video Testing- Elijah plays the piano

Just testing to see if I can figure out how to add video from our new camera.

WE HAVE A DATE!!!!!!!!

Woke up (a mite early) to an email from our facilitator saying that our appointment date is January 21 at 2:00 pm. Wahooo! A little later than we expected. But very do-able, especially to be able to get past holidays and birthdays. This is all getting so real (or surreal?!?!)

We have touchdown!

We got word this morning that our dossier has been submitted. Wahooo!! We got word yesterday that within the last week the SDA had changed their format for the housing verification. Instead of a (on the letterhead, notarized, apostilled) paper with information about your loan they needed to have a paper (of course, on the letterhead, notarized and apostilled) from the county assesor/ appraiser that tells about the house (how many rooms of what type, square footage, ect). We were told we could still submit if we hurried and got that and sent it. So I drove to the county yesterday morning. They were VERY cooperative!!! The worker there typed up a page just like the sample that I made for her, signed it had the notary sign it and even made copies for my records for me. Then the notary took me down the hall and introduced me to a lady who works there who is from Ukraine. So after a quick trip to the state secretary's place to get it apostilled I had the paper ready to send. After DHL's fiasco our facilitator told us to us FedEx. Well, they said they would take 10 days to get it there AND they had to put a value on it (the very thing that held up our dossier). After some haggling the FedEx lady said that in her system we could put $1 and on the paperwork that stays on the envelop we could put 00 NCV (no commercial value). We decided to call our facilitator to make sure that and the 10 day thing was ok. So after calling our phone plan to add cheaper international long distance I called him (hoping I wouldn't be waking him up). He was very gracious and assured me that it was ok they always said that and usually got it there very quickly. So by 11:00 am it was in the mail and once again we are back to waiting.
Apparently, people are getting appointments 1 week after submission (as opposed to the 3 weeks they are allowed by law) and some people are getting appointments within two weeks (or less) of their notification of appointment. So now we are a little stressed about getting everything ready to go.

Ukrainian Orphans

Some statistics that I came across. Those of you following Ukrainian adoptions will know this, but it is interesting anyway.

In a country where the average standard of living has decreased by 80% over the last 18 years, poverty and sickness are brought on by the inability to provide adequate nutrition and healthcare. Least able to fend for themselves are the children who are have been abandoned and orphaned.

90% are orphaned due to alcoholism, abandonment or imprisonment of the parent
10% are orphans because of death of parents
There are over 450 orphanages in Ukraine
There are over 100,000 children in Ukraine orphanages and an estimated 100,000 more children on the streets because the orphanages are full
10% of orphans commit suicide after leaving the orphanage before their 18th birthday
60% of the girls end up in prostitution
70% of the boys end up in crime
Only 27% are able to find work

This is from an official notice put out by the SDA in October 2008.

Analysis of the numbers of children available for inter-country adoptions according to their age and health condition (based on the information from the central data bank as of September 1, 2008)

Age of children <> Number of children (% from the total number)
Health condition : Healthy or with correctable medical issues <> Serious health problems

Under 3 years old <> 551 (2,6 %) 0 <> 551
3 – 5 years old <> 1324 (6,1 %) 109 <> 1215
6 – 11 years old <> 5408 (24,9 %) 3011 <> 2397
12 – 17 years old <> 14418 (66,4 %) 11337 <> 3081

Total 21701 (100,0 %) 14457 <> 7244

Wow! That is a lot of orphans. Wonder what the statistics are for USA.

News from a Far Country

I've spent the last few days being very ansy. Our facilitator said he was going on Monday to the SDA and see where we are in the line to submit our dossier. Well, since Monday I have been expecting news from him. I guess Kiev is quite a ways away from where he lives. Finally, today he wrote and told us that we were #190 in line where they would take 400 under the quota for 2008 so we have a really really good chance of submitting. He also said that because we are open to so great an age range he could submit our dossier on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. (Mondays people looking for ages 0-5 are allowed to submit, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 6-11 years old and on Thursdays 12+) I'm not really sure of the significance of that except maybe we just have more chances to submit. Keith thinks there is still a possibility that we will go in Dec. I think it will be January. We'll see who is right.

