1 Year Post Placement Replacement Report soon. . .

Why do some of us choose Russian adoption? If we're honest with ourselves, there are a few main factors that encourage us to head down that path:
1. The time frame is (or at least was) less than other countries.
2. We are able to get a child in pretty good health who is pretty young.
3. And, although most of us don't say it outloud (it's just not politically correct to do so!) we like the idea of adopting a child who looks like he or she belongs with us (the courts love to hear this, by the way). Aidan looks so much like Pat that it is uncanny. . .
4. And we can add to all of that that I have always held a special and somewhat strange fascination with Russia and her people.
But, International Adoption, and now especially Russian adoption, is so fraught with potholes, twisted roads, and sometimes a fork in the road, that it really is torturous for some folks while they complete the process.

Our one year Post Placement Report will be due at the Ministry of Education on April 4th. That is our one year Anniversary of Gotcha Day. . .can you believe it is coming up??? And so, we have our appointment scheduled with our Social Worker for March 6th. According to the rules, she cannot meet with us prior to March 4th but it takes aobut two weeks to get mail to the MOE. So, March 6th seemed like a good time for the appointment so we could get this taken care of, signed, notarized, apostilled, and then sent off in a timely manner. To that end, we have our pictures, that are required with each report, ready to go for our Social Worker to incorporate into the final report. After this report, "only" two more to go: March 2010 and March 2011!

We had a "charmed" process while we waited. . .Russia was shut down and so we were able to complete our Home Study and first set of Dossier documents and make sure all of our "i's" were dotted and "t's" were crossed. When our agency was re-accredited, we were ready to send in our paper work right away and so our referral came a mere 7 weeks later and then we travelled on trip one 4 weeks after that with the completion of our paper pregnancy being only 4 months after Trip 1. We were, and are, blessed. So, for us, the shut down was a blessing and all of our paperwork was perfect. I read so many blogs then and I read so many now in which people have not been so lucky. And now this latest news of the added stress of the MOE not accepting Post Placement reports from 160, now banned, Home Study agencies. Heart breaking. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those folks affected by this.

Other news:
Aidan's sense of order has been pushed all out of whack! Our new bed was delivered yesterday and he, um, "helped" me make it when we got home last night. When we were done, he ran into his room yelling that he was going to "look at Aidan's new bed, too." Oh, man! Don't grow up too fast, little man! I love that you're still a littly guy!

Then, today, when we went to leave the house, one of my back tires was really low--almost flat. So, Mama ran back in the house and got the keys to one of our other vehicles (we have a disgusting four vehicles!!). I got Aidan into his car seat (and we also have four of those!) and off we went. All the way to the sitter's Aidan kept saying, "No Mama! No drive Daddy's car! Mama need turn around and drive in garage." By the time we got to the sitter's, he was visibly upset and even went so far as to tell me that we needed to go home so Daddy could bring him! Poor little guy!

And finally, remember that Lenten Reflection I submitted a couple of weeks ago to the church for our Lenten Brochure? Well, I received a message late Tuesday from one of our priests indicating she has edited it and wanted my approval. Apparantly I had gone over the word limit (which I was unaware of)--am I too wordy??? : ) Anyway, when I downloaded the new version and read it, I was stunned! Not only had the meaning of my reflection changed, but she had even added words and taken out so much that it no longer was even close to my reflection on a time when I was in the wilderness! I advised them that I was withdrawing my submission because this was not my reflection of my wilderness and that I would have edited it differently. Well, of course I was then asked to edit it my way and they took that version, but I think I am still really hurt, especially since I was already feeling like the square peg in a round hole!

Ah well. . .Life goes on.