Tuesday, August 28, 2007

If only getting the "green light" to travel was the only thing on my mind...

I am actually breathing a sigh of relief these days when it comes to some of the ancillary issues related to bringing home a baby. Like most other working parents, child care is an issue that has weighed heavily on me. And being me, I have avoided the issue for a long time, opting instead to deal with other important things, like choosing bedding and choosing names :)! I don't want to jinx it, but this week I found some really viable options to choose from once the baby is home. My 1st choice is a woman from my neighborhood who will come take care of the baby in my house. She is the mother of a woman my sister works with, she lives around the corner from me, and is reasonably priced.. Even better: though she has recently dropped down to part-time hours with her last little charge (he's going to pre-school), she is not going to look another job right now and will be available in January (when I think I will need her). A few weeks ago, I had also talked with a woman who runs a babysitting service out of her home. She came highly recommended by a parent in my sister's school (it's a good resource-- all those kids and parents running around!).. And this past weekend, I went to visit a daycare center down the street.. It wouldn't be my first choice, but I am definitely comfortable with it as an option, particularly for when the baby is a little older. So, the research continues, but I feel better knowing I already have some options.
I also selected the adoption specialist that I will consult with from Kaz.. Her name is Dr. Gail Farber, and she and her team are affiliated with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. In addition to Dr. Farber, there is another pediatrician on staff as well as two occupational therapists. Prior to travel, I will have a phone consultation with them so they can advise me on what questions to ask and what to look for when I meet the children. I will also be emailing them photos and video, along with copies of the baby's medical records from Kaz for their evaluation. We will consult again via telephone while I am in Kaz about what they find in those records and pictures.. The goal, of course, is try to determine if the baby is healthy or, if he/she is not, the extent & implications of any health problems. There is the potential that the information could make my decision harder, but hopefully it will make it easier.

Monday, August 27, 2007

My "patience" is killing me!

I desperately want to bug my agency today, to see what's up with my file, but I am trying to remain patient. If there was anything to tell me (like my file is at MOE), I know that they would-- so instead of emailing the agency, I am writing this post.. Other parents waiting to travel have reported being told that another vacation period has slowed up files and one parent (thank you, Sonya) has heard some possibly encouraging news that the slowdown is due to MOE officials focusing on the upcoming school year, slated to start in another week or two.. In all cases, the parents say they are told things should get moving soon.. From their lips to somebody in Kaz's ear!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Applying for a visa-- am I going to be able to charge with this one??

More from the paperwork front-- I have started the process to apply for a visa to travel to Kazakhstan. No, that doesn't my travel is imminent, but I am getting all of my ducks in a row.. Katarina from Panorama Travel in NYC is helping me out. I have to give her my application for my visa, my original passport (a little scary), a picture and a check (of course). She will hold all until I receive my Letter of Invitation (LOI) to travel. This is the real thing-- I have to be able to tell Katarina if anyone will be traveling with me (no) and how many trips I will be taking (right now, its 2 but I change my mind every day!).

Monday, August 20, 2007

Children at Heart Annual Picnic

This past Saturday was my agency's annual picnic for all of the past and future adoptive families. Ann, Ronan & I packed up the car (with way too much stuff we didn't need, like chairs and blankets) and drove (and drove) to Halfmoon, NY (just north of Albany) for the limited purposes of: eating, playing and getting as much information as possible out of the experienced parents. Well, we accomplished two of our three objectives-- there was no real "picnic" at our picnic. We hit crazy amounts of traffic, so we decided to stop on the way at the McDonald's rest stop to eat and let Ronan stretch a little.. Bad decision--it added an extra hour onto our trip.. But we still got there in plenty of time to play with the kids (Ronan's sole objective) and talk to some people. I met a few parents who I had been emailing recently-- they were incredibly nice and had some encouraging things to say. I didn't get to talk to everyone-- it was too overwhelming. At first, I wasn't even sure how I was going to talk to anyone, but eventually, I just went up to people and started asking questions. If nothing else, we have all now put a face with a name and I know that when I have more questions, the parents I met will be more than willing to help me out. I also got to meet my coordinator, Kathy, face to face-- again, nice because she has done so much for me during this process. And the kids were all over the place! They ranged in age from about 8 months to teenagers, and were from not only Kazakhstan, but Russia as well and maybe a few other places.. While I know some do have some medical issues, in general, the kids all appeared very healthy, and they were all just beautiful. It was very easy to imagine my child playing among the others this time next year-- and I'll be the parent dispensing advice!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

You can help the kids too!

