Chen Chronicles

So, today definitely ran the gamut of emotions for me and I am sure that where emotions are concerned, this is just the beginning.  I was a bit stressed and have been this whole week because I have had to scan documents to our agency for approval, get all of them edited and completed, get Aaron to be able to coordinate times with me to get passport photos made (we already have passports, but they need the photos to identify us with our dossier), photocopy our passports AND notarize documents together.   Then tomorrow, we have to drive to Columbus (which is about an hour and a half away) to have these documents apostilled.  What's an apostille? Well, in English it's a way to ensure that legal documents which are notarized here in the U.S. are accepted as true and accurate in other countries.  Since we're adopting from Russia, today required a trip to TWO different county court houses (when I should have only had to go to one).   It should have been an ea...

You know how I mentioned it would be next week before our coordinator would want us to start our dossier.  Well, yeah, not anymore!  She called early this morning and told us to start the 1st Dossier and get it to her before the Memorial Day holiday.  I hope I can get it all done and the apostilles by then.  I have to go to Columbus to get those and we don't do that until she proofreads everything.  I know I won't get Aaron's employment verification letter until Monday of next week at least because he's on leave this week doing a final class paper for his second course.  After this class, he will be 1/3 of the way through with his Master's.  YAY...go Aaron!!  Probably all that will get done of the dossier documents tonight is that they will be printed out and I might start filling out a few, but I doubt it because I am SO stinking tired!!!  I guess anxiety about coming to Cleveland alone kept me awake last night.  I MIGHT have gotten two...

It's been a little while since I posted an update on our adoption so I thought I would do so now.  We are starting dossier packet #1 next week for submission to the Russian agency.  This packet submission will allow them to conduct a search for an orphan baby girl, who most of you know we will rename Katie Allison Chen.  We're waiting til' next week to start the dossier for a couple of reasons.  Firstly, I leave for Cleveland Clinic in the morning and have a small outpatient surgery scheduled for Wednesday, but it will be with an overnight stay this time just because Aaron can't go with me.  Your prayers about that and our adoption would be most appreciated.  As always, we will keep you updated as we go through the process, but it appears that we are in the clear as far as Russia and the U.S. reaching an agreement concerning the protection of children.  Remember, there was a little time when we were very worried that adoptions might be put on hold inde...

Mother's Day is one holiday I have recently really come to despise.  I guess it's because I want to be a mother SO bad and it seems like EVERYONE around me is either one or is becoming one soon.  So, the family I keep Grace for is about to grow by one more.  She just told me this week that she is pregnant and that really set it off for me.  I cried the entire day.  She told me she liked how well I take care of HER children and wants me to keep working for her after the baby is born.  Her due date is in January and I really hope to God our adoption is complete by then and we have our own family to focus on.  Because I have become so attached to Grace (their almost two year old), I hope we can all stay friends but there will always be a part of me that is envious of her ability and, for that matter, anyone's ability I know to have biological babies.  Does this mean I have not fully grieved infertility?   I mean, I feel so honored that sh...

So, today we received an update from our agency on the status of Russian adoptions.  It looks as if (thank God) that the U.S. and Russia will reach an agreement and adoptions will not be halted like what was originally reported.  Our home study was sent to immigration on April 26th, so I am hoping for a speedy approval and that all-important I-171H to be in our mailbox before the middle of June.  Between Aaron, myself and our adoption coordinator, we agreed that I would begin the first dossier (which is the Russian documents we send in to get our referral--and meet our little Katie Allison).  We will get to begin these sooner than expected and will be doing so the last week of May.  I hope to have them finished so as soon as the I-171H comes in, we can send them to our agency for review and then I can take them to Columbus to the Secretary of State's office for their apostille.  I can't believe we are FINALLY at this point and it feels like we are moving in...