medical forms very soon

This afternoon, as soon as R got off work, we jumped in the car and raced over to the doctor's office to have our TB tests read. Both were negative! I was very relieved! The nurse was so nice. She said that our lab work should be back on Monday, and then they could get our medical forms filled out very soon. She congratulated us, and asked us when we would be traveling. Their office has been so supportive, and we are very thankful for that.

I had ordered backpacks to use as our carry-on bags. They arrived today, but after looking at them, we decided that they are too small. So I ordered the same backpack in a slightly larger size, and we are sending the small ones back.

I emailed our agency to find out if our dossier had arrived in Moscow yet. Since the dossier is being delivered by DHL, we are anxious to hear that it arrived safely. They said they would talk to the Moscow office on Monday, but so far everything is fine. Please pray that it does arrive safely, and that it is translated quickly.

dossier on its way

I just found out that our dossier is being sent to Russia for translation today! YAY!
We thank God for getting us to this point in the process.

fbi surprise

This morning, I was reading the yahoo group for our agency, and people were posting about getting FBI fingerprints done. I didn't know what they were talking about, but I had a bad feeling, so I emailed C. She emailed me back this afternoon, and told me that we do need to get FBI fingerprints done. It will take 3-4 weeks to get the clearance, but we don't have to have it before our dossier is registered and our 1st trip. We just need to have it before we go to court. The prints are only good for 6 months, so if we had done them sooner, there would have been a risk of expiration. We're feeling a little frustrated, but it should turn out ok in the end.

Otherwise, our day went well. First thing this morning, we went to the doctor and had our lab work done. The nurse was wonderful. I didn't even feel the needle go in! She was done before we knew it. We gave her the medical forms to be filled out by our doctor, and hopefully, we'll get those back soon.

Then R. went to work and I went to the DMV. There was no crowd, and I didn't have to wait in line. Turns out they had assigned 2 different customer numbers to me. I signed a form saying that both customer numbers were one and the same person, and they got the account and address correct finally! The woman was very nice and helpful, and I was glad to get that straightened out. Now my tag has the correct sticker!

Nothing adoption related scheduled for tomorow! G. is coming over tomorrow afternoon, and I'm going to help her with her algebra. I'll enjoy seeing her and having some time with her.

a little more paperwork & a little more packing

Our agency received R's corrected and apostilled employment letter today, so that's another last bit of paperwork finished. All that remains now is the 171-H and our medical forms, which we're dealing with tomorrow. At 7:50am tomorrow, we're both going to the doctor to have our blood work and TB tests done, and we're dropping off the medical forms for our doctor to fill out. Sometimes we wonder if there is ever any communication between people in offices. When R made our appointments 2 weeks ago, he went over exactly which tests we were going to need and why. So of course, the office called me this morning to say they had no idea what lab work we needed tomorrow or why it was needed! It would be so nice if people talked to one another.

This afternoon, I went to the store and got a few more of the items on my list: neosporin, immodium, benadryl, small packs of kleenex, ziploc bags, disposable razors, a sink stopper, and a small led flashlight. It made me feel better to check some more off the list!

We also found out today that we have to go to the DMV tomorrow! Because we just haven't done enough paperwork lately! When we got married, I changed my name on my driver's license, and then when we moved into this house, I changed the address on my driver's license. I thought they had changed everything, but my car, tag, and taxes were all still listed under my maiden name and our old address. I never got the sticker for my tag, because it was sent to the old address. The post office didn't forward it because it was listed under my maiden name. So now I have an expired tag, and I have to go to the DMV tomorrow to get it all straightened out. Thanks to the adoption, I just happened to have extra certified copies of our marriage license! R was laughing at me, becuase in less than 10 minutes, I had the form printed off the DMV website and in a folder, along with the marriage license, tax receipt, and car title. I can pull some paperwork together now!

So those are all my annoyances for the day. At least it's passing the time while we wait!

ok, so now what

Well, the dossier has been submitted, and the waiting has begun. I'm not sure exactly what to do with myself right now. For the last 6 months, I have been totally focused on getting paperwork done. I hadn't really thought about what this time, the waiting, would be like. I have thoroughly prepared for every part of our adoption except for this one.

Convinced there had to be SOMETHING that I needed to be doing, earlier today, I went over my lists, both of what we have left to buy and what to pack. Everything is in order. It's too early to buy the baby stuff, because we've decided to wait until after our first trip, when we know the baby's age and gender for sure. It's too early to buy a new coat or any additional clothes for the trip, because it depends on when we travel and what region. (Kemerovo will be colder than Moscow.) It's too early to finish packing. I have a lot of stuff already laid out on the bed in the baby's room. So, for now, we don't have anything adoption related to do. How is that possible?

I guess this week I'll find some things to do to fill the rest of this month, as we wait for our dossier to be translated and then to be assigned a region. I do have some non-adoption related books I can read, and I can always clean the house!

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.

employment letter

R. got his employment letter (properly signed and notarized!), and this afternoon we took it to FedEx and sent it on its way to be apostilled. That turned out to be an easy paperwork issue to resolve.

Tomorrow, we're driving 3 hours to our agency to submit our dossier in person! We'll have time to talk to them, and hopefully get a better idea of region and timing for our 1st trip. We're nervous and excited! I can't believe we're finally ready to turn the dossier in!