And the Wait Goes On

So anyone in the adoption world understands what it is like to wait.  So here we are waiting. Our dossier has been at the MFA since the end of April and we think YEA! We are finally getting somewhere...and then we wait.  We knew this going in and so with steely resolve we keep looking forward and counting each day that passes as being one less day we have to wait, but all the brave talk and resolve doesn't make this inevitable part of the process easier.  Friends that were pregnant when we started the process are now sporting the seasons latest in accessories, one year olds or very near, even those that got pregnant after the we started the process are nearing their delivery dates.  A friend of mine recently joked with us that they would feel really bad if they had their second one before we even got our first one!  It was not insensitive of her, she helps keep things light and is very supportive.  In fact, this week as I have read blogs about more delays here, longer waits there, I was really feeling down.  My friend didn't know this, but when we went to their house the other evening she says, "I got you something" and pulls out this book, "A Treasury of Adoption Miracles".  It touched me that she had picked it up for us, but what was even greater about it was how timely it was, just when I needed something to pick me up, to reassure me in our direction, her she hands me a book.  On the back cover it says, "No matter what struggles you're going through, no matter how many highs and lows, the truth is, adoption is God's handiwork.  It is a blessing, a calling, an absolute divine doing...Let God show you again the miracle of a child and the special miracle of adoption."  This is a high calling and worthy of all the effort. As the old saying goes, nothing worth doing is ever easy.  So here we are, waiting, wondering, hoping and always praying.  

As we near the end of the month of June Jeff and I will celebrate 5 years of marriage together.  It has been an adventure and yet doesn't seem like we have been married for that long (I know 5 years is a drop in the bucket for some!!  One day it will be for us!).  I can't think of a better anniversary gift than to hear that our paperwork has moved on to the next step, but I won't count on that just like I won't count on getting flowers from Jeff and if it happens it will be a very pleasant surprise!  Until next time!  Paka!

Kazakhstan our dossier has arrived!

Well, we got some exciting news today, our dossier was registered at the MFA as of Monday, April 28th!!  We still have some time left to go, but it sure is nice to know that our paperwork is in country!  Just a few more steps to Baby G!

Not much else to report.  They predicted a freeze for our area so I ran out and covered all of our plants and then we didn't even get frost, so my garden is safe for a few more days until ole mother nature decides to turn on us again!!  Let's hope not!  I spent the weekend with my family while they visited in Branson.  We spent a lot of time down at the newly developed landing and then went over to get a look at Table Rock Dam and THIS time all ten flood gates were open!  The lake level was REALLY high, but you could see that it had been higher!  Well, enough ramblings, I really just wanted to share our exciting news!

Paka

Finally a little freetime!

So this is a picture of Table Rock Lake Dam in Branson, Missouri about three weeks ago.  At that time they had only five of the ten flood gates open, about a week later they had to open the remaining 5 flood gates.  It was very impressive looking.  We got some more rain this week and the Corp of Engineers was forced to open all ten flood gates once again and more rain is in the forecast.  In the above picture I think they said that 19,000 cu.ft. of water per second was being released.  When all ten were open they were releasing about 45,000 cu. ft./second.  That is a lot of water!!  That is my useless fact for the day.  Nothing new on the adoption front to report.  Things for us have been pretty busy, Jeff's dad was put in the hospital about two weeks ago with Leukemia.  The prognosis seems optimistic with a good chance that he will go into remission, but we have spent a lot of time going back and forth to the hospital to help out his mom.  In between all of the rain and our comings and goings we have managed to get our garden planted so the rain for us has been a good thing.  Not much else to talk about right now! Paka!

Where is the SUNSHINE!!

So the weather here has been less than acceptable.  WE get teaser days that are nice and in the 70's and then we get rain for a week and it gets cold and dreary.  A lot of places around us have flooded, but we haven't floated away and shouldn't anytime soon; although, I feel as though we should be building an ark!  This weekend we are even supposed to get snow flurries!!!  YUCK!

There isn't a whole lot going on any front.  A week, to the day, the adoption suspension for Kazakhstan was lifted and things are supposed to be moving, but probably a little slower than before.  We just continue on with preparations and life.  I contacted our agency to see if our dossier had moved, but they had received no information that it had reached the MFA, which is the first place it has to go when it reaches Kazakhstan.  With nothing more to say...Paka!

Spring has Sprung

Well, It is officially spring!! I won't say that it is my favorite season, summer gets to claim that right, but longer, warmer days are definitely an improvement in my book. This past weekend was the Nauryz holiday in Kazakhstan. I love learning about the traditions of Kazakhstan and I store away each little piece of info that I collect so that in the years to come we can pass these traditions onto Baby G! Our way of welcoming in spring is a camping trip. We went a little earlier than the first day of spring, but we had a fantastic fews days. Our spring trips are always some of our favorites because the state parks (that is where we usually go) are pretty empty, there are really no bugs to speak of and you can REALLY enjoy the fire in the evening.This is me, Jeff and Inga, and my brother on a clifftop over looking the stream that runs out of Bennett Springs.

This is the four of us at our campsite. My brother is doing his best impression of the squirrel that ate our chocolate chip cookies! It was an evil squirrel!

