Last Document - Patiently Waiting

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. As you can imagine we have been diligently pulling together our final documents the past few weeks and we are almost done. We have all of the documents ready expect for the NJ Licensing Letter. Due to some unfortunate scheduling (of vacations) my homestudy agency has been unable to obtain this letter.

Patience has become my new best friend (or at least I keep hoping it is). It has been difficult to think of Cassidy in Russia and not having a court date to look forward to. Hopefully we will get this last document soon and we can begin looking forward to the next stage. With any luck, we will be returning to get her by August.

On a brighter note - we want to wish all of our friends leaving for their 2nd trips a Safe and Quick journey home!!!!

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers!
Stephanie & Dennis

Updates

As you can imagine, things have been crazy at our house lately. Just getting back into the swing of things, plus the RUSH RUSH RUSH to get more documents done. And of course, we are approaching the end of our year in which all our documents expire - so more work!!!!

But, amidst all this paperwork, we know there is a little girl waiting for us to come back and get her. And we are looking forward to the rest of our lives with her.

Keep praying for us!
Stephanie

Greetings from Russia !!!

Good Afternoon (and by afternoon I mean ours)

It is currently 1:30pm here in Moscow (you are all in bed still sleeping). We have made is safely to and from Krasnoyarsk. Let me begin by telling you a little about our adventure. It started out in JFK where our plane had to be switched out for another one because it was broke!!! Hence, we were delayed by about 2 hours to Moscow. That being said, past that, the 9 hour flight was uneventful - other then the obnoxious odor in the cabin!!!!!!!! Ewwwwwwwww!!!!!

We arrived in Moscow, only to check into a hotel for a 3 hour a nap - and $150 later we were on another flight to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. For those of you who do not know, Dennis is not a fan of flying, however, the flight to Krasnoyarsk. by his own admission, was pretty good. (I think we should take that as a good sign). We arrived in Krasnoyarsk (Kras) approx 6am the following day to more good news - NO HOT WATER!!!!!!! - Seriously, for some reason, the region shuts down it's hot water in preparation for the new spring/summer schedule. We just happend to pick that time. Needless to say, we had to boil water to take small baths. Washing my hair was a treat - can't wait for a HOT shower in Moscow.

So, if you can follow this time line - We left JFK at 6:30pm on May 17th, arrived in Moscow at noon on the May 18th, and from Moscow to Kras arriving at 6am on May 19th. So, we somehow lost a day from flying - WHOOOOOO, good times!!!!!

Anyway, I divert - We arrived in Kras at 6am where we were greeted by Sveta (our translator) and Dasha (one of our CHI reps). They took us to the apartment that we would be staying at, and we got about 2 hours sleep, and off to the Ministry of Education to get some information about our referral. But 1st - let me tell you about Business Lunches in Siberia - Well, what a concept. For about $12 pp you get a salad, a soup, a main meal, a dessert and a drink. And these are not some small portions. The soup bowls were bigger then my bowls at home. Needless to say, the food has been an adventure here for me - Dennis has been able to enjoy most of the food. He had a soup called Borscht that he really enjoyed. Personally, I have tried most of the foods, some was ok, some I could do without. No way was a I eating rabbit!!!!!! But the traditinal Russian cake dessert was very good. It was similar to Tiramasu. These Business Lunches were only only "true" meals of the day. In the mornings Dennis would have oatmeal and I had cereal. In the evernings (if we were awake) we would have a cup of soup (Oddles of Noodles).

But I digress - back to the real reason of this email - So, after the Ministry of Education, we went to the Director of Social Services. There we were greated by our other CHI rep, Oleg. Very nice man. He was a nuerologist in Russia prior to devoting his time with adoptions. At the Dir of Social Services we got all of the information on her. We learned all about when she was born and under what circumstances she was released to the orphanage. From there we went to the orphange to meet her.

Let's give you a little information about the orphange - It was a very nice facility, run by caring people. The rooms were all well maintained, and there was laughter in the halls. We were brought upstairs to the vistors playroom where we met with the Orphanage doctor. I have to say, in all honestly, the orphanage doctor was very very impressive. She has lots and lots of details on our referral, down to 8 specialist who see her on a regular basis for standard check ups. After going through 1.5 hours with the doctor, it was finally time to meet our little girl. (okay, let me preface this for you - EVERYTHING we read prepared us to expect a child who would be very reserved, want limited conact, and was developmentally challenged).

