I know, I know. I told you that we would have a court date set by the end of last week at the latest, but for those of you who have been reading this adoption blog at any time in the past 22 months, you will know that this delay is indicative of our adoption process in general. And while we have enjoyed our growth and maturity throughout, there has certainly been some willy nilly feelings in the midst of going through a adoption program that is known for being very organized and controlled.

We are so excited to have a court date set and finally be in the homestretch, and wanted to share that news with you as well. So without further ado, the court date is... (can I get a drum roll please?)

Friday, March 12th!

The judge who has been assigned to our case has asked that we have medical check-ups completed in Moscow before our court hearing, so we will make a one day stop-over in Moscow to complete those before continuing on to Novosibirsk. Upon arriving in Novosibirsk, we will have two days of visitation with L, and then we will meet with the Judge on Friday to complete the legal portion of our adoption.

Assuming the 10-day wait period is waived, we will remain in Novosibirsk for at least six more days, obtaining the proper documentation for L (passport, etc.), before heading back to Moscow for an appointment with the U.S. Embassy, where she will receive her medical check-up and visa. Once that is completed - hopefully by March 22nd - we are free to come home. However, if the 10 day wait period is not waived, we will not be able to come home until April 1 at the earliest.

This is the part where I will assume you are praying that the wait period is waived. It's the right thing to do.

Oh, and there was one minor technicality with our paperwork. After going over our documents, the judge decided that my police clearance was not sufficient given that my middle initial was used instead of my full middle name. I was actually forewarned of the possibility that this could pose a problem in the future, but because I had already dealt with this specific government agency twice, with great frustration, I decided that I would take the chance that it would be overlooked.

I highly recommend not doing that.

But all is well now. I made a mad dash to the the State Police Fingerprinting Office this morning and after being very adamant about what I needed, they were very willing to help me. I won't say that their prompt attention had anything to do with the fact that I made my voice sound something like Michael J. Fox's in Teen Wolf, when he was asking the old man for a keg of beer, but I won't say that it doesn't either.

That's about all the updates I have for now. I will keep you posted!

Anna

I have always known that my children are slobs. I see the evidence of this every morning when I walk into their bathroom and nearly vomit after seeing toothpaste spit streaked across counter, sprayed all over the faucet and slowly sliding down the mirror.

You see, I have a little problem. If I am exposed to spit in any form, I will get sick to my stomach. The same goes for eating mayonnaise or watching people drink their leftover cereal milk. It's a weird quirk that I have, but I have always known that if I stay away from these three offenses, I will make it through life okay.

But something happened while cleaning the boys' bathroom the other morning, that caused me to question my very existence. And while it doesn't necessarily make me want to vomit, I can't help but wonder if it will keep me from living a full-functioning life. Here's the deal, it has become quite clear that my boys struggle with aiming properly not only while spiting, but when peeing too. I know this because I unsuspectingly came face to face with the crystallized pee that adorned the wall, shower curtain, floor, garbage can and underneath the backside of the toilet.

Yes, I said underneath the backside of the toilet.

And in case you were wondering, yes, it is possible.

I know because my face almost touched it.

While I don't know if the culprit was just practicing an ill timed yoga move or if he just had some strange case of exploding bladder, I do know that I don't really want to hear the reasoning behind the mess, I just want to be sure that it won't grace my walls, floor or shower curtain ever again.

So in an effort to satisfy my passive aggressive nature, I have decided that instead of voicing my frustration, I will quietly tape the following sign on the wall behind their toilet:

Proper Use of the Toilet. A Tutorial.



* Stand still, and remain on two feet. This is not the proper time to test your balance.

* Face forward at all times. Do not look left. Do not look right.

* If you have been holding it for a long time, take one step back (maybe even two) so you don't overshoot the bowl.

* The animals on the shower curtain are not targets. Do not try to hit them. They don't appreciate it and neither do I.

* If you aim correctly, there is no reason for the wall to be used as a back-splash.

* Flush. Flush. Flush.

And remember, My aim is to keep this bathroom clean. Your aim will help.

Sincerely,
Your Mother

Completing a marathon has been on my mind lately. There's something about watching runners as they complete a race, that makes me want to push myself harder and accomplish the goal that has been set before me. But let me be clear about something, because it's really important that you know this:

I. Despise. Running.

It rates right up there with sticking a fork in my eye. Both of which are unpleasant and cause a great deal of pain, and therefore, you will be hard pressed to see me do either.

