Court Package....Check

I got our last document back from being apostilled in Austin so our court documents are finally ready!!! I'm so glad our agency had us start on this when they did. It really did take a while to get all the paperwork together. What I thought would take about 2 weeks to put together ended up taking about 6 weeks, but it's ready now. Now we just need our referral, our little girl. I'm praying for you little one, everyday, and will continue to until you are finally safe in our arms. On our way home tonight we were all in the car laughing and singing to the radio and Eddie said, "I think we've got one pretty cool family" and Austin said, "yeah, we're just missing one thing, our baby sister, then it will be really cool." My heart melted. Anyway here's the stack of documents.

I just got an email from our HS social worker checking in on us. She is always so supportive and helpful. This time she just wrote to say she was so excited we were getting closer and ready to help with whatever the next step may be. We will need a HS addendum for sure. I'm actually glad we have to do that. I so value her advice and opinion, I'm looking forward to that meeting. In this uncertain world of adoption, it's so reassuring to know you have support. I'm thankful God put her in our lives, she is a true blessing.

More Paperwork

I feel like most of my recent posts have been about paperwork, boring I know, but that's really what I've been doing lately. I received the certified docs back from the state today. I opened the package and thought "yeah paperwork is done for a while". Well not quite, one out of 15 documents couldn't be appostilled because the notary signed it but didn't stamp it. Are you kidding me? I can't believe I missed that, I overlook these things over and over before I send them off, but I missed it. So back to UPS to get a new notary, with a stamp this time, and then back to Pearland Postal Plus to FedEx it back to Austin. Another $30 to send just one document, ahhhh. I do have to be thankful though. In TX once you've met your $100 max for appostilles you're done. You don't have to pay for every single document, I can't imagine what our total would be by now. The FedEx costs more than the actual documents. Even the guy at the Pearland Postal Plus was surprised to see me, he said, "I thought you were done for a while?" I wish, almost. Anyway, it's a family that runs it and they were all so sweet today. Every time we go in Ty asks me to show him on the big map hanging on the wall where our baby sister is. Well today, the whole family, Dad, Grandma, brother and sister of the Pearland Postal Plus all came over to see where exactly in Russia she was. We all stood around this big map and looked at her teeny tiny region half way around the world. It was pretty cool, they can't wait to meet our little angel.

Court Package is Complete

Wednesday Eddie and I got our last document notarized and now our court package is complete, minus the medical and FBI check which we have to do after our first trip. We have everything we need in order to register with the court on our first trip. We've had to start using the notary at UPS and paying for it now because our bank has three notaries but they all expire within the next couple of months, very helpful. Unfortunately, I realized this after we had waited in line for about an hour to notarize about 10 different documents. I got to my car just to check them over one last time and realized her notary expires in 2 weeks. They'd be expired before I even got them back from Austin much less to Russia. Anyway, it's finally done now. Yesterday I took it to the Pearland Postal Plus and it's now on it's way to Austin to be apostilled, what a relieving feeling that is.

Being A Mommy

Tyler got a couple of mosquito bites this morning so I put some Benadryl itch cream on them to help the itch. When I was done rubbing on the cream, he looked at me and said in the sweetest voice, "Thanks for helping the itchies. I'm so glad I have a Mommy, if I didn't have a Mommy I'd be scared." I'm so fortunate to be a Mommy and stop the itchies, my Tyler is such a blessing. It made me so happy and at the same time sad to know that our 3rd little one is without a Mommy right now. Whoever our little girl is, she's there waiting day after day without a Mommy. At least she doesn't know she's waiting and it's just regular life for her, but I can't wait for the day when she will get to know what it means to have a Mommy. We're praying for you everyday little girl that it will be very soon.

Hmmmm, I hope it's right.... SOON

Eddie's not getting home until late tonight from a business trip in Denver, so the boys and I ordered take out. I thought, "wouldn't it be cool if one of those fortune cookies says something about adding a new little one to our family." Well, it didn't say exactly that, but it did say, "Pack your bags, you're bound for an exciting destination". Okay, I don't really believe in these kinds of things, I put my hope in a much higher power, but I'll take this one. I'm ready to pack those bags. I'm holding on to that little piece of paper for her baby book.

