We are here!!

We are here in Russia!! It was a smooth flight. Coming down into our region I kept looking at the city below and thinking our daughter is down there somewhere. I took many aerial shots from the airplane of the city. We are not in California anymore. The landscape and archectiture is very different from home. The city celebrated it's 300 year birthday a few years ago. It is so rich with history! We made it through customs and picked up our luggage. Our driver was waiting for us and we got checked into our hotel very easily.

After a great night sleep we went down stairs and had a yummy buffet breakfast of blinis, eggs, cheese, breads, sausage and fruit. Now we are waiting to go the committee this morning and receive our referral and then off to meet our little girl!! It just started to snow this morning. It was clear yesterday. The view of the snow flurries hitting the city outside our window is beautiful!

I'll post again later! It's amazing to think we are up and ready to go and my family is sleeping on the other side of the world!

Made it to Frankfurt!!

We are almost there!! We have a 2 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany so I thought I would pop in and say hi! We had a nice flight on Lufthansa airlines although I was unable to sleep on it..even after taking 2 sleeping pills! It was just a 10 hour flight. The plane was late boarding so they shaved an hour off our arrival. I just love it when they do that!! This is our first time to Frankfurt. Nice airport...easy to navigate, very modern. This is Lufthansa's hub so there are a ton of Lufthansa and United planes. I would definately recommend the airline...we had a very new 747, it was nice. We are just hanging out in one of the lounges here waiting for our connecting flights...hubby is watching soccer on the big screens while I blog. Since I didn't sleep, I'm dead tired and ready for a shower and a bed. It's 11am here...3am at home.

We miss our boys and hope they are doing well at home!!! We can't wait to get to Russia and meet our little girl tomorrow!! Our flight gets in later this evening and we probably won't get to our hotel until close to 9pm. And then we get up early Thurs morning, have breakfast and head out to MOE for our referral and then hopefully straight to the babyhome!

So until tomorrow everyone!

Auf Wiedersehen!

We are leaving on a Jet plane...TOMORROW!!

Where has the week gone?

I can't believe tomorrow we will be on our way to RUSSIA!!

Even more unbelievable, we are actually ready!

The kids' schedules, dogs' schedules and medical releases for both are done for my parents who will be taking over for us while we are gone. The laundry is done, the kids' backpacks are packed for the week, carpool schedules have been adjusted, house cleaned, i-pods loaded, paperwork, emerg numbers, itinerary, passports, visas, tickets, money all together...and we are packed! I just have a small grocery trip today for all the over the counter meds I want to take with me and I need something for dinner for tonight.

The only small thing left we hope to do is make a video of us for our kids so they can watch it while we are gone..if they are missing us. Of course, they probably will be too excited to be with the grandparents to miss us...but just incase.

I can't believe how close we finally are to meeting our little girl!! I wrapped a small present for her last night. It's her lovey bunny and photo album we want to leave with her. And I kept thinking...it's finally happening..we are finally going to get to see her in person!

We got to meet our mentor family and their little girl yesterday. She is so cute. It was really fun watching her playing in our living room with the boys and imagining our Emily there playing too. Even hubby commented on how fun three were interacting together. Our mentor family came by to give us some last minute tips on our trip and brought us some small things to take with us. The visit sure made it feel so real! We are just so excited and can't wait to be there!!

On to more fun stuff!!

I got to talk with a family that traveled two weeks ago and she shared with me things to bring. And since Becky mentioned she wants ideas and I know we are all wanting ideas, here is what she suggested to bring.

For the weather right now...warm coat, mittens, hat and boots that can be worn in slushy, dirty snow. She said she never even wore her other shoes at all..just her boots everywhere. Leave the bulky sweaters home and bring a thin sweater and shirts. The babyhome was really hot and you want to take off layers as soon as you are inside. Also to carry hand sanitizer and tp when out even at the baby home in case there is none of these items in the bathroom. And bring of course camera, videocamera, pen and paper for info you receive about your child.

For the baby...toys, cheerios, baby book and blanket you slept with to leave with your child. She also suggested shoes like soft soled robeez as it seemed at the babyhome she was at, it was an item that probably your child would get to use. Can bring clothes for your child but probably won't be used only on your child or get them returned in the end. She also brought lotion and chapstick that she used on her child while there since their skin looked dry and she had wished she had brought diaper cream, wipes and diapers for her child too.

So from that I will have to add a few things. Now...here is what I'm bringing to use at the babyhome.

I want to give her a wrapped present with our photo album and the lovey bunny that kept me company after many hard days of waiting for her. Both my boys have little blankee lovies that they still sleep with every night.

I will also bring a few soft board books, tiny cloth doll, nesting cups, small ball, bubbles and cheerios and maybe a banana. For clothes I have 2 different sizes I want to try on her... 6-12mo and 12-18mo. and a few sizes of shoes. I'm also bringing a piece of paper and pencil to trace her feet. I have diapers, wipes and diaper cream and now lotion.

I found a cute snow jacket, bib, hat and mittens for the second trip and my sling. Besides leaving the album, and lovey I want to leave a disposable camera and some note cards for her caregivers and ask if they might write a message to her.

I think that about somes it up.

The saga has ended and The 171-H is finally mine!

