Things Are Looking Up!

The rollercoaster continues! But hopefully this is a ride up that will stay up. We received two different updates today and they seem to corroborate the same story that things are straightening out and may begin to move again, after Orthodox Christmas in Kyrgyzstan which is Jan. 7th. I am feeling hopeful with this as it seems the two reports align which has not been the case over the past 8 months.

So here its part of one:

We have just recieved conformation from the Consulate at the Kyrgyz
Embassy that the Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan had a meeting with the
President of Kyrgyz. The President told the Ambassador that the
international adoption program will not close down. Also he promised
the Ambassador he will straighten out the problems with the
international program as soon as they return from the holiday vacation.
He said the slips will be signed soon!!

And here is part of the other:

We believe that by mid-January the MOE will begin issuing letters, presumably providing letters for all families with all agencies who have been waiting to bring their children home. Then they will be reviewing dossiers and providing letters for families who do not yet have referrals. They have lists from all the agencies as to who is who.

Ok so please keep that stream of prayers, positive thoughts and energy flowing!!!
Thanks and Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stronger Words

The U.S. Department of State does not recommend that U.S. citizens consider adoption from Kyrgyzstan at this time because of serious, ongoing problems in the country’s intercountry adoption process.

The Dept. of State issued this new statement this week. Previously they "warned against starting adoptions on Kyrgyz. Now they are flat out "not recommending".
I am loosing my faith in the ability of the Kyrgyz officials to turn this thing around. Please pray for them!!!! Please let thoughts of those waiting children invade their hearts and minds!!!!

It is the holiday season and I am feeling thankful for all that I have that is dear to my heart.

FAMILY



FAMILY


MORE FAMILY


A COOL DUDE


A MEDITATING
WILDCAT


AND MANY MANY SUPPORTIVE CARING FRIENDS!

New Statement

December 3, 2008 - Joint Council has confirmed that the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan has been requesting further information on the current state of intercountry adoptions from the Kyrgyz government. At this time, it is our understanding that the Kyrgyz Parliament has concerns regarding the governmental control of Adoption Service Providers in the republic.
In meetings with Kyrgyz officials, the US Embassy stressed that the current actions are causing fiscal and emotional distress to potential adoptive parents. Kyrgyz officials have been unwilling to comment as to the processing of cases already in progress. However, a governmental working group will be forming in the coming weeks. We do not expect any official statement to come from this working group before the end of 2008.
This statement from Joint Council For International Children's Services came out yesterday. I have not received any information from our agency about what this will mean for our case. But it sure has my spirits down. The formation of a new group.... and a working group no less. How long could that take??????
OK sorry now I will go for the glass half full. At least it seems we have a voice over there. All I can do is pray that they have it in their hearts to let the children waiting come home ASAP!!!!!!!

I will end with one of my favorite pictures of that happy sweet boy.




OK two I couldn't resist

You Learn Something Every Day!

About a month or so ago I made a change to my blog so that I would have to moderate comments before they would be posted. So, I have been waiting weeks for some sort of notification that I had a post to moderate. Nothing came. I figured oh well maybe everyone just has nothing left to say. Well, today as I was randomly clicking on buttons, I got to a place that said I had 18 comments to be moderated!
It was like Christmas early to read through 18 sweet, supportive, wonderful comments from friends. It was just what the Dr. ordered today!!! My sense of peace and hope are waning( more on that later I don't want to taint this positive post). Well if you thought I have been a bit unresponsive lately sorry. I did know you were all sending me such lovely words. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now a sweet picture. Dimitri gave me a going away present the day before I left. He fell asleep in my arms.



Keep up the prayers that soon he will be able to fall asleep in loving arms every day. He has a lot of catching up to do!!!

New Post Old News

I started writing this post ohhh maybe three weeks ago. Although I have been feeling hopeful, I just have not had it in me to put anything into words. So, I think I am ready to try to catch up on the posts.

