I added a ticker to track how long we’ve been waiting for Baby C to come home. Technically we’ve been waiting for this moment much longer than the tracker currently reads, which is 2 months & 1 week. In my heart I’ve been waiting much, much longer. I decided, however, to use the day we received confirmation from our agency that we had been accepted into their Russia program. Their “welcome” letter to us is dated October 23, 2007. (Side note: They received our application October 21, so I knew right away that they are very efficient and very quick!)
In some ways, October 23 was the official start date of our journey. In many other ways, the planning stages of our journey began a long, long time ago...
High school is when I started to truly learn – not just listen to or read about - issues such as poverty, orphans, malnutrition in third world countries, persecution, prejudices, etc. As a senior, I took Archaeology as an elective and now I realize that this is likely where my journey to Baby C began. Our teacher, Mr. Droz, expanded our curriculum to not only speak about ancient cultures and ruins, but to also really make us delve into modern cultural differences and issues. It was after one of these insightful classes that I told my mom I wanted to make a difference in the life of an orphan.
In 1997 Norm & I learned that it would be unlikely, if not impossible, for us to have biological children. I admit that that news was heartbreaking. At the same time, though, I knew that adoption also builds families. I was terrified of the adoption unknowns – finances, wait times, the process as a whole – but I did know that there were children all over the world who needed parents. I hoped (but was nowhere near confident) that we would one day be those parents.
In 2001 and again in 2006 we became pregnant only to lose both children. I suffered from disappointment, discouragement and depression after each of these losses. Looking back on it now, I realize God did intend for us to be parents but in His time and in His way.
Our journey to IA (International Adoption) started in Nov. 2005 when I attended the After Eve Young Women’s Conference with some friends. At one point during the conference I was walking down a relatively empty hallway alone. There was one vendor table at the end of that hallway, and a few young ladies were arranging materials on it. As I was passing by them, one of the ladies looked me straight in the eye and said “Hi! My name is ____. You’ll probably be interested in these materials someday. Good luck!” I said thanks and went to wait in the Starbucks line, not looking at all at what she had given me. That is, until the person in line in front of me said “Oh, that’s wonderful! You’re thinking of adopting! What an awesome and amazing thing for you & your future child!” HUH??? What was this woman talking about? Then I looked down and saw what she was referring to…the young lady at the vendor table was with America World Adoption Associates, a local international adoption agency. And thus, our journey began but poor Norm wouldn’t learn about it for another month or so.
A few days ago I tore apart our closet looking for who knows what, and I ran across an unexpected treasure. I pulled down a tote bag I hadn’t used in ages and out flew a book that first hit me in the head, and then fell open to a page that renewed my spirits. The book was my journal from November 2005, and the page it fell open to was the first entry I ever made about international adoption. It was dated November 23, 2005 and I wrote about how God was speaking (no, yelling!! lol) to me about adopting an orphan, and how concerned I was to even talk about this to Norm. Fast forward a few entries later and I wrote about the night Norm & I took our friends Jeff & Michelle out for ice cream and how we spoke to them about what we were thinking of pursuing. They were the first people we mentioned this to, and they remain a huge source of support and encouragement today. Thanks to you both!!
In December 05 we became pregnant and sadly in April 06 we lost our child. After that my adoption hopes lay somewhat dormant but were still persistently in my heart and mind. In August 07, as our 12th anniversary drew near, God fueled that fire again and we began researching different types of adoptions (domestic vs. international, the US foster care system, etc.), and finally in October we signed with our agency.
Looking back on what started when I was a high school senior to where I am today, I realize there were plenty of “God Winks” along the way. God Winks are situations that seem like they are just coincidence – such as the young lady who handed me the materials at the conference – when actually they are God’s way of putting us in places and situations that change our lives forever. I believe they are His way of letting us know that He is watching over us, that He does care, and that eventually, if we continue trusting in Him, things will work out in His perfect timing.
So, I go into 2008 refreshed and renewed, and grateful for the path that brought me here today. The new ticker is pretty cool, but in the same respect it isn’t entirely accurate!
Prayers for our Children
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
What We All Have To Look Forward To!! *updated
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Norm and I, along with Judy, Bailey, Bandit, Ivan & Pogo, wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
For a bit of exciting news on the adoption front, there are many adoptive families experiencing great things this holiday season –
Eric & Michelle are currently in Moscow, bringing their new son home around 12/28. They first traveled to meet their son over Thanksgiving, and I can’t think of a better Christmas present for them to receive this year!
Rob & Dede made their first trip to Moscow earlier this month and are awaiting their court date to officially adopt their son
Michael & Carrie are in Tver meeting their son for the first time
Slade & Wendy have just returned from their first trip to Abakan, where they met their son
Nick & Beth and Randy & Susan are officially paper pregnant and waiting on their referral
Russ & Ana and Mark & Sinziana are close to the same timeline as Norm & me, and should have their dossier completed in early January
I’ve been following so many families, and there are actually more updates that I could add to this list. Each of the families above have experienced their share of joy, laughter, frustration and tears in their adoption journey, as have Norm & I.
What an AWESOME day it will be when I can post that Norm & I have received our referral and/or our travel dates for our first trip. What an AMAZING day it will be when I can post that we’ve received our court date. And I can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like when I can finally post that our court date is over and our child is really and truly OURS.
This is what we have to look forward to in 2008 - we hope you continue with us on our journey!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & Happy Homecomings to all of the adoptive families everywhere!
Kar & Tig
P.S. – THANK YOU for your many kind notes to Baby C! Keep ‘em coming!!
For a bit of exciting news on the adoption front, there are many adoptive families experiencing great things this holiday season –
Eric & Michelle are currently in Moscow, bringing their new son home around 12/28. They first traveled to meet their son over Thanksgiving, and I can’t think of a better Christmas present for them to receive this year!
Rob & Dede made their first trip to Moscow earlier this month and are awaiting their court date to officially adopt their son
Michael & Carrie are in Tver meeting their son for the first time
Slade & Wendy have just returned from their first trip to Abakan, where they met their son
Nick & Beth and Randy & Susan are officially paper pregnant and waiting on their referral
Russ & Ana and Mark & Sinziana are close to the same timeline as Norm & me, and should have their dossier completed in early January
I’ve been following so many families, and there are actually more updates that I could add to this list. Each of the families above have experienced their share of joy, laughter, frustration and tears in their adoption journey, as have Norm & I.
What an AWESOME day it will be when I can post that Norm & I have received our referral and/or our travel dates for our first trip. What an AMAZING day it will be when I can post that we’ve received our court date. And I can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like when I can finally post that our court date is over and our child is really and truly OURS.
This is what we have to look forward to in 2008 - we hope you continue with us on our journey!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & Happy Homecomings to all of the adoptive families everywhere!
Kar & Tig
P.S. – THANK YOU for your many kind notes to Baby C! Keep ‘em coming!!
Friday, December 21, 2007
Become Part of a New Christmas Eve Tradition
We don’t know if Baby C is a boy or girl. We don’t know Baby C’s age, hair or eye color. We also don’t know which of our agency’s 6 regions Baby C will come from.What we DO know is that Baby C is already a member of our family, is very loved and hopefully is coming home in 2008. As such, we are celebrating Christmas 2007 with Baby C very much in our hearts and minds. And we invite you - our family, friends, fellow adoptive parents and fellow bloggers - to help us fill Baby C’s stocking (pictured above) with gifts of love.
If you have a special message you would like to share with Baby C – prayers, words of wisdom, a message welcoming him/her to our family, or any other notes, wishes or ramblings (funny, spiritual, serious, whatever!) – please leave a comment on this post or send us an email at karyn0995@yahoo.com. We will print out each message and place them in Baby C’s stocking. Christmas 2008 will bring a new family tradition of sharing your letters with our child every Christmas Eve. This invitation is open to everyone who stops by our blog - you don't need to know us personally!!
To each of you we extend a Very Merry Christmas and a safe, happy and prosperous New Year. For our immediate family, we love and miss you all. For our church family, we thank you for helping us grow closer to God. For our fellow adoptive families, we pray for your journey to your children. We thank you all for your support, your prayers, your guidance and your friendship.
Happy Holidays!!
Tig & Kar
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Another Day – Another Fingerprint Update
I work in my county’s Prosecutor’s Office. My co-worker’s are awesome and we all work so well as a team. I love knowing that, thanks to the amazing job each person in my office does day in and day out, my child is going to grow up in one of the safest counties in Virginia.
We prosecute defendants for their crime(s), they are sentenced to an appropriate amount of jail time, and we hope that during their sentence they turn their lives around. Some do...some do not. We have a nickname for Defendant’s who just don’t seem to “get it.” Our office and our Sheriff’s Office (“SO”) have come to know them as our “repeat customers.”
Despite the fact that Judy claims she has never received a parking or speeding ticket, has never been arrested, and as far as I know has never seen a jail cell FROM THE INSIDE, she is starting to feel like a “repeat customer” at our SO. (By the way Denise & Joan - - if Judy happened to “forget” to tell us anything from her past, feel free to chime in!!)
Anyway, as promised I drug Judy to the SO today for another round of fingerprints. Since I work so closely with these Deputies, it was actually a fun trip. They assured us that the condition of the fingerprints was very good and that there shouldn’t be any reason for them to be returned as “poor quality” or anything like that. I immediately took them to our SW and they should have gone out in the mail today. I made sure “expedite” was noted on them as well. Now we just need to pray that they don’t get lost in transit!!
