Checking In!

It has been so long, and I am not sure if any of you are still out there...but I will try to update! She is a blast, and the cutest darn thing I have ever squeezed on a daily basis. Her little cheeks feel like giant marshmallows! Her transistion has been 'no transistion.' It's incredible. She eats everything we put in front of her, has taken 2 naps daily and sleeps from 7-7 every night. I am afraid to put it all in writing. She is ready to walk, gained 3 pounds, and entertains all who she encounters. Her smile is to die for, and when she flashes it for you...you are toast. Daddy especially.

Gotcha Day

Wednesday September 23, 2009 is the day we will celebrate Lily's Gotcha Day. It just seemed right for our family. The whole southeast was covered in storms, and I feared they wouldn't arrive on time, perhaps even at all. As the day wore on, I checked the hourly forecast again around 3:00 - and the storms seemed to have disappeared. They landed in DC late - got through immigration, and believe it or not, got their connection and landed at RDU right on time. I stood with Sean watching the arrivals board (actually, he didn't stand anywhere- he could barely contain himself) and as I saw their plane approach I turned my head toward the Arrivals Board and at that very second it switched to 'LANDED.' That's when my tear's began.

I spotted Ryan first, and as I looked down there she was! That little face.... Her proud, and very tired daddy pushed his little girl to the finish line! Sean and I ran up and just pounced on all of them. Lily was very, very unsure about anyone but Poppa. She cried when she didn't see him, and wouldn't come to me at all. This, I expected.

As we pulled out of the parking deck the biggest, fattest, most vivid rainbow appeared over the airport terminal. It stopped all of us in our tracks. Lily's Rainbow. Could there be a more heaven sent sign? I hope the pictures turn out.

Once we got home and settled...the night was up and down - I was solo. She and I had time together, and morning brought a whole new Lily. After a huge breakfast with Sean, Ryan, Daddy and I...our day progressed and she became more familiar with her new home. Our Golden Retriever scares the hell out of her - but as of this writing Packer is starting to grow on her. Packer is thrilled to have another baby in the house. Her diet just got much more interesting again!

She napped for 3 hours, we woke her up for dinner. At 7:00 she was fast asleep - woke at 2:15, took a bottle, and asleep again at 3:00. At 6:15 this morning, both brothers were in her room ready to greet her and get her day started. It is now 9:00 - and she is fast asleep, in her crib. Our baby girl is home.

Two Men and a Baby

I would give anything to see Ryan and Craig with little Lily right now! I have only heard from Craig via email and all is well. We thought they wouldn't leave for Almaty from Karaganda until Saturday morning, but they flew out Friday night. I don't have many details, but she is smiling and laughing, and has not lost any ground in her fine/gross motor development. We were curious to see if she would still zip across the floor crawling and such.

They have just two full days left - and will leave Almaty on Wednesday at 3:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tuesday EST. As of now, they will touch down at RDU at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. My friend will be with me to take pictures and record their arrival. Please pray for safe travels.

Déjà vu only Different

Today I dropped off Craig and Ryan at RDU - packed and ready to go to Kaz. The next time I see my husband he will be holding my daughter. 'Safe travels and blessings my sweet boys....hug my girl tight!'

Dates for Second Trip

YEA! Sept. 1, 2009 our 15 day 'waiting' period ended. Craig and Ryan leave for the second trip on Sept. 16th! Can't even tell you how happy we are. It looks like my girl will be home in her mom's arms on Sept. 23rd, 2009. What a day it will be.

A few quick pictures

ZZZZZzzzzzz

We are home - physically, but not so sure about mentally. End to end this whole trip was flawless...except in DC where we sat on the runway for 2.5 hours on our last leg. We are exhausted. More later.

Last Post From Karaganda

Court was amazing - 30 minutes and we were out the door. No speeches, no lengthy questions....the doctor spoke, as did the social worker, and then just simply asked us what we each wanted the court to do. We had prepared our recommended statements, but we were told to keep it short! The judge approved the adoption of Iliana Ainur Moss in the first 20 minutes! We made it back to the baby house in time for 1 hour of playtime for the morning. Technically, we wait for 15 more days according to Kaz law to see if anyone here will contest the adoption. (doesn't happen) I think it hits on Sept. 1, which then all her paperwork passport, visa etc. can be processed. Return date is about 3 weeks from there we guess.