Adoptions in Kyrgyzstan continue to be delayed. The US State Department issued a statement a week or so ago (several weeks now) warning people against initiating any new adoptions in Kyrgyzstan. Our adoption agency has advised us to hold back on taking any action with regards to the adoption delays in Kyrgyzstan. However, several other agencies as well as individual families have started to make contact with US government officials notifying them of the delays in Kyrgyzstan. The US Embassy in Bishkek as well as the Kyrgyzstan Ambassador to the US have been notified of the problem including being given a list of all the families and children that are waiting. The Joint Council for International Children's Services (JCICS)and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) have also been made aware of the problem and are looking into it. It is a fine line we are all walking at this point. Too much involvement and pressure from the US side could cause them to shut the program down all together and that is not what we want!
Surprisingly, In spite of the delay, I feel a sense of peace. I am hopeful that with new eyes on the problem things will begin to move.

More Pics

More Fun With A Happy Boy

Today was a cold and rainy day in Bishkek. When I arrived at Dimitri's room this is how they handed him out to me. All bundled up in a new blanket made by Lisa at the NCBV. He reminds me of "burrito boy" Something we use to call Nick when we bundled him all up as a baby.


This apple started out as one of the biggest I have seen. Dimitri nearly ate the whole thing. He is a true Nelson. All the caregivers tell me he loves to eat.

More Pictures From Bishkek

So Many Fun Things To Explore!!!

Yum!!!! Apple

"I cant get my hat on"

Dimitri has been moved to a new room at the Bishkek baby house. They are renovating his old room. There are definitely more children in each group now. The orphanage has become crowded since none of the children are going home. Kuba said about 18 to 20 chikdren per room. Dimitri is one of three babies in a room with about 15 toddlers. He seems to really enjoy having them around and loves to watch them. However because they are toddlers and he does not walk, he stays inside in his crib when they go out to play. That makes me sad. He does have a special caregiver Lyuba (?spelling). I met her yesterday she seems to really enjoy Dimitri and is very kind. She speaks a little english. She comes 3 times a week to spend time with him. She "gives him massage and kisses" plays with him and takes him outside. I am quite happy he has her. The other children in Dimitri's group sing a little song about him whenever they see us out walking. I don't understand all the words but the first of it is "Kolai, Kolai, Nikolai". They still call him Nikolai at the baby house. They are so sweet. I wish I could get it on video but the orphanage does not allow it.
Dimitri has changed so much! It seems he has gained some weight although it is hard to tell because he still wears several layers of clothing. He is eating mostly solid foods. I brought him a banana and an apple today. He liked both but loved knawing on the apple. His favorite toys this time are some nesting cups. He will spend a great deal of time trying to stack them and nest them. He also likes the blocks and tries to stack them. He seems to have good focus and attention span. He loves to be kissed on the neck and tickled and will laugh out loud.
Today, we drove by the building where the Minister of Education has his office. We all got out to take a picture. I will post it later so we all can visualize it when we send all that positive energy his way.
That's it for now I need to get some sleep.

New Pictures from Bishkek

He's mobile and happy about it! He is so curious and wants to explore everything.

Bitter Sweet Changes

Look Who Has Hair And Is Standing!!!!!

And Crawling!!!

What changes! So great to see him moving ahead but so sad not to be sharing it with him. I am so glad I am going to visit next week!!!!

Time To Get This Cutey Home!!!

Going For A Visit

Well it has been a long time since my last post and I still have no news from Kyrgyzstan. I crashed last week, emotionally. But I am up and running again. Changing my way of thinking has helped. I have decided to make another trip to Kyrgyzstan to visit Dimitri, reconnect with him and see if there is anything more we can do to support him while he is there. I have been going back and forth about making this trip, wanting so much to go but thinking that I don't want to put myself in a position to get even more disappointed. However, if things were to fall through (and they are not going to) it would be heart breaking trip or no trip. No matter what, Dimitri will always be a part of our life and family. So, this is just another opportunity to go and reconnect with him at a young age and to make sure he is getting all that we can possibly give him while he is there.
I will be leaving on Nov. 1st and returning on Nov. 10th. I have the pleasure of traveling with two of my internet friends who are also at the same point in this process as we are. It will be great to finally meet in person and share this experience with them!
So, there is much to be done. I am off for now.

