We have court dates!!!!

So, at first last week there was no urgency in getting our new medicals to the SOS for apostilles, but then on Wednesday I heard from our coordinator in the afternoon and she said, "You are going tomorrow (Thursday the 13th) to get the apostilles, right?"  I said I was.  She said, "Well, I have good news for you..."  The anticipation built because both Aaron and I have been waiting to hear those words for what seems like forever!!!  We have pictures of this princess on our refrigerator and were hopeful that we'd have finished our adoption by the end of 2010, since we started at the end of 2009.  We probably would have, had it not been for Torry Hansen.  Our little girl (boy that feels strange to say) is in the same region in Russia where the 7-year old boy was returned on a one-way ticket.  That has rocked the adoption world and I know there will be questions about that in court.  We're praying Oksana (our awesome coordinator) can help prepare us for this!  We'd never send a child back, because you just don't DO that.  You seek out community resources for any issues you may encounter with attachment, bonding, etc., etc.  I mean, I have ranted about this before....but it takes more than six months to seriously adjust to be adoptive parents.  My thoughts on the differences between parents who give birth and those that adopt are not unfounded either because I have read it more than one book and article....that adoptive parents must realize there are differences.  


Back to the first point I mentioned...so we have our COURT date!!!  Our COURT date is February 11th and we leave for Vladivostok on February 5th.  Aaron can't stay the entire time with us and it'll be just Katie and I after he has to leave to come back home and work on February 15 (I wanted him to stay through Valentine's Day at least...forgive the romantic in me...)!!!  Then, we elected to take care of all the embassy appointments in Moscow with Katie with it just being me, her and our Moscow coordinator, Val.  I feel completely safe with him, but never having been to Moscow, I would obviously love to be there with Aaron....but it doesn't always work out as planned.  


Please just pray for us over the next few weeks as we anticipate travel and coming home with our daughter, Katie Allison Chen.

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