Merry Christmas To All

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. I am taking a blogging break to enjoy the holidays with my family and friends. I will be back to blogging world after the New Year and hoping 2009 brings us all that we wish for. All the Best Kate.

Trying to Keep the Faith

Just a quick update on the adoption front. Our dossier is at our agency and all ready to go to the Kyrgyz embassy. That's the good news. After speaking wih the country coordinator at our agency we along with other families have decided to not forward the dossier at this time. The program is completely stalled and no one seems to know why.All information coming from the in country team is positive yet no cases are moving forward. Our agency did receive some referrals recently but can not even move them forward because all families are waiting for approval from the adoption commitee.The government has not responded either positively or negatively to the DOS request for an update. They simply are just not responding.No one knows if this is a problem or just a continuation of the reorganization slowdown. With the absence of information if we forward the dossier and the program closes we will lose more money. We are trying to be cautious. Caution and emotion are a very diffficult combination for me. We need prayer finger crossing or any combination of the two right now. The agency doesn't expect any info until into the new year. My goal now is to try not to get so wrapped up in all this that it effects my holidays with our beautiful daughter and my loving husband that is where I will focus my energy.

We're Back !!!!

We're back from sunny Florida to freezing New York.Oh well all good things must come to an end. We had a wonderful time and didn't want to come home. We spent Thanksgiving with our friend Mickey. The weather was great it only rained on our last day. We returned Monday evening and I was back to work Tuesday this week has been hectic and I only feel after this weekend that I am getting things in order. Now full steam ahead to Christmas.
Our dossier is at our agency waiting for our homestudy to catch up with it. Our homestudy was not sent by the homestudy agency for authentication so a little bump in the road. They are hopeful that it will be ready to go to Us Dept of State by the end of the week. So we keep moving things along. In January we will have been involved in this adoption for two years. I can't beleive the time that has gone by. We are hoping 2009 will be our year and we can begin our lives as a family of four. I'll keep you posted.

Keep Moving Forward

I just received an update from the dossier preparer thar our dossier is at the Dept of State and she is expecting it to be returned by the end of the week.The last step before going to Krygz is the embassy in Washington for preliminary confirmation then on to Bishkek Krygz. I keep my eye on the really great prize at the end. I'll keep you posted

Calmer Heads Will Prevail

I had both an email and phone conference with our program coordinator this am. After speaking with her and being updated they are concerned about the DOS statement but not thinking shutdown. They continue to believe that the delays we are seeing are related to the restructuring of the program and less about considering shutting down. She also had a conference with the in country coordinator who indicated the same. I feel much better having spoken with her and feel that perhaps the reorganization on this end will lessen the time to travel between the first and second trip,which having been through 5 months waiting for Olivia to come home is the most difficult wait.
So we are continuing to move along. Our dossier has been sent for translation and the preparer is pursuing the necessary authentications. Stay Tuned one thing you can count on with international adoption is a rocky ride.
A fun picture from soccer of Olivia and her cousin.

OH NO Please Not Again!!!!!

The Department of State recommends adoptive parents and agencies exercise caution in pursuing an intercountry adoption from Kyrgyzstan. A number of prospective adoptive parents have reported that their cases are not being processed. The U.S. Embassy has requested official clarification, but no formal announcement has been made.

According to local experts, few if any cases are being processed at this time. Further, the government of Kyrgyzstan appears to be making moves to strengthen its internal controls of and develop new legislation on adoptions. It has been reported that Kyrgyz citizens may have been denied the opportunity to adopt during the past year, even while some intercountry adoptions by non-citizens were being approved. At this time it is not clear what action will be taken on pending cases or if the Government of Kyrgyzstan will accept any new cases

The U.S. Embassy continues to monitor the situation and will provide clarification as soon as it is received.
This is the latest announcement from the Department Of State these announcements always seem to come on Friday when you can not speak to anyone at the agency. I will be calling the agency first thing Monday to get info. I have been at this long enough to know that often these announcements are not always what they seem,so I am trying to remain calm. Please everyone keep their fingers crossed for us and that this process will continue. I will post more information as it becomes available. Steve says cooler heads will prevail so I am trying!!!!!