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!

DHL finally gave up our package today. It took inspection and stamps by radiology and sanitation, and hiring a "customs broker" and a translator (They wouldn't let our facilitator translate it, even though he is very capable). At least it didn't take our facialitator a 13 hour train ride to pick it up, only a 1.5 hour car ride. It is still beyond me why they wouldn't deliver it to the intended recipient. Moral of this story is DON'T USE DHL TO MAIL ANYTHING. Anyway, Kostya is going to take our dossier to the SDA on Monday and see where we stand.
Thank Heaven for small sucesses.

Going on day 14. I always thought I was a pretty patient person, but I guess not. I'm not handling this waiting for our package to be out of DHL customs, very well. I guess I do better when I'm busy doing something. And my friend is amazed that I'm getting so many projects done (making bags, crocheting baby booties for baby showers, making blankets, finishing scrapbooks ect). But that is only a sanity saver... even that is fragile, at best.
Oh, and to top it all off the money wire we sent to our facilitator didn't make it through.
The good news is that DHL is working on refunding all of the shipping fee, and sending us a letter stating that they are at fault. That is all they can do at this point, we still have to pay for a customs broker and a translator and who knows how much else for getting it out of customs. But hey, I'll take ANY good news I can get at this point.

Could it really be true?!?!?

After 10 days of phone calls, emails, photocopying and more phone calls, DHL has FINALLY released our dossier package. And all of that hassle because the DHL lady who helped me mail the package put $1 on the value ("It has to have SOMETHING there"). We are waiting to hear from our facilitator to see just how much it cost us to get it out. There was talk of our facilitator having to travel by train 13 hours down to their office to pick it up (why they wouldn't deliver it to the intended recipient is beyond me) and even having to hire a "customs broker" to get it out of customs. Of course, all of that has it's associated costs. And it cost $150 to mail it in the first place. But now, hopefully, we can move on. We'll see what our facilitator says.

Ugggggggggggggggggg!

Our dossier has been sitting in Kyiv for 5 days waiting on a itemized list of contents for the customs. Wait a minute, it didn't need that list because it is just documents. Well, according to DHL here it is because of the paperclip that I put on all the papers. According to the customs official it is because DHL put in the "code" for parcel instead of package when I sent it--- even though it clearly says DOCS on the front. I raised a ruckus yesterday and as soon as it gets to be a reasonable hour I'm going to have to do it again today.
Keith keeps telling me this is only the beginning. Trust him to help put things in perspective. Ever the voice of calm reason for my frantic efforts.

Now We Wait...........................................

It is finished. We met with the sw last night and got the last of the papers we needed to take everything down to have it apostilled. So that is where I went today, after $315 and 15 minutes I had in my had the whole dossier, finished and complete. Then I made my way to DHL (the recommended carrier to Ukraine) and they said they couldn't do it, they don't service that area. I quickly put them straight and they sent me to the other DHL place (1/2 hour away). After $150 and some doing she found the place and took our precious package away. Then I waxed nostalgic. I have spent 6 months of my life preparing that dossier. Is it really happening yet? Then I panicked. Is it all right am I missing something? I've only gone through it a billion times, maybe I should go through it once more.... ok I need a nap (and some vitamin C).

The light at the end of the tunnel

We had a big mail day today. We got the apostilled mortgage verification letter from Florida-- we didn't expect it until tomorrow, and we also got that notarized copies of the social worker's license and the agency's license and the agency's "letter in good standing" about the Social worker. If our facilitator approves those then I will take the whole lot early tomorrow morning to be apostilled. Then it goes OFF TO UKRAINE!!!
Our facilitator thinks our timing is perfect to be able to submit by the end of the year. Then the SDA has (by law) 20 business days to review the dossier and either approve and send an invitation to an appointment or deny and send a rejection letter. I'm betting an appointment in early January.

