Adoption Updates

Thanks for the definitions! Now I understand.

It drove me nuts, too, about not being able to plan our trip. I kept looking at the airfare prices knowing that if I could only be guaranteed a date, I wouldn't have to pay top fare prices for booking late. When all was said and done, our flights were in the neighborhood of $2000. Not that bad considering they were booked as 2 RT and 2 one way. In the long run, this part is forgotten as soon as you land and think, "I can't believe that I'm actually in China." While there are places that you dream of going, and I'd love to go to China, there are probably other destinations that would take precedence over that trip if left up to normal travel arrangements and time. It's awesome when you are finally there!

And, wait until you see what they do with various items that we, as Americans take for granted. For example, in this country, a pierogie is a dumpling that is boiled and then covered with butter and onions, as its typical presentation. In Russia, it is stuffed with the same potato and cheese or cabbage and cheese mixtures, but it is baked like a calzone. The dumplings that are boiled and covered in a sauce are filled with fruit and served for dessert. I thought that was interesting.
 
Yay!!! The pics are adorable!!!!

Nice blog Kim! I want to start one, just haven't had the time to do so yet...
 

Lily has gotten so big! I just want to eat her up! I can only imagine how beside yourselves you are in love with this beautiful little girl!

Kim, my brother and SIL got married at the Willows, 10 years ago in July... the day that Philadelphia almost broke its hottest temperature of 106. It only went up to 103 that day with a billion percent humidity. They got married outside, in the grotto by the estate. The ceremony took all of 7 minutes because the priest wanted to get everyone inside. We all spent the night at the Wayne Hotel. We have very nice memories of your home town.

If you haven't talked to enough people yet about adopting from Khazakstan, I have a friend who did it last year. She owns a local temp agency. If you want, I'll get in touch with her for you. I'm sure she won't mind sharing tips with you. That's what we adoptive parents like to do. If I remember correctly, her first son was from Vietnam. Her daughter is from Khazakstan.
 
No news, but that's better than bad news. We're waiting on an update on Madalyn, and hope to get pictures. We're also looking at late February (after Chinese New Year) as our travel time, but we haven't heard from China yet.

We had a blog for a while, but stopped working on it. I don't even remember the address. If I find it again, I'll post it.

Julie
 
Hang in there for those of you who either haven't gotten your referral yet or are waiting to travel. It seemed like forever to us to but now I can say that the wait was worth it. On December 18 we will celebrate our dear daughter's 2nd gottcha day. We brought her home from Guatemala on Christmas Eve at the age of 6 months (she is now 2 1/2). Every day there are times that I tear my hair out because of her behavior but you know I won't trade her for anything. When she looks up at me and says I love you Mama and gives me a kiss everything else doesn't matter because I know she is the most important thing in my life.
 
I don't know if anyone else is still reading, but I'm so happy I'm posting anyway.

We got our permission to travel from China today. If we can get an appointment with the US consulate before Chinese New Year, we'll be leaving in 12 days! :sunny: If not, we might not go until March. :sad1:

Julie
 
Congrats Julie!!! Keeping my fingers crossed that you get your appointment in time!!
 
That is GREAT news ... let us know when you get your appt! :) YEAH!!!!!
 
Well, we have a HUGE decision to make. Tatiana, our adoption agent, called my DH this morning. Evidently Ivan and Kristina's birth parents had 2 more children since ours were taken away from them. The boy is 4 and beautiful... she sent us pictures. He resembles Kristina a little more than Ivan, but they look very much alike anyway. We don't have a photo of the little girl, who is younger than the boy. I don't know their names.

So, now we have to decide if we want to adopt them, too.

Our kids have other older siblings and although I ache for those kids, we do not know where they are and we didn't want older children than what Ivan and Kristina were when we got them. I'd love to know where they are, just so there could be contact between the siblings.

Things I know about these kids are that they were born to alcoholic parents. Kristina displays some signs of fetal alcohol syndrome. Ivan displays none. We like to travel and having 4 in our family is the perfect number to only need one room. We save a bunch for our kids each time we're paid so they can go to an private preparatory HS (if Kristina can handle the curriculum. The jury is still out on that one) and for college. The savings would be spread throughout 2 more kids.

But, then again, our house is big enough to support two more kids. We could even swing it that each would have their own bedroom if we moved the office to the basement.

EEK! This decision is so huge! My mind is absolutely racing. I definitely have to pray over this for several days, at least.