I Love a Toothless Grin

Olivia's beautiful toothless smile and Einstein's glowing eyes Enough said.

Third Times A Charm

Well this is the third dossier I have completed for international adoption and this is the best yet. We only had to correct one document AMAZING and that correction was because I was referred to as Kate and not my legal name. The document is already received and will be on the way to the preparer for authentication. The correct documents have already been faxed to the agency and translation has begun. The hope is that while Department of State certification is being obtained the translation will be in progress and hopefully the two can be done around the same time.
We are in full swing for our big family Disney trip which is right around the corner. Olivia is counting the days and I am looking forward to being in my happy place and in warmer weather.
Hope all is well with everyone I will keep you posted on adoption happenings. All the best-----Kate.
PS___This is last years Halloween picture but I just love it

Things Are Moving Along

Our paperwork was sent to the preparer today she will obtain county clerk and department of state authentication. I feel so relieved to have it out of my hands.My desk will seem empty without the perpetual purple folder hanging out there. At least when doing the dossier you feel as if you are doing something anything to make this move along. Now we are just truly waiting which is the really hard part.I guess maybe we should be good at it by now.
Halloween is in full swing here Olivia is going to be a high school musical cheerleader. We had family fun night at her school last weekend she had a blast and they had a really good magician this year. We will be off to Marge and Ray's for their annual Halloween Blast and we are looking forward to that.
I will post more news as it happens and hoping everyone gets more treats than tricks on Halloween.

Quick But Exciting Update

We received our I171h in record time. Two weeks after our fingerprinting we received it yesterday. Way to go Federal Plaza NYC NY. One document will be picked up at work on Monday and the last will be my physical which is scheduled for Tuesday then on to the preparer for authentication. I am so glad we made the decision to hire her it takes alot of running around off me.She is also very skilled at checking the documents so any errors will be caught prior to authentication.We are moving along I was so excited Friday when I saw the envelope I will keep you all posted.

It FINALLY HAPPENED.

Olivia's front tooth had been hanging on by a thread for over a week and finally on Saturday with a little help from Uncle Ray it came out. Interestingly I have been a nurse for 24 years yet the thought of assisting with teeth removal makes my skin crawl. I was glad we had backup---- Thanks Uncle Ray
Life has been moving along and things have been going well. My new job is going along and although the longer days were an adjustment in the beginning much better now. We are now counting the days until our disney trip for Thanksgiving in November. We were hoping that we would be traveling as a family of four but that was not to be.
Our refingerprinting for immigration clearance was completed 10/2/08 so we are now waiting for our i171 approval. We only have two more documents for the dossier to get and they are both in the works. Once we receive the approval we will send them off the the dossier preparer she will get all the county clerk and department of state authentications. Prior to her having them DOS certified she will scan them to the adoption agency for translation to begin while the originals are being certified which should help move along the process. From there they go to the Kygr embassy in Washington then onto kyrgz ministry for final approval by adoption committee. Then we are officially "waiting" and can receive a referral at that time. I am getting excited again at the prospect and can actually picture another member of our family.
We will keep everyone posted and hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather

Our Beautiful Girl Is Seven Today

Olivia turned seven today. Hard to believe. We had a very busy but wonderful weekend celebrating. Saturday we had a school friends party with 12 little girls they made beaded bracelets,had their nails done and face painting. It was great for Olivia to have all her school friends and family here,apparently Barbie is the theme of the day because we now have more of them then we can count but she is loving all her gifts and was up at 6;30am today to start playing with them YEAH!!!
Right after that our family arrived for the family party.It was great to have all the kids together and fortunately the weather held up so they could be outside for a little while.Clothes for fall was the theme of this party(Mommy was excited).I am so amazed how into clothes Olivia is, I know I didn't care this much when I was seven.
Olivia's adoption day holds more memories for me than her birthday,I do however on this day think about Olivia's birthmother. I hope she knows what a beautiful gift she gave us. Olivia is the bright light in our life. She makes us smile and laugh every single day and ,especially at birthdays I am so grateful for the gift of her. I know her birthmother thinks of her today and I wish she could know that I think of her too.
Our I171 extension with homestudy has been filed and we are paperchasingm we have hired a dossier preparation service this time around to make the process easier for me. I am grateful for her and we move full steam ahead.I'll keep you all posted.

