Pinch me!

As they say in the newsroom, this just in (from my agency coordinator) ....


You probably will travel at the end of October, I should receive the LOI this week with the dates of your intended arrival to the region.


Could this really be happening? I'm not just in a bad dream on some giant hamster wheel? Someone pinch me quick!


There are still two major issues that have to be resolved before this can become a reality, but I'm feeling very hopeful for the first time in a long while!

Sweet, sweet letter ...

I had written to Borya that I was so happy to hear he wanted to come be part of our family. That I wasn't sure how he would feel about leaving his friends and all that is familiar to him. Here is what he wrote back to me:

Hello, dear mother and all my family!
I love you all, too! Mother, you asked me if I would want to leave all my friends and others. I would, it’s true!
I will go to the summer camp. It will be great. There will be aswimming-pool and a TV-set! I will be there two weeks, don’t worry about me!
I pray for you can adopt me and take me to America!!!!

Sometimes I fly like an eagle ....

Listening to some John Denver in the car the other day, and the lyrics of his song "Looking For Space" really struck a chord with me. There have been so many ups and downs with this adoption that I truly feel like I'm riding the proverbial emotional roller coaster. Here are a few of his words that rang true for me:

All alone in the universe, sometimes that's how it seems
I get lost in the sadness and the screams
Then I look in the center, suddenly everything's clear
I find myself in the sunshine and my dreams
And I'm looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I'm looking to know and understand

It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair

Question asked and answered

Many of you have asked, myself included, whether Borya knows if we're trying to adopt him. I had written to him some time ago with this news, but hadn't heard back from him any kind of response. I asked Alexey to look into it for me and here is what I got from Borya this morning:

Hello, dear mom and all my family! I love you all! And I miss you all! I still play box, basketball, ping-pong. I attend different activities, including drawing class. Mother, you told me that you want take me in America. I want!!! I was very happy when Masha and Aleksey told me about that! Because I dreamed about that! I love that! I am very happy when I write this letter to you! I pray for you every night! I love you all! Good-bye!!

And the good news just keeps on comin' ....
My agency coordinator informed me yesterday that the wait for the database issue to clear may be only half as much as originally anticipated. It is possible, though I wouldn't call it likely, that we may be looking at October rather than January for travelling. So keep those prayers a-comin', people!

Sad news ....

Learned from my coordinator today that Borya was never placed on the database. Kazakh orphans have to be on this database for six months before they are legally free for adoption. So even if, miracle of miracles, the MFA decided to reverse their decision and grant me permission to adopt Borya, it can't happen now for six more months. So a boy that I met 5 years ago next month, reconnected with 2 1/2 years ago, and began adoption proceedings for nearly a year ago, will have to wait till at least January of 2009 before we could
possibly adopt him. He will then be nearly 14 yrs old, and I met him when he was 8. What....is wrong ....with this picture?!