I'm beginning to wonder if my dossier is EVER going to leave my house!
Because of the delays that started with my homestudy agency, various other of my dossier documents are starting to "expire." The vast majority of documents cannot be more than 6 months old when they are sent to the Kaz Consulate in New York for approval and I am still 2 steps away (translate as several weeks) from submitting them. My FBI background check clearance will be expiring soon and it takes at least 3 weeks to obtain a current one, so by the time it comes back, other documents will be nearing their expiration -- domino effect. So, I'm redoing 90% of my dossier. ARRRGGGH! The expense, but mostly the time lost is very frustrating.
At the rate I'm going, all those little winter jackets and clothes I've bought will be out of season when I finally travel.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Adopters everywhere!
I know I am now more in tune to the "adoption" world, but it seems that everywhere I go these days I'm running into someone that has adopted or has a family member or close friend that his or is adopting. It's just weird. Every time I go to the paint store (Guiry's, my new weekend home away from home) someone has or is adopting, be it the designer who adopted domestically 15 years ago, or the woman that was trying to find the perfect yellow (beware!) for her dining room, who adopted a little girl from China 7 months ago. And in the local homeowner's association newsletter this month, they had a notice for an upcoming garage sale for which they need donations of quality items to help raise money for a couple that is in the process of adopting from Vietnam. And that is just the tip of the iceberg!
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a local gathering of single women who have all adopted from Kazakhstan. It was wonderful to meet these moms and their adorable children, to hear their adoption stories, and to know they are there to support each other as single moms, adoptive moms, and just a warm and caring group of women. I feel so lucky to have found them.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a local gathering of single women who have all adopted from Kazakhstan. It was wonderful to meet these moms and their adorable children, to hear their adoption stories, and to know they are there to support each other as single moms, adoptive moms, and just a warm and caring group of women. I feel so lucky to have found them.
Shopping, shopping, shopping!
Still haven't started on my child's room, but have been having some fun buying "stuff." I'm good at buying stuff. I should have learned my lesson after having moved less than a year ago, but... oh well. So I now have a big plastic tub full of clothes: little jackets, overalls, shirts, pants, etc. and interestingly enough, they are 95% boy clothes. :-) And bought more toys: airplanes, trains, wagons, and all kinds of fun things. I can't wait to play with them!
A new friend of mine in a nearby town is also adopting from Kaz (we're at about the same place, process-wise) and she already has her nursery finished and chock full of good stuff! She also knows all the best consignment stores for stocking up. I was leary at first, but after finding the cutest little clothes in perfect condition (some brand new) and priced in $3-7 range, I'm a believer! I guess it is true that kids never wear their baby clothes out, they just grow out of them. My dilemma is size and season; will he/she be a he or a she, and in 12 month or 2T clothes, and will it be winter or spring when I'm there and when we come home? I've also discovered that gender neutral clothes don't exist beyond the 6-month sizes! But at those prices, I'm not too worried, either way. I can sell them all back to the consignment stores in the end.
Still looking for a crib and other nursery furniture. I'd like a chest/dresser that will last beyond the baby years, but they are all either cheaply made or pretty expensive. Even went to the local unfinished furniture store and found exactly what I want, but having a hard time justifying a $600 chest of drawers for a young child! I could, on the other hand, put my heavy solid oak chests of drawers in the kid's room and buy new ones for myself. Hmmm, now that's a thought!
A new friend of mine in a nearby town is also adopting from Kaz (we're at about the same place, process-wise) and she already has her nursery finished and chock full of good stuff! She also knows all the best consignment stores for stocking up. I was leary at first, but after finding the cutest little clothes in perfect condition (some brand new) and priced in $3-7 range, I'm a believer! I guess it is true that kids never wear their baby clothes out, they just grow out of them. My dilemma is size and season; will he/she be a he or a she, and in 12 month or 2T clothes, and will it be winter or spring when I'm there and when we come home? I've also discovered that gender neutral clothes don't exist beyond the 6-month sizes! But at those prices, I'm not too worried, either way. I can sell them all back to the consignment stores in the end.