We leave for Almaty in the morning and will have the day to spend sight seeing. We hope to get to the mountains. We leave for the airport at 1:30am - so we will try to get a little sleep. ;-)

Promise to get the pictures in Snapfish as soon as possible.

Love to all of you.

terri, craig and sean

Our Last Weekend

I must write about our Friday before I forget everything. Craig got sick Thursday afternoon, and was wiped out by bed. All day Friday he was home, and couldn't see Lily. So, Sean and I made our usual morning visit. As I was feeding Lily, I noticed that Sean was no where to be found. I looked and looked...nothing! I didn't panic, he couldn't have gotten too far. Well, I finally ventured over to the other baby room where our friends from Paris were feeding thier baby. I walk in and there is Sean holding a bowl mashing up bananas for them! He stayed most of the visit helping out in the younger baby room. He stopped in every so often to hug and kiss his sister...then went back to visit his friends. Amazing. I think he may be offered a job.

After I returned to the apartment around 5 or so, a knock on our apartment door. Weird...who knows us, let alone speaks English? A few weeks ago, I started talking to a young girl (Naz) and she remembered us. She was so nice and had her sister with her. They offered to take us on a walk to the park. They wanted to learn about America! It was such fun. After we returned home and finished dinner (yes, I am cooking in the apartment, and getting very good!) their twin brothers came down and asked if Sean could go hang out in their apartment. He was gone in a flash.

Craig and I were alone in the apartment!! What ever would we do??? He was still sick! Oh well...we finished our 100th movie of the trip, and waited for Little Red to return.

Saturday is baby house visits and the beginning of packing. ;-(

Pre Court Day and Departure Date

We woke to another beautiful day...bright blue sky and cool temperatures...around 65 degrees I would say. This week has warmed only to around 70 or so, it is amazing.

The judge this morning was a kind as she could be. We are her first adoption case, and it could have either went really well, or really bad. She was smiling and asking questions about us as a family as she went through the pictures. We had to time stamp our 14 days of visits for the record. Our court date is Monday, which means we leave Kazakhstan on Tuesday.

Right now, I am eager to get home. Come Monday, we will say 'see you soon' to our Lily (only for 3 weeks), and goodbye to some of the most kind, loving, and giving people I have ever been blessed to meet who have taken such great care of our daughter. Despite language barriers, the love of children has a very common and easy translation here. Lily's two nanny's have my heart, as do her caregivers (caregivers are nurses, nanny's are not). Sean receives huge hugs and kisses each morning from all of them. They adore the little red head, and hug on him contstantly. I hope Sean can keep it together on Monday when we say farewell...he already cries each time we leave Lily at nap time. Heaven knows I will be a mess.

Last Full Week In Karaganda

Looks like court will likely be Aug. 18 as we anticipated. Pre-court isn't until this Thursday. It's ok with us! Hard to believe we will leave for home sometime next week. It's a mixed blessing...we are very sad to leave Lily behind for 3 weeks, but getting excited to return and see all of you. I keep forgetting the thumb drive to post pictures. Sorry! We will upload them to Snapfish when we return.

Lily!

Now for some details on our girl. Her big brother can't get enough of her...he even changes diapers. Number 1 only at this point. Number 2 is a stretch...for all of us! Craig and I have to get back in practice with a wiggly baby during diaper changes.

The first week she couldn't sit up on her own...now she is pulling up and crawling really fast especially if she wants something. It is so cute. She smiles non stop - except for when we walk away and appear as if we have stopped feeding her. Food everywhere on her face, she loves to play while she eats which makes for great fun for all of us. Breakfast is a rice 'pudding' of sort with yogurt. She drinks juice made from dried apples, dates, apricots and raisins with sugar in water. It looks like tea. In the afternoon it's some kind of mashed up bread soaked in more rice stuff with ground beef bits. Her drink is a pink gelatin with sugar and water.

