Moving Ahead and Missing My Boy

Well, we have had some movement in the paperwork area. Our CPA finished the letter on Monday and Mike picked it up. I couldn't believe it. Mike immediately called the state for the state verification of his license. Hopefully that is in the mail and we will get it before the weekend. That is the last paper we need. I sent the rest of the papers out to get apostilled on Tuesday. The light is shining brighter. What great news!

Today I am sending a package to Tatiana, the director of Colby's baby home. It has a note for her and Colby as well as a few photos to add to his photo album and a couple cute long-sleeved shirts. It is already getting cool there. Mike said it was about 60 degrees yesterday. Hopefully the shirts fit him. I'm really not sure what size he might wear right now. I wish we had some sort of an update on him. Is he growing? Has he been eating well and getting lots of hugs? Boy do I miss him. Hopefully we will get back there soon. We are aiming for December right now. We shall see.

It's About Time

Well, we finally got some good news on Friday. The letter from the psychologist came along with a copy of his license. I had already emailed the state to get the verification letter for his license so we received that as well. So, we have gotten somewhere this week. Unfortunately we also received not so great news. I did not receive the job I was hoping for. Luckily I do still have a job though. Mike was able to go to the CPA on Thursday to ask for the letter about our assets and liabilities. Hopefully we will get that sometime early this week. Then all I need is the verification letter for his license. I also hope to write another note to Colby this week and send a couple cute long sleeve shirts for him. The end drew a little closer, just a little. I wish we could get their quicker. Boy do I miss our little guy.

Frustration

Why does it seem that people can't do their job? Don't they understand what we are going through or at least have some comprehension about how painful it is to have to wait to return to get our son? Mike and I are still waiting to hear from the psychologist with his letter and a copy of his license. That is truly the only paperwork that we still need. The financial paperwork will be completed today. That we have held off on until I had heard about a job at the hospital I applied at. We haven't heard from them yet but we have decided to go with what we have and update the numbers if needed later. But still we sit here, more than 2 weeks after we saw the psychologist waiting for his letter. I want this paperwork done and out of my hands now! Can't he understand that he is holding up the reunion of a child and his parents? How frustrating to not have any control. The only thing we can do is keep calling him, everyday, at least twice a day. Hopefully we will get it soon.

When Will We Be Done?

It seems that I have been saying to many people lately that Mike and I are "almost done" with our paperwork. This has been the saying now for about two weeks. We are frustratingly close to having all the documents complete but yet can't seem to get those precious last couple of papers in our hands. We are still waiting on the spychologist for his letter and then I need to call for a verification from the state for his license. We also need to see a CPA about our financial paperwork. I have been waiting to see if the hospital I applied to work at will decide if I am hired. Then we would do the financial paperwork. Hopfeully they will call on Monday. Then we will do that paperwork and verify the CPA's license. Then we will be done. I see the light at the end but it is still just out of grasp. How annoying.

Yesterday began the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament down in New Haven, CT. I have been volunteering there as an usher for 8 years now. It is a lot of fun. Today was our volunteer party so I was able to see my fellow tennis friends and show them pictures of Colby. It felt good to relate stories about Russia to friends. It was a nice connection to Colby, even for a brief moment. Now my nights this coming week will be busy. I look forward to the busy moments, less thought time. Well, let's go check the Olympics and head to bed soon. It has been a long, but busy week.

On the Right Track, Can it Go Quicker?

Well, I guess we are on the right track and getting somewhere, but can the train move quicker? Mike and I received the first half of our required documents back from the state where they were apostilled. They arrived on Thursday 8/7. What a great Thursday! One of the documents wasn't apostilled though because the twon hadn't notarized it. So Mike had to go back downtown and get a new document and argue to get it notarized. But it is done. We have been waiting on the state for the doctors' license verifications but they weren't sent. I am told they went in the mail on Thursday as well. Hopefully the psychologist is working on our letter and a copy of his license. Then we just need to get the financial paperwork done. We seem to be moving close but yet the end is still not quite in reach. I do know that once we hand in these documents that the judge will ask us to update many of them, but to know we completed them would be great. HOpefully we can say that we are done within a week or so. I just wish it would be sooner. Many people have said that I got the paperwork done fairly quickly. I say no. I have had to wait on too many people to do things for me. I just wonder how other couples get their paperwork done if both of them are working. I guess it has been helpful to be home to trek off to 2 or 3 doctors a day to get followup paperwork.

