We Have a Court Date!

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