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Friday, February 27, 2004 |
I just wanted to let everyone know we're okay. Not great, but we're surviving this. I also wanted to let you know that Anna is not dead. It was one of my first thoughts, too, and a few people have asked about that. Not that I'd wish someone dead, but it would be easier on us if she were. We wouldn't wonder how she is and where she is and if she's still in an orphanage. This way, we'll always wonder what her life is like. We'll hope she's found a forever family...I just hope I can assume that and be happy.
We are looking forward as much as we can. We're making plans to continue working on adoption. I'll write more about that once we know for sure. We are still dealing with remaining paperwork right now. The last of it (we hope) was mailed yesterday. It was very difficult to hand it over to the clerk. Once it happened, I knew for sure this adoption wasn't going to happen. Maybe something could have changed before that moment--I don't know what and I know it wasn't really going to occur--but I guess a part of me that held out some hope was still alive. But I knew it would never be able to happen now.
posted by AnnMarie at 7:36 AM |
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Friday, February 20, 2004 |
We won't be adopting Anna. We've been devasted over this for the past two days (and still are).
posted by AnnMarie at 12:22 PM |
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Tuesday, February 17, 2004 |
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Friday, February 13, 2004 |
Heavens, I didn't think this would happen for at least another month: We have our court date on Feb 27! We're leaving on the 24th. (In Tomsk, the date is just a pre-court hearing. It's not likely the actual adoption will happen until at least the following Monday or Tuesday.)
We returned just one month ago, and our petition to adopt was only submitted to CHI early last week. It couldn't have arrived in Tomsk until this week! That means we will have had about 7 weeks between getting home and going to court. We're in a bit of a shock still! And we *aren't* ready. Thank goodness yesterday our updated medical form was completed. We still have to get the pediatrician's letter, however.
posted by AnnMarie at 5:04 PM |
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Thursday, February 12, 2004 |
Our new medical form is done! Just needs an apostille. Got the last specialist's signature today. Then Eric took it over to our GP for his signatures. He signed them right away since the notary was in! Eric came to me at work to show it to me, even. Unfortunately, I noticed the GP hadn't signed his line, only the bottom! So he ran it back and got that done right away. Just need the apostilles now. WOOHOO!!!!
posted by AnnMarie at 11:01 AM |
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Wednesday, February 11, 2004 |
You may be able to watch the weather in Tomsk! It requires a plugin that's not recognized on my Mac, so I'm not sure. But it would be so cool! I hope Eric figures out how to see it at home.... My father might be interested in more Tomsk weather info. It's all in Russian, but the graphs make sense (if you know what they are--temp, humidity, windchill, I don't know, wind direction, barometic pressure).
posted by AnnMarie at 11:28 AM |
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Tuesday, February 10, 2004 |
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Friday, February 06, 2004 |
Our petition to adopt arrived last week, we got it notarized and apostilled, and we FedExed it to CHI on Monday. The petition is what the judge needs before a court date will be set. Once it arrives in Tomsk, then we can bet on 2-3 months until Maggie's home.
posted by AnnMarie at 11:07 AM |
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A few weeks ago, I started a baby sign language course which uses materials from Sign With Your Baby. It's weird to be learning two languages right now--Russian and sign language! Luckily, I have a background in ASL, having taken a community education course in it while I was in KY and a college course at MSU. The first couple weeks, I knew the words in Russian, but this week we learned a lot more that I don't know in Russian. It's just weird to learn multiple languages at the same time and be thinking of a word in three ways! I hope sign language helps Maggie overcome communication difficulties that would be natural in any 2 year and likely worse with changing her language completely.
posted by AnnMarie at 10:38 AM |
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From Anne in Alaska:
"We won't see her first smile,
we won't hear her first word,
But ours will be the first hearts she holds in her hands
She can keep them beside her in her very own room"
Lucy Kaplansky, song is "This is Home", about her
daughter, on CD The Red Thread, from Red House Records
I get tears in my eyes each time I read this. (We hopefully will hear her first word, however!)
posted by AnnMarie at 7:09 AM |
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Monday, February 02, 2004 |
A few people have recommended medical evacuation insurance. Medex was recommended. The couple said it cost them about $70 for their trip. On our first trip, we met a couple on their way back with their two children. He had a hernia, and was waiting to get home. That could happen to us! It's very expensive to be medically evacuated should anything happen to us...
posted by AnnMarie at 8:12 AM |
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