The latest but it is not new(s)

Well our dossiers did not get signed off on Friday. We were told they said "come back Monday". On Tuesday we were told that they said "come back tomorrow". On Wednesday we were told that the coordinator sat there all day and they said "come back tomorrow". Well it is now Thursday at 3:00 pm in Colorado and it is the wee hours of Friday Morning in Kyrgyzstan and we have no news at all. I can only assume that no news means nothing happened. I sure hope that I am wrong but I wouldn't bet on it.

Here we go again

Ok so now we do need a cover letter???????????? Luckily our agency produced it and we heard on Tuesday that our cover letter was approved. Not even really sure what that means. Our in country coordinator reported she "HOPES that ours and three other cases will be signed of on Friday, so that she can submit them to court to obtain court dates". Again we wait. We have been asked to submit new documents almost daily this past week. I am hoping they now have all that they need. I guess this is all just part of this new system they have set into place. Once both sides of the world get on the same page with it things will ideally run smoother and faster. I have to believe that all this waiting is for good cause.
Thanks again for all that continue to pray for the families, children and officials in Bishkek.

Prayers For All In Kyrgyzstan Adoption Process

A prayer written by our good friend Anna. Little did I know, four months ago when she wrote it, how much I would be revisiting it.

Dear God, Our Creator, Our Protector, Our Guide,
We come to you with the many children in the orphanages in Kyrgyzstan who are waiting to be brought home by their forever families and for the families that are ready to scoop them up and take them home in their arms. We thank you for the amazing journey that each of these children and families are on and hold in our hearts the end vision of these children having families to love them deeply, welcome them into their homes and care for them.
We know that this time of waiting is one that is laden with emotions and struggle, mixed with such joy and excitement. In this time we pray for the many people involved in the process.
First we pray for the children. We pray that You wrap them tightly in Your arms and give them love, comfort and protection. We pray for extra angels to surround them and that they can feel the amazing love from their families across the world. We pray for the orphanage workers that are with the children. We pray that they will have the energy, patience, support and love to be able to competently and lovingly care for these children. We pray for the case workers and the staff on the ground that they have the resources, energy and integrity to play their part efficiently and thoroughly. We pray for the judges in Bishkek that they feel Your warmth and guidance and that they are filled with Your light and from that light can move forward in service and love to these children by doing their job with integrity and effectively. We pray for the embassy workers, those who process the paperwork, the couriers, the travel agents, the bank workers, and the many other people that are involved in this process. We thank them for the parts that they play in bringing these children home. And God, we pray for the families that are waiting. Wrap each mother, father, sister and brother in Your loving arms. Give them peaceful sleep. Give them trust in Your process. Give them loving family and friends to support them. Give them deep hope and trust in the timing of their child coming home to them.
We are honored and in awe of the gift of adoption and we pray together for Your all-knowing and all-loving leadership of this process. Help each one of us who has these children on our hearts to be part of the process, support the families and keep all children who need a forever family in our prayers and our actions. Amen.

He's Sitting!!!!

Thanks to Lisa we have a new picture of Dimitri. It is so good to see him sitting!

The Roller Coaster Ride Continues

But at least we are on an uphill path. We heard yesterday that now we do not need a cover letter??? Don't know why but don't really care as long as we are moving forward. Our in- country coordinator will be submitting our dossier. However the official at the MOE who needs to sign it is out of town next week. So, if he returns, then our dossier along with 3 others from our agency should be signed off on Tuesday the 16th of September.
Keep those prayers, good thoughts, positive energy coming!!!