On a different note, I’ve found a new hobby / means of therapy. Those of you who know me should sit down if you’re not already. I don’t want anyone falling over & getting injured when they read this. Ready? Here goes…
Yesterday evening & this evening I COOKED!! Okay, I actually baked but I was still in the kitchen doing more than washing dishes! Shocker, huh? My blogger friends don’t know what a disaster I am when I try to cook. They also don’t know that, until yesterday, Norm & Judy had banned me from doing anything more in the kitchen than walking through it or loading the dishwasher.
So what brought out my Betty Crocker side? Pet treats!
I found recipes for Merry Mutt Loaves, Papago Peanut Butter Treats and Tasty Tuna Tarts and decided to make them for my co-worker’s pets. My dogs are pawsitively drooling right now since my kitchen counters are littered (no pun intended) with treats for 26 dogs and 7 cats. Santa Paws will be making a special delivery tomorrow!
DISCLAIMER: No humans or pets were harmed in this experiment…Honestly!
We prosecute defendants for their crime(s), they are sentenced to an appropriate amount of jail time, and we hope that during their sentence they turn their lives around. Some do...some do not. We have a nickname for Defendant’s who just don’t seem to “get it.” Our office and our Sheriff’s Office (“SO”) have come to know them as our “repeat customers.”
Despite the fact that Judy claims she has never received a parking or speeding ticket, has never been arrested, and as far as I know has never seen a jail cell FROM THE INSIDE, she is starting to feel like a “repeat customer” at our SO. (By the way Denise & Joan - - if Judy happened to “forget” to tell us anything from her past, feel free to chime in!!)
Anyway, as promised I drug Judy to the SO today for another round of fingerprints. Since I work so closely with these Deputies, it was actually a fun trip. They assured us that the condition of the fingerprints was very good and that there shouldn’t be any reason for them to be returned as “poor quality” or anything like that. I immediately took them to our SW and they should have gone out in the mail today. I made sure “expedite” was noted on them as well. Now we just need to pray that they don’t get lost in transit!!
On a different note, I’ve found a new hobby / means of therapy. Those of you who know me should sit down if you’re not already. I don’t want anyone falling over & getting injured when they read this. Ready? Here goes…
Yesterday evening & this evening I COOKED!! Okay, I actually baked but I was still in the kitchen doing more than washing dishes! Shocker, huh? My blogger friends don’t know what a disaster I am when I try to cook. They also don’t know that, until yesterday, Norm & Judy had banned me from doing anything more in the kitchen than walking through it or loading the dishwasher.
So what brought out my Betty Crocker side? Pet treats!
I found recipes for Merry Mutt Loaves, Papago Peanut Butter Treats and Tasty Tuna Tarts and decided to make them for my co-worker’s pets. My dogs are pawsitively drooling right now since my kitchen counters are littered (no pun intended) with treats for 26 dogs and 7 cats. Santa Paws will be making a special delivery tomorrow!
DISCLAIMER: No humans or pets were harmed in this experiment…Honestly!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Fingerprint Update (again)
We found out today that Judy is going to have to redo her fingerprints. We had pretty much come to that conclusion on our own this weekend but both FPL and our SW confirmed it. So, I'm dragging Judy back to our Sheriff's Office on Wednesday. Supposedly this set of fingerprints will be "expedited" but I don't know how "expedited" they will really be given the fact that Christmas & New Year's are just around the corner. It took just over a month for SW to receive mine & Norm's back. I really, really hope it doesn't take that long to get Judy's back this time.
Regardless, we now know what we have to do and ask everyone to pray that "expedited" really does mean "expedited."
Regardless, we now know what we have to do and ask everyone to pray that "expedited" really does mean "expedited."
Friday, December 14, 2007
Tails of Destruction
It is Friday, is it not? Because I’ve been walking around all day thinking it was. In fact, I even made the executive decision to close our office early and let our paralegals and attorneys get a jump start on what I thought was going to be their weekend. It’d be a real shame if we all have to go in tomorrow considering we’re under the impression that tomorrow is Saturday. Hmmm…
Oh wait, maybe Friday isn’t considered the end of the week anymore. Is that it? No? Hmmm…
Well, the only other thing I can surmise is that FPL (fingerprint lady) has a different calendar than the rest of us. You see, she never called our SW about Judy’s fingerprints. It seems her voicemail doesn’t actually record messages because she didn’t return any calls either. If by now you have guessed that Judy’s fingerprints remain MIA, sadly you are correct.
Our dogs overheard us talking about all of this tonight and they’re pretty upset about it as well, which is quite evident in the Tails of Destruction below:
"Oh well," Bailey says, "maybe Monday??"
Oh wait, maybe Friday isn’t considered the end of the week anymore. Is that it? No? Hmmm…
Well, the only other thing I can surmise is that FPL (fingerprint lady) has a different calendar than the rest of us. You see, she never called our SW about Judy’s fingerprints. It seems her voicemail doesn’t actually record messages because she didn’t return any calls either. If by now you have guessed that Judy’s fingerprints remain MIA, sadly you are correct.
Our dogs overheard us talking about all of this tonight and they’re pretty upset about it as well, which is quite evident in the Tails of Destruction below:
"Oh well," Bailey says, "maybe Monday??"
Despite this continued setback and my post from a few days ago, I am content!
I am content because I have an amazing husband who loves me unconditionally. Who understands I have my "freak out" moments from time to time, and who knows exactly how to make me laugh and forget all about the freaking out stuff.
I am content because I know the finances will, somehow, someway, workout.
I am content because through God's grace I was adopted into His family, even though more often than not I don't deserve that honor.
I am content because I know that God's hand is holding my own and is guiding us through our adoption - even when our timelines don't come close to matching!
Yes, I am content...
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
HS/Fingerprint Update
We didn’t hear from our SW yesterday as to whether or not her committee was able to review the HS pending Judy’s fingerprints. I sent her an email early this morning and then Norm followed up with her this afternoon.
Good News – the committee did approve our HS pending receipt of Judy’s fingerprints.
Semi Good News – the fingerprint lady (“FPL”) lives despite the fact that she hasn’t returned any of the phone calls from our SW. Unfortunately FPL doesn’t know where Judy’s fingerprints are, and told our SW she would get back to her by the end of the week to let her know (a) if FPL was able to find the fingerprints and (b) what the processing time will be if they are found. If they aren’t found, I have no idea what we’re going to do. Judy’s travel schedule is unpredictable right now & I don’t know when she’ll be in town to redo them, if that ends up being our only option. They say IA is not for the faint of heart…I am beginning to understand what this means. Right now so much is dependent on the fingerprints and it’s not like we can just “forego” this step.
On a slightly different note, we received not-so-good news this evening regarding the HELOC we applied for. Our house was appraised for far, far, FAR less than we know it is worth. We were not only offended by the appraisal, we almost had to laugh at it because it was completely ridiculous. Obtaining a HELOC from this particular lender is now out of the question and this evening I applied to another lender.
I’m sure I sound pretty discouraged right now. Yeah, I guess I am but I think I’m more confused than discouraged. A little while ago I was hiding in my office while Norm watched a show about “exotic foods” (read as DISGUSTING - as in still beating frog hearts… blech!!) when I stumbled upon, and found comfort in, these verses and Bible study notes:
Gen. 30:22 (NLT): Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by giving her a child.
Life Application Study Bible Explanatory Note re Exodus 2:9 : "God doesn’t need much from us to accomplish his plan for our lives. Focusing on our human predicament may paralyze us because the situation may appear humanly impossible. But concentrating on God and his power will help us see the way out. Right now you may feel unable to see through your troubles. Focus instead on God, and trust him for the way out. That is all he needs to begin his work in you."
Life Application Study Bible Explanatory Note re 1 Samuel 13:11-13: "It is difficult to trust God when you feel your resources slipping away… When you know what God wants, follow his plan regardless of the consequences. God often uses delays to test our obedience and patience."
So for this evening, I leave you all with the following prayer requests: Please join us in prayer for the financial provision we need to make this adoption possible. Without the HELOC we are missing at least ½ of the funds we need to bring our child home. If God has other plans for financing our adoption, GREAT! But we need the wisdom to figure out what that plan is, and the resources to follow the plan. Also, I think we could both use a good dose of patience and peace knowing that this is all in God’s hands and WILL work out! And, of course, please pray that Judy’s fingerprints are found and returned to our SW as quickly as possible.
Until tomorrow,Kar & Tiger
Good News – the committee did approve our HS pending receipt of Judy’s fingerprints.
Semi Good News – the fingerprint lady (“FPL”) lives despite the fact that she hasn’t returned any of the phone calls from our SW. Unfortunately FPL doesn’t know where Judy’s fingerprints are, and told our SW she would get back to her by the end of the week to let her know (a) if FPL was able to find the fingerprints and (b) what the processing time will be if they are found. If they aren’t found, I have no idea what we’re going to do. Judy’s travel schedule is unpredictable right now & I don’t know when she’ll be in town to redo them, if that ends up being our only option. They say IA is not for the faint of heart…I am beginning to understand what this means. Right now so much is dependent on the fingerprints and it’s not like we can just “forego” this step.
On a slightly different note, we received not-so-good news this evening regarding the HELOC we applied for. Our house was appraised for far, far, FAR less than we know it is worth. We were not only offended by the appraisal, we almost had to laugh at it because it was completely ridiculous. Obtaining a HELOC from this particular lender is now out of the question and this evening I applied to another lender.