She has the sweetest disposition...not a fussy child. She is very active, content, and giggles all thet time. Her little grin shows her two front teeth and giant dimples in her chubby little cheeks.
We are all crazy about her. I can't wait to braid her hair and put on cute little outfits! Hats are really big here for children...even in 70 degree weather. I have only bought 2 hats so far. It's very hard to resist not buying more.

We all love the care givers and nanny's. We have pictures of all of them, as well as her room, the pots they poo on and much more. Prepare for lots of pics upon return.

Love to you all.

Terri

Thursday!

I just looked at my last post...it was on Monday. It is now Thursday and we are nearly through our third week. Notary was on Tuesday and waiting on our pre-court date. Found two new amazing restaurants near the apartment, one Asian the other Italian. YEA! The girl who waited on us spent her summer at Cape Cod and simply gushed about Boston and the Cape. She was wonderful and delighted to help us.

It's wonderful to be a little family here...and Craig and I take turns spending morning/afternoons with Sean and Lily. The weather is amazing and almost an indian summer temp, and very cold at night which makes for great sleeping.

Not one of us is ready to come home yet! Funny, I wouldn't have believed it prior to our visit. Craig misses his weekend newspaper, and we all miss our Ryan and Packer!

As of now, it still looks like a return sometime around August 19th. Not sure...nothing so far has been textbook..it's actually been better, as things have been very smooth. Don't want to jinx it.

Day 14

Pretty big day, nothing changes really, but it's a milestone in this trip. Thought I would detail a few interesting things about Karaganda...Kaz in general.



1) No squirrels or variety of birds...just giant pigeons that scare the hell out of me.

2) Dogs are ugly, and few have them as pets...they are street 'dogs'

3) Water smells in our apartment, but it works. Water pressure is hit or miss. Craig started shaving while I was in the shower. I have a third degree burn on my hiney.

4) Ever tried lobster flavored potato chips? How about cavier.... Better yet, how about Mayo and Tomato flavored Pringels? Nope, have not tried any as of this writing.

5) Street walking is a hazard to your well being...I fear being impailed with a rusty old pipe that is sticking out of the ground, concrete steps, or buildings. They are everywhere. I am ready to put Sean on a leash in hope of keeping him on the road and out of the emergency room.

6) Young kids love to talk to us...they know Hello, How are you, and How old are you. Love it. I am 29 by the way in my little utopia.

7) Wondering how the painted on jeans of all the women here ever come off. My shorts and running shoes are a dead give away.

8) Karaganda beer is awesome! I don't drink beer...but Neal and Jeff...it rocks!

9) The hallway outside our apartment is yet another death trap - insulation, windows, sheet rock, long strips of metal just laying around...amid strollers and a giant toy jeep. Again, I breath a sigh of relief when Sean makes it from A-Z with out a cut or fall.

10) We love it here...and can honestly say that we don't miss the hustle and bustle of reality!



tp

Saturday Lunch Time

We are just the three of us now. Chris left this morning to go back to Almaty to tour/travel for a few days. Sean was very sad that his buddy left. It marks that half our our journey is complete.

Monday will be day 14. Our 'mandatory' visitation days will be complete. We met with the social workers on Wednesday. Not the nicest ladies I have ever met. But, we got through it just fine. They were mostly interested in my working, and why in the world we wanted or could love a Kazakh child. I am nor sure they know how to smile either. Oh well.

Tuesday we head to the notary to get all of our documents ready for court. From there we wait and see when the judge will 'set' pre-court and court.

We love playing outside - and it's great fun with Sean. Lily loves the swings Jessica...and they are up. The kids love them.

Will try and get more pics for you all.

Love to you all from our little 'world' in Kazakhstan.

BIg Brother Sean

Loves her little thumb

Sleeping Beauty

You can see the little 'jumper' they put the children in. It's made of terrycloth with little hand stitched cloth suspenders. They don't wear diapers (she does now because we are here and have left them for her). Instead, they simply put a cloth under them...very similiar to cloth diapers but no pins.

Horse Anyone?

Arrival in Almaty - July 18, 2009 1:00 a.m.

