Happy 2009!

OMG can you believe that 2008 is over? 2008 went by so fast! I'm looking forward to 2009. I hope that this will be the best year to come. I continue to pray that adoptions start up again - I would love to get a referral! Here's a wish for a great year of good health & much happiness and our dreams coming true.

Tika and Me

Yesterday we went to see the movie Marley and Me. Although I haven't read the book, I knew what was coming and I knew the movie would end the same way. Oh man, I was fighting back the ugly cry. Watching a movie like this makes you wonder if it's all worth it; caring for a pet even when we know that an end is certain. But then, one look at that furry face and I know that the time we have them in our lives is priceless. If you love animals, you'll enjoy this movie. P.S. Bring tissues.

Merry Christmas!

We got a pull-down tree for my brother and sister in law, it looks so festive!


My contribution to Christmas dinner was a Corn Casserole check out the link for the recipe. I had never made it before and it was really good!

Maybe Some Good News?

The office was closed today due to dangerous driving conditions. All told, the storm dumped 8 to 10 inches of snow. So, I've just been chillin' at home all day. Anyways, I got to chat with my social worker this afternoon about whether I should switch countries. I still have more thinking to do, but she made me feel a little better.

*Update* I spoke to my adoption agency on 12/22. From what they've heard, they expect movement in adoptions after the holidays, which with Kyrgyz holidays means the end of January before we hear anything. This is not official, but I'm hopeful nonetheless. I've decided to not make any decisions to switch countries, etc.

No News

No news on the adoption front. Still waiting. These days I am a little weary & tired. With referrals currently on hold, and seemingly no end in sight, coupled with my recent 35th birthday and Christmas looming, it hasn't been easy to stay positive. Lately I've been thinking if I should be actively pursuing other countries, you know, just in case? So I spoke to my adoption agency social worker on Friday about my options. The good news is that I do have options but there is a lot to consider (pros & cons) and no clear cut answer.

*Update* To clarify the current situation: Kyrgyzstan officials are not yet saying when they will begin processing adoption paperwork, we've been told they have been addressing intl adoption issues internally since this summer. We are waiting until the Kyrgyzstan government has addressed the issues they chose to address, and waiting until they are ready to tell us what they want to tell us. This is all not new information, although when Kyrgyzstan stopped processing adoptions this past summer everyone thought it was just for a few weeks or a couple months. It is hard to wait. Yet there are families that were in Kyrgyzstan on trip one in spring, met their children, and are just waiting for paperwork to be signed so that they can go and pick up the child. Please send your prayers for those families.

Midwest Adoption Conference 2008

I attended the Conference last Sunday - it was excellent! I learned a lot and I met some great people. I look forward to going again next year.

Barack Obama wins!

I wish I could have been downtown for the speech and celebration. All the same you could literally feel the vibrations through the television. I cried happy tears.

Shiny happy people

It's been quite the week! My best friend got married last weekend - it was so beautiful! And my brother & sister-in-law have been visiting all week which has been fabulous! They are flying back home tomorrow though, so I'm bummed :(

Kyrgyzstan Earthquake

The epicenter was far south of the towns where the orphanages are. My adoption agency assures me that the kids in the orphanage are fine and there is no damage. Still my thoughts and prayers go out to the people affected...according to The New York Times:

• Magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck southern Kyrgyzstan Sunday night around 10 p.m.
• Around 70 estimated killed, 120 buildings destroyed, government says
• Quake rattled large area of Central Asia; damage concentrated near China border
• Kyrgyz Health Ministry has set up crisis center to coordinate rescue effort

Olympics

The Beijing 2008 Olympics have been very exciting to watch, especially Michael Phelps - he's amazing!

See updates below...

See the updates I just made to the entry titled "Status Update" due to the new and improved process...

Moving down on the list...

I am currently #11 on my Agency's list for an infant girl!

Status Update

I just thought I'd make a quick rundown of everything I've completed to date to show myself how much progress I've made, as well as what is still left to do! The process varies a bit among the adoption agencies accredited to work in Kyrgyzstan, but it basically goes something like this:

1) Apply to Adoption Agency [done]

2) Gather and notarize US immigration documents for Homestudy:

• 1st & 2nd home visits w/SW [done]
• USCIS fingerprinting [done]
• 3 Character (non-relatives) References [done]
• Medical Form [done]
• Local Police Clearance [done]
• CANTS Clearance [done]
• Illinois Fingerprints [done]
• FBI Fingerprints [done]
• Copies of my Birth Certificate [done]
• Animal Vaccination Records [done]
• Tax return from previous year [done]
• Pay Stub [done]
• Bank Account Statements [done]
• Retirement Fund Statement [done]
• Life Insurance Documentation [done]
• Letter of insurance coverage for adopted child [done]
• (13) hours of Adoption Educational requirements [done]

