I won't go thorugh all the process that's brought us this far, but we're 6 1/2 years in the process.
In 5 days time, on June 30th, we're going to find out if we will be able to adopt a little girl from Russia. She must be made available for domestic adoption until June 30th and after that will be able to be adopted internationally. She has some minor health issues, as far as we know nothing hugely serious, but apparantly Russians don't like to adopt children with health issues. She's been adoptable since she was 2 months old.
For the past month we've known about her and have been told that if she doesn't get adopted domestically, we will be allowed to adopt her. In my heart I know we should be hoping she gets to be adopted domestically because that would obviously be what is best for her but it's hard not to hope that it doesn't happen. I'm just not that good.
And now there's only 5 days to go and she's still there. I'm not at all religious, I certainly don't pray. But I remember years ago doing a novena (type of prayer service you do for 9 days where you pray for a specific thing) to St Francis Xavier and the words are rattling around in my head
"but if what I ask is not for the glory of God and the good of my soul,
I pray and desire that which is most conducive to both"
Might not make sense to anyone not Catholic but it's a comfort at the moment.
Sorry for the ramble. I wish I could go to sleep and wake up on Thursday at 1pm (close of business in that part of Russia).
Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on adoption.
Adoption
In 5 days we'll know if we are able to adopt a little girl
lettinggo · 25/06/2011 12:44
We have a facilitator with us who has been fantastic. Before we went, I was a bit 
about the concept of a facilitator but she has been invaluable. Where I would go the Irish way about things ("if you don't mind..., if it isn't too much trouble...., I hope you don't mind me asking...."), she just goes baldheaded at things. I had LOADS of questions prepared before I went and more after the first meeting with the baby. I had told L, the facilitator, some of my questions and she just asked the baby home administrator directly. I got loads of information about the birth mother - some official, some off the record. I have enough, I think, for tracing in future years. And L is going to try to find out a couple of other things I wanted to know about her.
I don't have info about her routine yet. I asked the questions but I was bluntly told her routine will have changed by the time we get her so there's no point in telling us now.
Video footage was taken of her when she was 5 months (was on a Russian TV programme aimed at recruiting domestic adopters) and I was given a copy of it. It will be lovely for her in the future to see herself at this age. We have LOADs of photos and video from this visit (age 9 1/2 months) and we were allowed to leave a disposable camera with the carers and they will take photos of her while we're gone, especially on her birthday. SO hopefully there won't be too many gaps in her baby photos. I was also allowed to leave a notebook for the carers to write little messages to her.
It's all starting to feel very real. I cried (again!!) reading your lovely messages. I'm surprised there are any tears left. I made a holy show of myself leaving the baby home yesterday. I knew it would be hard but now it feels like she's MINE and I'm leaving her behind.
happywheezer, I don't want to write her name publicly, I'll message you.
I've got the message, and I agree it is a lovely lovely name 
I have to tell you: I have a friend who many, many years ago adopted a newborn born to a young European girl. Trying to be respectful of cultural heritage, and to make a kind gesture to the birth mother, she asked the bm to name her. Thinking she'd come up with a name from that culture/country, which would sound exotic and lovely etc.
So birth mother, also trying to be respectful and reaching out across cultures, called her - well, confidentiality prevents me from saying what it was, but imagine a really, really common and not particularly attractive English name, and you're there 
Christmas must seem a long way away. I really hope Russian bureaucracy surprises you with a sudden outbreak of lightning efficiency.
Aww lettingo ive just read all the threads and i'm blubbing away!
I can't beleive how long it's taken you to get to the open adoption stage and then its all go!
Roll on the 12th october!
I was just wondering how you were doing this morning then just saw this. I'm so glad thus has a happy ending. Do keep us updated
Can I just share with the world how nice humankind is?
Today we needed to go to our GP to update our medical certificates. The GP filled out the forms for the 3 of us, stamped them, phoned his GP wife in the sister practice up the road to get his certificate that proves he's a real doctor, got the cert etc. And instead of charging ?50 each for us which was what I expected and came prepared for, he charged ?35 for all three.
Then I called to the accountant this morning with our documentation that proves we are solvent. He needs to draw up a statement of assets and liabilities. I told him our news about the court date and the urgency of getting his statement before Monday (we have a solicitor's appointment at 11.30 on Monday to have all our documentation notarised). Not only did he have the work done for us this afternoon, he would not take a single penny from us.
We have encountered so many truly good people on this road, it does the heart good to realise that for all the crap you read and hear about, there are some really good people in the world.
So now the only outstanding piece of paper we need is a letter from the health board to say they promise to do all the post-placement reports and we will be done with bureaucracy.
Happy days, girls!
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