A Few More Pictures

It's hard to get to an internet cafe daily, so I will post more pics today. We can't leave with Lily at all - just play outside at the baby house. Until she is ours we stay put. It's ok...as long as we see her daily.

Having Such an Amazing Time

Our visits continue to get better and better...and more difficult as she now cries when we leave her. This started day two! We are told it's a good thing. She loves to play on the beach ball as you have seen, but she is actually crawling as well. It will be no time before she is all over the place and chasing poor Packer.

So the food....we love it. We are all pleasantly surprised with the selection of restaurants, and find that everything so far (cross fingers) is really good. Many Turkish inspired dishes - the baklava and fresh bread is to die for. The diet coke is coke light, and is much better than our US diet. The juice from the market is amazing, and Sean likes to mix up the pineapple and apple together in his special drink.

The apartment is a 10 minute walk to City Mall - isn't it great that I am a million miles away, and I can still walk to a mall? ;-) Anyway, they have a game room that Sean loves, and the best candy store ever. The grocery store (Ram Store) is very nice, and a very good selection. Very strange to not have green beans, lettuce, brocholli, and other favs.... Guess we have to get used to all frozen or canned.

Sean is now able to go to the baby house every day. It was such great news. He cries every time we put our Lily to sleep for her nap. The care givers think he is so adorable. We have threatened him with his life if he acts up and blows our 'cover' as great parents! ;-)

Weather is cool, so cool at night that we want blankets. We don't miss the humidity.

So - How is my Packer? Did Julie have her baby? Where is the world are all my friends out there? I want to hear from you!!!

Love you.
tp

Fun with Daddy

Outside

Today was the first day we got to take Lily outside for both the morning and the evening visit. It was wonderful. Tomorrow is Saturday, and Sean's first visit to meet his sister. We are all very excited. After we returned to our play room, she went right for her beachball...she loves it!

Living Simply or Simply Living

As I was hanging our laundry to dry on our drying rack on the outside porch this morning, I found myself humming and enjoying the chore. It's very different to do such things, and looking around me, I saw laundry hanging every where. The lady next door was watering her garden below from the third floor. I thought it was raining for a moment. But, the technique worked for her - her garden below seems to be thriving. There were three beautiful children playing outside yesterday, and said 'hello' in English to Craig and I as we were walking back to our apartment. We must look totally American! Anyway, in very good english, one of the girls asked me if we were from the US. I said yes, and then asked them their names. Not only were they beautiful, but spoke well, and seemed very curious to talk to us. I hope we see them again.

I am not sure if I mentioned it yet...but our Lily is simply wonderful. Each day is more and more fufilling for all of us. Today, she must have felt very much a part of our family, as she 'tooted' on Craig and I. She is now offically a 'Moss.' We really don't need to wait for the judge to say so!

Anyway, Natasha spent time with us in our morning visit and we learned so much. She spoke of Lily's mom and where she lives. The father is not known. We do have the mothers full name and address to give to Lily someday....We also learned that we have the meeting with the social workers next week, and that Lily's passport picture will be taken tomorrow. Looks like we will indeed be here the full 4 weeks, as many are on vacation in August. The real bummer is that the women who processes the passports is on vacation in early August, so the time in between trips may be longer than we anticipated. Yuk....

Oh well. It will be fine.

Take care and our love to you all.

Hello From Karaganda

We are here safe and sound! It has taken awhile to get situated and we are at our first Internet cafe. So, make sure you start below to see more on the whole trip. But, most importantly, see our Lily! She is amazing and we are madly in love!













We didn't know when we would get to meet her. Having been told we weren't going to leave for Karaganda until Tuesday morning, we were a bit disappointed thinking we would have to wait until Wednesday! Nope! We landed Tuesday morning, and were taken to the baby house for the morning visit. It was surreal. I don't think we realized it was actually happening until Oxana (our interpreter) lead us to the Director's office. There, we sat in a large office, the director came in a visited with us for a minute or so, Oxana translated....We could barely breath. Then we heard Lily's pediatrician walking down the hallway, carrying our baby! She handed our girl to me and all I could do was cry and look at her. Craig was speechless...red as could be in the face! The picture below is the first day we met her, after we were escorted to our 'play room.' She loved her little yellow ring in the first picture. She's so funny about the pacifier I gave her. She doesn't actually put it in her mouth...she bites and chews on it. She has two little front teeth on the bottom and two little buds below.