3) Have 3rd home visit w/ SW [done]

4) Homestudy completed [done]

5) Submit notarized home study and US immigration documents to US immigration [done]

6) Gather and notarize Kyrg dossier documents, many of which are also US immigration documents [not started]

7) Submit notarized Kyrg dossier to state for state certification

8) Submit state certified Kyrg dossier to US dept. of state for federal certification

9) Submit federally certified Kyrg dossier to Kyrg Embassy in US for authentication The dossier is legalized at the Kyrgyz Embassy in DC; this can take one to four weeks

10) Kyrg dossier sent to my adoption agency's in-country coordinator in Kyrg. The dossier travels on to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (MOFA); the Embassy in DC is actually an arm of the MFA; the Embassy plans to send the dossiers by diplomatic courier to Bishkek; this may add a couple weeks time because the courier does not go every day or even every week. From the MOFA it then goes to the Minister of Education (MOE) to be reviewed by the Committee; they will consider all the factors in the background of the family. Family gets Committee approval and is eligible for referral.

11) Wait many months for referral

12) Receive referral

13) Travel on first trip to meet referral and agree to adoption

14) Go home to wait for court date - the referral will be filed officially with the MOE. Then the court process can proceed.The reason this is happening is so that there can be a central entity that tracks and approves adoptions; not just the Judge of the court. The MOE lays eyes on the dossiers and on the child's documents before they even get to court. Which makes court kind of redundant, but it is the law. (Similar to the US.) This will also make it easier for them to track the post placement reports.

15) Travel on 2nd trip to Kyrg to finish the paperwork to bring my child home - which involves a trip to the US Embassy Almaty, Kazakhstan (when my referral legally becomes my child)

16) Mommy & Baby come home!

17) Post placement report - this is the term for reports written for children who come home on the IR4 visa because they do not have automatic citizenship and must be have their adoption finalized through re-adoption in their home state; Post adoption reports refer to families who have met the criteria for the IR3 visa and their child is considered a US citizen upon arrival in the US. The reports themselves are the same. The distinction has to do with terminology relevant to the Hague Convention.) These reports are due until your child reaches age 14.

Fingerprinting #2

So, last week I went to get my fingerprints taken that will be sent directly to my Homestudy Agency. Finding the place to get fingerprinted was not easy, it could not be found on a map - I drove up and down the street and almost missed the appointment all together! Anyway, like the last, I was in/out in 10 minutes and there was no ink involved, everything is done by scanner. And this time I knew what to expect. Oh, and the fingerprinter person said that the FBI fingerprinting (3rd type) does use ink UGH :(

Waiting Moms Adoption Support Group Meeting

I attended a meeting this week hosted by my homestudy agency for Mom's in all stages of the adoption process. One of the Mom's received a referral last month and she & her husband will travel to China next week and she shared with us the baby pictures - too cute! The social worker hosting the meeting brought along her Mom as the guest speaker b/c the social worker herself was adopted at birth. We got to ask her Mom questions about what adoption was like 25+ years ago and what things she did to prepare her children (both were adopted domestically) with regards to letting them know that they were adopted from a very young age and how that affected them as they grew up. All of it was very informative!

Getting Fingerprinted is Kinda Creepy

I had my scheduled appointment today with the USCIS for my first of 3 separate fingerprinting requirements. I was in/out in 10 minutes and there is no ink involved, everything is done by computer and a bioscanner. But it was still kinda creepy to have someone rolling each of my fingers across a scanner and saving it to a database.

Explaining the costs of international adoption

I wanted to expand on my older posts about the costs of adoption. The following was actually written by a fellow blogger and adoptive parent (although I did make some changes to reflect my personal situation), I hope she does not mind me sharing/editing this as it so aptly explains the costs of international adoption.

Those pursuing international adoption know how much it costs per country so I'm going to leave the actual total out because it is nobody's business but my own, but I'm sure everyone can imagine the total expenses are high. As a single person, I have fewer documents to gather and authenticate etc. and lower travel costs. I waited until I knew I could comfortably afford this adoption and the ensuing unpaid portions of my family leave before starting my process. The waiting was hard, but essential for my financial peace of mind - especially as a soon-to-be single parent. I chose to adopt from Kyrgyzstan because the program is single-friendly and as far as I know, not rife with corruption like it seems so many countries are. I think a lot of people have made good points about why they feel the fees they are paying are worth it. But with each check I write, I like to keep in mind that I'm paying fees for services that many wonderful people are providing me in an effort to unite my child with me:

• I'm paying the people at my home study agency to prepare me for life as an adopted parent, through classes and reading.
• I'm paying them to help me gather and file all my USCIS paperwork.
  
• I'm paying their social worker to meet with me four times and write a 16-page report about me. I'm paying them to perform and write three post-placement reports for me.
  