When she 1st entered the room we met the CUTIEST little girl. She has dark blond/very light brown hair, grey-blue eyes, and a quirly little smile. She came over to Dennis and I where we started coloring, playing music, singing - and we KNEW that this little girl was ours!!! She babbled in Russian (not that we could understand a word she was saying) and was truly quite a joy. She is a tiny little thing, probably no bigger than a 2.5 year old would be. She is SKINNY, just abut fits into 3T's, and has a love for dresses (The caregivers say she doesn't like to wear pants) HA HA HA HA!!!!!!! Not sure the closet in the bedroom will be big enough for all her clothes!!!! Anyway, we got to spend about 3 hours with her the 1st day, then had to leave. We returned to the apartment (which was very nice), put together the documents for our Doctors at CHOP, emailed them, and then Dennis and I CRASHED!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, Yes we did!!!!

The next day we spent the day getting to know our little girl a little bitter. She opened up a little more, and according to the caregivers recognized us from the windows. We got lots of video, pictures and started showing her the photobook that we made for her. Alas, again, our time flew by and we had to head back to the apartment. We sent more revisions of our medical reports to our Dr at CHOP and of course, Dennis and I CRASHED!!!!! Sleep has been becoming an issue. Our bodies can't figure out what time zone we are in, and what time it actually is. Anyway, by 1am we were back awake and decided to call the Dr. Now, you are probably askng - why call the Dr? Why not just email her - Well, you see - after I sent out the revised docs, the internet in ALL OF KRAS went down - NO INTERNET!!!!! Another joy!!!! Anyway, we called our Dr at CHOP at 1am ( 1pm EST) and gave her the additinoal findings. By 2am our time we had the OK - and we were ready to accept the referral for adoption.

The following day we spent our last time with our little one, gave her her new clothes, her toys, and cried when we had to leave her!!!! We went to the notary to prepare the documents for court adoption and to change her name. We named her Cassidy Maria - and at that same time we were informed that the process to come back and get her could take up to 3 months. Can you believe it - 3 months? So, we vowed that we would do everything we could to get her home sooner. That means LOTS of paperwork (CHERI - get out that notary stamp, we have to form that assembly line again!!!)

Anyway, that leads me to current - Dennis and I are sitting in the business center at a hotel in Moscow. We took a 5 hour flight from Kras this morning, and are waiting for our room to be ready for check in. We plan on spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing, and then we are meeting up with another couple we met (also adopting in Kras) for dinner by the Red Square. Should be fun, but we can't wait to be home. We miss Max and Ethan desperately!!!!!!!!!

Well - I believe that is all I have to report for now (like it wasn't long enough). I hope you enjoyed our run down of activities this past week.

Stephanie & Dennis

Details, Details, Details....

As they say, it is all in the details and the next few weeks - that is all it will be about. Travel arrangements, medical arrangements, transportation arrangements (and let's not leave out all the prep for Max's communion which is on the day we leave). We are slated to leave JFK on Saturday, May 17th at 4:20pm. We are going to be able to see Max's communion, and some of his party - but then we are being whisked away to JFK. Thankfully I was able to find direct flights to Moscow (and not as expensive as I thought) on Delta. We will have a few hours in Moscow, and we leave on a 9pm from from Moscow to Krasnoyarsk. We arrive in Krasnoyarsk at 5:30am on May 19th, and meet with the Ministry by 9am. (Not much time). BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!!!

Dennis always complains that I have "lists". Well, I certainly don't hear him complaining now!!!!! Organization will be the key to getting us set for the communion and the trip (oh - and BTW, did I mention I was gone all this week on business???) HA HA HA HA. Some things you just can't make up. So, I have a business list (of all the items I need), then a school list (of everything I need to do for my classes), a home list (emergency contacts & schedules for the boys), and finally a Russia list (what we need to bring). I have lists ALL over the place.

Well, I will continue to fill you in as details become available - but suffice it to say we will be in Russia from May 18th through May 23rd. Please don't forget to pray and keep us in your thoughts.