The baby house is not a sterotypical 'instution' with gray walls and scant furnishings. Rather, a very, very clean environment with beautiful wall murals, and toys on nice shelfs. Not many, but enough that the children are happy. The care givers in Lily's room are non-stop. They work so hard, and the love for these children is so obvious. Everyone we have met in the baby house is amazing. Everything we heard about this BH is true.

And as expected, it is very difficult for me to see the other babies in Lily's room. A little guy "Max" has stolen my heart. The whole visit yesterday, he stood in his little walker and watched us play with Lily.





Travel Day:
We departed for Frankfurt on time and had great seats. Thankfully, we were upgraded and had plenty of leg room and wider seats. Sean was amazing on each leg, all the way from Dulles to Almaty, Kazakhstan. Unbelievable . I am afraid to jinx the trip home!



We arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan at 11:55 pm. We were told clear customs, proceed to baggage claim, and look for our driver. The first true test of 'blind faith' in our journey. We were all very curious to see if we would have a driver!

Craig and Chris would have stayed in customs, as the immigration officers were strikingly gorgeous! This was only the beginning of their introduction to the beautiful women of Kazakhstan. Bleary eyed, we were very excited to see our luggage, all of it, rolling out on the conveyor. Through the double wide doors, passing through swarms of taxi drivers, I saw our names on a large card! Dima, our driver was ready for us, as promised.

We did not stay in an apartment as planned, too difficult to find one large enough for two nights. So, we were booked at the Hotel Kazakhstan. I had researched this hotel, and was mentally prepared. Thankfully! Also, having planned on only 1 night in Almaty, we stayed 2. Initially, we were bummed, having planned on leaving Monday night to meet Lily Tuesday morning.
Please refer to the pictures of our hotel room at the Hotel Kazakhstan. All I can say is that I will never say a word about a Residence Inn again. Never. Stacey and Eli, you would be proud of me!


The only heart stopping issue, was my fault. After we unloaded the car, I forgot my bag with ALL the documents and papers needed for our first meeting to process the adoption! I didn't know till morning that Dima had it... no phone, no contact information... nothing! Totally helpless...not a good feeling.

Day TWO - First Meeting and Time In Almaty
We were picked up at 10:15 am as directed, and taken to meet with the agency. We had an amazing free breakfast in the hotel. All was forgiven about the sad rooms after I saw the pastry table. The Kazakh coffee is rich and strong, did the trick. Jet lag hasn't set in yet.

The meeting was in a beautiful building and was easy and efficient. We signed papers, and were given very detailed typed instructions regarding our schedule. We have done really well with just taking things day by day, and not having any expectations.

The city is beautiful, so clean, and a mix of old and new. The abandoned buildings from post soviet occupation stand eerily vacant next to brand new million dollar condos. Finally, I must add... the women here are ALL beautiful. They are fully decked out in heels, skirts, (or skin tight jeans that look painted!) full makeup, jewelry, and perfume...lots of perfume! Some are blond (true and otherwise), but mostly long and dark. I am glad I don't stand out in my shorts and tennis shoes. My Cousin Vinny comes to mind.

After a 2 hour coma nap, in a very hot hotel room...(did I say AC?) we stumbled to dinner to meet our friends who are on the tail end of their adoption journey. It was great fun, and so great to meet their children. Without Linda and Jessica, I don't think Craig and I would not have been so prepared.

Day Three - Our Journey to Karaganda

Dima picked us up at 5:15 am, boarded our flight, and arrived in Karaganda. Our flight on Air Astana was another pleasant surprise. More to come!

Today is the Day!

We are still not totally aware of what we are about to do...as of this writing at 10:25 a.m. it just seems like any other Saturday morning. Paper, coffee, Sean watching cartoons (we have NOT told him we leave today, or he would be swinging from the banisters) laundry, etc. I was however dancing in the kitchen while cleaning my counters to the Chipmunks 'Had a Bad Day.' Sean had it blaring! Packer (our golden) seems to be the only one aware of the 'event.' She is pacing, walking in and out of the room with all the bags, and tries to jump in the car every chance she gets. Poor thing! I think she hears us talking about it and wonders where CATSTAN is?

