Finding Malibu

Monday, October 3, 2011

Friday afternoon and evening at Mimi and Papa Tom’s house:

Monday, September 26, 2011

It’s now just a short step to handsprings:

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Saturday at Mimi and Papa Tom’s house—

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Celebrating our two-year “First Date” anniversary:

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Two years ago today…

Two years ago today we drove up to this gate:

A close-up of the sign:

We eventually drove through the gate and were greeted by this sweet statue:

Then through these doors:

And we saw this face for the very first time:

Monday, September 19, 2011

Napkin video from Bandanas’ Friday night:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
---Proverbs 3:5-6

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption. And by him we cry "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

---Romans 8:15

We witness a miracle every time a child enters into life. But those who make their journey home across time and miles, growing within the hearts of those who wait to love them, are carried on the wings of destiny and placed among us by God's very own hands.

--Kristi Larson

Adoption Timeline

Dec 27, 2010------HOME 1 YEAR!
Oct 17, 2010------K's 2nd Birthday (the first one with us)!
Jan 17, 2010------K's 15 month birthday

Dec 27, 2009-----Finally HOME with baby K

Dec 24, 2009-----To Moscow and to the US Embassy

Dec 23, 2009-----Pick up baby K from the detskii dom in Kaluga--she's ours forever!

Dec 23, 2009-----Finally arrive in Moscow EARLY in the morning

Dec 19, 2009-----Leave (try #1) for Russia with Auntie Susan

Dec 14, 2009-----Final Exams at MSU and Drury

Dec 9, 2009------Leave for home

Dec 8, 2009------Court Date in Kaluga---10:00 am. The nice Judge said YES!

Dec 6, 2009------See baby K again for first time in month and a half

Dec 4, 2009------Leave for Trip 2 to Kaluga

Nov 17, 2009-----Travel dates for Court in Kaluga!

Nov 5, 2009------Last payment to CSS :-)

Nov 3, 2009------Pick up and apostille the notarized copy of Homestudy Agency's new license and Fed Ex to CSS

Nov, 2, 2009-----Homestudy Agency emailed scan of Homestudy Agency's Updated License to Kaluga

Oct 17, 2009-----Baby K's First Birthday

Oct 14, 2009-----Police background checks and updated dossier documents mailed to agency

Oct 7, 2009------Steve's Birthday AND 70th Birthday of the Baby Home in Kaluga

Sept 29, 2009----Petition to adopt baby K notarized, apostilled, and Fed Exed to agency--ALSO, as of today, we've officially been pursuing this adoption for 4 YEARS!

Sept 20, 2009---Our first meeting with baby K

Sep 17-26, 2009--Travel to Russia to meet baby K

Aug 11, 2009----FBI fingerprints taken and mailed

Aug 7, 2009-----Visa applications mailed

July 28, 2009---Travel dates to visit baby K in Kaluga

mid July 2009---Dossier registered in Kaluga region

July 6, 2009---- Dossier pulled from Tula region

Apr 9, 2009-----Dossier registered in Tula region

Feb 24, 2009----Dossier #2 in Russia

Feb 20, 2009----Homeland Security fingerprints renewed

Feb 13, 2009----Dossier #2 apostilled

Feb 11, 2009----Dossier #2 to notary

Feb 6, 2009-----Homestudy #2 finished

Nov 21, 2008----Physicals for homestudy #2

Nov 7, 2008-----Fingerprints done for homestudy #2

Nov 4, 2008-----Homestudy visit with social worker

Oct 21, 2008----Contract signed with CSS

Sept 26, 2008---Received paperwork from CSS

Sept 17, 2008---Visited Dr. and diagnosed with shingles, received call from CHI that Izhevsk is "closed"

Sept 10, 2008---First call to CSS

Aug, 2008------CHI guidelines for correspondence with regions "changed" but no clear communication as to how or what this will mean for us. Follow-up call to agency gives us very different information than just 3 months previously

July 18, 2008---CHI denied Hague Status

May 27, 2008---Visited in CHI office, bad vibes, representative had "lost our file"

Early Feb 2008--Assigned to Izhevsk region

Jan 25, 2008---Dossier #1 Apostilled

Dec 24, 2007---Received Homeland Security Approval

Dec 21, 2007---CHI reaccredited to work in Russia

Dec 13, 2007---First trip to Homeland Security, first set of fingerprints for Homeland Security

Oct 25, 2007---Homestudy finished

Aug 10, 2007---First set of fingerprints for adoption

July 31, 2007---First physicals for adoption

July 5, 2007----Homestudy biographies finished

July 2007------First agencies reaccredited to work in Russia

April 2007-----Began to work on homestudy

July 2006-Spring 2007--International adoptions from Russia basically shut down during this period, while we were also attempting to get settled and moved-in. This was the "black night of the soul" period for me

June 2006-----Moved

Early 2006-----Attempted to straighten out the miscommunication with CHI, began the process of paperwork for homestudy, but then learned around March that we were to be moving in June. Agency advised us to wait until after we were settled in new home to begin the homestudy

Dec 2, 2005-----Applied for new passports

Nov 30, 2005---Contract signed with CHI

Nov 21, 2005----Initial phone conversation with CHI representative (mistakenly told to pursue our I-600 first before the homestudy)

Nov 10, 2005----Approved by CHI

Sept 29, 2005----Initial Application to CHI

Finding Malibu

Monday, October 3, 2011

Pictures from the Weekend, Part 4: Picking up walnuts with Papa Tom:

Pictures from the Weekend, Part 3: Sunday at Mimi and Papa Tom’s House:

Pictures from the weekend, Part 2: Apple Festival 2011

Pictures from this past weekend, Part 1:

Monday, September 26, 2011

It’s now just a short step to handsprings:

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Saturday at Mimi and Papa Tom’s house—

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Celebrating our two-year “First Date” anniversary:

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Two years ago today…

Monday, September 19, 2011

Napkin video from Bandanas’ Friday night:

Followers

The Time in Kaluga

Kaluga

K's File Picture

Referral Picture

Trip One--11 Months

Trip Two--13 Months

Trip Three--14 Months

15 Months

20 Months

2 Years

30 Months (2.5)

3 Years

3.5 Years

4 Years

Blogs of Families Waiting for a Referral:

Blogs of Families with Adoptions in Progress

Blogs of Forever Families

Adoption Information Blogs

Other Fun Blogs of People that I Love

Sites about Russia

Blog Archive

Adoption Timeline