While I am not a runner, I have been running a marathon of sorts for the past 21 months. The difference is that while a traditional marathon is run on roads that wind through cities, parks and beside waterways, my marathon has been more like climbing a sandy dune that constantly gives way under my feet. It has been exhausting physically, mentally and spiritually, but being in this vulnerable position has also provided me with the most growth.

Often times, when I was sure that I couldn't take another step, I would stop to catch my breath and say to God. "I can't do this. It hurts too much. Please, just let me go back." But as I turned around to retrace my steps back down, I noticed that the sand had already shifted, taking with it the evidence of who I was and leaving in its tracks a stark reminder of how far I had climbed.

And God would say, "You are no longer the same person you were when you started this marathon. You have pushed too hard and grown too much to go back now."

"But God, can't you see that I am face down in the sand, grasping for your feet? I need you."

"That, my child, is exactly where I want you to be, because I am training you for something that requires more than just physical endurance, and in order to run that race, you will need to rely on me."

It's at those times that I am reminded of the passage in Jeremiah 12:5, that has become a mainstay in this marathon:
"If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?"

It has been through this marathon experience that I have come to fully understand and appreciate the words of Paul in Acts 20:24:
24However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

It won't be long before this particular marathon will be finished, and though it may be completed while crawling on my knees, you can rest assured that I will be standing victorious at the top of that mountain.

Now that things have started to move along, I think it's time to give you a quick update.

As of two days ago, our documents have been received in Russia and are in the process of being translated. The courts will only accept paperwork on Mondays, so we are hoping that our paperwork is translated in time to be delivered this coming Monday. Once the courts receive our paperwork, we will be given a specific date to appear in court and finalize our adoption. As of right now, the average time frame between the courts receiving paperwork and the actual court hearing is 2-4 weeks.

My heart just skipped a beat!

It might be another week or two before we know when our court date is, but when I find out, you can rest assured that I will let you know.

In the meantime, I thought I would fill you in on what the final stage of the Russian adoption process looks like, as it is very different from any other country.

When a family travels on their second trip to complete their adoption, they should expect to be in Russia anywhere from 10-25 days. It's a big range of time, but there is a reason for it. After completion of the court hearing, Russian law stipulates that a judges decision cannot go into effect until 10 days later, meaning that the adopting family cannot be granted custody of the child during this time. This is commonly referred to as the 10-day waiting period. While most families ask to have the 10-day waiting period waived, most judges will only do so if the child has known medical issues that need to be addressed.

I have mentioned in this blog that "L" does have some medical issues that we feel give us good reason to hope that the 10-day waiting period be waived. Both the director of the baby home where "L" lives and our International Adoption Specialist also agree, and are completing the necessary paperwork to reinforce our request. This, of course, does not guarantee anything, as is seems at times that the judges fly by the seat of their pants, but we are hopeful nonetheless.

Once we receive the court decree stating that we are the parent's of "L" (halleluja!), we will fly to Moscow and spend a few days there, completing "L's" medical examination and obtaining her Immigration Visa. Once that has been completed, we will jump on a plane and bring her home!!

Four years ago, Adam made this beautiful bed for Isaiah.

Three years ago, we realized that the boys preferred sharing a room together, so we took down Caleb's crib and stored it in the closet. Then we moved Isaiah's bed into Caleb's old room to make space for the bunk bed that was going to be placed in the room that they would share.

I loved this set-up.

I loved the idea of having a room, with a nice bed, where guests could stay when visiting our home. But most of all, I loved having a off-the-ground surface where I could throw my clean laundry then close the door and pretend like it never really existed. There was only one flaw with this system...it was nearly impossible to find the other match to a sock in a pile of laundry that was eight loads high.

I knew I couldn't continue to live this way forever, and believe me, it has nothing to do with the laundry. You see, this room is in the process of becoming 'L's" room. And because she still sleeps in a crib, we have found ourselves doing the bedroom shuffle again. Only this time, in order to bring the crib back out of the closet, we had to take the bed (aka laundry collector) out of the room.

Here was our dilemma: Where do you store a bed this size when your house is small?

The answer: You don't.

It took us awhile to come to grips with this. I mean, this is a one of a kind bed, it has serious sentimental value. It's hard to think that after Adam spent numerous hours carefully measuring, carving and cutting, that in the end, it became just another item for sale on craigslist.

We watched as the bed was loaded into the back of a truck, cinched down and driven away. Then Adam and I looked at each other and smiled as though we both had the same thought:



Yeah, this trade off is totally worth it.