Strength in Numbers

I am happy to be able to confidently report that at least 5 cases were signed off by the 5 committee members and the Minister of Education on Monday and Tuesday. Yeah!!! This is the first movement of cases in Bishkek that we have seen since February. There is truly strength in numbers and power in prayer!
I am not so happy to report that our case has been held up. Apparently we need to add a new document, a cover letter to our Dossier (packet of papers). This was something that was added to the requirement during the restructuring in April. When I asked about the changes in required documents back in May, I was reprimanded and told I should not be reading things on the web. I was told that since our dossier had already passed through the Kyrgyzstan Embassy in DC and was already in the country we would be OK. It looks like we are not. I don't know much else about this as our agency coordinator has not been returning my calls or answering my e-mails. Probably better on both our parts. It has given time for my anger to dissipate and reality to set in. If I get angry, I think I would only be causing them to avoid me or tell me things that are not true just to avoid confrontation. And what I want right now is quick responses and just the truth whatever that may be.
So, we continue to pray and wait some more.

The Power of Prayer

Title: Candlight Vigil
Date: Sunday August 24, 2008
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: Where ever you are on Sunday night.
Notes: 6PM(PST)/9PM(EST)A candlight vigil for the waiting children in Kyrgyzstan. We are sending positive thoughts and/or prayers to the officials holding the power to reunite us and bring our children home.

We would like to thank all of our family and friends who supported us by joining in prayer that the new adoption committee and Minister of Education be guided by warmth and light and that they may work with their hearts and eyes open when making decisions regarding all the families waiting to adopt from Kyrgyzstan. Also, that these children will no longer have to wait unnecessarily to be united with their families. It felt quite powerful!!! There were hundreds of people praying across the nation.

I have heard stirrings of possible movement of some cases through the committee on Monday but want to confirm before I give details. I will post an update soon.

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!

Funny How Things Happen

Well we do not have any rock solid definite news but we do have some information that is being reported consistently. The information is about the "new process" . It appears that the first step in the process is that cases are presented to the Minister of Adoption in Kyrgyzstan. He accepts them and then forwards them on to five other committee members, who individually read and sign off on them. If approved, the adoption agency coordinator is then given a letter of approval. There is then a new 21 day waiting period before a court date can be assigned. After the 21 days and court approval there is then a 30 day waiting period and then you are given permission to travel and bring your child home. The first batch of waiting cases is suppose to be presented to the committee this week. Although we are amongst the families waiting the longest, we will not make it into the first batch and there will be families that have waited a much shorter time who do. This is so because they are not taking cases according to which children have been waiting longest. They are allowing each different coordinator working in the country to present a few cases. Unfortunately, our agency coordinator works for two different US adoption agencies and there are a few families from the other agency that have been waiting longer than we have. So, we don't make it into the first batch. This was very hard for me to hear and accept but it is only right that our coordinator works to bring those children home first. It is a frustrating system that has been set up but it is nothing I can change. However, if there is true movement of cases this week, I will be so happy because it will mean the system is no longer stuck and everyone is that much closer to bringing their children home. It was a long, hard weekend coming to a place of peace and acceptance. Although I was able to feel more peaceful, I was not able to shake my sadness and worry about Dimitri, his health and well being. I was left still searching for ways to cope with having him be over there for several more months. How am I going to ease this worry and ache.

Well, we are truly being watched over and taken care of by God. Although sometimes I don't trust it as I should because It doesn't always happen in exactly the way I think or want it to, I am often given obvious reminders. Today I received one of those reminders. It came in the form of a note from Suzanne another fellow adopting parent. She was in Bishkek in June and took some pictures of Dimitri for us. In her note today she made the following comment:

You know, every single time I saw Dimitri's caregiver (Anne Meara ;-) she was with him. I kind of wondered if maybe you had hired her to work one-on-one with him. She really seemed so devoted to him. I'm glad knowing that helps you.

Well, we had left money with our coordinator in Bishkek to hire someone to help care for Dimitri. However, after we got home we never heard anything more about it and were not sure where the money would truly go. Well, YEAH!!!! it looks like it has gone where it was meant to go. I can not tell you how happy this makes me! And how much it eases my mind and heart in light of having to wait several more months to scoop him into my arms and bring him home. Thank you God and Suzanne!

