2009

Well, Little One, as 2009 ends, I know we are getting close to being together! 2009 was a good year, but it was a long year waiting for you. I really thought you would be home by now. We are ready for you! I am ready to be your mommy! I am almost ready to come to Kazakhstan. I have finished your second dossier, I have been to the travel clinic and gotten all my shots and vaccines, I have bought everything I need to travel (I think) and I have gotten all my work for convention done early so I can come and meet you. Now I just need to be invited to travel. I call Libby every week and ask her "is it time yet and she tells me not yet...but soon!

Your sister is ready too! Everywhere we go she tells everyone she is going to be a big sister. She can't wait to hold you, to help you with your bottle and to play with you. She is disappointed she is not coming to Kazakhstan with me to meet you. but she has begun to understand that this may be for the best. She just can't wait until your home. She tells me that as soon as i leave for Kazakhstan she will become a big sister!

So you can see, we are very excited to have you home, are waiting very IMPATIENTLY, and have big plans for when you arrive home! As I write this, you have already celebrated New Years in Kazakhstan! I think you may be too young to know it, but I still want to wish you a happy day!

We are so looking forward to seeing what 2010 has in store for us! I hope to see you soon little one!

Love,

Mommy

Changing the Blog to Private

I haven't had any firm news on travel yet, but on the advice of my coordinator, the blog will be private until after the baby comes home, just to be on the safe side. I would be glad to invite anyone who has been following to join us privately, so please let me know if you'd like to continue on the journey with us!

A Bit of Frustration

I am feeling discouraged. Since I began my dossier last October and finished it in February, some of my documents are a year old now. Because I will most likely travel in January/February, this means that I have to redo most of my dossier. Of course this is almost routine with adoptions from Kazakhstan, but the list is long and so is the wait! I try to be positive and keep the attitude that every step of the way takes me to the child who is meant to be mine, but when I saw the number of documents on the list yesterday, I just wanted to give up! That only lasted for a moment, but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all.

On a positive note, I am pretty much ready to travel. I have my packing list ready to go, I have my warm winter coat, and yesterday, my awesome boots were delivered. Except for my documents and plane tickets, I could be out the door in a few hours!

So frustrated and disheartened as I am, I went back to the computer and re-started my documents, and soon I'll be off to the notary! When I called my doctor about re-doing my physical form, it turns out he's so busy with flu patients, he doesn't even need to see me! I just need to send the form over with the traveling notary and he will complete it for me. I hope it all goes this smoothly!

Line Leader

The family who was in front of us has traveled and is in Kazakhstan bonding with their baby. Our family will be the next family to receive a LOI from our region. WE don't know how long it will take, but we've been told to expect 2 more months of waiting!

Maybe before the end of the year?

I talked to my adoption coordiantor this week and it seems as though we may be traveling before the end of the year! What exciting news! Of course I am in no way prepared. Annika has not had her shots and I cannot find her US passport. I had all summer to do these things and this adoption has been porogressing so slowly, I had begun to believe it would never happen! It still seems unreal in so many ways.

I know I can make an appointment and get Annika's travel vaccines done without difficulty, but packing is a bigger issue. I like to ravel light. It is my goal to take one very large duffel bag and pack for Annika and my self in it. She is 6, but I don't think if she is tired, she will be able to handle a piece of luggage in the airport. Each of us would also have a back pack. Thats all I took last time, so I think it may be possible this time. I have my packing list form last time and it seems comprehensive and still useful. Last time I took a lot for the baby, but I may have to cut back and buy that in country. Lots of thoughts are running through my head!

Lots to do, but, wow, we may meet our baby soon!

A Little Bit of Exciting News

Today I found out that our dossier has passed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education and has been assigned to a region! This is exciting news and I shared it with Annika when I picked her up after camp. I told her I had news that was a little bit exciting and explained what I had been told. She jumped up and down and told me that was very exciting, not a little bit exciting!

On a similar note a few days ago, she asked if we would have balloons when the baby came home. I asked if she wanted balloons and she replied, "every house I know that has a new baby has balloons." Hopefully, our balloons will be coming soon!

Dossier Approved!

Not only has it been approved, its already in Astana! I opened my email today, expecting to find nothing too exciting after a long holiday weekend, and the first item in the inbox was from my coordinator was an email with the subject "Dossier Approved by Consulate!" Not only was it approved last Friday, it has made its way all the way to Kazkastan over the weekend! it was at the Consulate in New York for 30 days. Hooray!