After an adventurous morning at USCIS and meeting the man who had been holding onto my file for the past 6 months I will have to sum up what I have learned from this experience...
Be persistent. Do not feel bad if you send a second letter before you have gotten a first response. Just keeping sending the letters. Everyweek if you have to. If you really need somthing get an appt and go down in person. Go down everyday to the office if you have to until they are sick of seeing you being polite and persistent. If you have to call your congressman or senator, do it. You are paying taxes, do not feel bad about it. Call on the phone 10x a day if need be. And above all..Do not take it personally, they sure are not. And learn from my biggest mistake.. out of sight really is out of mind. So make it a point to stay right in front.

I wish I had done this months ago because the truth of the matter is my file was just sitting on his desk with thousands of others, totally forgotten. And would still be sitting there untouched had I not gone down there today. It was easy to tell that they are swimming in files. Everywhere you look..there are files piled up. Each one contains some familes personal info and pages of documents. And behind each of those files is some poor family all waiting and waiting for a reply. Like me, probably checking their mailbox everyday for months on end.

It's just so ironic that I thought there was something wrong, My husband wasn't able to come today so my dad very graciously accompanied me as I really wanted a witness and protector. And Even after getting my appt today to come back and meet with him and worrying all night about that appt. The first thing the INS officer said when he called me in was ..."So, what is this about? What do you want?" What do you mean, what do I want? I want my 171-H. He still had no clue who I was. Didn't even bother to review my file before the appt between yesterday when he granted the other officer the go ahead to give me the appt. till that moment. I brought my copies and explained to him my file was completed with all the extra documents he requested from me back in December. He said give me 10 mins and I will go check. He returned 20 mins later with my file. "Yes, I was waiting on some requested documents and it looks like you did send them in. Your file is complete and I will send you the 171-H in the mail in a few weeks." Right...like I was just going to go away satisfied with that answer. No, no...I will wait here for them in person. I'm traveling to Russia in 7 days and I really need this paper. Let me see what I can do...another 30 mins passes before he returns. Come back at 1pm and you can pick it up. Unfortunately I could not come back myself because Tuesdays is my day to drive the carpool at my oldest son's school and stay at school with them all. I was already cutting it close to making it home in time, change clothes and head back out in my grubbies, pick up all the boys and head to the mtns for school. So my dad volunteered to come back and sit and wait to get called and check over the documents to make sure everything was correct. And he was successful because when I came home tonight..there it was waiting for me!! Thanks Dad!! You're the best! And thanks mom, you're the greatest too. For dropping everything today to come over and sit all day with the boys so I could sit over at USCIS all morning and then go on to school with BW. All of this worry...over one piece of paper!! The ups and downs of the rollercoaster ride to international adoption. Yet what a relief and what a weight that has been lifted from my chest!! I feel so much lighter and so ready now to really focus on the positive and happy stuff of adoption and get on that plane!

And thanks ladies for all your positive comments in my last post. I was really feeling in a bad place last night, very beat and tired too, and your comments gave me the energy to go for it today and get it done!! So thank you! This blog and meeting all of you has really been the greatest gift in helping me survive and stay sane on this adoption journey. Thank you! Thank you!

The elusive 171-H

Who would have thought that the hardest part so far of our adoption journey would be to obtain a one page form from our local USCIS deeming us fit to be a parent to a foreign born child. It seems that no matter where I turn I see others getting this paper so easily. How is it that 2 people born and raised here in the U.S, both attending 4 year universities, with no medical problems or criminal records. 2 people who own their own home, make a nice income, both employed, one as a teacher and one still earning an income but for all purposes a SAHM and have 2 children already have such a hard time getting this paper from the government saying we can raise a foreign born child. We have a favorable homestudy submitted on our behalf. The state of Ca agrees we are fit to be a parent to a foreign born child. We think we are pretty darn good parents already to two US born children. What is the problem? What is the hold up? It is such a joke. I just don't understand why I don't have this paper yet. According to their website everyone who submitted their application upto Sept 7th 2007 has their case completed. We are included in that date...our file should have been completed too! So frustrated!!

Today I spent the morning at my local congresswoman's office filling out paperwork so that they can make an inquiry in the next week as to why we haven't received this paper. I'm trying to have faith but the fact that they can only make an inquiry and not demand this paper for us, makes me a little nervous. Both of my adoption agencies told me to go to the local office and get the answers however I could. So this afternoon I got the last INFO PASS of the day and went back down to my local USCIS. The officer helping me was able to talk with the orphan adoption officer upstairs. He truly is the only man handling a larger portion of the bay area's adoption paperwork which makes no sense whatsoever. He was too busy to come downstairs and talk with me so I was able to make yet another appt for tomorrow morning and go back with hubby to meet with him and hopefully get that elusive piece of paper. I'm very nervous as to why we have to meet and that he couldn't just print out the paper and hand it to the officer I was speaking with. What on earth could be the deal? I already know our fingerprints came back clean, they checked in December and again today..so what on earth is the holdup? If he doesn't give us that paper tomorrow I do not know what will happen. I only hope I came remain calm.

I have so much to do...only 7 days and counting and I want to be happy and so excited but at the sametime this is really stressing me out. And going away for another week without anyone working on this problem or having any conclusion is going to be difficult. Court seems to come so quickly after the first trip and we just can't have this one piece of paper screwing everything up!!

Thanks for letting me vent...I really needed that!

We got the CALL!!

First thing this morning I got a call from my agency!! We have our travel dates!! I'm so excited. It really seems so real now!! We are leaving March 11 for a week!! Yeah!!! I can't wait to get our referral and meet our daughter!!!

I will be back later...I have so many things to get done today in preparation and not enough daylight hours to do it in.