The waiting begins...again

So now I wait. I sent the fingerprints and I600A off certified mail and have received 1 of the little green cards back (from VA) but oddly enough I havent received the one back for the I600A which was sent across town in Phoenix. That worries me a little but I dont want to panic yet.

I am so happy for a very special couple in TX that received their referral for a baby boy last week.

I am also praying for Maria and her family as they struggle with things beyond their control.

I have had the distinct honor to follow the journey's of a few families through this wonderful 'blogging' world. I cant begin to tell you all how inspiring and comforting those blogs are as I read them. I have never met these families but, nonetheless feel that their openness has helped keep me motivated and focused on the end result. For that I say THANK YOU or Spasibo (spah-see-buh).

My Russian word for today is: pozhalujsta (pah-zhahl-stuh) meaning Please.

Gotta Love the Post Office

Today was bank and mailing day. You may not know this about me but standing in line is not one of my favorite things to do. I was hoping, since it was Friday, that the line at the Post Office wouldnt be that long but.. the place was packed. I took my little number off the spool and waited patiently.. texting and taking calls for work. Speaking of work. Have any of you ridden a Rental Car bus when you travel? This is really where the men and the boys are separated. Its a true testament to mothers everywhere when their sons stand up and hold onto that bar while the crazy bus driver takes us to the rental car center, to let a woman sit down. Its usually about 60/40 when I travel. Sometimes they will get up for older or very short women that cant possibly reach that overhead bar (its 6 feet up there), and sometimes they won't. If they don't, I wil get up (all 5'8 of me and in heels no less) since they arent... to let someone else sit and let me tell you- its rather funny to see the red faces on some of the men when I get up to let an older woman sit down. I just smile at them when they realize that their mother would kill them if she were there. Usually, my giving up my seat prompts a man standing up to offer his to me but, I'm thinking 'too Late' you had your chance to be a gentleman. (thats my soapbox for this week)

So now, my fingerprints are off to the FBI and my I600a is off to the USCIS. I think I went totally out of order (if you read my post a few days ago) and should probably have waited to get my prints done but my agency just said to send everything in now so they can start to match it all up. Hopefully it will all work out and I wont get anything back.

Its getting hot here in Phoenix but otherwise pretty quiet.

Russian for today: Spasibo! (spuh-see-buh) means 'Thank you!'

Finally the Judge speaks

Woo Hoo. I got a call from my Homestudy Socialworker P. today and she got the approved homestudy back from the Judge. Yay!. She is sending the homestudy off to the USCIS tomorrow and I will be sending the I600a and the fingerprints off tomorrow too. Hopefully all will get there at the same time so there isnt any confusion. I am still working on my Dossier docs and will be sending them to 'L' to check over and make sure that they are correct before we send off to the state for certification.. more later

Russian Word for today: do svidaniya (dus svee-dah-nee-ye) Goodbye

Did I jump ahead?

I got another set of fingerprints done on Friday but as I was reading the instructions for the I600A (better late than never huh) I would have maybe.....waited to get them until I got an appointment from the USCIS. Gee Whiz..there's a lesson learned--read the instructions! I have an email out to my agency to see if I wasted my $$ by going to the Phoenix PD and getting another set before sending the I600A away. I didnt really think about it I just saw 'Fingerprints' on the list and figured might as well get them done.

The good thing is that I think I figured out the USCIS docs. The I600A is the first one and that gets you the I171H then you need the I600 when you go to pick up your child. For those of you who have already got these taken care of, does that sound right,? I welcome ANY help with tips and lessons learned throughout your process so far.

My first Russian word: Hello. Zdravstvujtye (zdrah-stvooy-tee)
or you could say, Good morning. Dobroye utro (dohb-ruh-ee oo-truh)

Thats all for now!

Decision Made

Ok, so being a new blogger is no excuse for a week between posts. I have been doing alot of thinking about and researching my two countries and have made the decision to go with Kyrgyzstan (kur-guh-STAHN). I will build my family with a child born in a different country, halfway around the globe. But I'm looking at it this way: I get the opportunity to immerse myself in learning about a new culture that is so different from my own. I think I will try to learn some Russian!.. Russian for Dummies - here I come. Its a daunting thought to have so far to go to complete my dream of being a Mother. Mom and I went to the Phoenix PD this morning to get our FBI fingerprints done. There were alot of people there, I wonder how many reasons there are to get fingerprints... we will be mailing them Monday. I hope the FBI is quicker than the AZ Judge. I am still waiting for his approval of my Homestudy.
Now the task at hand is getting all the docs required by Kyrgyzstan's government. I only wish there were more of a timing schedule for which docs to tackle in which order. Should I get my fingerprints taken first so I can work on other docs while I am waiting? Do I need one before I am able to get another? I am learning all of this as I go. I am truly blessed to have a great Agency and couple of great new friends that have taken a similar journey through international adoption to help me along the way. A bonus is that they are both Notaries and will 'work' weekends to help me make everything 'legal'. Woo hoo! Thank you J & J.

Still Waiting on the Judge

I'm still waiting on the Judge but living vicariously through others as they post their challenges and triumphs around the world. Maria, I am so thrilled for you and your 'boys' I check your post every day to see the beautiful pictures and thoughts that are so inspiring. I am still new at this so putting my 'day' online is a little wierd for me. The blogs I've been reading so far are for families adopting from Kyrgyz so I am hearing alot about the process and tips. If anyone out there is adopting from Guatemala I would love to hear from you! I am still trying to decide.


I suppose I will share what else is going on. Its getting hot in Phoenix, the triple digits are not far now. The funny thing everyone says is 'It may be 115 but, its a DRY heat.' I will concede that it is a different kind of heat (I hate humidity) but, people--I'TS STILL 115! So what do we do in Phoenix when it's 115? We stay inside. The patio, driveway, and sidewalks are too hot to walk on barefoot, the seatbelt (buckle) burns you when you put it on and the steering wheel is HOT. Living in Minnesota (I lived there too) we didnt go outside in the winter.. In Phoenix, we dont go out in the summer.

I have a funny story: I was visiting my best friend Lynn in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (I used to live there too) and we decided to go to the mall, for a nice pedicure. I was driving around the parking lot looking for a spot and finally found a great one. Lynn asked me 'Why are we parking so far away?.... I said 'cause there's shade here'.. In Phoenix we dont look for a spot close to the door. We look for a spot under a tree!

I'll sign off for now..

Getting the hang of it

I have been playing with the settings and layout of this blog and have added a little more detail to the page.

A little bit to catch up. The Homestudy was sent to the Judge on May 17th now he matches the fingerprints up with the homestudy and gives approval to adopt. Just waiting now until the Judge approves my certification. P (my Social Worker) said that if we got the 'fast Judge' we would hear in a week, the slow one a couple of weeks... guess we got the slow one.

I think not actively doing something, gathering documents, making copies, filling out paperwork, getting things certified is a bit nervewracking. I want to keep moving forward and am trying to keep positive and understand that there are certainly things beyond my control. I am taking this time to decide which country to continue with.

I wish to thank ALL those who serve and protect our country this Memorial Day. Remember the significance of this holiday. It is to honor and remember those who gave the ultimate gift of their life so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have. THANK YOU.