Update

A few weeks ago I mentioned that the court system in Novosibirsk was going through some changes with the way they obtain legal status for an adoptive child. It has been decided that the social worker who represents the adoptive child will work at a regional level under the Department of Education. Previously they were working at a local level under the Bodies of Guardianship and Trusteeship.
It seems like a simple change, but is has caused many families, who were preparing to travel to finalize their adoptions, to be delayed. As a result, referrals will slow down a bit until they can get through the families already backed up in the court system.
Traditionally, Novosibirsk moves quickly with referrals and they foresee the region getting back to normal speed once all the changes have been smoothed out, hopefully within 1-2 months.

While we wait, we are trying to prepare ourselves as much as possible, but are also enjoying the down time we have had these last few weeks. Most of the second phase of our dossier is complete now. The two remaining documents of our dossier (medical and background checks) have to be completed within 3 months of our court date, so we don't need to focus on them at this time.

We will keep you posted as things progress!