We haven't heard any news yet on a court date and I asked our agency to find out if Andrik made it back to the baby home yet from his hospital stay for dehydration. It's hard to love someone when they are so far away and you have no idea how they are doing each day. All I know is the heat wave continues in Moscow and all those babies are toughing it out in orphanages with no air conditioning. To say we want to get Andrik home quickly is a huge understatement.
So help me pass the time and indulge me in something fun. Leave me a comment and finish this sentence:
"You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when..."
I'll go first,
You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when you have diagnosed several of the children at your local Walmart with FAS.
*you know you've done that!*
I'll put the responses together in a new blog post in a couple days. Remember to leave your name and/or blog link so I can link back and give you credit; if you want credit that is.
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Since August 2007
Randy and Susan
After seven years of trying to start a family, we journeyed to Moscow Russia to bring our son Artem home. He has blessed our family more than we thought possible and now we are returning to Russia again to make Artem a big brother.
Artem...Our First Russian Blessing
Andrik...Our Second Russian Blessing
Cheerios In My Shorts
You can read about what we've been up to since Artem came home from Russia if you click here: Cheerios In My Shorts.
Adoptive Families I follow...
- Corey and Amy
- Brad, Jen, and Bek
- Life With Colin
- To Find a Daughter
- Amy and Norah
- Kim, Lance, Jack, Cooper, and Carter
- Chuck,Tracey, and Matt
- Justin, Lisa, and Nickolas
- Quest to Russia
- Steve, Carolynn, and Karina
- Joy, Gerard, and Anna
- Stayce, Andy, and Alina
- Renae, Joe, and Olivia
- Scott, Allison, Jasi, and Sasha
- Abraham Family
- Angie, Curt, Josh, and Vika
- Jane, Jim, Cooper and Kara
- Graeme, Rebecca, and Sam
- Allison, Stu and the crew
- Nicole, Brett and Ava
- David, Jodi, Andrei and Alex
- Becky, Keith, and Andrew
- Brian, Ondrea, the boys and Meg
- Heather, Jason, and Zachary
- Tiger, Kar and Ilya
- Scott, Carrie, Sophie and Sam
- Shane, Marie and Bryson
- Debbie, Dave and Isabel
- Troy, Rachel and Daniel
- Carrie, Michael and S
- Beth, Nick, Luca and Jaxon
- Carey, Norman and kids
- Mark, Sinziana and Diego
- Scott, Dana, and Cade
- Jane, Caroline, and Chase
- Rob, Dede, and Liam
- Chris, Danica, Alexa, and Anneliese
- Adrienne, Jim, and Owen
- Nathan, Melissa and Iliya
Helpful or Interesting Links
Important First Adoption Dates
- May 17, 2008 Certificate of Citizenship Arrived
- Apr 19, 2008 Home!!
- Apr 12, 2008 Gotcha Day!
- Mar 31, 2008 Court, We Are Approved!
- Mar 30, 2008 Visit With Artem
- Mar 24, 2008 171H Apostilled, Fed Ex'd to Moscow
- Mar 21, 2008 171H Received
- Mar 14, 2008 171H Approved!
- Mar 13, 2008 Petition Sent to Senator to Expedite 171H
- Mar 3, 2008 FBI Fingerprint Clearances Arrive
- Mar 3, 2008 FedEx'd Addendum to USCIS
- Feb 21, 2008 Court Date Assigned
- Feb 16, 2008 Letter From USCIS Stating Incomplete Info on Home Study
- Feb 13, 2008 FedEx'd FBI Fingerprint Clearance
- Feb 4, 2008 Met Our Son Artem Alexander
- Feb 2, 2008 Leave for 1st Trip
- Jan 25, 2008 Invite to Travel
- Jan 25, 2008 Fingerprint Appt, San Antonio
- Jan 15, 2008 Tentative Travel Plans for Feb 2nd
- Jan 12, 2008 Second Dossier Mailed to Agency
- Jan 9, 2008 I-797C Received, Invitation for Fingerpring Appt.
- Jan 4, 2008 DHL Loses our Dossier
- Jan 2, 2008 Decision Made By Us To Register Our Dossier in Late February
- Dec 14, 2007 Home Study Mailed to CIS (I600A)
- Dec 14, 2007 Dossier Mailed to Agency
- Dec 14, 2007 Dossier Apostilled
- Dec 12, 2007 Received Final Home Study
- Dec 3, 2007 Randy Dossier Physical
- Nov 28, 2007 Susan Dossier Physical
- Nov 27, 2007 Requested copies of medical license
- Nov 23, 2007 Receipt Received from Immigration Services
- Nov 16, 2007 Electronic Fingerprint Appt for Home Study
- Nov 12, 2007 Mailed I600A
- Nov 8, 2007 HIV, TB, STD, HEP B&C bloodwork complete
- Nov 7, 2007 Fire Marshall Inspection complete
- Oct 30, 2007 Approved with new agency, CSS
- Oct 24, 2007 Last meetings with home study agency
- Oct 17, 2007 First home study meeting with local agency
- Oct 12, 2007 Cancelled our home study with CHI
- Oct 11, 2007 Cancelled with CHI
- Sept 20, 2007 Home Study social worker assigned to us.
- Sept 19, 2007 Home study packet received at agency
- Sept 18, 2007 Home study packet is mailed to agency
- Sept 17, 2007 Home Study packet is complete!!
- Aug 7, 2007 Call from agency, no longer on hold, paperwork is being mailed to us.
- Aug 3, 2007 Approved from agency but on hold indefinetly from Russian govt.
