I am having one of those days where I am just feeling down and overwhelmed. We talked with Leslie this afternoon and we have a lot of paperwork to update. Certain documents expire after a year, but others after three or six months. So, we have several documents that expire in February. However, Leslie suggests we also start updating our documents that expire in April and May. That last request scares me. Is it just a precaution or will we be visiting Tomsk in the spring? There is just no way of knowing. It all depends on the paperwork from Uzbekistan.
In addition to the standard paperwork, I also need to get the State of Ohio to write a letter stating my unemployment benefits. I’m going to start with the local office and go from there. I am also not looking forward to returning to the Brunswick police station for fingerprints. You may remember my previous encounter with them last May. Needless to say, I'd rather be elsewhere.
Today has been one of those days where I just want to throw up the white flag. But, my love for Nicholas trumps any of the frustrations we are going through. I am fighting for him. I don’t know when we are going back. I don’t know if the prosecutor will give us a hard time. I just know that everyone is doing their best to get this adoption finalized. I also know that God is in control. Without Him, we have no hope.
One thing that has brought me great comfort is memorizing Bible verses. Beth Moore, a well-known Bible teacher, writer and speaker offered up a challenge on her blog. She challenged her readers to memorize two verses a month for 2009. Sunday I will start memorizing my third verse. The last verse that I memorized is perfect for our situation.
Philippians 4:6,7 (New Living Translation): “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
As I have stated before, worry is a stronghold in my life. But, this adoption has helped me to be more trusting. I have to pray more! I have to trust that God is in control! If I didn’t, I would go crazy. I have bad days. I have days where my heart aches (like today), but I am not supposed to worry.
In closing, I have a few specific prayer requests:
1. Pray that the documents come from Uzbekistan.
2. Pray that there will be no hassles as I try to get my notarized unemployment letter from the State of Ohio.
3. Pray that Olga will be satisfied and not come up with any more problems.
4. Pray for Nicholas. Pray that God will prepare him to leave the only life he has ever known to come home with us.
5. Pray that when feelings of doubt and fear appear that we will instantly go to prayer rather than dwell on them.
6. Finally, you can pray for the region of Tomsk. Due to the problems at court, our agency is pulling out of that region. There are other agencies that work out of Tomsk, but I am not sure whether they will stay or pull out as well. My heart aches for all the kids that may not get adopted now.
Kristin
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
February It Is . . . Or Isn’t . . . Or Is . . .
One thing about this adoption is that we are always kept on our toes. When you think things are going to happen, they don’t. When you sit back and relax, it is time to get moving. That’s kind of what happened on Sunday. Early in the afternoon I found an e-mail from Luba waiting for me. WE HAVE OUR COURT DATE!!! Two seconds into the e-mail my excitement faded. We can’t go then because the papers from Uzbekistan have not arrived and this court date is earlier than we originally thought it would be. Then my mind went to, what if they do get the papers? What if they show up this week? Then we would have less than two weeks to get there. But, if they don’t, what will the new court date be? Will it be delayed by a week or two, or longer?
I immediately pulled up a new e-mail and began to type out every possible question I could think of for Leslie. If something miraculous happens and we stick to that date, we have a lot to do!!! If not, we have some time, but how much time? Leslie should have answers for me tomorrow.
On another note, I ended up reporting for jury duty Monday afternoon. We were told to report by noon, but ended up sitting around for two hours before we even went to the courtroom. Then we were told to head up the courtroom on the 16th floor where we would go through voir dire (jury selection). The judge was almost ready for us, but in the meantime they wanted to line us up in juror number order. The Carl B. Stokes Federal Court House Building has many windows showing beautiful views of downtown Cleveland. There is one problem --- I hate heights!!! And, the lady decided that we should line up right along those windows and stand there for a few minutes. To me, it was ages! Everyone else was staring out the windows, but I had my back to them, probably as white as a ghost.
The jury selection lasted over three hours. We were asked several questions regarding who we know or where we worked and whether we could be unbiased. I think there are two things that saved me from being selected: my family that works for Cuyahoga County (this was important to this particular case) and my tentative court date in Russia. The judge felt that this case could last 6-7 days. If our court date somehow doesn’t get postponed, I don’t have time for jury duty. So, thankfully, I ended up not being selected.