We will post as soon as we are able. Perhaps Tuesday when we meet our girl.

Love you all and prayers for safe travel.

Terri

Some journeys are direct, and some are circuitous; some are heroic, and some are fearful and muddled. But every journey, honestly undertaken, stands a chance of taking us toward the place where our deep gladness meets the world's deep need. - Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak

Final Week...

One week from today, we will be in Karaganda! Right now, it seems forever away. I had my first official melt down today in the NC Secretary of State's office. Yep, after 18 whole months of changes, glitches, set backs, waiting and waiting - I just started to cry. The women behind the big old wooden cherry walls was curt, mean, not helpful, never even cracked a smile, and finally, got me totally confused! Finally, her boss came out, took me to her office, and got things taken care of. Not so much of a big deal as the mean lady made it appear. All the stuff that was so 'wrong' was easily rectified!

Other than the darn dossier ...we have everything in place. Our Visa's came in, and our tickets are purchased. Packing is about 60% completed. I just need to run through my lists one more time!

We leave Saturday night and fly to Washington/Dulles and land in Frankfurt at 11:30 am on Sunday. We leave for Almaty, Kazakhstan around 1:30pm or so, and land at 11:55 pm and head to our apartment. We have our first official meeting the afternoon July 20th, and fly to Karaganda that same day. If we are lucky, we will meet our little girl on July 21!

Dates and our LOI!

Trying to keep up with everything. We received our Letter of Invitation on Thursday, and the travel dates today. We are to arrive in Almaty on July 19 and fly to Karaganda on July 20th. The courth date is set for August 18th - which makes us in country for 4 whole weeks! I am afraid we are up against a judge who may be on vacation! oh well...it is what it is.

So much to do between now and then...

Keep praying and sending us your love and support.

Terri and Craig

Extended Family!

There are so many special people supporting us through our Kaz journey. As our travel approaches, Craig and I are continually amazed at the special 'forces' behind the scenes assisting us.

The families who have either traveled to Karaganda or who are there currently are incredible. What a support group. I have read for months and months about amazing parent support 'groups' from each region...everything said is true...and then some!

We are almost 'ready.' Meaning, the baby stuff is all sorted (I saved everything from Sean), her room is finished, and we are missing only fingerprints for the dossier. Packing will be 'started' this weekend.

Wish I had pictures or something to post - soon enough I am sure!

Pray for fingerprints....Pray for fingerprints!

Happy Fathers Day!

Woke up again around 6:00 a.m. est. Seems the norm these days. So much on my mind. I see her little face all the time and my thoughts drift to her constantly.

Please keep praying that we get our second CIS and FBI print 'approvals' back in a timely manner. Having missed the fact that our CIS prints expired on June 4th (I could just kick myself) - we got them done last Monday...same with FBI. It is my hope that we won't have major issues getting these quickly, but one never knows.

On a much better note, we have been in communication with a family who is in Karaganda (thank you so much MARLA!), and have seen yet another adorable picture of our baby. They said that she is 'always smiling!' Isn't that fun? I am able to send questions to our new friends, which is a huge help.

Digging though boxes of baby stuff I saved from Sean yesterday. It has been a huge (and very positive) distraction from everything with the dossier. Ryan got his passport picture application done last week, and should be here in plenty of time to make the second trip....The boys are sure getting excited to meet their sister. Sean keeps refering to her as 'his baby.' Wonder if he will feel this way after he discovers that diaper changes go hand and hand with 'his baby!'
Keep us close in thought and prayer.

T

Getting Ready...

I can't believe how much work needs to be done before we are 'wings up.' The dossier for one, and new fingerprints etc. I have forgotten everything I went through the first time for the darn thing...and the recall is a bit slow. So, we have to get Immigration Fingerprints, and FBI Fingerprints again tomorrow morning.

Craig and I have split the list of action items - and Chris (my dear friend who is traveling with us to help with Sean) has stuff to do on his own to help us out as well! I don't know what I would do if we didn't have him!

