Well, we received the packet back from AIA and it included (of all things) more paperwork for us to fill out for our initial dossier. Sometimes I feel like the couple in the real estate commercial, climbing up the mountain of paperwork. We also received official confirmation from the Dept. of Homeland Security that the USCIS had received our I-600A form, which is very good news.

Lisa talked to our social worker today and found out the he has sent a draft copy of our homestudy to the agency so they can look it over. So we should have the final copy in our hands sometime next week then we can check that step off the list.

I found this article through a Google News search. It basically gives the whole background on the slowdown in Russian adoptions that have taken place over the past year. I thought you might like to read it and learn a little bit about the politics involved...

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/22/news/russia.html

We received official news from AIA that they had received our contract and deposit. I feel like this is a huge step forward. We also talked to our social worker and he said that we should get a draft copy of homestudy this week. Olga at AIA will also receive a copy so she can make sure it meets all the requirements of the Russian government. So far Olga has been wonderful to work with. We chatted with her on the phone last week and she answered many of our questions regarding the whole process. So if all goes well, we could be on our way to Russia by June (wow, that's close).

In other news, I got this off the Joint Council on Int'l Children's Services website regarding the recent changes in the Russian adoption process:

March 18, 2005- We are hearing initial reports that the Ministry of Education does have the "substantial" authority to begin the accreditation process, possibly even before the accreditation commission is established. We will continue to monitor the situation and gather information. We will post any information on this website as soon as it becomes available.

I will post the link on the blog sidebar if you want check out the website. It's updated with new information quite regularly about what is going on in Russia.

Just wanted to post a quick update. We tracked our contract via USPS to Alaska and learned that AIA received it in their PO Box on Saturday. We're so excited. Now we just have to wait for them to process it and send us the various paperwork we need for our dossier. Hopefully, if all goes well, we'll have our referral in 4-8 weeks.

http://www.khabarovskadoptions.homestead.com/

Lisa found this website today. We thought it would be a cool site to have a link to on the blog. It tells a little bit more about the region that we will be adopting from. I haven't had time to check out the whole site but it looks interesting. Feel free to post your comments about what you think.

On to other exciting news... We will be sending in our contract and deposit to Alaska Int'l today. YAH! We also heard back from our social worker yesterday and he said that he would try to get us a rough draft of our homestudy by next week. This process is somewhat strange that way. Seems like you're not getting anywhere, then all of a sudden a bunch of things happen at once. We just keep plugging away trusting that He is watching over each step.

Hope you all have a great St. Patrick's Day filled with corned beef and cabbage. (and maybe a Guinness or two)

Thought I would bring you all up to speed on what has transpired in our adventure this far. The following entries are from a journal that Lisa was making on her business website. I thought it made sense to post them over here since the rest of 'journey home' will be taking place on the blog. I hope you enjoy the site and reading about our adventure....

January 18, 2005 - We have officially begun the process to bring our baby home! We met with our wonderful social worker, Mike, last night. He handed us a stack of paperwork that looks a little daunting. Of course this is nothing compared to the overall scheme of things. We are so excited to start this process. Up until now it has been one of those, "one of these days," kind of things. Now it is becoming very real. I just need to remember to take things one step at a time. We will get there.

February 7, 2005 - We completed our autobiographies last week. One thing down, a million to go. I never thought answering 13 pages of questions about myself would be so difficult. Our other bit of exciting news... we received our passports today. I know it is silly, but I am just way too excited. Plans for our dinner on March 5th are coming along well. We are thrilled to share the evening with our family and friends.

February 21, 2005 - Derek and I spent a nice quiet Valentine's Day together. The exciting part of the day was when we received the contract from our chosen agency. Alaska International Adoption Agency. Now we are just waiting for $1000.00 for a deposit so we can sign the contract and send it back. That will get us the "remainder" of the paperwork we need. We have medical exams on the 22nd. The last bit for our homestudy. Then we wait for the social worker to finish writing it and we can send our I-600A to the BCIS (INS).

I find it odd that adoptive parents need to have a "permit" from the government to be parents. People who cannot have their own children or who choose to adopt are usually the ones who really should be parents. Those who get pregnant very easily and often ought not be parents. Why then is it so difficult for adoptive parents to become parents? Just a question that is on my mind.

March 4, 2005 - Yesterday was truly exciting for me. I went to the post office to send off our I-600A form. The BCIS does not look at it until the homestudy is complete, but from my reading everyone says send it right away. So I did. The latest story from other adoptive parents in Washington is that it can take up to 14 weeks to receive the 171-H letter (that is the approval of the I-600A). The government has way to many forms. And with each for a fee to go with!

Welcome to Derek and Lisa's official adoption adventure blog. This is where we will post all the exciting news about what's going with our adoption and where we are in the process. Please bookmark this page because we will be updating it often. There is also a comment feature so you can give us feedback, warm wishes and your thoughts. This is an exciting adventure and we're glad that you can be a part of it!