Now I am ready to get in paperwork mode again. I hope that tomorrow we find out EVERYTHING we need to do. I want to get it done right away so we can focus on the smaller details when it is time to go. If I don’t have an update for you in the next day or so, know that we didn’t hear anything, and I am probably very angry.
Kristin
I immediately pulled up a new e-mail and began to type out every possible question I could think of for Leslie. If something miraculous happens and we stick to that date, we have a lot to do!!! If not, we have some time, but how much time? Leslie should have answers for me tomorrow.
On another note, I ended up reporting for jury duty Monday afternoon. We were told to report by noon, but ended up sitting around for two hours before we even went to the courtroom. Then we were told to head up the courtroom on the 16th floor where we would go through voir dire (jury selection). The judge was almost ready for us, but in the meantime they wanted to line us up in juror number order. The Carl B. Stokes Federal Court House Building has many windows showing beautiful views of downtown Cleveland. There is one problem --- I hate heights!!! And, the lady decided that we should line up right along those windows and stand there for a few minutes. To me, it was ages! Everyone else was staring out the windows, but I had my back to them, probably as white as a ghost.
The jury selection lasted over three hours. We were asked several questions regarding who we know or where we worked and whether we could be unbiased. I think there are two things that saved me from being selected: my family that works for Cuyahoga County (this was important to this particular case) and my tentative court date in Russia. The judge felt that this case could last 6-7 days. If our court date somehow doesn’t get postponed, I don’t have time for jury duty. So, thankfully, I ended up not being selected.
Now I am ready to get in paperwork mode again. I hope that tomorrow we find out EVERYTHING we need to do. I want to get it done right away so we can focus on the smaller details when it is time to go. If I don’t have an update for you in the next day or so, know that we didn’t hear anything, and I am probably very angry.
Kristin
Thursday, January 22, 2009
February!?!
I’m sure you wanted me to start my blog with a toe report. My big toe looks battered and bruised, but I don’t believe it was ever broken. I finally was able to wear a shoe without too much discomfort yesterday. Now you can all rest easy. I am going to be okay. Ha ha.
You may sense that my mood is a bit lighter than usual. I guess that’s because we have a little news. We are tentatively going to Russia at the end of February. While it is a lot further away than we had hoped, it is something. We have a tentative date, but it all depends on whether or not they can get Nicholas’s citizenship in time (yes, that is still the issue). So, please pray. Luckily, we fly on adoption fare plane tickets, which are changeable, so that won’t be a problem. We don’t know too much right now. We will be finding out shortly which documents need to be updated.
We’ve never had this much notice. Our visas will actually be cheaper. We won’t have to run around like chickens with our heads cut off. It really is a strange feeling. But, it is a wonderful feeling as well. Lately it was beginning to feel like Nicholas was a figment of our imagination. I wondered if we’d ever go back. Now, our hope is renewed.
Also, it looks like we will be spending Nicholas’s 2nd birthday with him. We may not be home, but at least we won’t be apart from him. Miracles could happen and we may be able to have him home by then, but we won’t hold our breaths.
So, right now we just need prayer that everything falls into place and that there aren’t any hold-ups. Sergei is confident that they can get Nicholas’s citizenship in time, but if not, we will have to have our court date postponed. Also, please pray that my unemployment does not affect Olga’s opinion of us. No one has said it will, but it seems like she is always looking for something.
We should have more concrete details in the next week. I will update as soon as I know. But for now, it is time to check out the airfare.
Kristin
You may sense that my mood is a bit lighter than usual. I guess that’s because we have a little news. We are tentatively going to Russia at the end of February. While it is a lot further away than we had hoped, it is something. We have a tentative date, but it all depends on whether or not they can get Nicholas’s citizenship in time (yes, that is still the issue). So, please pray. Luckily, we fly on adoption fare plane tickets, which are changeable, so that won’t be a problem. We don’t know too much right now. We will be finding out shortly which documents need to be updated.
We’ve never had this much notice. Our visas will actually be cheaper. We won’t have to run around like chickens with our heads cut off. It really is a strange feeling. But, it is a wonderful feeling as well. Lately it was beginning to feel like Nicholas was a figment of our imagination. I wondered if we’d ever go back. Now, our hope is renewed.
