After the initial excitement and tears of happiness for a court date, they were quickly shut down by Russia requesting more re-do documents. So much for "unprecedented" ! The list came as long as my arm and some of the documents were already in Russia 2 times.... now I was angry. Why were these documents being lost? Where are they? Don't they know how much time and money we spend on these things.
I have to say, I am not happy with the overall follow up of the Russian side of this adoption. Either they are over worked or unorganized; either way, my children and I pay the ultimate price both emotionally and financially.
We were 2 days away from a much needed trip to Disney. We had planned this over a year ago with the hopes that we would have our children home and take them to Disney for Halloween; well that wasn't happening. So I did what paperwork I could from here before we left for Florida and I packed up my laptop, printer and entire dossier of paperwork to take with me to Orlando. What a vacation huh??!!
Meanwhile the clock ticks and my children wait. So we spend the week in Disney, documents come and go while we are away. We call the FBI to check on our fingerprints which were not due to arrive until the second week of December....NO, That cannot happen. I put Joe on this one. He spoke very nicely to the woman Julie from the FBI and asked if it were possible to extend a "professional courtesy" to him as a Sheriff Officer and get our prints in by Nov 5. We knew we were asking a lot but we prayed. Sure enough, Julie got right on it the very NEXT day and our new FBI prints were waiting in the mail !! WHEW !!
Then there was the issue with Immigration. We needed updated print for INS and a new 171H form. After futile attempts with NBC Adoptions and INS, we went to see Congressman LoBiondo. His aide, Marie Abbott got on it and kept in contact with us while on our way down to Florida. We were in Jacksonville FL on our pit stop and my phone rang; it was Marie Abbott telling us she got us an appointment with INS to get fingerprinted on the day we get back ! Nov 8 !! YEAH MARIE AND CONGRESSMAN LOBIONDO !!
So far the stars were aligning and I was tired and beat......on to Disney to imagine our cares away and pretend our boys were with us to celebrate Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.
We came home Saturday Nov 6 and I quickly organized all the documents that were waiting for us and scanned them into the computer, waiting for Russia to OK them before we send them. They move slowly sometimes ! Don't they know how damn important this is !!
Monday Nov 8th, 8am we get into the car to drive to NE Philadelphia for INS fingerprinting , again. I remember 18 months ago receiving our 171H in the mail and thinking to myself "We will never have to redo these fingerprints, we have 18 long months!" HA ! Boy was I wrong ! Little did I know what entering into Ekat was !
So we stroll into INS and there is NO ONE waiting there. I mean the place is EMPTY except for the 5 employees. We stroll right up to the counter and I have my INS appointment sheet that say NOV 24 900am on them and my letter from Congressman LoBiondo saying that I can come anytime and any day ! I was ready. I saw good morning and prepare to give the man the paperwork, our passports and the letter and he says" I don't need that, I don't even look at the dates. " WHAT !!!!! REALLLY !!!!
Do YOU KNOW WHAT I WENT THROUGH TO GET THIS DATE !!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
This was really a charlie brown moment. I looked at him and said " NO, you WILL look at this paper, because I want to feel that all those tears and stress were NOT in vain !!"
He laughed and literally, 15 minutes later, we were fingerprinted and out of INS. ! AHHHHHHHHH!
and AHHHHHHHHHHHH again.
So, Again, more documents will make their way to Russia. Another medical will have to be done again in 2 weeks, and here we wait. I am not happy, this is not how it should be. We are in order, our papers were perfect and this is when I start to get really mad at the agency that I am paying a lot of money to help me get my boys home !
Dec 26, 2010 is their 2nd Birthday. They spent their 1st Birthday without MaMa and PaPa, they WILL NOT spend the 2nd without us ! I am determined !
Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain. ~Author Unknown
4 comments:
Well I do hope you got some deserved rest and fun at the most Magical Place in the World!! I can believe more redo you are SOOOO close. I am still praying for a Dec. court date. I do agree that there s something wrong with the Russian end of this, I wish Sytlana my rep could help you!! I do have her email address if there is any thing you think she can do to help you.
With my adoption experience with Russia the in country service was GREAT it was my agency in Waltham MA I had the hardest time with!!
Let me know if there is any thing I or Sytlana might be able to do to help you get those boys home for there 2nd birtday!!!!!!!
LOVE BETH, MATTIE AND JAKE
Thank you ! I just don't understand why it takes them 3 days to respond to emails. I sent Olga an email Monday with some questions and still nothing ! I hope I get my 171H in the mail soon. I don't know if Svetlana can help givent hat the female judge hates her ! I wish I had Svetlana !
Wow...we were at Disney on Nov. 9th...just missed you!!!
You know how I feel about things...I don't think it's Svetlana or Olga --- bottom line, it's the judges. Even the male judge is no piece of cake now. As for Judge S, she's getting worse and worse and things are different from when I was there 1 1/2 years ago and from when Beth was there earlier this year.
Once you get those boys in your arms, you won't even look back. For now, you can only look forward to that moment!
Hugs,
Laura :)
Thank you Laura ! Have a BLAST in Disney ! I hope we can ALL meet up there next year for a Reunion with Beth, You, me and whoever else wants to come !!
It'll be an ADOPTION DISNEY STYLE !
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