In Case You Are Wondering......

We are still waiting. What I do know is that Dimitri will not be home in August. Lots of hearsay swirling around out there that I won't bother duplicating at this point in time. In the mean time we will continue to pray for Dimitri's safety, health and happiness and for a sense of peace in this process. I find it a daily struggle to bring my mind and body to a place of peace and groundedness. There are so many temptations to go off on tangents of emotion, thought and actions that are neither healthy or helpful. I am thankful for my sweet, wonderful children and husband to focus on and distract me. I am thankful for for family and friends who offer continual support and prayers.

Still Stuck

As far as we know the new committee still has not signed off on any of the waiting cases. We have not received any word about what is going on or when we may see movement. It sure has been a nice distraction to be away in California!

No Real News

Well, I was hoping to have more to say by this point but I don't. We have heard that the new committee has begun meeting but as far as we know they have not signed off on any cases. So, nothing is moving yet.
We are headed to California tomorrow, for a much needed vacation! We sure were hoping to be 5 by this point!!!!! Who would have thought?
Keep up the prayers!

Waiting is SO Hard!!!

So today is the day Tuesday July 22nd. The day the committee is suppose to begin reviewing dossiers again. I am realizing that, with the time difference, this day has already passed in Kyrgyzstan. I just can't bear it not knowing how things went. Did they truly meet? Did they begin reviewing? Will it take several weeks?????? I hope within the next few days we will get some news. Meanwhile I will try to stay busy (which should not be too hard with my long todo list).

Blankets!

Some good friends from our church got together to make blankets, for us to take back to the Bishkek baby house when we return to pick up Dimitri. Adults and children worked hard and look at the stack of blankets. There will be some nice warm babies in Bishkek this winter! After working we all shared a nice lunch then shoved all the blankets into a duffel bag. It took three of us to get it closed. Hope they don't open it up at security!

Thank you wonderful Friends!!!

The Latest News

We spoke with our agency on Friday night. They reported that the head person on the new committee has finally been appointed. This person will take office on the 22nd of July and the committee will begin reviewing dossiers at that point. So if all goes smoothly, once our dossier is reviewed, we will go to court and then be able to travel about two weeks later to pick Dimitri up and bring him home. Our coordinator said we could probably expect to travel about mid August. So, new prayers for smooth sailing from the 22nd on. May this leg of the adventure go quick.

Julia Turns Nine

Julia celebrated her 9th birthday. Where has the time gone? She is very into baseball so she planned a baseball party with water baseball, a baseball pinata, baseball tatoos and pin the baseball on the glove. They all got wet, played games and helped make homemade ice cream. Instead of presents Julia collected money for the orphanage in Kyrkystan. She is proud to have collected about $150. She plans to write a letter to John Wright the missionary working in Kyrgyzstan to see how it can best be put to use.

Another new picture

"he was banging on the table having a good ol' time. He was smiling and carrying on."

Was Kerri's report sent with the picture. So comforting to know he is having fun and not really so serious all the time.

Dimitri Sporting a Fresh Haircut

Thanks to Kerri who is in Bishkek now visiting her son we have a new picture.

He is with Kuba our driver/translator when we were there.

Update

So here is what we know ..................................STILL NOTHING!
Lots of stories flying around but I am getting wise to giving them any credence. What is it they say? A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. However in this case I need a baby in my hand and to be walking out the door of the orphanage.

A Special Visit

Dimitri with the orphanage Doctor, John and his wife Julie, being held by David and next to his caretaker

Dimitri checking out John

A ray of sunshine. Dimitri truly is being watched over and taken care of as you all keep telling me. I posted a note to the Yahoo group of people adopting from Kyrgyzstan to see if anyone was going over soon and could bring Dimirti more vitamins. Two days later John (a missionary from canada doing some work over there in a different region called Tokmok) and friends were there at the orphanage with vitamins in hand. Could you ask for anything more? (Maybe just to get him home). It is nice to see Dimitri with people, being held and outside!