Also, it looks like we will be spending Nicholas’s 2nd birthday with him. We may not be home, but at least we won’t be apart from him. Miracles could happen and we may be able to have him home by then, but we won’t hold our breaths.
So, right now we just need prayer that everything falls into place and that there aren’t any hold-ups. Sergei is confident that they can get Nicholas’s citizenship in time, but if not, we will have to have our court date postponed. Also, please pray that my unemployment does not affect Olga’s opinion of us. No one has said it will, but it seems like she is always looking for something.
We should have more concrete details in the next week. I will update as soon as I know. But for now, it is time to check out the airfare.
Kristin
Saturday, January 17, 2009
This Wait Is As Painful As A Broken Toe!
Well, I didn’t have to go to jury duty yet. I called in to the automated system the night before and found out that the case I am on is postponed until later this month. This is the first time in the past few months that I actually do not mind a court case being postponed. It will be interesting to see if I have to serve at all.
In regards to the adoption, it took a little longer to hear from Leslie than I expected. We really didn’t get any answers to our questions when we finally talked to her yesterday. We’re supposed to hear something Tuesday. However, she does think that we will probably have to update any expired documents, which means more money that we have to spend. Does it ever end? We won’t find out for sure until next week, but the way things are going, I might just start getting everything ready anyway.
I previously mentioned about the couple from Kentucky that were going to court before Christmas. The judge ended up ruling in their favor. Unfortunately, they found out this week that the prosecutor appealed the ruling. Now they may be in a very lengthy process just to get this adoption finalized. Please pray for them, if you can. Oh, and any guesses who their prosecutor was? Olga! We need to pray immensely for her. She is obviously anti-international adoption. She wants the Russians to adopt their own children. We think that it would be wonderful if that would happen, but they are not adopting all of them. So, why not give these children to parents that will love and care for them rather than leaving them in orphanages? It is very frustrating. It makes me fear that she will find more loopholes in our adoption when we go back. I know Luba and Sergei are doing everything to make sure that doesn’t happen.
In closing, some of you may remember that this past June Evan dropped a cement block on his toe and broke it. You can find the post here. He got teased a lot about his first broken bone being his toe. Yes, I was one of those people. Well, yesterday, I may have done the same thing. No, I didn’t drop a cement block on my foot. I hate to say that I tripped. Yes, tripped! It may have been over the laptop cord. I don’t exactly remember anything other than the excruciating pain that happened at that moment. My big toe is now purple and pulsating with pain. And, now I truly understand how badly Evan felt last summer. It hurts a lot! So, this is my public apology to Evan. Honey, I’m sorry I mocked you. Now could you get me a glass of water and an ibuprofen, please?
Kristin
In regards to the adoption, it took a little longer to hear from Leslie than I expected. We really didn’t get any answers to our questions when we finally talked to her yesterday. We’re supposed to hear something Tuesday. However, she does think that we will probably have to update any expired documents, which means more money that we have to spend. Does it ever end? We won’t find out for sure until next week, but the way things are going, I might just start getting everything ready anyway.
I previously mentioned about the couple from Kentucky that were going to court before Christmas. The judge ended up ruling in their favor. Unfortunately, they found out this week that the prosecutor appealed the ruling. Now they may be in a very lengthy process just to get this adoption finalized. Please pray for them, if you can. Oh, and any guesses who their prosecutor was? Olga! We need to pray immensely for her. She is obviously anti-international adoption. She wants the Russians to adopt their own children. We think that it would be wonderful if that would happen, but they are not adopting all of them. So, why not give these children to parents that will love and care for them rather than leaving them in orphanages? It is very frustrating. It makes me fear that she will find more loopholes in our adoption when we go back. I know Luba and Sergei are doing everything to make sure that doesn’t happen.
In closing, some of you may remember that this past June Evan dropped a cement block on his toe and broke it. You can find the post here. He got teased a lot about his first broken bone being his toe. Yes, I was one of those people. Well, yesterday, I may have done the same thing. No, I didn’t drop a cement block on my foot. I hate to say that I tripped. Yes, tripped! It may have been over the laptop cord. I don’t exactly remember anything other than the excruciating pain that happened at that moment. My big toe is now purple and pulsating with pain. And, now I truly understand how badly Evan felt last summer. It hurts a lot! So, this is my public apology to Evan. Honey, I’m sorry I mocked you. Now could you get me a glass of water and an ibuprofen, please?
