Friday, September 24, 2004
Do do do do
Been singing the Twilight Zone music. Got our letter from INS telling us when to come in and have our fingerprints taken. That would be on November 9th. That is Todd's birthday. Do do do do.......
Friday was exciting
About 1:30 in the afternoon the phone rings. Abbie has just woken up from her nap (loooong nap) and we were supposed to be meeting our friends Michelle and Claire at the zoo. Needless to say they have been at the zoo for quite some time. I figure that it's Michelle calling to tell me they are leaving the zoo. But no, it's Inna. She asks how I am. I say fine. She asks "So are you ready for a referral?".
Everything slowed waaaay down at that point.
I said if you found him, we are ready. She said "I found him, he is yours".
OK.
Bless her heart, since this was our second go round and she didn't want us to have to wait to see him, she let me come up and pick up the video tape. She and I watched it together. He is so alert. He is only 3 months and 4 days old on the video. I jumped in the car and went around to Lowe's in Avon to show Todd.
He's a big boy. His birthday is February 10, 2004. As of September 10th he is 19.73 pounds and his head is 45 centimeters. What a chunk of love. He has big hands, so maybe Todd has his basketball player afterall. LOL.
He is in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. Here on out called "Ust".
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/kz.html
We are giddy happy and totally freaked out too.
Everything slowed waaaay down at that point.
I said if you found him, we are ready. She said "I found him, he is yours".
OK.
Bless her heart, since this was our second go round and she didn't want us to have to wait to see him, she let me come up and pick up the video tape. She and I watched it together. He is so alert. He is only 3 months and 4 days old on the video. I jumped in the car and went around to Lowe's in Avon to show Todd.
He's a big boy. His birthday is February 10, 2004. As of September 10th he is 19.73 pounds and his head is 45 centimeters. What a chunk of love. He has big hands, so maybe Todd has his basketball player afterall. LOL.
He is in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. Here on out called "Ust".
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/kz.html
We are giddy happy and totally freaked out too.
Monday, September 20, 2004
INS got our paperwork
Got the letter dated 9/20/04 from the INS saying they have filed the paperwork and taken our money. We are to wait for a letter that will tell us when to come in to have our fingerprints taken.
Friday, September 17, 2004
Paperwork Ugh
Determined to finally get Abbie re-adopted in Indiana before we go get another one. LOL.
It is really terribly easy to do once you sit down and DO it.
I had to go to our City-County Building to get the paperwork signed and processed. Took a little over and hour. And that was just because of all the waiting. It only cost us $20 and that is just to file the health forms. We wanted to re-adopt in Indiana because it let's Abbie have an Indiana birth certificate. So when she needs a birth certificate down the road, she can get one in English too.
It is really terribly easy to do once you sit down and DO it.
I had to go to our City-County Building to get the paperwork signed and processed. Took a little over and hour. And that was just because of all the waiting. It only cost us $20 and that is just to file the health forms. We wanted to re-adopt in Indiana because it let's Abbie have an Indiana birth certificate. So when she needs a birth certificate down the road, she can get one in English too.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
INS Paperwork
Finally got all the stuff needed for the INS I-600A form. Copies of birth certificates with "true and accurate" letter attached. Copy of marriage certificate. And $525 to process the form. And $140 for the fingerprinting still to come ($70 per adult in household). Had to be in money order too. And I forgot the fingerprinting fee to begin with, so had to run to the bank, get the additional $140 money order, then go to the post office to mail it in. Whew. It just got a lot more "real". Money tends to do that. Now just all the dossier paperwork and the Kaz Visa's, etc. etc. etc.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Met with Inna
September, Monday the 13th, Todd and I went to meet with Inna to discuss options and money. Abbie went with us of course. Todd had a client meeting, so he was meeting us at KidsFirst. Abbie was with me. When we were almost to the office, Abbie stuck a soy nut up her nose. Now we were able to get it out without pain or a visit to Immediate Care. But as Todd said "wow, what a role model".
Looks like we will be going back to Kazakhstan. Gulp. This makes me very nervous. Todd, not so much since he doesn't hear the stories like I do. Ust-Kamogorst would be 3 and a half weeks...or more. Kyzlorda would be 2 trips. First trip would be 18-20 days, then home for 3 weeks, then back for 10 days. I know that it is a small amount of time as compared to the huge impact on our life for the better. I just hate the idea of leaving Abbie for that long. Todd's mom has volunteered (bless her soul) to stay with Abbie at our house while we are gone. Abbie likes structure and it's going to be messed up enough without her having to be in a strange home. Todd says he thinks it will be harder on me than Abbie. He is probably right.
Looks like we will be going back to Kazakhstan. Gulp. This makes me very nervous. Todd, not so much since he doesn't hear the stories like I do. Ust-Kamogorst would be 3 and a half weeks...or more. Kyzlorda would be 2 trips. First trip would be 18-20 days, then home for 3 weeks, then back for 10 days. I know that it is a small amount of time as compared to the huge impact on our life for the better. I just hate the idea of leaving Abbie for that long. Todd's mom has volunteered (bless her soul) to stay with Abbie at our house while we are gone. Abbie likes structure and it's going to be messed up enough without her having to be in a strange home. Todd says he thinks it will be harder on me than Abbie. He is probably right.