I’m sure I sound pretty discouraged right now. Yeah, I guess I am but I think I’m more confused than discouraged. A little while ago I was hiding in my office while Norm watched a show about “exotic foods” (read as DISGUSTING - as in still beating frog hearts… blech!!) when I stumbled upon, and found comfort in, these verses and Bible study notes:
Gen. 30:22 (NLT): Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by giving her a child.
Life Application Study Bible Explanatory Note re Exodus 2:9 : "God doesn’t need much from us to accomplish his plan for our lives. Focusing on our human predicament may paralyze us because the situation may appear humanly impossible. But concentrating on God and his power will help us see the way out. Right now you may feel unable to see through your troubles. Focus instead on God, and trust him for the way out. That is all he needs to begin his work in you."
Life Application Study Bible Explanatory Note re 1 Samuel 13:11-13: "It is difficult to trust God when you feel your resources slipping away… When you know what God wants, follow his plan regardless of the consequences. God often uses delays to test our obedience and patience."
So for this evening, I leave you all with the following prayer requests: Please join us in prayer for the financial provision we need to make this adoption possible. Without the HELOC we are missing at least ½ of the funds we need to bring our child home. If God has other plans for financing our adoption, GREAT! But we need the wisdom to figure out what that plan is, and the resources to follow the plan. Also, I think we could both use a good dose of patience and peace knowing that this is all in God’s hands and WILL work out! And, of course, please pray that Judy’s fingerprints are found and returned to our SW as quickly as possible.
Until tomorrow,Kar & Tiger
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
S.T.A.L.L.E.D. / Learning Russian Culture
First off - THANK YOU and WELCOME to our family & friends who have logged into our blog for the first time within the past few days. I'm shocked at how quickly some of you received your Christmas cards & announcements. We're so happy to have you with us on this journey. Please keep the encouraging/supportive emails and comments coming!
In my last post I mentioned that our SW emailed a draft of our HS to our agency for their review & approval. They didn't have a chance to do anything with it on Friday but yesterday they had 3 minor questions for us, which we replied to today. (We didn't have internet AGAIN last night or else we would have answered sooner.) I'm hoping that those questions were they only thing they needed to clear up and that today they told our SW to carry on.
I also mentioned in the last post that our HS agency has committee meetings on Tuesday's. As of yesterday, our HS was on their agenda for today - with the committee approval pending Judy's fingerprints finally getting here. Uh, yeah, still waiting on those. Grrrrr...
Our SW didn't email or call us today so I don't know whether the HS went before the committee or not. I'm also not sure if the SW was able to get in touch with a live person at the fingerprint place. She told me yesterday that they have left multiple messages regarding the fingerprints but no one will return their call. This whole issue really gets under my skin so I'll move on to other, more positive, topics!
Two weekends ago we attended the Freddie Mac Adoption Expo in Washington, DC. There was a ton of great info for people interested in learning more about adoption. I believe there were about 30 vendors there, one of which was FRUA. Yay!! For those of you who don't know, FRUA stands for "Families for Russian and Ukranian Adoption" and is a WONDERFUL organization for anyone interested in pursuing a Russian or Ukranian adoption, as well as for families currently in the process and those who are lucky enough to have already brought their children home. I am so grateful to the ladies at the FRUA table for letting me hoard so much of their time with question after question, and to Laura for emailing me after the event and connecting me with such great resources. Laura, thank you for your kindness and guidance!
As we were driving through DC, both to and from the event, I realized how fortunate we are to live where we live. (Other than the ridiculous DC traffic we have to deal with.) We are going to be able to introduce our child to a vast amount of American history, and visit numerous American landmarks. It got me thinking about the importance of retaining their Russian heritage as well, which frankly I have very limited knowledge of. So, I've decided to learn as much about Russia as I possible can...
We went to Borders this past weekend and picked up a huge wall map of Russia, which clearly shows all 6 regions our agency works in! This is very exciting to me. We also picked up a great book, "Culture Smart: Russia A Quick Guide To Customs & Etiquette", which I recommend to anyone in the process who is waiting for their travel dates. I'm also trying to teach myself the Cryllic Alphabet - yikes!! - and am making flashcards of words and phrases. At first I was super intimidated with the alphabet but I'm s-l-o-w-l-y getting it and am now having fun with it.
What's my first Russian sentence you ask? The phonetic pronunciation is:
ETT-a NAH-SH-a sa-BAHK-a. Meaning, of course, "This is our dog!" Anyone surprised by that?? :-)
Oh, and I found out today that there is a Russian Winter Festival in DC this weekend. If our schedules allow it, we may head up again on Saturday to check it out!
In my last post I mentioned that our SW emailed a draft of our HS to our agency for their review & approval. They didn't have a chance to do anything with it on Friday but yesterday they had 3 minor questions for us, which we replied to today. (We didn't have internet AGAIN last night or else we would have answered sooner.) I'm hoping that those questions were they only thing they needed to clear up and that today they told our SW to carry on.
I also mentioned in the last post that our HS agency has committee meetings on Tuesday's. As of yesterday, our HS was on their agenda for today - with the committee approval pending Judy's fingerprints finally getting here. Uh, yeah, still waiting on those. Grrrrr...
Our SW didn't email or call us today so I don't know whether the HS went before the committee or not. I'm also not sure if the SW was able to get in touch with a live person at the fingerprint place. She told me yesterday that they have left multiple messages regarding the fingerprints but no one will return their call. This whole issue really gets under my skin so I'll move on to other, more positive, topics!
Two weekends ago we attended the Freddie Mac Adoption Expo in Washington, DC. There was a ton of great info for people interested in learning more about adoption. I believe there were about 30 vendors there, one of which was FRUA. Yay!! For those of you who don't know, FRUA stands for "Families for Russian and Ukranian Adoption" and is a WONDERFUL organization for anyone interested in pursuing a Russian or Ukranian adoption, as well as for families currently in the process and those who are lucky enough to have already brought their children home. I am so grateful to the ladies at the FRUA table for letting me hoard so much of their time with question after question, and to Laura for emailing me after the event and connecting me with such great resources. Laura, thank you for your kindness and guidance!
As we were driving through DC, both to and from the event, I realized how fortunate we are to live where we live. (Other than the ridiculous DC traffic we have to deal with.) We are going to be able to introduce our child to a vast amount of American history, and visit numerous American landmarks. It got me thinking about the importance of retaining their Russian heritage as well, which frankly I have very limited knowledge of. So, I've decided to learn as much about Russia as I possible can...
We went to Borders this past weekend and picked up a huge wall map of Russia, which clearly shows all 6 regions our agency works in! This is very exciting to me. We also picked up a great book, "Culture Smart: Russia A Quick Guide To Customs & Etiquette", which I recommend to anyone in the process who is waiting for their travel dates. I'm also trying to teach myself the Cryllic Alphabet - yikes!! - and am making flashcards of words and phrases. At first I was super intimidated with the alphabet but I'm s-l-o-w-l-y getting it and am now having fun with it.
What's my first Russian sentence you ask? The phonetic pronunciation is:
ETT-a NAH-SH-a sa-BAHK-a. Meaning, of course, "This is our dog!" Anyone surprised by that?? :-)
Oh, and I found out today that there is a Russian Winter Festival in DC this weekend. If our schedules allow it, we may head up again on Saturday to check it out!
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Redecorating & HS update
I was bored tonight - and home study and dossier'ed out (is that a word??!!) - so I decided to play around with the blog design a bit. I created the new header using Macromedia Fireworks because I wanted something that looked a little Christmasy. Did I achieve it??
For those of you who aren't visiting for the first time & remember the old design, let me know what you think of the new one. If you're new here, WELCOME!!, and feel free to chime in anyway!
Okay, so on to where we are in the paper chase...
Our SW and I traded emails on Friday. She received our clearances from CPS, as well as Judy's criminal history that had to be resubmitted a few weeks back. The only thing she is waiting for now is Judy's fingerprints. We're not sure what the hold up with that is since hers were mailed at the same time as ours. The SW said she "placed a call about it" but didn't tell me what the result of that call was. So, I wait....
She did email a draft of the HS to our agency for their review and approval. Hopefully they had a chance to look at it on Friday, and if not then I'm REALLY hoping they will on Monday. Also, she emailed the same draft to her committee members for their review prior to their meeting on Tuesday. Once the committee approves it, it is sent to their Regional Director for his/her authorization and signature. Then, we have a completed HS!!!
I've been praying that we have our notarized copies of the HS by Friday, 12/14 so we can have our Dossier apostilled asap. I resigned myself today to the fact that my deadline may be unrealistic... I admit that I'm very disappointed but there is nothing I can do about it but pray and ask all of you to do the same.
I did have encouragement today after reading Randy & Susan's blog. Susan unfortunately ran into some unexpected snags with her HS as well (and NO that is not the encouragement I am referring to!!). A comment left on Susan's blog explained that had it not been for some of the delays that person experienced in her own adoption, she wouldn't have received the referral she did because her daughter wouldn't have been off the registry yet. So it all comes back to God's timing being better than our own. Very difficult to understand sometimes, but so very important to remember!
On a different note, I had a wonderful conversation a few days agao with "Linda" at the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office in regards to have our dossier apostilled. Since the HS is taking longer than we expected, I wanted to know if we could hand deliver our dossier and wait for it to be apostilled. "Linda" was so excited to hear about our adoption and she is so friendly! She assured me that we could bring it in person and wait for everything. So, believe you me, there's a trip to Richmond in my near future! Thankfully it's only about an hour from my house - even better!