Kristin
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Merry Christmas (Again)!
January 7th is the day the Russians celebrate Christmas. I wonder if they celebrated at the baby home. It also means that the Russian government will be opening up soon. I am hoping that some progress was made in Uzbekistan over the last week and a half. We’re ready for some real news. I do have to say that now that the holidays are over my struggle with the wait hasn’t been as difficult. Yes, I’m ready to go back, but I’m feeling more peaceful about it.
I do want to commend the Cleveland CIS office (Citizen and Immigration Services). We had our fingerprints taken on Monday, December 29th and received our updated 171-H form on Friday, January 2nd. Now that is an awesome turnaround! I was worried that it would take weeks and we would not have it when we needed it. Nicholas would not be able to get his visa to come home unless our fingerprints were up-to-date. Now we are good for another 15 months!
Tomorrow morning I will be e-mailing Leslie with all of the questions that Evan and I thought of over the last two weeks. We want to make sure that all loose ends are tied up before we go back again. If at all possible, we would like our third visit to Russia to be smooth and enjoyable. So, hopefully, we’ll get some answers in the next week, so I can start working on any additional paperwork that we may have to do.
Since I have a little extra free time right now, I find myself on Facebook a lot these days. Evan also has an account. I enjoy connecting with old friends and seeing what they are up to now. One thing I don’t enjoy is the fact that I cannot post any pictures of Nicholas. I like seeing my friends’ pictures, but sometimes I get jealous. On my computer are several pictures of Nicholas, including the most recent ones we received over the holidays. But, we’ll just have to wait for now. I am going to include a teaser that I put on my Facebook page. It is a way of showing Nicholas to the world without breaking any rules. You’ll see that he has on flowered pants and girl shoes, which is precisely why we are making a donation to the baby home when we get there.
I wanted to close by directing your attention to a new feature on my blog. I’ve seen it on everyone else’s blogs, so I decided to add the blog list and follower feature to my own. So, for all of you blog followers and lurkers, if you have a blog, let me know. I would love to follow along. Just e-mail me or leave it in the comment section.
Well, let’s hope we get some news soon or this blog will turn into “Kristin’s Adventures in Jury Duty”.
Kristin
I do want to commend the Cleveland CIS office (Citizen and Immigration Services). We had our fingerprints taken on Monday, December 29th and received our updated 171-H form on Friday, January 2nd. Now that is an awesome turnaround! I was worried that it would take weeks and we would not have it when we needed it. Nicholas would not be able to get his visa to come home unless our fingerprints were up-to-date. Now we are good for another 15 months!
Tomorrow morning I will be e-mailing Leslie with all of the questions that Evan and I thought of over the last two weeks. We want to make sure that all loose ends are tied up before we go back again. If at all possible, we would like our third visit to Russia to be smooth and enjoyable. So, hopefully, we’ll get some answers in the next week, so I can start working on any additional paperwork that we may have to do.
Since I have a little extra free time right now, I find myself on Facebook a lot these days. Evan also has an account. I enjoy connecting with old friends and seeing what they are up to now. One thing I don’t enjoy is the fact that I cannot post any pictures of Nicholas. I like seeing my friends’ pictures, but sometimes I get jealous. On my computer are several pictures of Nicholas, including the most recent ones we received over the holidays. But, we’ll just have to wait for now. I am going to include a teaser that I put on my Facebook page. It is a way of showing Nicholas to the world without breaking any rules. You’ll see that he has on flowered pants and girl shoes, which is precisely why we are making a donation to the baby home when we get there.
I wanted to close by directing your attention to a new feature on my blog. I’ve seen it on everyone else’s blogs, so I decided to add the blog list and follower feature to my own. So, for all of you blog followers and lurkers, if you have a blog, let me know. I would love to follow along. Just e-mail me or leave it in the comment section.
Well, let’s hope we get some news soon or this blog will turn into “Kristin’s Adventures in Jury Duty”.
Kristin
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