Right now, my agency, Children at Heart, has 2 fundraisers going on, and anyone out there can donate a couple of bucks. Best yet-- its tax deductible!

The first one is close to my heart because it involves shopping. Children at Heart is participating in the 2007 Macy's Shop For A Cause Fundraiser. Here's how it works-- you buy a $5.00 shopping pass to use at Macy's on October 13, 2007.. The shopping pass gets you discounts-- 20% off regular, sale & clearance items from most departments, 10% off furniture, mattresses, kitchen & technology items. Yeah, its just like the coupons you get in the mail, but the $5.00 you spend goes to Children at Heart, to help fund their humanitarian aid programs. There is a form to fill out to, to order the shopping passes, and there are 3 ways you can get the form:

1)you can email me at jeanninemull00@optonline.net and I'll send it to you; 2)you can email the agency directly at fth143@aol.com or 3) call Children at Heart at 518-664-5988 and use a credit card to buy the shopping pass over the phone.

The second fundraiser is a raffle.. Tickets are $20 per ticket, and the prize is a new car! They are giving away a 2008 Suzuki SX4, Forenza, Vitara and XL-7-- I don't know what any of those cars look like, but does it matter?? Options for buying the tickets are the same: email me, email them or call them.. 100% of the raffle proceeds goes to charity, and last year Children at Heart raised thousands of dollars that went towards helping children at an orphanage in Brazil. Even better, one of the Children at Heart tickets won a car.. You only have until October 7th to buy a ticket, so do it soon..

The last thing I want to tell you about is a website called igive.com. It is very cool.. Thousands of online retailers participate and all you have to do is sign up with them and every time you make a purchase from a participating website, a portion of your purchase price is donated to the charity of your choice. Children at Heart is on the list of course, but there are also many, many other charities participating. And the stores are ones that you would actually order from-- BabiesRUs, Ann Taylor, Macy's, Mrs. Fields, Magellans (if only I had known before I ordered!).. It's a great list, and an easy way to help children who desperately need it.

I hope you can help!

Friday, August 17, 2007

The answer is in the tea leaves..

Lord knows, there are some pretty unscientific ways to guess whether a pregnant woman is going to have a girl or a boy-- the old trick of swinging a ring over the mother's belly to see which way it spins or the mother's chinese horoscope/conception chart.. Then there are the old wives tales about baby girls taking the beauty of the mother or how the mothers carry differently if it is a boy vs. a girl. Not being pregnant, I didn't get to join in the fun-- until now.. Last night, some friends and I went out to dinner and got a reading from an Irish tea leaf reader.. Her verdict? I am going to be bringing home a boy-- or as she put it, I "should start buying baseball bats." To which my sister and I said "uh-oh"-- cause the few things I have bought so far have been for a girl.. The tea leaf reader also said I would be a mother by Christmas (which I loved because it would mean my schedule would be back on track!) and that it would be a great thing for me and a great thing for my baby. She also said she sensed that I was obsessed with something-- hmm, wonder what it could be???!! Traveling to a country on the other side of the world, alone, for a month or more, without speaking the language? How to pay for the trip, the daycare, the food, the clothes, the toys? Will my baby be healthy, happy? Can I do it all on my own? I don't know what she was talking about :)
Interestingly, she focused on two other things that she "saw" in the leaves: my health and my wedding. Yes, my wedding! She says that I will be married by October 2009, and that I already know the man I will marry, though I only know him casually and right now (obviously) it is not a romantic relationship. She got right down to describing the dress (like a glamourous evening gown but tea length-- no froufrou white wedding dress for me) and the ceremony (outside, near water with about 80 guests in attendance). It gives a girl hope!
The only "negative" topic in her reading was my health-- and it was more than a little creepy. She kept asking me when was the last time I had seen a doctor, and did I have any blood work done. Thankfully, due almost entirely to the adoption process, I have been in to see my doctor 4 or 5 times in the last 6 month, and I have a clean bill of health.. Still, she thinks I need to have my thyroid checked-- how am I going to explain that to my doctor?!?
So now I "know" (HUGE quotation marks there :)). I guess I better start shopping again..

