It's Finally Spring In Michigan!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. I apparently needed to just stay home and be quiet for awhile just vegging as I ended up sick again..... This time with bronchitis and laryngitis. Honestly, I believe I got sick because I was feeling totally frustrated, stressed and disheartened about my home study update. It just wasn't getting completed in the time frame that "I had planned". Each time I thought it was done, another piece of missing information would pop up and I'd have to track it down or go and get it done. Once I finally let go of the control and just collapsed, (getting really sick does that sometimes) and just did what I had to do to take care of this missing information, it all fell into place. Amazing sometimes to me that I can't just give it up to God in the first place. Oh I do try, but I always want to take it back for some crazy reason. :)

Long story made short...my home study update, along with a couple of other documents to complete my packet for registration, have now all been completed, notarized, apostilled, sent to CHI and from what I hear, are already on there way to Russia to be translated. Whew!!! Now what happens you may ask??? Well, now I sit back and Wait to hear that I am Registered in the region of Krasnoyarsk. It should take about three weeks for this all to happen if everything goes alright. Once I am officially Registered, then the process of finding a child that fits my adoption profile begins. The referral!

While I am getting very good at the waiting process, I am very ready to have the waiting come to an end. It has been 10 long months since my original dossier was completed and sent to Russia. By normal standards of 9 months..this child is way past due. I am so ready to meet her, see what she looks like, and of course give her all of the love that I have been saving up inside since I made the conscious decision to adopt her back in December of 2006.

In other news...as the title of this post states, spring has finally arrived in Michigan. It has been 70+ degrees and sunny for at least three days now. The grass is turning green. In fact I think I will have to mow it next weekend. My daffodils are blooming. The tulips are growing! Trees are budding! And, all of the birds are back in town. We have lots of Canadian Geese, Ducks and Robins in my neighborhood. I love Michigan in the spring and summer...not so much the winters, but I do love the green and warmth. My spirits are lifting, and I'm beginning to feel rejuvenated.

Last but certainly not least.....Congratulations to Troy and Rachel and Wendy and Slade, just to name a couple of families who have just completed their adoptions, or are just about ready to come home with there new little ones. Congratulations to those of you who are on your first trips, or about to embark on your first trips(Keith and Becky), and to those of you who finally have gotten court dates. While I haven't posted much lately...I have been reading most of your blogs, and have been sending up prayers for all of you. God Bless you all!!

Praise The Lord For Answered Prayers

First of all....I must say" Thank You!", to all of you who have been wishing me well over the past couple of weeks when I was under the weather. I am feeling much better now, physically and mentally!

Secondly, No, I didn't get "The Call" yet, but I finally got a return call from the Supervisor for the Child Protection Unit in California, where my clearance letter has been sitting. She found my paperwork! Thank you God!!!! She will mail the completed letter back to Michigan to my Home study agency today. I am doing a small happy dance again...yippee!!

Now I will just have to wait a few days for my HS agency to receive the letter and put the finishing touches on my Home Study brief before I can pick it up. Once I pick it up from them, I will have to get it apostilled and then shipped of to CHI in St. Louis. They will then add it to my pile of paperwork that I completed last month for my registration packet. This is the packet of information that then goes to Russia and my region Krasnoyarsk. As stated in previous posts, you must be registered with the Ministry of Education in your region before they will find a referral that matches your families adoption application. So, in other words, this last document is what has been needed in order to receive a referral, and "The Call".

Since my last post, two weeks ago....besides re-cooperating from the flu/cold, I've done a little bit of Retail Therapy. Mostly, window shopping with my new and fellow adoptive friend Kyley. With my Mom yesterday, we stopped at Babies 'R'Us and I found an excellent light weight stroller on sale at half off the original price. I have a stroller on my registry waiting for the time to have my baby shower, but this was too good of a deal to pass up. ( I'm sorry Jill, there are still lots of other things left to buy). :0)

Here's a picture of it. It's made by Peg-Perego, and is the Aria. It only weighs 8lbs, so it shouldn't be too heavy to carry and lift into cars and load on the plane.Does anyone have any advice to offer regarding strollers in Russia. Has anyone taken a stroller with them? If so, how did you manage? and Was it worth it? I'd like to take this one with me on trip two, but if this is a bad idea, someone please tell me.