For those of you who aren't visiting for the first time & remember the old design, let me know what you think of the new one. If you're new here, WELCOME!!, and feel free to chime in anyway!
Okay, so on to where we are in the paper chase...
Our SW and I traded emails on Friday. She received our clearances from CPS, as well as Judy's criminal history that had to be resubmitted a few weeks back. The only thing she is waiting for now is Judy's fingerprints. We're not sure what the hold up with that is since hers were mailed at the same time as ours. The SW said she "placed a call about it" but didn't tell me what the result of that call was. So, I wait....
She did email a draft of the HS to our agency for their review and approval. Hopefully they had a chance to look at it on Friday, and if not then I'm REALLY hoping they will on Monday. Also, she emailed the same draft to her committee members for their review prior to their meeting on Tuesday. Once the committee approves it, it is sent to their Regional Director for his/her authorization and signature. Then, we have a completed HS!!!
I've been praying that we have our notarized copies of the HS by Friday, 12/14 so we can have our Dossier apostilled asap. I resigned myself today to the fact that my deadline may be unrealistic... I admit that I'm very disappointed but there is nothing I can do about it but pray and ask all of you to do the same.
I did have encouragement today after reading Randy & Susan's blog. Susan unfortunately ran into some unexpected snags with her HS as well (and NO that is not the encouragement I am referring to!!). A comment left on Susan's blog explained that had it not been for some of the delays that person experienced in her own adoption, she wouldn't have received the referral she did because her daughter wouldn't have been off the registry yet. So it all comes back to God's timing being better than our own. Very difficult to understand sometimes, but so very important to remember!
On a different note, I had a wonderful conversation a few days agao with "Linda" at the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office in regards to have our dossier apostilled. Since the HS is taking longer than we expected, I wanted to know if we could hand deliver our dossier and wait for it to be apostilled. "Linda" was so excited to hear about our adoption and she is so friendly! She assured me that we could bring it in person and wait for everything. So, believe you me, there's a trip to Richmond in my near future! Thankfully it's only about an hour from my house - even better!
Monday, December 3, 2007
Home Study Update - Where We Go From Here!
Last Tuesday, Nov. 27, we were able to review the first draft of our HS. Other than a few typo's it looked great. That, plus we're still waiting for 2 clearances to come back: CPS (Child Protective Services) and fingerprints. Both of these items were mailed to their respective agencies on Oct. 31 and we were told that typically it takes a month to get the reports back. Please join us in our prayer request that the SW receives these reports in the next few days, along with Judy's criminal history that we had to resubmit a few weeks ago. I don't know if the Thanksgiving holiday will cause any delays...
Once the missing reports are received, our SW will bring the HS to her committee for review and final approval. After that approval, our HS will be DONE!!!! Normally the committee meets on Tuesdays but I'm hoping they can (and will!) call a special meeting as soon as the SW plugs the missing info in. I am really hoping we can have our copies of the HS in our hands by Friday, Dec. 14 at the latest.
As soon as the HS is complete, we can finally submit our I600A - the Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition - to the US Immigration office. Unfortunately our state will not begin processing the I600A without the finalized HS attached. Some states will begin processing the I600A while waiting for the HS. We're not that lucky.
When I first heard about the delay with filing our I600A I was super discouraged. I was even more discouraged when our immigration field office told my husband that it would take them 4-5 months to process our form once it was submitted. Now, however, it appears that they have shortened that time to 3 months. Still a long time, but I can deal with 3 months better than 5 months!
I didn't realize that we could travel on our first trip without having submitted our I600A but we can!! After my agency explained this to us, they also told us that our current timeline could mean that we make our first trip as early as February. Woo-Hoo!! I never imagined traveling to Russia, much less smack in the middle of winter. So my CHRISTmas list this year definitely includes hand warmers!
Before we get our travel dates, though, we need to complete our Dossier...
Okay, take a deep breath with me & we'll continue on -
I've mentioned the Dossier briefly in another post but I don't believe I went into much detail. I know you're all sitting on pins & needles to see (1) what the heck a dossier is if you don't know already and (2) where we are in THAT process! I'll leave the specifics of our Dossier for tomorrow. Just know for now that at this point, we are responsible for cutting down a small rain forest... Bad as a closet tree hugger but VERY GOOD as a mom to be!
Once the missing reports are received, our SW will bring the HS to her committee for review and final approval. After that approval, our HS will be DONE!!!! Normally the committee meets on Tuesdays but I'm hoping they can (and will!) call a special meeting as soon as the SW plugs the missing info in. I am really hoping we can have our copies of the HS in our hands by Friday, Dec. 14 at the latest.
As soon as the HS is complete, we can finally submit our I600A - the Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition - to the US Immigration office. Unfortunately our state will not begin processing the I600A without the finalized HS attached. Some states will begin processing the I600A while waiting for the HS. We're not that lucky.
When I first heard about the delay with filing our I600A I was super discouraged. I was even more discouraged when our immigration field office told my husband that it would take them 4-5 months to process our form once it was submitted. Now, however, it appears that they have shortened that time to 3 months. Still a long time, but I can deal with 3 months better than 5 months!
I didn't realize that we could travel on our first trip without having submitted our I600A but we can!! After my agency explained this to us, they also told us that our current timeline could mean that we make our first trip as early as February. Woo-Hoo!! I never imagined traveling to Russia, much less smack in the middle of winter. So my CHRISTmas list this year definitely includes hand warmers!
Before we get our travel dates, though, we need to complete our Dossier...
Okay, take a deep breath with me & we'll continue on -
I've mentioned the Dossier briefly in another post but I don't believe I went into much detail. I know you're all sitting on pins & needles to see (1) what the heck a dossier is if you don't know already and (2) where we are in THAT process! I'll leave the specifics of our Dossier for tomorrow. Just know for now that at this point, we are responsible for cutting down a small rain forest... Bad as a closet tree hugger but VERY GOOD as a mom to be!
Saturday, December 1, 2007
I Should’ve had a V-8 before starting the IA process!!
I just crack up at the new V-8 commercials where someone is bopped in the forehead for not having their vegetable servings for the day. I especially love the one where a man is feeding his veggies to a Golden Retriever under the table. After the secret hand off, a paw reaches up & taps the guy on his arm. He looks under the table and one would expect to see a drooling mess of a dog begging for more. Instead, the dog bops him on the forehead as if to say “Duh!” instead of “Gimme more!!”. I laugh at this particular V-8 commercial the most because in our house, it would just NEVER happen. Never! There would be no pleasantries from our dogs, no thank you, no subtle reminder that we should have eaten our veggies. Just that drooling mess of a dog that I mentioned above.
So anyway - - over the past few days I’ve been consumed with thoughts on how exactly we can finance our adoption journey. Initially we had two main courses of action, neither of which is working out quite like we had hoped.
I’ve been focusing on the negative side of this whole thing, and wondering if somehow I’ve gotten this all wrong. It sounds silly now, but admittedly I did start to question whether God intends for us to adopt, or maybe we aren’t supposed to adopt internationally. All kinds of irrational, negative things have been running through my mind over the past few days. At one point I thought that perhaps we needed to pull out of this before we ended up getting our hearts broken yet again on our path to parenthood.
Then, one morning this week after taking a shower, God placed me in my very own V-8 commercial. It wasn’t one of my dogs bopping me in the head for giving them veggies. No, instead it was Him walloping me in the head telling me to relax and let Him handle things. I realized that perhaps, just maybe, He has a better plan for financing our adoption if I would only let go and trust Him completely.
Even as Christians we shouldn’t expect things to just be handed to us. It’s never that simple! There is a certain amount of work that we need to do on our end in order to get the results we want. I think this is one of the most difficult things that new Believers and non-Believers have a hard time understanding. I also think it is one of the most difficult things that seasoned-Believers have a hard time explaining and sometimes dealing with themselves. Just because God has called us down this path doesn’t mean it’s just going to happen. We have work to do – lots of it! – from completing paperwork, to getting fingerprinted numerous times, to seeing different doctors, to writing checks, to preparing and educating ourselves and our pets for the arrival of a little one, to now trying to find creative ways to finance our child’s future. Is it difficult? You bet! Is it worth it? Absolutely!
This journey while at times frustrating and nerve wracking, has already allowed me to grow in so many ways as a Christian, a wife, and a mom-to-be. I can only hope that by reading this blog and watching this miracle unfold, there are others who will also grow to know God and the awesome, amazing things that can (and will!) happen in your life as you learn to place your trust in Him.
So now I invite you to go grab a few V-8’s of your own – literally or figuratively - and continue traveling with us to our little one(s) waiting in Russia!
In Him,
Kar
So anyway - - over the past few days I’ve been consumed with thoughts on how exactly we can finance our adoption journey. Initially we had two main courses of action, neither of which is working out quite like we had hoped.
I’ve been focusing on the negative side of this whole thing, and wondering if somehow I’ve gotten this all wrong. It sounds silly now, but admittedly I did start to question whether God intends for us to adopt, or maybe we aren’t supposed to adopt internationally. All kinds of irrational, negative things have been running through my mind over the past few days. At one point I thought that perhaps we needed to pull out of this before we ended up getting our hearts broken yet again on our path to parenthood.
