Laying Low

Just laying low this week trying to recover from the cold/ flu bug that is going around. It really knocked me for a loop last week, but I'm starting to feel almost human again today. I did make it through work yesterday too, provided I carried my glass of water around wherever I went to prevent a coughing attack. I also had to make sure that I didn't bend over too much so my poor nose wouldn't run. Try not bending over and taking care of patients. That was a major accomplishment. Just had to do a lot of deep knee bends instead.

No news on the adoption front. I am still waiting on the completion of my home study brief. I have an e-mail out to my HS agency to see if it is almost ready for pick up. I am hoping to have it by the end of the week. Stay tuned for news possibly later today on this important piece of papers progress.

On a totally different note...can you believe it is almost spring!! Yippee. Just a couple of more days. St. Patrick's Day yesterday...Spring on Thursday and Easter on Sunday. March is flying by.

Aarrghhh...just got an e-mail back from my HS agency. They are waiting on the state of CA to send back information on my background check. Everything else is ready to go. There is a new procedure this year where Michigan has to check backgrounds in every state you lived in over the past ten years. I hope this doesn't mean another month or two before I can get the last of the new documents done in order to become Registered with my region in Russia. Please pray for the government officials in CA to finish up the paperwork and send it back to Michigan this week.

I think that about does it.....

I think I have just about gotten everything updated that can possibly be updated document wise. My SW (social worker) from my Home Study agency came over today for her scheduled visit so that she could prepare my Home Study Brief. As I had mentioned previously, my home study report expires at the end of this week. One of the required documents for Registration is the new update. Once my SW has a chance to write the update, and the last of the reference letters and background check information arrives at the HS agency, I should be able to get the new update apostilled and then to CHI to forward to Russia. (Does this part sound familiar?)

I'm hoping to have all of this completed by the end of next week. Then I just wait for the e-mail to say that I'm finally "Registered" with the MOE (Ministry of Education). For those that don't quite understand the international adoption process in Russia just yet, you must be registered with the MOE before you can be assigned a referral. By the way, if you don't understand the process yet, don't feel bad....it seems like it is forever changing anyway. Just when you think you have it, another step is added. It does get easier to complete the steps and the paperwork the more you do it though. The only thing that doesn't get any easier is the "Wait". It just seems to get harder. As I told my SW today, I am so ready for the wait to be over. The Nursery is ready, the playroom downstairs is nearly complete, I've read every book that I can think of on adoption, I'm ready to be a Mama, now all I need is my daughter. :) Hopefully this isn't sounding too negative, I'm just very anxious, and READY for "The Call" to come. I'm still praying that I will hear something by March 28th, 2008. I know travel is coming soon, I can just feel it. It is the not knowing exactly when I will be travelling that is driving me crazy.

On a lighter note, a have really enjoyed reading all of the blogs of those families who are now traveling in Russia for trips one and two. Congratulations! It is truly exciting to see so much movement now in Russia. I gives me Hope, and continued Faith that my turn is coming soon.

More Paper Work

I found out last week that Russia is requesting more updates to documents. This time mainly from my Home Study Agency. My understanding to all the paperwork lately is that since the new year and re accreditation process completion, verbiage changes have been made to the old documents to standardize the format to make it easier to read and process. ( Or something to that nature). I totally understand making things easier. I just hope that I am getting closer to finishing all of the re dos. I can't think of very many pages that I haven't redone, so it must be close, right? Next week I hope to have my Home study update/ brief finished since my original Home Study report expires March 14th. That should about do it.

In order to make the paper chase today more fun, I decide to document all of my stops in photos. I am also going to put these in "T"s Life Book so that she can look at them and see some of the people that have helped to bring her home, and the places her Mom went to get the paperwork completed.

First Stop today was to pick up my Mom so she could keep me company and meet some of the people at my Home study Agency who have helped in a big way to make this dream all possible.

Next stop, Ann Arbor, an hour and 15 minute drive from my house to the Hands Across the Water Office to pick up the documents and say "Hi" to all of the people that have helped me out with my Home Study Reports. Unfortunately my Social Worker Alanna was sick, so I'll have to catch up with her next week for a photo op.

Once all the documents were picked up, and notarized at the HATW office, it was off to Detroit to get them Apostilled. Thirteen documents this time. Here I am in front of the Secretary of States Office in Detroit after receiving the golden seals. Long line again today... 1 1/2 hour wait.

Once the Great Seal was affixed, we headed back up north toward home in Chesterfield and New Baltimore, to the Staples store where I always make copies of everything before I send them off.

Then.....to my favorite Post Office in New Baltimore to Express Mail my precious documents off to Children's Hope International. So, Marti, if you are reading this blog today, be on the look out for my package. :0)

Whew!!! Now I'm a little tired and think I'll relax and see what everyone else has been up to today.

P.S. No phone call today regarding travel or a referall, darn.... Maybe all of these papers will help.

It's March 1st....

Today I'm feeling blue and optimistic all at the same time. Is that possible? Blue because I have no news of a referral yet, but optimistic because I had a nice long conversation with my regional rep from CHI. (Thanks Pam!! You seem to know just when I need to hear from you the most.) Things are starting to move quickly for many families with my adoption agency. 18 families have/are travelling in February. My agency hopes to have 40 families traveling each month from now on. Thus the optimism. I am still optimistic that I will hear something about my referral by the end of March. Since today is the first day of March....that means there are only a few more weeks of waiting...hopefully. :)

On a lighter note...we had more snow on and off all day yesterday. This morning I awoke to a beautiful sunny day with a new white covering of snow all over. While I am ready for winter to be over any day now, at least if it has to be cold I like it a lot more with snow rather than dreary brown and grey yuckness everywhere. Is "yuckness" a word? Hopeful you get my point with that description anyway.