dossier submitted

Today we drove 3 hours to our agency and submitted our dossier! The dossier has not been out of our hands since we started this process, so it felt very strange to let go of it and hand it over. It was also very exciting! We have thought about this day for so long, and it's hard to believe it's finally here. It's going to take a while for it to sink in. We are no longer paper chasing. WE ARE WAITING FOR A REFERRAL! YAY!

We just loved our agency's office. It's downtown, in an old Victorian house that has wonderful detailed woodwork, gingerbread, and high ceilings. C's office is upstairs with a fabulous bay window. Very cool!

We talked to C for 2 hours, and it was so helpful. We had prepared a list of questions, and we covered everything! We talked for a long time about regions. She went over each region in detail. We said we are open to traveling within Russia. So, we still don't know which region yet. It will be Moscow, Kemerovo, or possibly Kaluga. At this point, we don't have a preference. We're prepared to go wherever our baby is!

Our dossier will be going to Moscow next Tuesday (1/8/2008) for translation. It will be carried by another family. We don't know who is taking it, but we're so thankful. We're hoping when we travel we'll be able to do the same.

Our first trip will probably be mid-Feb. to early March. We're hoping it will be as early as possible! I'm very excited and ready to start packing! The waiting is going to be challenging.

We talked about age, and we're hoping for as young as possible. We also talked about potential health issues that can affect the babies and birth mothers. We feel like we're prepared now for whatever might arise as far as the medical information we'll receive. We talked about the blind referral if we do go to the Moscow region, and we are fine with that.

Since R has never flown before and I've never flown out of the country, we talked details about how to get our visas, and about flights.

There were pictures on the wall of the children who have been adopted, and they were all so adorable! I can't wait until we have a picture to send!

I'm so glad we had the chance to talk to C in person, and I'm so thankful that we are working with our agency.

I'm excited and SO ready to start packing! I'm going to be up late tonight, I think. My mind is just so full. It's going to be a while before I can calm down enough to go to sleep!

On another note, Susan and Randy had some difficult news today, and they are in our prayers.