If any of you are interested, it would make my decision easier because I'd know that they were going to a good home and we could at least keep the kids in touch when they get older... maybe through meeting up at WDW?
 
(((hugs)))

Our DS5 was born in Russia and we have a bio DD3.5. We're in touch w/DS' b-mother. I was really scared of FAS and had Dr. Bledsoe review DS5's file (this was when you got video etc). She runs the FAS clinic at U of Washington and is amazing. I would really get up to speed on FAS/FAE if I were in your shoes. It's such a hard d/x.

Good luck w/your decision
 
skoi said:
I don't know if anyone else is still reading, but I'm so happy I'm posting anyway.

We got our permission to travel from China today. If we can get an appointment with the US consulate before Chinese New Year, we'll be leaving in 12 days! :sunny: If not, we might not go until March. :sad1:

Julie


Somehow I missed this post!!! YAY!!! Did you get your CA?????
 
Wow...that's a huge decision! Please keep us posted as to your decision!

Happybratpack...any idea on when you get to go and bring Lily home?
 
scarlett873 said:
Happybratpack...any idea on when you get to go and bring Lily home?

I don't know and it's killing me. :( The people I know with a log-in date a month before me still haven't gotten their travel notices yet so I'm feeling like it's way off. At this point between that and Chinese New Years I'm worried it's going to be March or April.

I never thought this process would be so hard. It's such a waste of valuable time for her, ya know?

Thanks for asking :)
 
happybratpack said:
I don't know and it's killing me. :( The people I know with a log-in date a month before me still haven't gotten their travel notices yet so I'm feeling like it's way off. At this point between that and Chinese New Years I'm worried it's going to be March or April.

I never thought this process would be so hard. It's such a waste of valuable time for her, ya know?

Thanks for asking :)
Well here's hoping for some good news coming your way soon! Can't wait to see the pictures!!
 
RUDisney - wow.. that's quite a phone call! It's easier said than done, but I'm pretty sure if we ever get that phone call (we have two sons adopted from Russia) we'd do everything we could to go for it..

but there are absolutely pluses and minuses.. I've always envisioned having 4 children.. so that might be my bias.. hehe..

I think if I felt I could handle 2 more children's emotional and physical needs, I'd do it - particularly if I couldn't find another family willing. But at the same time, I might be overly protective of my children's biological siblings and worry if the other family wasn't doing things up to my standard... so hard to know how I'd truly feel.

Good luck to you ... I hope the answer comes quickly and clearly to your family.. keep us posted!
 
RUDisney said:
Well, we have a HUGE decision to make. Tatiana, our adoption agent, called my DH this morning. Evidently Ivan and Kristina's birth parents had 2 more children since ours were taken away from them. The boy is 4 and beautiful... she sent us pictures. He resembles Kristina a little more than Ivan, but they look very much alike anyway. We don't have a photo of the little girl, who is younger than the boy. I don't know their names.

So, now we have to decide if we want to adopt them, too.

Our kids have other older siblings and although I ache for those kids, we do not know where they are and we didn't want older children than what Ivan and Kristina were when we got them. I'd love to know where they are, just so there could be contact between the siblings.

Things I know about these kids are that they were born to alcoholic parents. Kristina displays some signs of fetal alcohol syndrome. Ivan displays none. We like to travel and having 4 in our family is the perfect number to only need one room. We save a bunch for our kids each time we're paid so they can go to an private preparatory HS (if Kristina can handle the curriculum. The jury is still out on that one) and for college. The savings would be spread throughout 2 more kids.

But, then again, our house is big enough to support two more kids. We could even swing it that each would have their own bedroom if we moved the office to the basement.

EEK! This decision is so huge! My mind is absolutely racing. I definitely have to pray over this for several days, at least.

If any of you are interested, it would make my decision easier because I'd know that they were going to a good home and we could at least keep the kids in touch when they get older... maybe through meeting up at WDW?

WOW, what a phone call to receive. I imagine it would require alot of thought and prayer. DH and I have often wondered if we would get such a call, what we would decide. Good luck in your decision. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!!!
 
hey adopters...my aunt adopted all 3 of her kids....i love them all!

Theres Andrew

My Lonni Loo (alanna)

and my baby a-bee!(abram)

aww its almost a-bee's gotcha day! (the day they got him from the people!)

hope you all are getting a gotcha day soon!
 





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