- July 17, 2007 Mailed intial application to agency
Adoption Terminology
- 171H= Official permission to bring child/children into the country. NOTHING happens until this paper is in your hot little hand
- I 600A= Form requesting permission for us to bring a child/children into the country to adopt and become a citizen
- MOE = Ministry of Education (in Russia)
- Dossier = our packet of info (home study, financial statements, background checks) sent to Russia
- PAP= Potential Adoptive Parent
- IA= International Adoption
Friends Following Our Journey
Visitors
Credits:
*Photo of Randy and Susan taken by Melissa Bridges
*Check out the Shabbby Shoppe for great background papers
*Check out the Shabbby Shoppe for great background papers
21 comments:
...you hand your driver an envelope full of cash and don't get a receipt.
My husband, Brad
...you worry about volcanoes erupting.
...you set your alarm for 5 a.m. every morning so you can read the news out of Russia since Moscow is 9 hours ahead, hoping the two countries are still getting along.
...your emotional highs are so high, and the lows are oh so low
...you have a peaked interest in the lunch conversation in a Virgina hamburger dive between Obama and Medvedev
...you spend your nights reading about FAS, FAE and ADHD
...volcanoes impact your court date
...you believe everything you read on FRUA and it can make or break your day
when you stare at your phone willing it to ring.
eat ramen noodles for the 4th time this week because you are saving money.
you get excited when you get mail from the Immigration office, even though you are a citizen.
Oh my gosh Brad and Jeannette's first answer was hilarious! Gotta show my husband that one! Okay here's mine...
You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when...
...the people at you local police department know you by name even though you've never committed a crime.
...you've had more medical exams in the months leading up to the adoption than you have in the last 5 years.
...you actually WANT your husband to travel more for business so you can earn some more Marriott points.
Susan,
Your post was hilarious. I was laughing out loud.
You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when
...your luggage was lost somewhere between Detroit and St. Petersburg and you spend $125 on a pair of Wrangler jeans
Katie
Jeanette and Brad are HILARIOUS!!!
I love all the answers - and it's all true!
Victoria
You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when....
...you take a job halfway around the world to pay for it all, then stick around a few more years because you want to do it again.
...you actually thought you could teach your child thier native laugauge by surfing the internet one word at a time.
...when it is easier to explain the meaning of life than the international adpotion process.
...when you get excited to go to court.
...when you can sign your name on offical documents in a foriegn laugauge, in a foriegn country, without understanding a word, and feel good about it.
Randy
...you know the definition of Apostille.
...the Fedex guy knows more about your day to day life than your Mother.
...you can recognize the Secretary of State's office on caller I.D.
Ha! That was a good one!!
- when you have a new-found sense of patriotism and it's not for the USA
(do others feel a bit Russian themselves, or is it just me! LOL)
- when you scan the google news reader for headlines with the word "Russia" or "Russian" in them.
-when you park in the "expectant mother" prking space at the mall and, while not pregnant, don't feel completely guilty!
-when you research flights to your region, just to get a feel for the trip that will take place only God-knows-when.
You know your in the middle of an international adoption when,
You check your email every five minutes looking for an update.
walking to the mail box gives you butterflies in your stomach, then when you don't fund mail from USCIS, you hop in the car and head out for some retail therapy.
a blurry picture of a child in strange clothing becomes your most prized possession.
You sew hidden pockets on an undershirt for you husband, so he can carry 15 grand in cash through 19 hours of flights and a 12 hour layover. (I know this one doesn't apply to most countries but it sure did us since wiring money to third world country is foolish at best)
When you get left alone in the middle of Russia in a car with 10,000 dollars while your driver is taken away by the police. Then you are relieved to see he left the keys then realize you have no idea where you are. When your driver is returned about an hour later you could kiss him even though he is married.
Joy
You know you are in the middle of an International Adoption in the Siberian wintertime when you can't figure out why there are people lined up on the side of the road in the middle of the night only to find out that it is 9:00 am and they are waiting to catch the bus for work!
You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when....
You exchange thousands of dollars with some random guy on the street and don't blink an eye.
You are so anxious to give someone you barely know your hard earned cash just because you don't want to carry it and risk losing it.
you are in Siberia and you feel like you are the only person not drinking outside at 5pm on a Tuesday.
you sign a contract that says you will do pretty much whatever someone tells you to do.
...you constantly check the time and then count backwards in your head to see what time it is where your child is.
...you are fingerprinted continuously....and have never committed a crime.
...people you have never met AND in some cases do not speak the same language know more about you then some of your family and friends.
you are in a vehicle your husband refers to as the "terrorist van," holding (no car seat) your new baby while giving him milk (at least they said it was milk) from a glass bottle with a nipple stuck on the top, breathing in disgusting exhaust fumes while driving on terrible roads for 3 hours and thinking this is the best day of my life!
Love this post! There are so many great responses. Here are a few to add to the list.
…when you go to your bank and ask for brand new $100 bills in sequential order and swear you are not doing anything illegal with them.
…when you know how to pronounce the words dossier and apostille
…when you notice every time the word adopt is used (adopt a road; adopt an animal; adopt a new law)
You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when - you have houndreds of people who don't even know you follow every tweet, peep and update you post about your situation! :)
You know you are in the middle of an international adoption when...
...you've worn the same three outfits for twenty-two days in a row and have to do the laundry in the bathtub.
...it takes everything you have to NOT climb over the Marriott check-in desk to give the English speaking receptionist a hug.
...your flight from JFK to Moscow is cancelled, so you somehow end up flying to Rome, Italy with no promise of getting on a flight to Russia. You'll figure it out once you get to Italy. And you do.
You start answering people's questions with "da" and "nyet" and you are still in Texas.
(I loved Randy's answers.)
-Vicki R.
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