We spent the last night listening to my brother play song requests as best he could on his harmonica. It felt like we should have been laying our heads down on saddles and listening to the wolves howl in the distance. It was very soothing and relaxing.

On the adoption front, Kazakhstan officials have temporarily suspended processing of adoptions that are at the consulate. Upon first hearing this I felt like I should be upset, but I really feel quite calm about it and figure it will happen when it is meant to happen and me getting anxious about it isn't going to help matters. Besides, I applaud the Kazakhstan government for wanting to review the inter-country adoption process. It highlights their care and concern for the children, which is what is most important. Last we knew our paperwork was still at the Consulate and that is a-okay we are here for the duration so we might as will enjoy the trip!

A Weekend of Productivity

Well, I have had a very productive few days. This past weekend I went home to attend a JDRF family retreat diabetes conference in St. Louis. I have never been to New York, though I would like to, I have never been to LA or San Fran or even Chicago, unless you count flying in and then flying out on a connecting flight, but I have been to London and Edinburgh, Orlando, KC, and various other smaller cities and none of them get to me the way that St. Louis does! I love the arch, the zoo, the parks, the skyline, the old muddy Mississippi river, The Blues, Rams (minus Mike Martz!), and CARDINALS!! It just feels like home to me more than any other city I have been to. So I went to the JDRF conference with my sister and my niece, Tori. Tori was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 4 and as with many diseases, it is always a learning, growing educating experience. We had a great time, while my sister and I learned how to manage her diabetes better when she is sick, Tori got to act like a carefree child, something that isn't always possible since everything in life isn't sugar free/carb free and every body isn't running around armed with the knowledge necessary to recognize high and low blood sugars! We had good food and being there made me realize how much more of an active role I should take in helping support JDRF and their efforts.
Another accomplishment that happened is that Jeff and I finally bought a different car. We have been hemming and Hawing for over a year about what car to buy, what is more economical yet still environmentally responsible and more fuel efficient. Well, after much debate we finally took the plunge and bought a Toyota Matrix, not as fuel efficient as a Prius or other hybrid, but more in our price range, not as big as a Rav 4 or CR-V, but more fuel efficient and more in our price range. It will fit the dog, baby G and hopefully our camping gear (which we will find out about soon enough as we gear up for our first camping expedition this March). It is white with a sunroof, YAY! and a 6-disc CD changer, never had one before, but it's nice to have options!
The most important news I saved for last. We got all of our paperwork that we received in our travel packet done and our visa pictures and all that stuff is ready to go in the mail tomorrow! Yay! We also received our email notification that our paperwork is officially at the Consulate, so that is good, at least it is somewhere and not just floating around in space! LOL! The biggest problem we have is telling people where our paperwork is now and what that means and how long. They start to get that glassey eyed stare when you start saying things like "then it goes to the MOE" or "then the MFA matches your to a child" and when you say that it could take as long as 12 months I really do think I know what it feels like to be a pregnant elephant! So yep we are still waiting and still have some waiting left to do, which I am grateful of as it gives us a chance to do the mountain of things we need to do BEFORE we travel, not limited to getting the money together for the adoption and learning some Russian!!!! AHHHHHHH! Well, that is what time is for and with that in mind maybe I should go practice my Russian! Paka!

Moving Forward

I thought that I would start my entry off with a picture and a story about my neice, Tori. (She's the one in the pink hat, not the fuzzy one with the big ears!) Tori is 8 yrs old and the only grandchild on my side of the family. She has been immensely excited about getting a new cousin and has been enthusiastically helping Uncle Jeff collect cans to recycle to help with some of the costs. My mom, or grandma, jokingly complains all the time about how the back seat of her car is always full of cans and having to wait for Tori while she runs to pick up a can she has spotted. That being said, before Christmas for an assignment her teacher had everyone write a letter to Santa Claus to be published in the local paper. Tori's letter was as follows:
Dear Santa,
I hope you have a good Christmas. I wanted to ask you something. Can I have a panda bear that comes with a little one and a wreath and two boxes of cans so my Aunt Michelle and Uncle Jeff can adopt a baby that's all.
From,
Tori
We just thought that was the sweetest letter. We had my mom save the newspaper clipping with her letter so we can put it in Baby G's baby book so we can show him/her how much he/she was wanted!
On another note, we received our travel packet yesterday and I was SOOOOOO excited, until I started to read/ scan through it! All the information!!! It makes income tax forms look like a childrens book! So, I am going to attempt to break it down a little bit at a time and time is something I have! What we have read has made us start to rethink our original plans. We had originally thought that we would just do it all in one trip with Jeff leaving for the US after court and my mom coming over to help me with Baby G until we returned home, but they make it sound like it might be more complicated that way than just making the two trips. I had just figured I had the time that I could stay in country and 1.) It would give me some extra time to really get a feel for the Kazakh culture and 2.) I didn't want to have to leave our baby for a month because I didn't want to leave Baby G and two I thought it might make the transition process a little easier. I guess that is something that we will have to really think on even more now! Otherwise, we now have a more official list of what to bring, along with a list of suggested items from my yahoo group, and can REALLY start collecting things to bring with us on our trip(s). Time to get busy!