Then, one morning this week after taking a shower, God placed me in my very own V-8 commercial. It wasn’t one of my dogs bopping me in the head for giving them veggies. No, instead it was Him walloping me in the head telling me to relax and let Him handle things. I realized that perhaps, just maybe, He has a better plan for financing our adoption if I would only let go and trust Him completely.
Even as Christians we shouldn’t expect things to just be handed to us. It’s never that simple! There is a certain amount of work that we need to do on our end in order to get the results we want. I think this is one of the most difficult things that new Believers and non-Believers have a hard time understanding. I also think it is one of the most difficult things that seasoned-Believers have a hard time explaining and sometimes dealing with themselves. Just because God has called us down this path doesn’t mean it’s just going to happen. We have work to do – lots of it! – from completing paperwork, to getting fingerprinted numerous times, to seeing different doctors, to writing checks, to preparing and educating ourselves and our pets for the arrival of a little one, to now trying to find creative ways to finance our child’s future. Is it difficult? You bet! Is it worth it? Absolutely!
This journey while at times frustrating and nerve wracking, has already allowed me to grow in so many ways as a Christian, a wife, and a mom-to-be. I can only hope that by reading this blog and watching this miracle unfold, there are others who will also grow to know God and the awesome, amazing things that can (and will!) happen in your life as you learn to place your trust in Him.
So now I invite you to go grab a few V-8’s of your own – literally or figuratively - and continue traveling with us to our little one(s) waiting in Russia!
In Him,
Kar
Thanksgiving Update
WOW - it seems like I have been waiting forever to be able to post anything! For some reason, we have had very limited internet access this week. This post isn't necessarily adoption related but I did want to share a few photos from our Thanksgiving week.
Great Room & Foyer Christmas decorations. (Note: The door on the right of the catwalk leads to the nursery.)
Very tired pups after company left (sorry for the spooky eyes!) Our friend's 12 year old son wore them out!!
Great Room & Foyer Christmas decorations. (Note: The door on the right of the catwalk leads to the nursery.)
Very tired pups after company left (sorry for the spooky eyes!) Our friend's 12 year old son wore them out!!
Visiting the Fredericksburg Battlefield with out of town guests
Attack of the Paparazzi!! (Judy hates having her picture taken so paparazzi hid behind bushes to get this shot!)
Friday, November 30, 2007
Welcome Baby Hailey!
One of my (many) cousins in Florida delivered a beautiful baby girl on Wednesday! Welcome to the world and to our family Hailey! I can't wait to see pictures...
It's moments like this that really make me miss my dad, sister, niece & nephew, grandpa, my mom's huband, my aunts and uncles and my many, many (many!) cousins. I love you all & hope to be home again soon.
Oh, and Hailey shares her birthday with someone I respect and love very much - my dad!
Congratulations on your baby girl! SEND PHOTOS!! :-)
It's moments like this that really make me miss my dad, sister, niece & nephew, grandpa, my mom's huband, my aunts and uncles and my many, many (many!) cousins. I love you all & hope to be home again soon.
Oh, and Hailey shares her birthday with someone I respect and love very much - my dad!
Congratulations on your baby girl! SEND PHOTOS!! :-)
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Doggie Hague Requirements
Per Federal regulations and the Hague Standard (pronounced heyg), Norm and I are required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of education courses regarding IA issues. We actually finished our courses a few weeks ago and they were all very informative.
I love my dogs. Love them. I admit, I am a nutty dog person. And I'm proud of that. Is my husband proud of my nuttiness? Not so much! :-) I constantly embarrass him in public by asking complete strangers if I can pet their dog, and then go on and on about my own. My dogs are the reason I became involved in animal rescue, and why I do my best to educate prospective pet families about the relationship their children will have with a pet they try to adopt from me or one of my rescue affiliates.
My own dogs have grown accustomed to receiving constant attention and why not? They're fabulous dogs! However, they do need to get used to the thought of a little one running around soon. So, I've created my own version of Doggie Hague Requirements!
Meet their surrogate baby brother/sister. (Yes people, it's a doll!)
We have been using this doll to help Bailey & Bandit learn proper baby manners. Unfortunately, this is NOT what we had in mind:
(Hence the "Dingo's got my baby!" reference earlier this week).
Obviously the first introduction didn't go as we had planned, but keep in mind that the picture looks way worse than it actually was. Bandit (a.k.a. Buddy) was yawning and was too close to the doll, so it looks like he's biting its leg.
Bay & Buddy are also getting a primer in baby noises, thanks to the "Preparing Fido" CD I found online last weekend:
We have an intercom system throughout the house and there is no escape for the pups when we pop the CD in. (Which translates into no escape for us either! Hmmm..whose ideas was this?) When the CD is playing we place the doll by the speaker so that they can start to associate the noises with it. It's hilarious to watch them twist their heads at the high pitched cries. At first they were very interested and curious about what all the ruckus was but now they're getting used to all of it.
I'm also going to speak to a few trainer friends of mine to see if they can give us any additional advice as to how to make this transition as smooth for all of us as possible. For now, though, my pups are progressing along very nicely with their Hague training! But then again, they are brilliant!
I love my dogs. Love them. I admit, I am a nutty dog person. And I'm proud of that. Is my husband proud of my nuttiness? Not so much! :-) I constantly embarrass him in public by asking complete strangers if I can pet their dog, and then go on and on about my own. My dogs are the reason I became involved in animal rescue, and why I do my best to educate prospective pet families about the relationship their children will have with a pet they try to adopt from me or one of my rescue affiliates.
My own dogs have grown accustomed to receiving constant attention and why not? They're fabulous dogs! However, they do need to get used to the thought of a little one running around soon. So, I've created my own version of Doggie Hague Requirements!
Meet their surrogate baby brother/sister. (Yes people, it's a doll!)
We have been using this doll to help Bailey & Bandit learn proper baby manners. Unfortunately, this is NOT what we had in mind:
(Hence the "Dingo's got my baby!" reference earlier this week).
Obviously the first introduction didn't go as we had planned, but keep in mind that the picture looks way worse than it actually was. Bandit (a.k.a. Buddy) was yawning and was too close to the doll, so it looks like he's biting its leg.
Bay & Buddy are also getting a primer in baby noises, thanks to the "Preparing Fido" CD I found online last weekend:
We have an intercom system throughout the house and there is no escape for the pups when we pop the CD in. (Which translates into no escape for us either! Hmmm..whose ideas was this?) When the CD is playing we place the doll by the speaker so that they can start to associate the noises with it. It's hilarious to watch them twist their heads at the high pitched cries. At first they were very interested and curious about what all the ruckus was but now they're getting used to all of it.
I'm also going to speak to a few trainer friends of mine to see if they can give us any additional advice as to how to make this transition as smooth for all of us as possible. For now, though, my pups are progressing along very nicely with their Hague training! But then again, they are brilliant!
Friday, November 16, 2007
4 Down - NONE to go!
Despite the lack of posting, we have been pretty busy on the adoption front this week. We had our final visit with the SW - at our house - today. Here's a brief overview of what we covered with her:
- Signing a few new forms: the first had to do with interstate adoption which is necessary in case we decide to adopt domestically instead of internationally. Let's say a birthmother in another state somehow hears of our intent to adopt and would like to place her child with us. If we choose to switch to a domestic adoption rather than IA, we may do so and our HS agency will support us in that decision. However, the interstate agreement states that we need to follow the laws of BOTH states, not just the laws of Virginia.
- By signing the second form, we both acknowledged and agreed that there are alternative forms of discipline other than corporal punishment.
- We then discussed our desired child at great length. We are still asking for a relatively heahtlhy child under the age of 2. With that said, however, there are realistically some conditions that our child may have but won't present themselves until he/she is in school. We also stated that we would be open for twins or a sibling group. We are still going with our original decision to not specify a gender.
- She then took a tour of the house, met and interviewed Judy for the first time, and also met our wonderful dogs. Somehow she missed the cats. Not sure how that happened since they were sunbathing on our bed when she walked in our bedroom... But I'm sure they were much happier not being noticed!
- She gave us a list of things she is still waiting for such as: (1) one personal reference letter, (2) our pastor's reference letter, (3) our clearances from CPS (child protective services), (4) Judy's criminal history, which as I explained a few days ago had to be resubmitted.
- I was THRILLED to find out I completed the dreaded 5 page financial statement correctly.
- Norm completed the Fire Escape Plan, which we submitted today
- We both completed our Daily Schedules and also submitted them today.
I do have another homework assignment to keep me busy. She asked me to make a list of everything we have done, read, or whatever to prepare and educate ourselves on adoption issues. A few days ago I ordered our child's first books - "Mishka" and "When I Met You." Both of these books are geared specifically towards children adopted from Russia or Eastern Europe. I received them today and they're great. I also have a ton of books and magazines that Norm and I have been reading over the past 2 years. So it shouldn't be that difficult to prepare this list and I've given myself a deadline of Sunday to email it to her.
Depending on how closely you've been following our journey, you may have noticed a new slide show on the right sidebar. Last weekend Chef Judy, Norm & I went to BabiesRUs just to "look." Yeah....right! We saw a beautiful crib that we all actually agreed on, which of course meant we couldn't pass it up. We also all agreed on the bedding, the border and the valance... WOAH! Now this was just fate! So, the new slideshow depicts how we spent our evenings this past week. Hmmm...maybe I shouldn't say "we" because Norm and Judy really did the vast majority of the work. I'm allergic to paint so I couldn't help much with that part. I helped by staying out of the way!