Well It's Official

September first came and went without much fanfare, I don't know what I expected I guess maybe a small part of me hoped there would be some final hour reprieve. That was not to be. Our Vietnam adoption journey ended officially along with countless other families dreams. I am saddened and I guess feeling a loss for the promise of a child from Vietnam we will not have. Throughout this journey I have always pictured in my mind a child who looked just like Olivia. What also saddens me is to think of the children in Vietnam who might not have homes. People often comment to me how lucky Olivia is that we adopted her I always reply that what we received from her is tenfold what we have given to her, Yet I do think about the life she may have had in Vietnam and it saddens me because she is so bright and so full of life and promise and she may not have had that had she stayed in Vietnam.I hope for the children that are there who are legally and legitimately looking for families there can be a quick resolution although I am doubtful.We now look forward to better days ahead and hopefully a process that moves along without many speedbumps.
Olivia is off the second grade today and was nervous anxious and excited all in one. She had a hard time falling asleep last night,was up in the middle of the night(very unusual) and wide awake raring to go at 6am. We all know how quickly that wears off.Her 7th birthday party plans are in full swing and she is counting the days. We hope that everyone's first days of school go off without a hitch and we keep everyone posted as our adoption journey continues.

More Summer Fun

My family had their summer swim championships a few weeks ago and as you can see from the pictures they all did very well. We were very proud of them and they were thrilled with their medals. As you can see Olivia got a gold and a silver medal, we were watching the Olympics and she was saying her medals looked just like the ones Michael Phelps won and of course Steve and I agreed. We are so proud of her, swimming is very early on Saturday mornings and Olivia doesn't always like to get up but she does despite some of the moaning and groaning
We are in full gear for back to school and looking forward to the first day. We just have a few more things on the supply list and she will be ready. I interviewed for a position within my company and found out last week that I got the job. I will now be working a three day workweek and this position is in the office as a coordinator. I am looking forward to the change and the new challenge. Olivia will have to got to aftercare at school for those three days which will be an adjustment for her as she is used to me being home to get her off the bus, but I am sure she will be fine.
As far as the adoption goes we have received the contract and will be signing this week we were much more cautious this time and went through it with a fine tooth comb. I guess we are a little nervous, as most of the monies we had paid for the Vietnam adoption were lost. We still are moving ahead, once the contract is signed will receive the packet with the actual paperwork requirements and off we will go. That is all for now. Hope all is well with everyone.Enjoy the last days of summer

Summer Family Fun

We spent the day yesterday at John and Alice's house for a family bbque complete with a recipe smackdown. The food was great as was the company.The kids (alot of them( had a great time in the pool and were only out for  long enough to quickly eat. Olivia had a wonderful time playing with her cousin Connor as well as swimming with all her cousins. Our family from California were in town and it is always great to see them. Their oldest son James begins NYU in the fall he is a credit to his parents and I know they are very proud of him. For the recipe contest I made Grammie's famous crumbcake and we were in a  three way tie for third place. This was the first time I had I had seen many of my family members since the most recent adoption news. It is always wonderful to feel their love and support for us. I am always reminded how many people are also invested in our journey, and how much we appreciate everyone's encouragement. I'll end with some pictures of the day. Enjoy the rest of the summer.

Homestudy Update Done--Step One

Well our homestudy update is done.  Our social worker from New Beginnings was here today and it will be available by Thursday for the new agency. Maureen has done three homestudies for our family so she is like family at this point. It is so funny to me to remember how nervous I was when she came to do Olivia's homestudy. My house was never so clean and will never be that clean again. We did clean this morning but nothing like the first time. Olivia was excited to show her the "Fashion Designs" she has been doing and Maureen ver kindly and patiently looked at ALL of them. Our next step is to begin the paperwork collection for the dossier. We are waiting to get the requirements from the agency then we will move ahead. We keep moving forward I am getting more confident that this will happen with each step. I really wish I had that crystal ball to tell me when. Does anyone know where I can find one?