Rumors and Rumors of Rumors

Well, we are waiting on the sw and his notarized paperwork then we can take all we have that needs a Washington apostille in to get that done. Our mortgage letter has reached florida and we sent the Utah stuff, should be there by Monday. We re-did the "Declaration of Name Usage" papers for each of us because the date was wrong and redid the copy of our passports as I hadn't signed mine. I say re-did, I mean re-did and had them notarized.
Kostya is telling us that the SDA (State Department for Adoption) is unofficially announcing that they will take more dossiers for appointments this year. Dare we believe it?!?!?!?!
I have been very driven to get this paperwork done. Now I know why.

Trickling papers

We received our state clearances today in the mail. And surprise, surprise we are both clear. We went the extra step and had it done by fingerprinting, so now we have been fingerprinted 3 times. I guess there are records of us everywhere.
We also got all the various papers (power of attorneys, declaration of name usages, my letter of non-employment, letter of obligation, petition to adopt, copies of passports and copy of I-171H) notarized at Keith's work. Now we need to have all that apostilled. Will wait to do that until the notarized copies of the social worker's, and agency's licenses come.
Are we getting anywhere?

Blub, blurb, glurg

From beneath this sea of paperwork....
Picked up medicals and the dr (or who ever of his staff was that did it) didn't change all the her's and she's to his's and he's when they printed Keith's out, then went back by hand and changed them. I'm pretty sure that it won't be accepted at the SDA. So we need to redo it.
Found out that our mortgage paperwork needs to be apostilled in Florida (because that is where it was notarized). Mailed it by 2 day air (not cheap) and was informed that it probably won't get there in two days, because of the hurricane. How do you like that, people have lost their homes and possibly their loved ones and I'm worried about a little lost time.
Our marriage certificate and the employment letter both need to be apostilled in Utah.
Our SW can't make the changes to our HS that our facilitator in Ukraine recommends because it all is needed for either WA state law or USCIS. Hope it doesn't affect our chances of getting an appointment.
Will that state clearance EVER get here!?!?!

This is maddening!!!!

I don't know why I'm in such a hurry. We probably can't even get a date to submit our dossier until November with actual submission not until February or March. But once you get one date on your dossier the clock starts ticking until when you have to re-do. No dates are allowed to be older than 6 months at time of submission. Tick, tick, tick. So, we have been informed, we will probably have to update everything at least one time..... That is if I can actually dig my way out to come up for air and save my life. Tick, tick, tick.

:)

Help me I'm drowning!!!!!!!!!

We just spent a good chunk of today trying to tie up the loose ends of our dossier paperwork. I did a lot of typing and we did a lot of wasting paper as we printed and re-printed corrected papers. This is maddening! But all the ducks we have in possession are in a row. Monday we will get the various papers notarized, pick up doctor's paperwork and hope that the state clearance will come. Oh, and the employment verification wasn't notorized so Monday Keith will get that ordered again. They were pretty quick last time... hopefully they are again.

And so it begins.....

Doesn't that sound like the beginning of a book? In reality it has already begun. It began a while ago, but that is a story for another time. Since this is all getting to be so official I decided that it was time to start a blog. I blog for a record (because my two-minute memory is also not very large) and to keep people updated (because I, in my conceit, think people are really interested).

So, where are we? We are within a couple of papers of having a completed dossier to send to Ukraine. Monday I will pick up our medical papers (which Dr. B so graciously filled out AND notorized for us). We have our Homestudy (and attending documents) in hand. Our marriage certificate, mortgage statement, and employment verification reside here as well. We received that plain, glorious I-171H in the mail yesterday, after 16 days-- man they are fast. Now we are waiting for our state clearance. We were fingerprinted on the 9th and should get paperwork back by the end of next week. Is this making anyone else tired?!?!?!?!

Anyway, it will probably be February or March before we travel.