Now, I know many of you may be thinking it is way too early in this process for us to be setting up the nursery, painting, putting up borders and assembling cribs. I must be honest and tell you that at first I thought the same thing. However, after having a few stressful days this week I can say that it is inspiring to have that room set up and simply waiting to be occupied. It is my assurance that this WILL happen, even if we encounter bumps along the way. It is my reminder that while God and I have the same goal, we do have different time lines. His time line is not only going to trump my own, his time line is much better than I can even begin to imagine right now!
There's more to write but I'll sign off for now and catch you up on the rest of the week's happenings tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the nursery photos!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
4 Steps Forward, ½ Step Back
I think the last time I posted was on Wednesday after Norm had his personal interview with the SW. Since then we’ve checked a few more things off of our “TO DO” list and had one very minor setback. First, the good news…
Progress!
- Thursday our SW visited one of our personal references in their home. I had no idea what to expect for our friends, J & M, during this visit or how long it would take. After seeing the form our other personal references had to complete (4 PAGES that weren’t even multiple choice or “yes/no”!!), I expected the worst for poor J & M. Well, I’m not sure if I expected the worst FOR them or FROM “J”!! J You see, they are great friends of ours but “J” and & I constantly pick on and harass each other. He is more like a big brother and I LOVE to pester him! He had been teasing me up until Thursday with things he supposedly had planned to tell the SW…all wonderful things about Norm but not so good things about me. Of course, I knew he was kidding around (and made it very clear that he BETTER be kidding around) and I’m proud to report that he did indeed behave himself! Thank you, J!
- Our SW emailed me on Friday to tell me that she had already received our criminal histories back…and neither of us are criminals!
- Norm completed his daily schedule
- And finally….I COMPLETED THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT!! I plan to reward myself with a hot fudge & peanut butter sundae from Buster’s Ice Cream tomorrow! Yum!!
Now, I do have a financial statement that I have to complete for the dossier but surprisingly it isn’t as complicated as the one I just completed for the home study. (The HS form was 5 pages long!) I should be able to just copy the info that is the same onto the dossier statement and we’re good to go.
And now for the setback :-(
- Our SW also wrote in her Friday email that the criminal history form she had us fill out for Chef Judy was apparently the wrong form. We need to redo it, renotarize it, and remail it. This really is a relatively minor issue. Oh, and for those of you who may not know who Chef Judy is, “meet” Norm’s mom. She has lived with us for the past year and as an adult household member, there are certain forms and steps she needs to take as well.
As far as I’m concerned, my finishing the financial statement far outweighs having to redo Judy’s criminal history forms.
I think that about covers it for now. We had a pretty full day of activities today – but I’ll wait until tomorrow to bring you up to date on all of that fun. Here’s a prelude though…color schemes, patterns, hex wrench, and stuffed animals!
Oh, and does anyone remember this line from a movie –
“THE DINGO’S GOT MY BABY!!!” Stay tuned…
Have a blessed evening!
Tig & Kar
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
OOPSIE-Email link works now
Okay - I'm going for a record here - 3 posts in one evening!
I had no idea that our email link wasn't working. THANK YOU SEESTOR for letting me know! The link on the sidebar has been fixed - just in case though feel free to drop us a line at karyn0995@yahoo.com.
I had no idea that our email link wasn't working. THANK YOU SEESTOR for letting me know! The link on the sidebar has been fixed - just in case though feel free to drop us a line at karyn0995@yahoo.com.
I've Been Tagged!
There's a first time for everything - and this is the first time I've been "tagged"! Woo-hoo! I feel like a true blogger now! Susan tagged me on her blog - so here goes... Job's I've Had:
1. Prosecutor Office Manager
2. IT Trainer
3. Air National Guard
4. United States Air Force
5. Paralegal
1. Prosecutor Office Manager
2. IT Trainer
3. Air National Guard
4. United States Air Force
5. Paralegal
Places I've Lived:
1. Northern Virginia
2. Andrews AFB
3. Brooks AFB
4. Lackland AFB
5. West Palm Beach, FL
1. Northern Virginia
2. Andrews AFB
3. Brooks AFB
4. Lackland AFB
5. West Palm Beach, FL
Foods I Love:
1. Chocolate
2. French Fries
3. Chocolate
4. Italian
5. Chocolate
1. Chocolate
2. French Fries
3. Chocolate
4. Italian
5. Chocolate
Places I'd Rather Be:
Home from our 2nd trip to Russia!
Home from our 2nd trip to Russia!
Places I've Traveled:
1. Yikes! Might be easier to say where I haven’t been!
2. Nearly everywhere in the US
4. Hawaii
5. England
6. Italy
7. But my favorite is Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
1. Yikes! Might be easier to say where I haven’t been!
2. Nearly everywhere in the US
4. Hawaii
5. England
6. Italy
7. But my favorite is Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Movies I Love:
1. Meet the Faukers
2. Bourne movies
3. Somewhere in Time
4. Land Before Time
5. Grease
1. Meet the Faukers
2. Bourne movies
3. Somewhere in Time
4. Land Before Time
5. Grease
Shows I Watch:
1. Lost
2. Amazing Race
3. Dirty Jobs
4. NCIS
5. The Unit
1. Lost
2. Amazing Race
3. Dirty Jobs
4. NCIS
5. The Unit
Books I Love:
1. Marley – The World’s “Worst” Dog
2. Harry Potter (all!)
3. Anything really – I love to read!
1. Marley – The World’s “Worst” Dog
2. Harry Potter (all!)
3. Anything really – I love to read!
Your Favorite Physical Feature About You:
Hmmm…I guess it would be my smile. It reminds me of my mom, whose smile was warm and genuine and filled with love.
Hmmm…I guess it would be my smile. It reminds me of my mom, whose smile was warm and genuine and filled with love.
Current CD In Your CD Player:
1. Casting Crowns
2. Avalon
3. Barlowgirl
4. Big Daddy Weave
5. Jars of Clay
6. Third Day
1. Casting Crowns
2. Avalon
3. Barlowgirl
4. Big Daddy Weave
5. Jars of Clay
6. Third Day
3 Down 1 To Go
Wow - it seems like just yesterday I posted about our first official HS interview, and here we are with only 1 visit left now. Norm had his individual appointment this morning at 9am. I couldn't concentrate on anything at work until he called me at 10 to let me know he was headed back home. (He works from home - lucky him!) Once again my anxities proved to be unfounded. All went fine but we do have a few minor homework assignments.
- I need to finish the dreaded financial statement
- We both need to complete our "desired child" profile
- Norm needs to finish the fire escape plan
- We both need to complete our daily schedule outlines
Tomorrow our SW is making a home visit to one of our 3 personal referrals. Then, next Friday, she comes out for the interview at our house and well, we're done after that! She is still waiting for replies from some of the outside agencies. Once she gets all of those responses, she writes her report and the HS is done! So far all of it is going much quicker than I thought it would. Let's hope the journey continues to go so smoothly!
Monday, November 5, 2007
I Survived
Hey everybody!
Let's take a quick poll...how many of you remembered that today was my personal interview with the SW?! I'm sure you are all sitting on pins & needles waiting to see how it went. Well, as the title of this entry suggests I did, infact, survive!
As with our joint interview it wasn't bad at all. She referred to my autobiography and "filled in the holes" that were needed to complete her report. We talked a little about how Norm & I met, our "courtship" (BTW - does anyone actually use that term anymore??), my hobbies and interests, clubs I'm a member of, etc. I was perfectly at ease and started to actually enjoy our conversation. Imagine that...
She then asked questions about my family and childhood. All good of course - you did an EXCELLENT job daddy! Rob, of course you are an EXCELLENT seestor as well!
She also asked a lot of questions about my mom, who sadly lost her battle with cancer in 2003. I held up well in the interview but now that I'm home, I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty sad that my mom and my child will not know each other in this life. I really wish my mom were here to share this experience with. I am comforted knowing she is in heaven - - playing and cuddling with the two little ones I lost in 2006 & 2000. I know all 3 of them are restored and healthy, as are Great-Grandmother, Grandmother, Grandma, Grandaddy, Uncle Buddy, Uncle Bill, Auntie Nedra, Ti Lidia, Meme, Ti Alice, and all of our other loved ones who have passed before us. (I apologize for those I didn't specifically name.) Each of these family members and friends is watching over Norm & me as we immerse ourselves into our adoption miracle. Your and their love is felt, is needed, and is so very appreciated!
We're off to our Small Group Bible study. Enjoy the rest of your evening!
Kar
Let's take a quick poll...how many of you remembered that today was my personal interview with the SW?! I'm sure you are all sitting on pins & needles waiting to see how it went. Well, as the title of this entry suggests I did, infact, survive!
As with our joint interview it wasn't bad at all. She referred to my autobiography and "filled in the holes" that were needed to complete her report. We talked a little about how Norm & I met, our "courtship" (BTW - does anyone actually use that term anymore??), my hobbies and interests, clubs I'm a member of, etc. I was perfectly at ease and started to actually enjoy our conversation. Imagine that...
She then asked questions about my family and childhood. All good of course - you did an EXCELLENT job daddy! Rob, of course you are an EXCELLENT seestor as well!