Other than paperwork, Mike and I have been working on the house. We finally bought drapes for the front room as well as an area rug for that room. Today we found a cute rug for Colby's room at BJ's. So I am happy with that. We also had to buy a new computer. Our old one was about 6 or 7 years old and running tired. It would take me forever to get onto the internet and open our adoption files. We just bought a new tower and kept the old monitor which works well. I hope to clean out the old computer and hang onto it for one of my nephews or for Colby. We'll see how it runs without most of the programs we use, just the basics. We also bought a new printer but it also copies, scans, and is a fax machine, which is something we have been using more often lately to get paperwork from doctors and different companies like the mortgage and car loan companies. So we have had a busy couple of days.

Today we are getting ready to have my friend Dawn and her family, Craig, Seth, and Casey, over for dinner. Just hamburgers, hot dogs on the grill. I met Dawn and her kids when I started teaching. I even taught her daughter in second grade. Now Seth is starting high school and Casey is in 7th grade. Boy, how times goes by. Well, I must check on my macaroni for the macaroni salad.

Thank you to all who are following our journey. I can't believe we actually had 2 international "hits". Cool!

Still Waiting

With a new week, comes more waiting. I was hoping to receive the state verifications of the doctors' licenses today, but they didn't come. Of course, we need to wait most of the day since our mail carrier seems to be coming later and later. We did however hear from the mortgage company and they have sent the letter we need from them via FedEx overnight. I guess my husband's constant calling has finally worked. Friday he got ahold of a supervisor who knew exactly what we needed. Where was she a month ago? So we should have that letter tomorrow. We also go to the psychologist tomorrow. Hopefully he will write the letter we need very quickly. The rest of the paperwork is coming in hopefully soon. I hope to have it all within a week or so. I wish there was something we could do to hurry it up. Even Mike is getting impatient. Being so close to having the initial paperwork complete and yet almost powerless to get the rest done, is almost unbearable. However, we are a little less depressed as well see the light getting brighter at the end of the tunnel.

More happy news, I did get offered the job with LifeTouch taking school portraits. It doesn't pay much and it is really only for the Fall and Spring but it is something and I do enjoy photography. I am also waiting on the hospital job as well. We'll see what happens. While I was looking at our adoption agency's website I also noticed that they need a part-time administration assistant. I would love to become involved in the adoption world. To give back and help other couples/families going through the same situation as Mike and myself would be a wonderful thing. I did apply but we will see what happens with that.

So life goes on and the wait continues.

A New Month - Progress

Well this week certainly brought some progress. Mike and I were very excited last night when we brought about half of the required documents to FedEx to be sent to Hartford. The State needs to put an apostille on all the documents before they can go to Russia. So a big step forward yesterday. We are still waiting on a few things but they should be coming by the end of next week. The one trouble we have been having is with the mortgage company. I don't know why but trying to get a simple letter from them has been quite difficult. But I think we made progress on that yesterday as well. Now we need to wait for that letter, the rest of the doctors' board certifications and the state to send letters verifying all the doctors' licenses. We also need the psychologist's letter and license but we see him on Tuesday.

I also made some progress with the job front. On Thursday I went to an open house for LifeTouch, the school portrait company. They offered me a job taking school portraits. But it would only be for Fall and Spring and the pay isn't great but I think it might be a fun job. I love taking pictures and I love kids. I might also be able to work at the local hospital in the laboratory department doing clerical work weeknights. That is also only a part time job but the pay is a little better. We should hear more next week. So once we straighten that out, we can get the financial paperwork settled with a CPA as well.

Mike and I were so excited about our progress that we had a mini celebration. Mike took me to Olive Garden - my favorite restraunt last night. We even had desert! What a great way to end a good week. I feel better knowing that the paperwork is getting done and I can almost see the light at the end of this paperwork tunnel. Here's to the hope that the good fortune continues!