OMGosh - We got a referral !!!!!!

We got a call from Rebecca at our CHI office this afternoon. She let us know that they had a referral for us for a little girl (3 years old). We don't know many details, hopefully we will have more to report soon - They are requesting we be in Krasnoyarsk from May 18th to May 23rd. We have asked for a short delay since Max's communion is on the 17th and we don't want to miss that.

I will let everyone know as soon as we hear anything!!! Thank you all for your prayers, please keep them coming.

We are OFFICIALLY REGISTERED!!!!!!!!

We got great news today!!!! Our CHI liaison, Rebecca (the best!!!), let us know that we got our official documentation that we have been registered in Krasnoyarsk. WE ARE OFFICIAL!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!! Come on Referral!!!!!

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers!!!!

I was Tagged!!!!

Rules:

Link to the person who tagged you: Heidi http://findingrfamilee.blogspot.com/

Post the rules (see below)

Share 6 unimportant habits/quirks about yourself: see below
Tag three other people - Renae, Mary, Kim

Make sure the people you tagged know you've tagged them

Unimportant Habits/Quirks (Just 6???)

1. I check the blogsites EVERYDAY to make sure that I have not missed anything in the Adoption Community. So many family's are experiencing travel and I want to be able to congratulate them !!!

2. When eating, I do not like it when the food on my plate touches other food on my plate. I know, I know, it is all going to the same place. But what it tastes like going down makes a BIG difference.

3. I email with my sister EVERY day. Yes, I know it would be easier to pick up the phone, but it has become a habit.

4. I am a techno-geek. I run 2 computers, 1 blackberry and 3 phone systems all at the same time. I love the new gadgets that come out and have to research them all!!

5. I am a true Jersey Girl!!!! I love the beach, the techno-hip hop sounds, the boardwalk, the sausage, pepper, onion sandwiches, the high hair, and the funky slang.

6. And finally - I would say, just being married to my silly husband makes my quirky - I think his sense of humor has rubbed off on me after all the years together.

It's another update

Another update, albeit not so good news. We received an email from our CHI office on April 18th, explaining that the Russian Government is strongly encouraging Russian families to adopt from the Russian orphanages. That being said, if a Russian family does adopt, the Russian government is giving each family a small stipend to help afford the cost of that child. As it seems, more and more Russian Families want little girls. According to our Russian CHI rep, Russian residents are waiting on line for girls, so, the issue becomes that the only girls who are open for international adoption will be the girls who are not adopted domestically, most often due to medical or behavioral reasons. So, Dennis and I ask ourselves, where is the silver lining in this news? The answer is - most Russian Families want to adopt infants (in Russia that is considered from birth to 18 months) - Dennis and I are hoping to adopt a 3 year old. With any luck, that may move us away from that long line.

Alas, the wait continues. We thank all our family and friends for your continued encouragement, prayers, and warm wishes. We hope that we will be able to update you on some better news soon.

Paper, Paper, Paper.....

Well, paper, paper, paper. I should have taken stock in paper companys before starting the adoption process. I could have kept multiple companies in business for a long time. Documents came back to Dennis and I this week, and new revisions have started. The Ministry of Education in Russia has asked for more documents. It seems as if I am the epitomy of the term "paper pusher".

Hopefully this ends soon. We are now in the 16th month (from inception) and hopefully I wont be writing this same post in month 24!

As always, we look forward to the future, and continue to spend time with the boys (It's baseball season you know... )

March Madness

It seemed like the appropriate title (and not because it is the NCAA tournaments). March has been a whirlwind for us. Easter seemed to creep up on us this year - Thankfully the Easter Bunny is always on time!!!!

The spring has come quickly and it continues to get warmer everyday - what does that mean?? MORE WORK OUTSIDE!!!! We continue on projects around the house and outside to keep us busy. Those projects, combined with Max and Ethan's baseball schedules, we usually have about 22.4 seconds to ourselves a night. I know this sounds like an exaggeration, but it sure feels like it. And that is usually the time I think about the adoption and wonder when we will get "the call".