She also asked a lot of questions about my mom, who sadly lost her battle with cancer in 2003. I held up well in the interview but now that I'm home, I have to admit that I'm feeling pretty sad that my mom and my child will not know each other in this life. I really wish my mom were here to share this experience with. I am comforted knowing she is in heaven - - playing and cuddling with the two little ones I lost in 2006 & 2000. I know all 3 of them are restored and healthy, as are Great-Grandmother, Grandmother, Grandma, Grandaddy, Uncle Buddy, Uncle Bill, Auntie Nedra, Ti Lidia, Meme, Ti Alice, and all of our other loved ones who have passed before us. (I apologize for those I didn't specifically name.) Each of these family members and friends is watching over Norm & me as we immerse ourselves into our adoption miracle. Your and their love is felt, is needed, and is so very appreciated!
We're off to our Small Group Bible study. Enjoy the rest of your evening!
Kar
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Questions and Answers
Good evening! I thought I'd answer some of the common questions Norm & I have been asked since we created the blog. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back & relax for a bit. Happy reading!
Q: Are you adopting a boy or a girl?
A: We're not sure because we didn't specify a gender preference. However, there are more boys available for adoption in Russia than girls. We're assuming at this point that we will most likely receive a referral for a little boy. (KERI - read that sentence again!!)
Q: Referral? What's that?
A: Once a child is available to be adopted by a US family, the family receives a "referral" for that child. In most instances, the family has 2 weeks to either accept or decline the referral. The referral may give us limited medical and personal info, as well as photographs. (NOTE: There are some regions in Russia where you travel "blind", which means that you do not receive a referral prior to traveling. You are just given dates and are introduced to a child or children when you arrive.)
Q: When will your baby come home?
A: Again, we're not entirely sure. Here's why -
Q: Are you adopting a boy or a girl?
A: We're not sure because we didn't specify a gender preference. However, there are more boys available for adoption in Russia than girls. We're assuming at this point that we will most likely receive a referral for a little boy. (KERI - read that sentence again!!)
Q: Referral? What's that?
A: Once a child is available to be adopted by a US family, the family receives a "referral" for that child. In most instances, the family has 2 weeks to either accept or decline the referral. The referral may give us limited medical and personal info, as well as photographs. (NOTE: There are some regions in Russia where you travel "blind", which means that you do not receive a referral prior to traveling. You are just given dates and are introduced to a child or children when you arrive.)
Q: When will your baby come home?
A: Again, we're not entirely sure. Here's why -
- In addition to the home study, there is a ton of paperwork that needs to be done, known as the Dossier (pronounced dah-see-ay). A lot depends on how quickly we can complete and submit our Dossier.
- Once the Dossier is submitted it is translated into Russian and we are assigned a region.
- After we are assigned a region we will eventually receive our referral. If we accept our referral, we will make our first trip to Russia shortly thereafter. The first trip is typically 5-7 days. We will meet our child during this trip and, hopefully, officially accept the referral. Sadly, we will have to return home without our child and wait to receive our court and travel dates for the 2nd trip.
- Between the 1st and 2nd trips, we will have to complete MORE papers for our Dossier. Again, the quicker we get the 2nd set of documents ready, the quicker we may receive our travel dates for the 2nd trip.
- Once we do get our 2nd travel dates, we will go back to Russia for our court date. This trip will last approximately 21 days. Then, we come home again but this time with our child!
- NOTE: Our agency currently seems to be receiving referrals and travel dates much quicker than other agencies we spoke to. On average, the couples we spoke to who used (or are using) the same agency as us said their timeline, from start to finish, was between 6-8 months.
Q: Are you adopting more than 1 child?
A: Possibly. We would be open to adopting twins/siblings but we are also open to adopting 1 child.
Q: So, how old will your child be?
A: Guess how I'm going to answer this one? That's right...we're not exactly sure! Seems to be a theme here, huh? You see, children in Russia must be on a national database for 9-10 months prior to becoming eligible for adoption by foreigners. This gives their birth family a chance to make sure they made the right decision and also gives other Russian families a chance to adopt them. So, our child will be at least 9-10 months old when we bring him/her/them home. When you factor in all of our travel time, realistically our child will be closer to 12-15 months old. Here's what I CAN tell you - we requested a relatively healthy child who is 24 months old or younger.
Okay, I think that covers the questions re our little one. If I left anything out, drop us a line. We'll be here!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
More Than Just Talking...
There is more to the HS (home study) than the 4 visits with the SW that I mentioned a few days ago. We were given a rather lengthy list of documents we needed to round up as well. Our SW will use the info from the interviews, as well as the items listed below, to write a report and determine whether or not we are suitable parents for our little one.
For Us To Do
Recent, close up photos of us
Require Reading - Raising Adopted Children
Fire Escape Plan
Description of our Daily Schedules (Hmmm…BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER home study/dossier prep work??!!)
Financial Statement w/ Verification Documents
Waiting on Outside Agencies
References: 3 personal friends and family members – names given to SW to contact
Child Protective Services Release of Information – mailed 10/31/07
National Background Checks – mailed 10/30/07
COMPLETED Home Study Items
Complete physicals for all household members
Autobiographies (5 pages!!)
Copies of Birth Certs
Copy of Marriage License
Life Insurance Verification
Income from Previous Year
Driving Transcripts for last 10 years
Criminal History Records
Sworn Disclosure Statements
References - Employers
DD214 for both of us
10 Hr. Online Training as per Hague Treaty
Require Reading - How it Feels to be Adopted
Releases of Information for International Agency & USCIS (2)
So, we’re doing a pretty good job on this stuff. The financial statement is going to cause me the most grief though because you need back up statements/verification for each & every expense or asset you have. It’s just going to be a bit painful to get through but we’ll manage. Or, I should say I’LL manage because Norm is staying far, far away from this particular document. Instead, he’ll busy himself with the Fire Escape Plan. Lucky him…he gets to draw! Grrrr……
For Us To Do
Recent, close up photos of us
Require Reading - Raising Adopted Children
Fire Escape Plan
Description of our Daily Schedules (Hmmm…BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER home study/dossier prep work??!!)
Financial Statement w/ Verification Documents
Waiting on Outside Agencies
References: 3 personal friends and family members – names given to SW to contact
Child Protective Services Release of Information – mailed 10/31/07
National Background Checks – mailed 10/30/07
COMPLETED Home Study Items
Complete physicals for all household members
Autobiographies (5 pages!!)
Copies of Birth Certs
Copy of Marriage License
Life Insurance Verification
Income from Previous Year
Driving Transcripts for last 10 years
Criminal History Records
Sworn Disclosure Statements
References - Employers
DD214 for both of us
10 Hr. Online Training as per Hague Treaty
Require Reading - How it Feels to be Adopted
Releases of Information for International Agency & USCIS (2)
So, we’re doing a pretty good job on this stuff. The financial statement is going to cause me the most grief though because you need back up statements/verification for each & every expense or asset you have. It’s just going to be a bit painful to get through but we’ll manage. Or, I should say I’LL manage because Norm is staying far, far away from this particular document. Instead, he’ll busy himself with the Fire Escape Plan. Lucky him…he gets to draw! Grrrr……
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
1 Down - 3 To Go! :-)
Hellooooo!
For those of you who aren't familiar with the International Adoption ("IA") process, I decided to post entries for the different steps Norm & I will need to take over the coming months. First is the Home Study.
The Home Study is a series of interviews with our social worker ("SW") during which EVERY aspect of our lives in scrutinized. We're asked very personal questions about our marriage, our families, our finances, our beliefs, our work experience, our pets, who we went to the prom with, who our Kindergarten classmates were, what type of deoderant we use, why I like the color purple....blah blah blah!
Okay, so it's really not quite THAT bad, but some of the questions are pretty intrusive. We will have to meet with the SW for a total of 4 times - the first is a joint interview, the 2nd is just me, the 3rd is just Norm, and the 4th she comes out to our house.
Yesterday was our first "official" interview. I had been pretty nervous about the meeting but as it turns out, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. She asked us a lot of questions about our military background (she's not very familiar with the military AT ALL!). She then asked us about our strengths and weaknesses. And then...it was over! Sheesh - why did I get myself all worked up??!! In between the military & strengths/weaknesses, our conversation did take a few turns and we covered a lot of ground in that 60 minutes, but again it wasn't what I expected at all.
So, my personal interview is next Monday, and Norm's is next Wednesday. Wish us luck! Before those meetings we each have to write a 5 page autobiograpy. Oh joy! Actually, mine is already done, but I love to write! (As if you haven't figured that out yet...)
The autobiography asks questions about your family, childhood, etc. Sooooo, Robyn, now U.S. and Russian officials will know exactly how you tortured me growing up and why I'm so freaked out by eyeballs!! JUST KIDDING SEESTOR! :-)
Anyway, it's good to have this first interview done. Hopefully the next 3 will go just as smoothly!
For those of you who aren't familiar with the International Adoption ("IA") process, I decided to post entries for the different steps Norm & I will need to take over the coming months. First is the Home Study.
The Home Study is a series of interviews with our social worker ("SW") during which EVERY aspect of our lives in scrutinized. We're asked very personal questions about our marriage, our families, our finances, our beliefs, our work experience, our pets, who we went to the prom with, who our Kindergarten classmates were, what type of deoderant we use, why I like the color purple....blah blah blah!
Okay, so it's really not quite THAT bad, but some of the questions are pretty intrusive. We will have to meet with the SW for a total of 4 times - the first is a joint interview, the 2nd is just me, the 3rd is just Norm, and the 4th she comes out to our house.
Yesterday was our first "official" interview. I had been pretty nervous about the meeting but as it turns out, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. She asked us a lot of questions about our military background (she's not very familiar with the military AT ALL!). She then asked us about our strengths and weaknesses. And then...it was over! Sheesh - why did I get myself all worked up??!! In between the military & strengths/weaknesses, our conversation did take a few turns and we covered a lot of ground in that 60 minutes, but again it wasn't what I expected at all.