Sean and Ryan's reaction to meeting their little sister via email was wonderful! It was so great to have them asking questions, and we finally have some answers. We are still hoping Ryan can go the second trip!

Things are Moving ....June 11, 2009

Returned home last night from Boston. Needless to say June 9, 2009 will be a day remembered...one that ended at Fenway Park watching the Sox beat the Yankees! It was an amazing day.

I received word yesterday to be prepared to arrive in Almaty, Kazakhstan on July 18, 2009! Holy Moley! So that means as of this writing, we would leave sometime around July 15th! We have a lot to do in the meantime. This too is variable. Could be earlier by a few days or later. We won't have an 'official' date until about 7-10 days prior! Isn't that something!

Our dossier basically needs to be re-done, as it needs to be 4-6 months old per the judges in Karaganda. That will keep me a little busy! We will tell the boys together tomorrow night...it will be interesting to see what their reaction is...especially since we have pictures. By the way...isn't she the cutest thing!?
The medicals were amazing and we both just sat and smiled at each other through the whole conference call.

So if you are reading this, you have permission to be doing so. We have made our blog 'by permission' only for various reasons that have been recommended to us. So hello! Please keep our little girl in your prayers...as I have shared, there remains the possibility that we could loose the referral. Reasons are too many to delineate. Slight risk - about 5% are lost. So she isn't our little girl until the day the judge says so! Postings will be more regular now you can bet.

June 9, 2009

What a day. I am in Cambridge, MA in meetings this week. I was sitting with my boss and my team, and I got an email from the corporate receptionist saying that I had a message. I picked up the message and I didn't recognize the name. No information, no company information etc. Which client is this? It didn't click until I was sitting with my boss...OMG it was the adoption agency. I asked if I could return the call. Imagine my shock when I was told he had our REFERRAL! Blessings and prayers ...keep 'em coming!

Crickets...I hear Crickets...

Just wanted to say hello. On June 17th our dossier will have been in the Ministry of Education in Kaz for 3 months...but who is counting? We have been told that it averages about 3-4 months before it is 'released' and we are 'adoption ready!' Wouldn't that be the bomb diggity!?

So, we shall see. We are very hopeful that we will travel in late summer/early fall, and avoid the winter freeze! Your posts means so much. thank you thank you!

Map of Kazakhstan

No News is GREAT News!

Monday morning email, first one opened....and ta da, our dossier is IN Kazakhstan! Not "on it's way," but actually there! Yea for us! So, now, 3-4 months with more waiting.... However, for some reason, this seems like we have turned one of the biggest corners, and have held our breath for a long time to get it in country! I will probably be quiet for a while, as we do not hear a peep until the end in terms of our referral status, and available children. Blessings to all of you! Please keep the kind words coming...we love reading them!

Waiting...And Waiting....

So, our dossier should be off to Kaz with in days! Then - perhaps 4 months...before we are referral ready? Meaning, we are approved in Kaz to adopt and they begin to look for our baby! Late summer maybe for a jaunt way over there? Cross fingers and toes it 'gets gone to Kaz' very soon!

We have PROGRESS!

Just as I finished Sean's kindergarten registration, I received word that our dossier has moved to the NY Consulate....this is a huge step in the right direction! From here, perhaps a month or so of review before the dossier moves to Kazakhstan and the match process for our baby begins! I think we can still count on July/August travel to Kazakhstan for our first trip. Which now, doesn't seem like that too far away, considering all the time behind us! Keep the prayers and kind words heading our way.

Crawling...not Walking Yet!

We have recent news of some forward movement. Afraid to commit to anything definitive, but we are now hearing that our dossier is 'slated' to go to the NY Consulate in February. As we have mentioned, we are open to either gender, and have requested the age range to be between 12-24 months. Still very slow movement in Kaz, and changes with in each region happening more often than not.

Enjoyed a recent snow in sunny NC! Sean was in heaven! I have attached a pretty cute picture....trying to keep this blog interesting, as we still don't have much to say!

Happy 2009, and here's to a trip sometime this year, and a pace that goes from a crawl to a 'walk!'