Paperwork

Yesterday I received all of the apostilled documents from our placing agency. They are so quick and efficient when it comes to paperwork. Now I'm just waiting on the letter from Eddie's boss and the documents from our Homestudy agency and I will have everything we need for our court package in hand ready to go. Now we just need our little girl. I feel like I have everything ready, her room, the paperwork, Eddie's time off from work taken care of, the miles saved up for airfare, the Marriott points saved up for hotel rooms, Grandparents ready and "on call" to come watch the boys, but no little girl. I know it will happen, I know she's waiting for us just as we're waiting for her, I'm just tired of waiting, I'm ready to see our little girl. Okay, now that I've vented, I need to run. I'm headed to the kitchen to make a Power Ranger cake for Austin's 7th birthday party tomorrow, thank goodness for character shaped cake pans is all I can say.

Her Room Is Ready

Well, I probably jumped the gun a little, but I have her room completely finished. It came together so beautifully, a room fit for our princess and that's exactly what she will be. The boys helped me add the stripes and had so much fun doing it. I ordered the bedding a little at a time over the past few months and the last bit got here just as I finished putting up the ribbon border, perfect timing. I have had so much fun finally decorating a room with pink!!! I pulled all my dolls out of the boxes I've been saving all these years, knowing one day I would have a little girl to share them with. The last thing I have to add are the letters spelling out her name to go over her bed, but we don't know what that is yet so that will have to wait, hopefully not too much longer.

As much as I loved putting the room together and buying all the pink, it also reinforced the real reason we are doing this. I have wanted a girl for so long and buying all the pink has been so much fun, but it's soooo much bigger than that. I'm so thankful God blessed me with boys. If He had given me a girl, we might not be taking this journey we're taking now. Giving a little girl a home that might not otherwise have one, giving her a mommy and daddy to love her everyday of her life, to laugh with her and cry with her and support her and lift her up. That is what it is all about, that's it. I knew all this before I had her room ready, but seeing it done, I thought to myself, "yeah, it's nice, it's pretty, but it means absolutely nothing until she's in it, filling it with love and laughter." I can't wait for the first night we get to tuck her in, in her own room and her own bed. A place she can feel safe and secure and know it means she's a part of a family, a family that loves her and will support her and will always be here for her.

( I know in the picture I have a bed set up, but we also have a crib in there as well, not sure what she will need, 15-36 months is such a wide range, but we'll have both and will be ready for whatever it may be)

While Tyler was at school, I spent most of the day on the phone making preparations. I spoke with the International Adoption Center at TX Children's Hospital and made arrangements with them to go over and review the information we receive on our referral (when we get one, hopefully soon). I also spoke with our Homestudy agency about the paperwork I need from them for the court package. They really have been wonderful, I can't say enough about how supportive and helpful our social worker has been. They play such an enormous role in this whole process and are just as excited as we are to see things moving. Eddie traveled with his boss today and was able to share with him the paperwork we need verifying Eddie's job and salary. We should hopefully have everything for the court package by next week and I will be able to get it off to Austin to be apostilled (certified by the state). I know things have started to really move in Russia this fall with referrals and I'm just hoping we're one of those families. I just feel like we're close, I have a nervous, excited feeling. I think the whole family is ready for her to be home. Even little Tyler stopped me before I left his room after tucking him in the other night and said with such desperation, "Mommy, wheeeeen is our baby sister going to get here, it's taking forever." If you know Tyler, you can probably read it exactly how he said it. We're all ready sweet boy, hopefully very very soon.

Much Needed Update

Sorry everyone, I know it's been a while. No worries we're still on track, moving right along. We just had a crazy busy summer. We were gone most of the month of July traveling through TX and OK visiting family and friends. August was filled with days at the beach and the pool, trying to stay as cool as possible in this TX heat. The boys and I were just so busy I haven't had a chance to post. Hopefully now I can get back on track. Austin is back at school, he started 1st grade, and Tyler is going to PreK 2 days a week. He could have done the 4 day program, but Mommy just wasn't ready. I want to get as much TyTy time as I can. This precious time will be over before I know it, kindergarten will be here soon enough. Anyway, that's the reason for being away so long.
On adoption news we're still waiting for a referral. We have heard some hopeful news and we just keep praying that we'll know who our little one is soon. I just started working on getting our court documents together. In Kaliningrad families take their 2nd dossier (court package) with them on their first trip and get a court date before they leave, so I want to be prepared when we get that call. Other than that just waiting and praying. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers, I promise to keep up better in the future.