FBI Approved :)

I know I just wrote yesterday, but had to let everyone know that my UCIS approval came back today !!!! I was surprised....didn't expect it until next month. What does that mean..well, that means that once I recieve my Home Study revision next week my paperwork is pretty much done! I will have to file a change form to UCIS to change the country but it won't stop me from traveling my first trip. Of course as always nothing is for sure, but this means that there is a good chance I will be able to travel as soon as next month or June. I'm still praying for the funds..but I'm so excited.

Status...

Not too much has changed but so much has happened. I'm trying to have my dossier ready to send to Lorien next week! I'll still be waiting for UCIS approval, but we can go ahead and send everything else over and have it translated. That will put me on a waiting list so once the approval comes, it will be quickly added. I am still hoping to travel in June or July. Time is flying by. I do have to share something. I just want to thank the Lord for everything he has been doing in my life. As I look back over the past several months, I see how He has been putting all the pieces together. A HUGE piece of that puzzle was bringing me to my new church! I think it is so important to have a church family you can lean on and I am so thankfull that I will have a church that I love to bring my little girl home to. I spoke with my Pastor and his wife today and the support from them was so awesome! It was no accident that God brought me there and I am very grateful.

Russia....how it works

I wanted to explain the process of how Russia will work. It's very different from Ukraine! Once I have signed with an agency, which I have, they will decide the best region for you to go to. This is based on what type of child you are looking for (girl, boy, age, ethnic background). Lorien thought that Moscow City would be the best for me. They have the fastest turn around time and what appears to be more healthy little girls. Once my dossier is complete (that's all the paperwork) it will be sent to the country and translated. Then, once a "referral" or child becomes available in that region that meets what I requested, a date will be set for me to travel to meet her. That trip will take about 3 to 7 days as long as I accept the referral. btw, this is what they call traveling blind. I won't really know anything about her until I get there. If I accept, I will come back home and wait for my court date. Usually it takes b/w 4-6 weeks. I'll then go back for court and then there will be a 10 day waiting period for them to make their decision. Sometimes you are allowed to keep your child with you in this time. Depending on how much it cost to stay v/s come home and whether or not I get to keep her with me, I may come home during this wait, otherwise, when it's over, it is just a matter of finishing up paperwork and then we get to come home!!!!!!!!!! The second trip can last anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks I think. There is always room for things to change, but as for now this is the standard procedure.

Maybe next time I post, I'll have more exciting news than this :)

Playing Catch Up!

Ok, so it's been forever since I have posted. There have been alot of changes in the past month. First and most importantly, I'm now going to Russia instead of Ukraine. When I began the adoption process, I prayed that God would show me where I was to go, I was torn between Russia and Ukraine. I chose Ukraine because I was familiar with it and because it is where my mom and I had talked about so many times in the past. Well...I chose wrong. God closed that door and pointed me to Moscow city, Russia. Because of this, I had to find an agency. I can't tell you how scared I was to trust an agency. Well, after a week of reading websites, ordering booklets and asking for references..I found Lighthouse Adoption. I talked with Lorien and had an instant connection. She was so helpful and here is the crazy part...she said that because of how far along I was in the paperwork, I should be able to travel within 2 - 4 months!!! I was so excited, had a nervous break-down later, but really excited (thanks Stacey for the moral support! ). The whole time I'm thinking I will be traveling at the end of the year and I had plenty of time to get things in order......now that's out the window. Of course, nothing is set in stone with international adoption, but I at least have to plan for it. Anyway, that's kindof where I am now..waiting to finalize a few documents and make the necessary country changes and then wait for my referral. Anyway, now your all caught up. I'm going to make another post that will explain how Russia works.