John is an amazing person and has been such a support to all the families adopting from Kyrgyztan. You can get a glimpse of his work by viewing his blog at http://www.actofkindness.blogspot.com/ He will be in Kyrgyzstan for 6 months this time with his wife and two teen age daughters. We hope to get back there to meet him in person before he goes back to Canada in August.

Dimitri News

We got some new photos of Dimitri. We also got an updated report of measurements. It just made my heart sink to see his skinny little legs hanging down and to learn he is falling farther off the growth charts and he is still not sitting up. It is just so frustrating to be ready to give it all and not be able to do it. His three month supply of vitamins has run out so we will send some more. I am going to check to see if we could pay to have someone come and spend some one on one time with him. That is all I can think to do.

Update

So here is what we know.......................NOTHING.

"Next Week"

Well we have been waiting all week for news. Our in country coordinator was suppose to meet with the Minister of Education this week. She was going to request that an exception be made to the signing off process for those families that have been waiting for court dates. I have not heard officially but from what I again can gather, the meeting was cut short because the MOE got called away. I guess the meeting has been rescheduled for "next week".
We will keep praying for God's guidance and peace in the process.

The Roller Coaster

The adoption agency called last weekend to let us know of "good new/bad news". The bad news was we did not get a court date yet, she said "two more weeks". The good news was our case has been through the committees and they have waived our 30 day waiting period! So, that means once we have our court date we can travel right away! The reputation of good adoption "juju" on memorial day weekend continues.We were beyond excited!!! And a bit panicked!!! That means we would only have a weeks notice before travel. Yikes. But I am sure we can do whatever we need, as quickly as we need, to get Dimitri home as soon as possible. As rapidly as our excitement rose, it came down. When I called the agency back to clarify what "two weeks" meant did it mean within two weeks? in exactly two weeks? or after two weeks? She replied "in Kyrgyzstan all those things mean the same thing", so in reality it is all just words and we don't know anything at all about when we may have a court date. When people said adoption is like a roller coaster ride, I was not sure what they meant. I sure do now!


I have become somewhat obsessed with reading yahoo posts and other peoples blogs to try and gather information about what may be happening with the adoption process in Kyrgyzstan. This weekend I became aware of more disheartening news. From what I gather there are two committees which read through all your papers (dossier) and give approval. Our case has been through these committees. Then I have learned that there is one final head person who has to sign off on a dossier before it can be submitted to court for final approval, before you can bring your child home. At this point the person who is in this position is only acting until a permanent candidate can be appointed by the Minister of Education. I have gathered that this acting person was just about to sign off on all of the waiting dossiers when someone informed this him/her that they actually do not have the authority to do this. The signing off can only be done by the official appointed person. So I the roller coaster is at a stand still until the Minister of Education appoints an official person to this position. Which I guess could take months. Prayers, Prayers, Prayers!!!! What else can we do?

Nick Graduated

May 19th Nick Graduated from elementary school. Where has the time gone? At his school they keep the graduation day a secret from the kids. Then on the day they arrive at school. There is a note on the front gate and SURPRISE it is graduation!!! Nick was surprised. He didn't even suspect when I made him take a shower in the morning.

It was very fun and a sweet ceremony. The theme was "Dancing to the Tune of Life" and they all got funky, sparkely graduation caps. Lots of poetry and songs were shared.

In the Mean Time

While we wait many wonderful things are happening. The weather is getting warmer and everything is blossoming. It is so nice not to run in a million layers. And the days are getting longer. Yeah sunlight!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still Just Waiting

No news on a court date yet. Someone from the Yahoo group for Kyrgyzstan adoption let me know that in May there are many holidays in Kyrgyzstan so court does not happen. Brian confirmid this with one of his patients from Russia. She said especially in the first two weeks. I just don't understand why our agency didn't tell us that! I think they limit information because they don't want anyone to get mad. I feel more frustrated over what they don't tell us than what they do. Well, the month of May is nearly over so we shall see what the next few weeks bring. Tomorrow is Memorial day and one year ago our good friends got news of there beautiful twin girls who they adopted. So this day has a reputation of good adoption "juju" according to our friend Susan. There is no harm in hoping!!!