So, my personal interview is next Monday, and Norm's is next Wednesday. Wish us luck! Before those meetings we each have to write a 5 page autobiograpy. Oh joy! Actually, mine is already done, but I love to write! (As if you haven't figured that out yet...)
The autobiography asks questions about your family, childhood, etc. Sooooo, Robyn, now U.S. and Russian officials will know exactly how you tortured me growing up and why I'm so freaked out by eyeballs!! JUST KIDDING SEESTOR! :-)
Anyway, it's good to have this first interview done. Hopefully the next 3 will go just as smoothly!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
We've Only Just Begun!
Exciting Times!
Hello family, friends and blog lurkers! We have exciting news to share with everyone…
We have decided to follow God’s plan to build our family by adopting our child from Russia! Truth be told, Kar has always felt led to adopt but the whole idea has been too overwhelming, scary, frustrating and nerve wracking for her to do much more than “wish.” In October 2005, however, God began to work in her heart and transform her mind. She slowly began to realize that when God has a plan it’s best NOT to try and avoid it!!
Fast forward two years to October 2007 and the creation of our blog! Yes, this means we have finally applied to an agency and have officially been accepted. Let the fun begin!
We hope you are all as excited as we are, and that you’ll join us through the laughter, the tears, the good times and bad as we take embark on this journey of faith to finding our child in Russia!
Why Russia?
Here are a few stats we ran across while researching adoption:
More than 700,000 orphans are living in 2,000 state-run orphanages. Of those, 95% have a living parent either unable or unwilling to care for them. Sadly, that doesn't include the estimated 2 million to 4 million homeless orphans living on the streets and in railway stations…
Of those who are not adopted and leave the orphanage between the ages of 16 and 18:
α 50 percent of the girls become prostitutes
α 40 percent of the children become addicted to drugs or alcohol
α 40 percent commit crimes
α 10 percent commit suicide
As if that weren’t bad enough...
α Just 1 in 10 former Russian orphans becomes a functional member of society.
α 132,500 children are abandoned to the state in Russia every year, up from roughly 67,000 in 1992.
α Nearly 4,640 Russian orphans were adopted by Americans in 2005, down from a record 5,865 in 2004.
α 13 out of every 100 children adopted by Russians are eventually returned to the orphanage.
α 40 million children in the former Soviet Union are living in poverty.
Sources: Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Commission for Children at Risk, Human Rights Watch, European Children's Trust, Rosstat Agency
Why US??!!
Well, if you combine…
α our desire to start a family and
α our desire to follow God’s will for our lives
with
α the stats above AND
α with Psalm 41-1: “Blessed is he who considers the helpless”
…you have pretty good insight to how God has been speaking to our hearts!
How Can You Help?
Our estimated costs for adoption (and it’s a good idea to sit down now, if you aren’t already!) will be close to $40,000. That’s right…F-O-R-T-Y-T-H-O-U-S-A-N-D-D-O-L-L-A-R-S! Unfortunately that is not a typo! Yes, this amount is overwhelming and very scary to think about. However, we know that our expenses are well worth investing in the life of the precious child God has selected for us.
To make our adoption possible, we will need to seek grants and loans and other forms of help. Kar has already started working a part-time, mainly telecommuting, job at our church and we are working together as a team to get creative (yet LEGAL!) with our finances. We are willing to do what we need to bring our child home, but honestly we may not be able to do this completely on our own.
For anyone who feels led to help….We would like to invite you, our family and friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ, to also invest in our child’s future. We understand and appreciate that everyone’s situations are different, and people may be able to assist us in many different areas. Here are just a few ideas to keep in mind…
Prayer Requests
We have an immediate and on-going request for prayers. In your daily prayers please lift up requests for the health of our child, for the resources we need to make this adoption possible, for financial provisions, and for patience. Also, please also keep our child’s birth family in your prayers. Rejoice in the fact that his/her mother chose life for this precious little one, and pray that she is comforted knowing this baby will soon be in our loving home.
Financial Provision
Financial gifts of any amount is more than what we currently have and less that we will have to take a loan out for. Any – we stress any - token of generosity is greatly appreciated and valued. As such, we have set up a separate bank account to cover our adoption expenses. If you would like to make a contribution to our child’s future, please email us.
We understand that people may not be able to make a monetary donation at this time but would still like to help. If that is you, perhaps you can hold a garage sale or sell your unwanted items on E-Bay, and donate your proceeds to us.
Airline miles may be donated as well. We will need to make two trips to Russia, which is where a lot of the expenses stem from. Our 1st trip will be approximately 5-7 days, and our 2nd trip could be up to 21 days. Not only will we need to get from the US to Moscow, there is a chance we will need to do a lot of in country traveling as well. Russia is a HUGE country and our agency currently works in 6 regions. Our in country travel requirements will depend on the region we are assigned to.
Please stop by from time to time to catch up on our progress. We would also love to hear from you, so please also say hello or leave us words of encouragement when you check in!
Blessings to you all,
Normand & Kar
Hello family, friends and blog lurkers! We have exciting news to share with everyone…
We have decided to follow God’s plan to build our family by adopting our child from Russia! Truth be told, Kar has always felt led to adopt but the whole idea has been too overwhelming, scary, frustrating and nerve wracking for her to do much more than “wish.” In October 2005, however, God began to work in her heart and transform her mind. She slowly began to realize that when God has a plan it’s best NOT to try and avoid it!!
Fast forward two years to October 2007 and the creation of our blog! Yes, this means we have finally applied to an agency and have officially been accepted. Let the fun begin!
We hope you are all as excited as we are, and that you’ll join us through the laughter, the tears, the good times and bad as we take embark on this journey of faith to finding our child in Russia!
Why Russia?
Here are a few stats we ran across while researching adoption:
More than 700,000 orphans are living in 2,000 state-run orphanages. Of those, 95% have a living parent either unable or unwilling to care for them. Sadly, that doesn't include the estimated 2 million to 4 million homeless orphans living on the streets and in railway stations…
Of those who are not adopted and leave the orphanage between the ages of 16 and 18:
α 50 percent of the girls become prostitutes
α 40 percent of the children become addicted to drugs or alcohol
α 40 percent commit crimes
α 10 percent commit suicide
As if that weren’t bad enough...
α Just 1 in 10 former Russian orphans becomes a functional member of society.
α 132,500 children are abandoned to the state in Russia every year, up from roughly 67,000 in 1992.
α Nearly 4,640 Russian orphans were adopted by Americans in 2005, down from a record 5,865 in 2004.
α 13 out of every 100 children adopted by Russians are eventually returned to the orphanage.
α 40 million children in the former Soviet Union are living in poverty.
Sources: Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Commission for Children at Risk, Human Rights Watch, European Children's Trust, Rosstat Agency
Why US??!!
Well, if you combine…
α our desire to start a family and
α our desire to follow God’s will for our lives
with
α the stats above AND
α with Psalm 41-1: “Blessed is he who considers the helpless”
…you have pretty good insight to how God has been speaking to our hearts!
How Can You Help?
Our estimated costs for adoption (and it’s a good idea to sit down now, if you aren’t already!) will be close to $40,000. That’s right…F-O-R-T-Y-T-H-O-U-S-A-N-D-D-O-L-L-A-R-S! Unfortunately that is not a typo! Yes, this amount is overwhelming and very scary to think about. However, we know that our expenses are well worth investing in the life of the precious child God has selected for us.
To make our adoption possible, we will need to seek grants and loans and other forms of help. Kar has already started working a part-time, mainly telecommuting, job at our church and we are working together as a team to get creative (yet LEGAL!) with our finances. We are willing to do what we need to bring our child home, but honestly we may not be able to do this completely on our own.
For anyone who feels led to help….We would like to invite you, our family and friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ, to also invest in our child’s future. We understand and appreciate that everyone’s situations are different, and people may be able to assist us in many different areas. Here are just a few ideas to keep in mind…
Prayer Requests
We have an immediate and on-going request for prayers. In your daily prayers please lift up requests for the health of our child, for the resources we need to make this adoption possible, for financial provisions, and for patience. Also, please also keep our child’s birth family in your prayers. Rejoice in the fact that his/her mother chose life for this precious little one, and pray that she is comforted knowing this baby will soon be in our loving home.
Financial Provision
Financial gifts of any amount is more than what we currently have and less that we will have to take a loan out for. Any – we stress any - token of generosity is greatly appreciated and valued. As such, we have set up a separate bank account to cover our adoption expenses. If you would like to make a contribution to our child’s future, please email us.
We understand that people may not be able to make a monetary donation at this time but would still like to help. If that is you, perhaps you can hold a garage sale or sell your unwanted items on E-Bay, and donate your proceeds to us.
Airline miles may be donated as well. We will need to make two trips to Russia, which is where a lot of the expenses stem from. Our 1st trip will be approximately 5-7 days, and our 2nd trip could be up to 21 days. Not only will we need to get from the US to Moscow, there is a chance we will need to do a lot of in country traveling as well. Russia is a HUGE country and our agency currently works in 6 regions. Our in country travel requirements will depend on the region we are assigned to.
Please stop by from time to time to catch up on our progress. We would also love to hear from you, so please also say hello or leave us words of encouragement when you check in!
Blessings to you all,
Normand & Kar
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