More Waiting

Well, here we are now in the middle of November with Thanksgiving only a couple weeks away. In some ways, the year has gone by so fast and in others it seems to have taken forever. Was it really 5 months ago that we first saw Colby? It seems like only yesterday but yet it also seems like it happened ages ago. So much has happened that my head is still spinning and I can't find a quiet place to rest.

We still have no word from the Russian courts. I'm not even sure if the judge has looked at our paperwork yet. Probably not. Vica and Kim have no updates to give us either. I'd love to get a photo or at least a note telling me how Colby is doing. That would make this holiday a little more bearable. I'm just not sure how I'll get through the holidays knowing that Colby is not with us and is still in that orphange. That is not the place for any child to "celebrate" the holidays. I just want to hold him again and tell him how much he is loved. So many people are waiting for him to come home, especially his mommy and daddy.

In other news, Mamie is now in a nursing/rehab home. She was in the hospital a week and now expects to be in the home for about 3 weeks. She will come home for Thanksgiving though. That is good news. Thanksgiving without her and Poppy would be too much to bear. I'm not sure if she will stay home or what will happen after that. She seems so unsteady and she can't be alone. My once strong Mamie now seems so so little. It is a hard thing to see. I just hope that she will still be around to see Colby come home.

Well, I guess that is all the news, or lack there of. I hope to hear something soon.

More Family Birthdays

Yesterday was another bust Saturday. Mike and I went to my grandmother's house (Mamie) to put in her new cabinets in the kitchen. She just got a new refrigerator and it is smaller than her old one so my dad ordered new cabinets to fill in the gap. They actually match the old cabinets pretty well. So Mike was asked to put them in and I helped him. While we were there one of the miniature horses was loose so I had to put her back in the corral. We then fixed the fence, a temporary fix, as well. Once we were finished we brought Mamie to my mom's house for more family birthdays.

This month is Mike's birthday as well as Steve's. He is my sister Kristin's boyfriend. It is also my nephew Teddy's 13th birthday. I can't believe he is already a teenager! November 1st is my sister-in-law Ally's birthday so we were going to celebrate her's as well but she is still in Texas for her work. It has been really nice having all my brothers and sisters and their families get together about once a month. I just can't believe we have so many birthdays to celebrate.

So, now it is Sunday and a new week will begin soon. I wonder if we will get any news this week. I think the hardest part of this wait is the not knowing. We haven't heard anything about our paperwork but I could deal with that if I could hear something about how Colby is doing. Why can't we even get an update on him??? Maybe soon......

Happy Birthday Mike

Today is Mike's birthday. We had a rather quiet day. After running a couple errands, we went to get a sandwich for lunch. Then we took Misha for a long walk at White Memorial. It is an animal sanctuary with a museum and lots of walking trails in the woods. We went to a different area than we have been before and walked along a fairly big pond just enjoying the different colors in the trees. Fall is definitely here. I love the dark yellowy, orange colors in the leaves. Then tonight Mike's parents brought us to TGI Friday's for dinner. I guess it is also Jocelyn's birthday. She is David's (Mike's brother) wife. I am not sure the exact date. Now Mike and Misha are snoozing on the couch as I play computer games and check up on the other blogs I love to read. I guess it is just another day.

We did get an email from the agency on Friday, but it wasn't anything important. I guess Svetlana (the coordinator in Yekaterinburg for our agency) needs another copy of the power of attorney paper. I am not sure why but we had to print it out and bring it to the bank this morning to get it notarized. That was the easy part. Now we need to wait for the goverment to open up on Tuesday to get it apostilled. It stinks because only the one place in Hartford can apostille papers and they take forever. I have brought a couple papers there myself but they don't like to rush through apostilles. I think my sob story worked to get them done, otherwise you need to send them through the mail and wait about a week to get them back. Goverment at its finest..... I don't think we can get to Hartford on Tuesday so I will have to overnight it and just wait. YUCK! I hate waiting.

Other than that, no news. I am slowly resigning myself to the fact that the holidays will not be fun. That the government in Russia will close for their holidays in January. And that I will not see my lovely little boy until at the earliest, perhaps February but most likely March. Once the government opens up again, the judge will want updates on paperwork so that will take most of February. Boy I hope I am wrong but that is what I think will happen. We just better get back before Colby turns 2 in April. Otherwise, I will go back anyway.

Ok, enough of the negative attitude. It was a hard day today knowing that I couldn't give Mike what he really wanted, that phone call from Russia. Hopefully good news will come soon.

No News.....

Tomorrow is Mike's birthday. How I would love to give him what he really wants but, it is not in my hands. All he wants, is a phone call or email from the agency telling us some sort of update about our adoption. It has been about a month and a half since we handed in our court paperwork but still no word from the judge. This is really frustrating. How can they make us wait so long? Don't the judges want these children to be with their forever families? Grr. I feel so helpless knowing that I can't do anything to speed up this process. My patience is wearing very thin, if you can't tell yet.

On a happy note, it is Mike's birthday so we will have to find something fun to do this weekend. Luckily it will be a nice sun-filled weekend, and fairly warm too. Then next weekend we are going to Mohegan Sun, the casino in Northeastern CT, to see the PBR (Professional Bull Rider's Association). We are going with my parents on that Sunday afternoon. So there are things to keep me occupied.

Good News, Bad News, No News

Oh the duplicity of adoption. There are no good days or bad days. Every day has its bad and good moments. My thoughts and feelings jump from hope to despair and everywhere in between. Yesterday overall I guess was a good day. Our documents that we are waiting on all seem to be coming within the next week. We did receive our old passports back yesterday with a promise that the new ones are on their way. So we can update the passport ID numbers on the paperwork. We finished our medical 8 doctor paperwork mess yesterday but now need to visit with a psychologist as well. That was scheduled for Tues 7/29. Now we need verifications from the state for all the doctors. Those should be coming soon. I am waiting on the FBI check but hope to have it soon. Last time it only took them a week. So the paperwork trail is coming to a close for now. We know that much of the paperwork will need to be updated again. Why? I can't tell you. I have no answer. That is what Yekaterinburg wants so that is what they get.

One downside, we need to wait on the financial paperwork since I still have no job. I went for an interview with People's Bank. HOpefully that will turn out ok. We'll see. I don't hold out much hope. I fear that the work situation is helpless and thus the adoption is helpless and will never come to fruition. I hate to think that my old "boss" and a couple coworkers may be the reason that I don't get to bring my baby Colby home. That had better not be true. But, I must strive on and find that job. Colby is counting on me, Mike is counting on me, everyone is counting on me, and I hate to let people down.

As for the no news, I think that might be the hardest. My son is across the world, separate from Mike and me, and we have no idea what he is doing. Is he happy or sad? Did he get a hug and feel loved today? I know we were told that we will receive updates about him and some pictures but we have heard nothing yet. The unknown is what hurts the most. I can do something about the paperwork and the job but I can't change the fact that I am not there to watch my baby grow and play and just be himself.