Dimitri Turned One

In the beginning of May Dimitri turned one year old. It was a hard day!!!! I got home at 8:30 pm and the kids were going to bed. We realized it was already Dimitri's birth day in Bishkek. So we sang him Happy Birthday. We need to get him home soon so we can celebrate with him and he has lots of love and hugs and gifts waiting from some of our wonderful friends.

In the mean time we have gotten two sets of new pictures of Dimitri from families who have traveled to Bishkek. He is definitely growing. He looks bigger! Not very happy but bigger.

We are hoping Dimitri feels all the love and warmth coming from our amazing community of friends and family who also are all continually sending prayers and just waiting to welcome him home.

And Wait

Well, looks like we will wait some more for more details. We did get an encouraging message on Mother's day. It seemed like we would be getting some definite information by the end of this week about a court date. However, I just got off the phone and it seems we may not have any information until the end of the month or later. I guess the process and what is and will become the standard process for adoption in Kyrgyzstan is not quite clear. It seems the changes have not fully come to be at this point. It seems that all level are in the dark to some degree and are hesitant to give any answers for fear of being wrong. I understand, but it is still frustrating not to know. Another lesson in letting go and trusting in god's plan.
Recently, a good friend and I were talking about trusting and going with the flow. She reminded me that we can have trust in god's plan and go with the flow, but there are times that we need to grab a paddle and row with all our might. Well a few weeks ago my small voice inside was encouraging me to be alert and looking for where I may obtain a paddle if needed. However, lately I have felt a sense of calm about the process. I am feeling like it is ok to just go with the flow again, now that the flow seems to be flowing (although not quickly). I hope that small voice is right but more often than not, it is.

As We Wait

Well I now have a bit of time on my hands so I have decided it is time to update the blog. Wow I just realized we have been back for 8 weeks. At this point we are waiting for a court date. Life has been very full over the past two months, so time has past swiftly, making the wait a bit easier. About a month or so ago The Kyrgyzstan Adoption program was put on a hold. It has been hard to figure out what parts of the process are on hold. We do know that the embassy in DC is not accepting new dossiers at this point. In the long run I believe the hold is a good thing. The program in K has grown quite swiftly since the first of the year. Lots of people switching over from Vietnam and Guatemala as these programs have major problems and I believe are shut down to adoption from the US. From what I understand, the officials in K are putting the program on hold so that they can reevaluate the process and make some changes to better handle the volume of dossiers they are receiving. I think the changes will help to make the process more streamline and consistent and hopefully avoid some bigger problems in the future as the program grows.
Where are we in the process? Well our dossier had already been through the embassy in DC and was in Bishkek by the time the hold went into effect. This is good. They have formed some new committees in Bishkek to review paper work and it seems that those committees are now working and cases already in country are now moving forward. I believe that our paperwork has been submitted to the committees. I have a call in to Karen at our agency to ask about the progress. I am hoping to know more specifics by the end of the week. I have gathered from reading a few other blogs that the paper work goes through two committees and then a court date is assigned. Once our court date is assigned, our in country coordinator represents us in court. After the judge gives us approval as parents, we wait for a mandatory 3o days and then can go back to pick Dimitri up and bring him home forever. YEAH!!!!!

More About Bishkek

This is a picture of the Hotel were we stayed in Bishkek. surrounded by pictures of what surrounded the hotel (I can't quite master how to place the pictures where I want them). The whole city was such a mixed of money and luxury, right next to total lack there of. There would be new construction or a new building right next to a construction site that had a building that was half finished but had obviously been abandoned for many years. I felt the pangs of guilt each morning as I looked out our hotel window and saw little children with bare legs walking out to the little outhouse shared by several houses and the man shaving under a tree using water from a pudddle on the ground.