A New Month--- A New Beginning

Steve and I found out a few weeks ago that an adoption from Vietnam was not going to be possible. In essence the Vietnamese Government had stopped issuing referrals despite verbal assurances that they would continue over the summer. Needless to say this has been a difficult time for us as we struggled with the decision to continue or not.  After much soul searching we have decided to continue and are now pursuing adoption from Kyrgyzstan. Unfortunately all of the paperwork we completed will need to be redone in the interest of time because all of our original documentation is still in Vietnam it will all be returned but who knows when.  So with renewed energy we begin again as we pursue this dream of child number two for our family.

Please keep us in your thoughts and we will update as we move along the process.

Still Waiting Waiting....

We hope everyone has a nice Father's Day ours was wonderful. I had to work so Steve and Olivia spent the day together after work we went to Steve's Mom and Dad's for a barbecue. Mom made her famous macaroni salad so everyone was happy especially Steve. After there we went to Moe's house to see my Dad and we were all glued to the TV watching the US Open  now those of you who know me know I"m not so much the sports person but even I was glued. We had a wonderful day and are all really thankful for all the wonderful Dad's in our life. I always appreciate Steve and what a wonderful father he is to Olivia but I especially remind myself how blessed we are to have him in our lives.

           Steve called the adoption agency Monday and we remain third on the list there have been no new referrals since our last conversation a month ago,very discouraging.  We continue to hope and pray and wait hoping with each day that goes by we get closer. There have been some email petitions and letter writing campaigns going on. The Vietnamese gov has indicated they would be open to "Grandfathering" paperwork already in Vietnam after the 9/1/08 deadline . They are looking to our gov for assurances that they would continue to issue visas, therein lies the million dollar question. We are hoping for some positive news on that front. We will post any new news as it happens . Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Still Waiting

May 14 2008-----We hope everyone had a great Mother's Day and enjoyed the time wit your children.. I had to work but fit in lunch at Wendy's with Steve and Olivia then my wonderful husband took me out to a nice dinner with his family after work I had a lovely day .Olivia made me a beautiful keychain with her picture on it that now proudly holds my keys.

       We continue to wait for news of a referral and are hoping that since we are so high on the list it will be soon. Even though I know that the referral means only a last round of waiting I am so anxious to move along the process.. I am also very excited about not knowing if we will be referred a boy or a girl   We will be sure to post when that happens  Please continue to keep ups in your thoughts and prayers.. More soon hopefully good news..

Saturday May 10 2008

Steve bought me  new computer for Mother's day so you can thank him for all this blogging stuff. All through this adoption journey I have been following blogs of other families also waiting to adopt and have thought what a great way to keep family  updated re the progress or lack thereof. I didn't do it because I didn't know how. This new computer has given me a renewed interest and I am doing it yeah.So this is my first blog.  In a synopsis form as to where we are in the adoption process we have been in the waiting list for an infant girl since jan 2007 for those of you who don't know Vietnam announced a few weeks ago that the two govs can not reach an agreement and that adoptions from vietnam will be ending sept 1 2008 and that only families that have been matched with a child will be able to complete their adoption. This announcement came on Friday and Steve and I had along weekend considering options and alternatives. I shed many tears because i couldn't believe we could have come all this way only to have the door closed.  Through some soul searching Steve and I realized that the only thing we could do to facilitate this new deadline was to change our preference to no gender preference and to open our hearts and our home to whatever child God planned for us. We called the agency Monday morning and changed our preference and were told by the agency that we are now in the top three on the waiting list and we now wait hope and pray.This journey will only begin there as we expect bumps in the road to the visa approval as the relationship between the two governments deteriotates on an almost daily basis, we feel that this is the road we have journeyed down and are committed to staying the course wherever it takes us.We for all these months have been preparing Olivia for a little sister never anticipating this detour. She was initially upset but slowly realizing possibly being the only girl could have it's benefits because as usual it is just OLIVIA.  On the positive side we have received Olivia's citizenship certificate and can now apply for her passport. Please pray for us that this path will take us where we would like at that at the end of the road we will have the newest addition to our family who is healthy.. More Later