I want to say to all my friends on the yahoo group boards how EXCITED I am for those of you traveling on your 1st and 2nd trips. I cannot wait to hear all your adventures and to see pictures of your children. It warms my heart to know that many of you have gotten your referals and are starting the journey. For those of my friends who remain on the "wait list" like Dennis and I, I wish you all the Patience and Prayer from my heart.

Enjoy the rest of the month of March - and lets look forward to a new month of April.

Another round of Paperwork down -

Another round of paperwork has been completed. We submitted our registration documents to CHI St. Louis and then off to sunny Siberia the documents go. The timeline is "iffy" but here is a rough idea on how we understand the next step will proceed -

• Documents submitted to Russia for translation. (2 weeks turn around time)
• Review of documents by Russian Ministry of Education for referral.(4 weeks to unknown period)

So, what does this mean??? It means anytime after April we could hear about a referral. Keep us in your prayers.

And the Winner is......

It appears that the winner of this round is Max. (wonder why he likes the name Leah so much - could it be his obession of Star Wars?). In the Smith house, the name choices (from the boys) change daily. Yesterday, Ethan thought that a good name would be "Lady", after his girl train from his Thomas the Train set. And Max, well - he continues to fight the internal struggle between the names "Princess Leah" and "Pink Power Ranger sister". So, we will see what the future holds for us.

Anyway, things continue to progress here. Final documents are being submitted to the State this week to be apostilled, and then off to Russia they go again. I will continue to keep all our family and friends updated as we progress. We are getting closer!!!!!

#1 in Krasnoyarsk

Good News has come our way. We got confirmation this week that we are ranked #1 for a little girl over 2+ years of age in our region. As many of our family and friends know I had surgery this week but this great news made me forget about my discomfort. Even my mother driving me through Trenton to get additional paperwork for the adoption (and missing all the turns) couldn't bring me down, or maybe it painkillers the doctor prescribed me after my elbow surgery (just kidding, of course). Dennis and I are on cloud-nine, as are the boys, who are thinking of names for their soon-to-be sister, like Princess Leah (Max's choice) or Sally (Ethan's choice).

We welome your imput on these names chioces. Please vote for Max or Ethan. Let's see who wins!!!!!

All about Krasnoyarsk (Siberia)

As mentioned in our ealier post - We have been assigned to the Krasnoyarsk region in Siberia. Each step in the adoption process brings new information, and we thought we might share a little information about where our little girl will be from.

Krasnoyarsk is one of the newest regions that our adoption agency is working with. First of all, because the region itself is very big. It occupies 1/7 of the territory of Russia. It is three times bigger than the entire State of Texas! The region stretches for 1800ml (3000 km) from north to south which means great differences in climate. Thought, as everywhere in Siberia winters are very cold and snowy and last about 5 month with average temperature around -15F, but occasionally can go below 40F. Springs are short but nice, summers are hot 68-75F and falls have changing weather.

In 1628 year the city Krasnoyarsk was founded as a fortress to guard south-eastern borders of the expanding Russian Empire. The city stands on the banks of the most beautiful and the most abounding in water river in Russia called Yenisey. It is surrounded by mountains, giving a very interesting flavor to the city views. The population of Krasnoyarsk Kray significantly increased after building Trans-Siberian railway. During Stalin era many prisons for political prisoners were formed in Krasnoyarsk Kray, but now it is a cultural, educational and industrial center. Its population is close to one million inhabitants, there are 12 Universities, 5 theaters and lots of museums and picture galleries. Krasnoyarsk is the site of the Siberian Federal University, one of the four largest educational institutions of Russia.

02/13/2008 - Region Assigned

We recieved some wonderful news today. We have been assigned to the Krasnoyarsk region in Sibera. We still have paperwork that has to be done, but we are one step closer to meeting our new daughter.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I look forward to next year's Valentine's Day with a family of 5 instead of a family of 4. The boys (Max & Ethan) have made Valentine's Day cards for their soon to be sister. They talk about her all the time, and tell their friends about their sister to come.

Dennis and I remain quite about our adoption, almost as a way to not get our hopes up too much. We answer everyone's questions, we keep the family abreast of all our news, but inside, we feel as if everything has been going along too smoothly.

So, we continue to work on the new region paperwork, and hopefully we will have it registered by the end of the month.

Look for more updates as we continue upon our journey!!!