Not much to report yet, other than we are just going down our "to do" list knocking one thing off at a time! I swear I think I am in "nesting" mode because my list contains items that will not really make a difference to our child! Ken probably thinks I am crazy, but that's okay! I had two items on his list that he needs to accomplish: 1 - clean his office and 2 - vacuum the garage! Who vacuums their garage.....I do!
I am grateful for everyone's support and excitement for us. I have received many e-mails from friends, family, and others doing the same thing as us. It is good to hear from everyone. A few people had questions about our adoption that I thought I would post, just in case anyone was curious!
1. Do you know what gender you want?
Yes - I want a girl, and Ken wants a boy! Not sure how this is going to work out! Actually I am excited about both, I would be happy to have a boy. We will just have to wait and see what files are presented to us. Our appointment with the SDA is on Nov. 14th and that is where they show us files on the children that are available.
2. Can you adopt more than one child?
Yes - we were approved for 2 (don't tell my mom....just kidding!). We are looking at adopting just one child, however that may change if we find a sibling group. I don't think we are allowed to break up siblings (We wouldn't want to anyway), so if a sibling group is presented then we may go with that!
3. Where do we stay while we are in Ukraine?
Our appointment is in Kiev, Ukraine. From what I hear, we will stay our first few days in Kiev until we chose a file. Once we have chosen a file with our "potential" child, we travel to the region that the child is living. We will stay in this region (I think) until our court hearing is complete....this whole process will probably take a few weeks (this is all a guess based on what I have heard from others that have adopted from Ukraine). Once our court hearing is complete, we then return to Kiev to finish the passport/visa paperwork with the Embassy. At this point we will have our child with us....the visa paperwork will probably take up to a week and then we can fly home! We have a facilitator that will help us find a hotel/apartment wherever we are!
4. Are our employers understanding of us having to take so much time off?
Yes, taking time off for an adoption is just like taking time off for Maternity Leave. Legally, we have up to 3 months we can take off. YEAH!!
5. Do we know any Russian? Do we have a translator while we are in Ukraine?
ummmm, well, the Russian is coming along slow! I know some words and phrases that I think will be helpful (thanks to my QuickStart Russian software and trusty little Enlgish to Russian dictionary!). We'll see how well that goes! Our facilitator will be with us most of the time and will help us out! Thank heavens!!
Well - that is it for now! 2 weeks from today begins our travels!!
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10 comments:
Wow! Two weeks. It doesn't seem possible does it? And it just sneaks up on you!
When we adopted Q-ball, we had two weeks to travel...and with Punky and JacJac is was about three. I really thought this two month wait was going to be great. I would get all kinds of things done...and have time to spare. HAH! I've got a month left and I'm starting to run around like a crazy woman! :)
Sis, you are so cute! I am getting so excited for you. I can't wait to have another Neice or Nephew! YEAH!!
2 weeks is very close. We are leaving in 18 days, and I still have lots of "to-do" lists to check off.
It's so great your employer has an adoption leave. I don't have any adoption benefits, so I'm just taking vacation time. Though I'm allowed to take unpaid Family Leave.
Thanks for saying Hello! I hope all goes well for you as your travel. Has anyone mentioned skype.com to you-- We have not set our account up yet, but our 'friends' who are there now use it (it's like 2cents a minute to call home from your laptop). Alot of our families in Alabama have had great luck with it!!
i look forward to reading about your trip--
Melinda
This is all so exciting, Joy! You'll finally get to start filling up that house of yours...
Hi, Joy, I don't know if you remember me, Jordan and I were friends way back in Yuma. We were about fourteen and you were just the coolest big sister ever. I wanted to send my best wishes for your adoption(s).
Kayla
How exciting. Leta sent us an email about your adoption in Ukraine. Definitely contact us when you get to Kiev. We would love to meet you.
The Isbells are right - you should download Skype. We have it ready to go, and all of our family has downloaded it, too. PC to pc is free, and you can also sometimes add a webcam to the mix (depending on how good your connection is). Or we can call from Skype to a phone and it's as little as 2 cents a minute. We've already used it to talk to our friends that were in Ukraine and it works GREAT!
Joy, I am so excited for you! Jill sent me the link to your blog and I loved reading all about your upcoming adventure. Did you know I've NEVER seen you husband? Not even a picture so that was fun! You two are so cute! Good luck with everything, I can't wait to stay updated through your blog!!!
My blog is: mattandkimg.blogspot.com if you're ever interested!
We're so excited to know that you're coming! Definitely download Skype. Its been great for us. Praying for you!
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