• I'm paying the people at CIS to go over all my paperwork and provide me with what I need to bring my child to this country.
  
• I'm paying the people at my placing agency to help me navigate the confusing path of dossier preparation and document authentication. I'm paying them to answer every little question I have about Kyrgyzstan, adoption and post adoption. I'm paying them to advise me, to comfort me, to rally me. I'm paying them to guide me through my referral process and prepare me for travel.
  
• I'm paying pilots and flight attendants to get me safely to and from Kyrgyzstan, twice. I'm paying hotel staff to keep me warm and dry and comfortable. I'm paying cooks and waiters to keep me fed.
  
• In country, I'm paying for the services of translators, guides, drivers and the adoption coordinator, whose specialty it is to navigate this very confusing and utterly unfamiliar territory for me.
  
• I'm paying for the services of people in the Kyrgyzstan government whose job it is to make sure the orphans of their country find safe and loving homes. I'm paying for the time and effort of the people at the U.S. Embassy in Almaty who will see to it my child can legally enter the U.S. as my child.
  
• And perhaps most importantly, I'm paying for the services of the people who have been sheltering, feeding, clothing, changing, protecting, doctoring and nurturing my child, 'round the clock, for at least 6 months of her life.

Working on Homestudy

I'm still working on gathering documents to complete my homestudy. I haven't been able to devote as much time to it as I would like because of work and travel committments over the last month, but I am getting through it!

Officially On the List

I got a call today from the Adoption Agency Director that I am officially "on the list"!!! YEA!!!

And yesterday my best friend got engaged!!! YEA again!!!!

General Info on Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan (keer-GEEZ-stan) is a mountainous country of 5.2 million people in central Asia located south of Kazakhstan and west of China. Kyrgyzstan was annexed by Russia in 1864 and was a part of the Soviet Union until becoming an independent state in 1991. Kyrgyzstan is a republic bordering Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and China and is just smaller than the state of South Dakota.



The terrain is mostly soaring mountains (up to 24,400 feet in elevation) with valleys and wide basins providing outstanding natural beauty. Kyrgyzstan also has the world's largest natural growth walnut forest. Their independence day is celebrated August 31st. The major ethnic groups are Kyrgyz (65%), Uzbek (14%) and Russian (12.5%). About 75% of the population is Muslim with about 20% Russian Orthodox.

Kyrgyzstan has a largely agricultural economy with some mining and manufacturing. Exported crops include cotton, wool, meat and tobacco. Mined and manufactured goods include gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, textiles and machinery. The climate ranges form subtropical in the southwest valleys to temperate in the northern foothills and polar in the high Tien Shan mountains.

Contract Mailed!

On Friday I mailed the contract to the Adoption Agency -- along w/ the first big check!!! And, on Saturday I completed my first education requirement (4 hours). I have a total of 12 hours total for the homestudy. My SW was teaching the class so I got to meet her and she is fabulous, I am really looking forward to working w/ her on Wednesday! Check out the new links on the right.

Homestudy Appt. Scheduled

My first homestudy appointment has been scheduled for March 12th!!! My SW (social worker) seems so nice and has been very quick to respond so I am very happy about that. SW said that she will review all the homestudy documents with me and answer any questions I have. I have not heard from the Adoption Agency yet so I don't know what that means. I'm going to give them until tomorrow and then I'm going to call.

Mailed the Applications!

So this week I went ahead and sent in the application to the Adoption Agency as well as the application to the Homestudy agency. I'm going to attend my first education requirement for the homestudy on March 8th. I was feeling a little apprehensive about finally making the first steps but thankfully I have the support of my friends and family. I have to say it was thrilling feeling to put the envelopes in the mail!

Moving Forward...

I haven't written in a while. I've been settling into my house and working like a dog at work, so much so that I'm sure the stress of it all was a major contributor to me being sick this week with a trifecta of bronchitis, sinusitis, and a nasty ear infection. I couldn't even go to my soon to be sister-in-law's bachelorette party in Las Vegas this weekend because of being sick. I can't believe I missed the bachelorette party, I am just d i s g u s t e d. The only bright spot this week was being home for a few sick days did give me time with my thoughts and I finally had the time to begin filling out the adoption application.

Happy New Year!

Wow! It's been well over a month since my last post. The holidays were bittersweet with the passing of my Grandfather right before Christmas. He's in a better place but I miss him just the same.

Last Friday I finally moved into my new house! From the sale of my house I now have the funds available to adopt internationally but I am having second thoughts, specifically I am back to my dilemma of adopting an older child through the US Foster care system or adopt an infant internationally. I'd love to do both as I feel my heart and my home are big enough I just want to make sure it is the right decision. I still feel this year is the year to begin my adoption plans, but I'm not going to rush things.