my scrap booking friend Michele for her complete scrap booking kit to keep all the photos of our journey. When I say complete I mean right down to stickers that say Russia. I'm not sure what to do with all of it but it was just what I needed to get started. :) Michele says "that if it isn't in a scrapbook it didn't happen." I guess that's how she forgets about her run in with the Easter Bunny. (LOL)

Thank you to my sister-in-law Julie for the weathered buoys from PBK. They look great in our nautical w/a touch of Black Lab themed room. I can't wait to finish the room.

That's it for now. We'll keep you posted with any news.

Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-04T16:52:00.007-04:00

Just a few pictures from our trip. Thanks Jimi, Michele, Kyla, Carson, Beth and John! We had a great time!

Bad News and Good News!

2008-08-27T16:24:00.006-04:00

Bad News
We found out today that the person who is gives out referrals is out of the hospital and is now back at work. We're happy to hear she is feeling better ... but now her office is closed for a routine audit/check this week and is not giving out referrals. I know it is all starting to sound a little unbelievable. We also need to redo three forms asap and have them in Minnesota for another family to take with them to Russia by next Tuesday. Also our home study and fingerprints for immigration will be expiring soon so we need to make some decisions if we will continue on this path or cut our losses and move on.

Good News
The forms need to be apostilled in Albany so I get to take a FMLA day on Friday and get an early start to our long weekend away in New Hampshire/Maine/Massachusetts visiting friends. We can't wait to eat lobster, go to the ocean and hang with great friends. Thanks to Michele and Jimi for having us. :)

Still Waiting!

2008-08-20T18:02:00.005-04:00

I know readers (especially M ;)!) have been waiting for any sort of update so I thought I'd let you know that .... we are still waiting! I'm not going to get into details because after a week I've finally calmed down. We are reaching our limit and not sure if it's our agency, the region or if we just can't catch a break. At this point we really don't know what we are going to do, but we will keep you posted on the blog.

No more news until next week!

2008-08-08T13:18:00.000-04:00

On it's way!

2008-08-07T12:31:00.009-04:00

Today we heard that the officials are preparing the information for our referral and we should know more shortly. We were assured our referral is on it's way. I could fill a whole page on the use of the word "shortly" but I won't even go there. LOL!

So we won't hear anything today since Russia is 8 hours ahead of us and the officials are at home getting ready for bed. I hope they get a good nights sleep so they can do lots of paperwork tomorrow. :)

Keep them crossed ....

2008-08-06T10:08:00.002-04:00

but not for today! The person who gives out referrals took a sick day today. Just our luck!

Cross your fingers for tomorrow! :)

2008-08-05T14:27:00.003-04:00

World's Most Expensive Cities-Moscow #1

2008-07-30T11:58:00.004-04:00

Moscow topped the list for the most expensive city in the world!
http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/105443/World.
Thankfully we will only need to spend 5 or 6 days in Moscow out of our approx. 28 days in Russia. It will be enough time to do our paperwork and see the city but w/out costing a fortune.

Russian Flag "Little Tree"

2008-07-24T18:47:00.002-04:00

So I know I said I was going to take an adoption break for a few days but I had to post about the art request that came across my desk today. It was for a Little Tree w/the Russian Flag on it for one of our customers in Russia. I told my boss that I needed 20 more documents notarized and apostilled before we could start any anything. :0)

Never a dull moment in the international adoption world!

2008-07-23T09:53:00.004-04:00

Soooo after a week of running around doing paperwork we have decided not to make any changes to our adoption. I won't bore you with all the details ... it would take to long to type. We just hope we made the right decision and our child reads this someday and feels the same way. :)

We are still thinking blue and could be traveling towards the end of August ... we're hoping to hear something in a couple weeks.

In the meantime we are going to take a little adoption break for a few days. No blogging, no reading blogs, no paperwork, no looking at airfares, no working on packing lists, no e-mails about adoption etc... of course we do love to get your comments so we will take time to read those if you leave them. :)

Have a great weekend!

27 Documents

2008-07-20T20:45:00.004-04:00

So we are starting to get excited about the adoption again but we don't want to jinx anything so I can't tell you much. We need to finish up some serious paperwork this week, 27 documents, all notarized, stamped by the county clerk and then one of us will go to Albany to get them all apostilled. We've got a good start and our goal is to have them done by the end of the week.

Think Blue!

2008-07-16T17:12:00.002-04:00

We are making a few changes with our adoption. We don't have all the details yet but we are thinking blue for the Fall. We'll keep you posted.

Not good news! :(

2008-07-10T11:11:00.009-04:00

Below is a link to the lastest tragedy with Americans who have adopted Russian children. So sad for this child and children waiting to be adopted as this usually does mean more delays for anyone in the adoption process.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/09/AR2008070901888.html

We are still next!

2008-07-03T10:10:00.003-04:00

That's all the news we have. We are working on another stack of paperwork that we will need to take with us. It all needs to be filled out, notarized, certified by the county clerk and then apostilled in Albany. We have probably signed our names at least 100 times, if not more. I'm definitely used to my married name now. Our agency has also scheduled us for their travel prep seminar so that we are prepared to go when we get "The Call."