Still looking for a crib and other nursery furniture. I'd like a chest/dresser that will last beyond the baby years, but they are all either cheaply made or pretty expensive. Even went to the local unfinished furniture store and found exactly what I want, but having a hard time justifying a $600 chest of drawers for a young child! I could, on the other hand, put my heavy solid oak chests of drawers in the kid's room and buy new ones for myself. Hmmm, now that's a thought!
Dossier... not quite yet!
More delays with the dossier. Finally got all my documents, but discovered a problem with the notarization of the homestudy social worker's license. Apparently it needs to be the same notary that signed the homestudy. Which just leads to more problems, since that person is no longer with the agency. Lucky me, though, I know where to find her, and being the wonderful person she is, she is going to help me out by notarizing it correctly. Woo-hoo! So maybe, just MAYBE, by the end of this week, my dossier will be off to LMI for review. Only 3 months behind schedule. So in doing the math, it will be 2008 before I'll be traveling anywhere to find my child.
Money, money, and more money!
Or less money, actually, in my checking account. The last few weeks have been expensive.
First, the cat update. After 3 vets and a total expenditure in the 4-digits within one week, Merlin appears to be doing fine. Seems that tripling his sub-q's (the first vet's direction) just about did him in. He got much sicker and was at an emergency vet, then a very pricey (but excellent) specialty clinic. All to find out he is exactly as he should be, given his kidney issues. The only thing I was not able to get any more info on, is his anemia situation. The Merlin-meister turned into Cujo at the specialty clinic. They claimed he was "one of the worst we've had, and if he could kill us right now, he would!" Even after a shot of kitty Xanax, they weren't able to get enough blood to do all his labs. He has always hated the vet and 3 in 1 week obviously exceeded his limit.
Second, the painting. After months of agonizing over the paint color, and no less than 40 sample-sizes of Benjamin Moore paint, and having 20 painted posterboards taped to my walls for a few weeks, I finally dove in and the painters transformed the interior of my house from the stark builder-white to.... a horrid custardy yellow! And only for a whopping expenditure in the mid 4-digit territory. And the worst part is, it WAS the color I chose. Who knew it would look so awful when it was floor to ceiling (2 stories) and almost everywhere? So now I have to decide whether to live with it (ugh) or redo it (cha-ching). Next on the list is dining and family room furniture (don't have any), lamps, and new light fixtures. Well, maybe not. Sigh.
First, the cat update. After 3 vets and a total expenditure in the 4-digits within one week, Merlin appears to be doing fine. Seems that tripling his sub-q's (the first vet's direction) just about did him in. He got much sicker and was at an emergency vet, then a very pricey (but excellent) specialty clinic. All to find out he is exactly as he should be, given his kidney issues. The only thing I was not able to get any more info on, is his anemia situation. The Merlin-meister turned into Cujo at the specialty clinic. They claimed he was "one of the worst we've had, and if he could kill us right now, he would!" Even after a shot of kitty Xanax, they weren't able to get enough blood to do all his labs. He has always hated the vet and 3 in 1 week obviously exceeded his limit.
Second, the painting. After months of agonizing over the paint color, and no less than 40 sample-sizes of Benjamin Moore paint, and having 20 painted posterboards taped to my walls for a few weeks, I finally dove in and the painters transformed the interior of my house from the stark builder-white to.... a horrid custardy yellow! And only for a whopping expenditure in the mid 4-digit territory. And the worst part is, it WAS the color I chose. Who knew it would look so awful when it was floor to ceiling (2 stories) and almost everywhere? So now I have to decide whether to live with it (ugh) or redo it (cha-ching). Next on the list is dining and family room furniture (don't have any), lamps, and new light fixtures. Well, maybe not. Sigh.
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