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

"Karova" means cow. Too bad its the only Russian I know :(

So, while I wait for my paperwork to be processed in Kaz, there is obviously still a lot to do. I've bought just about everything I can buy for the trip. I've had my inoculations (Hep A, Hep B, tetanus, diphtheria & whooping cough). I have made contact with a local pediatrician Ann recommended, confirmed he is accepting new patients and takes my insurance. I have started stocking up on "baby staples", like diapers and wipes. And, I have been buying books on learning Russian. But that's it-- just buying them. So far, I have:
1. Russian for Dummies (Book & audio CD)
2. Charles Berlitz Passport to Russian
3. Lonely Planet Russian Phrasebook
4. Russian in 10 Minutes a Day; and
5. Unforgettable Languages Linkword Russian (DVD course)

I tried to listen to the "Russian for Dummies" CD, but in the first segment they start right out, speaking in complete sentences and faster than the most-native speaker. Now, I need to start A LOT slower. I am pretty sure that much of my communication in Kaz will probably be limited to one or two word phrases. And some pre-printed cue cards. And pantomime. LOTS of pantomime. And I am okay with that-- typical American traveler, it's so sad! I tried the DVD course too, but they started with animals and colors. Truly, I doubt I will need to know the word for dog, cat or cow-- but cow is all I remember. And blessedly I remember the word for "bed", but only because I think the mnemonic device they use for "bed" is a joke-- 'cause they use a French word to help teach the pronounciation of the Russian word!! What if you don't know French?? (It is insidious, I tell you!) So, now I have spent $100, easily, on these language books. And I am now eyeing a translation machine at Sharper Image that will do all the work for me. So maybe I haven't bought everything I can for the trip...

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Where or Where has my paperwork gone? Where or where can it be?

Okay, so this is the update on my dossier: nothing is happening with it.. My agency confirms that it is still in the initial stages of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is where it has been since late June. Of course, the holiday has a lot to do with that-- everyone in Kaz took a few weeks off in July. Now, don't get me wrong-- that is a system I could get behind if it weren't affecting me so negatively! But since it means nobody is reviewing my file, I think it stinks.. Still more conflicting information about the "closure" of Karaganda. A woman posting on the Yahoo boards printed what she says is an email from the Embassy in Kaz which says that Karaganda has been closed to American adoption since Spring 2007 because approximately 100 post placement reports are outstanding from American parents. This is, of course, the same rumor that has been floating out there for several months. I was upset, though, when I saw it said that the region has been closed since Spring. I realize, however, that I have read of other families who have adopted in Karaganda over the past few months-- so again, the info is very conflicting.

Incidentally, there was quite a lively "debate" on the boards about people who didn't, for various reasons, file their post placement reports. Whatever their reasons for not filing, I hope it is resolved soon-- and I promise I will file mine in a timely manner, so no other parents have to wait like this!!

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Mickey loves the name Niamh!





I am back in New York tonight, after a whirlwind (and at times, endless) trip to Florida and Walt Disney World. Disney was fun but extremely hot and extremely exhausting!! I was pretty good about not buying souvenirs for a child who I won't be meeting for months (more on that in my next post), but I couldn't resist the Mickey & Minnie Mouse ears.. And the lady who does the monogramming didn't even bat an eyelash when I spelled Niamh's name-- they have to get some crazy names in their line of work.. Or maybe it was that she just didn't care (ha!).. Anyway, during our tour around Epcot we found that Niamh was not the craziest Gaelic name I could have found-- in the Great Britain area, we found a store that did monogramming, family crests, that kind of thing and on the "N" page, we found a name that I cannot even begin to spell or pronounce.. So, I think I am going to find that name again, and if Niamh ever complains about not liking her name, I will tell her that this other name was the other option! (This manner of deception is a family tradition, actually-- my parents used to torture one of my brothers by telling him he was supposed to be named "Snow Pony" or something crazy like that..) If Daniel complains, I'll just tell him that the other option was "Niamh"!