Vacations Galore....... Equal Slower Adoption Process :(

I have finally decided to write a bit about how frustrated I feel at the moment when normally I am pretty relaxed and patient. I can wait 3 months and be fine knowing there is a travel date coming up but thinking about the fact that there may not be a court date until the corning of our 5th month waiting since I have seen our daughter to be, well, I am slowly unraveling.

In the midst of this long wait, suddenly there is a rush of paperwork to be done. I am a problem solver and started solving a couple of the areas right away thinking, okay I can do this. Then I find out that our medicals must be re-done as well. Spent the evening in the hospital getting labs done and now I am finding out that the medical doctor is going out of town for 1.5 weeks and will not be able to sign the entire form, however another doctor can fill in the form for one lab test. Crossing my fingers this is going to work as they both work in the same office and I have obtained verification letters now for both doctors too.

Through verification I have had to plead with the state board as their personal went on vacation for 2 weeks LOL. I am hoping that there is someone we can find in the meantime.

Then I speak with agency and find out there are two more people in the arms we need to get things done that are on vacation. It is September and we waited all of August hearing each week, "Russia is on holidays." All month, same message. We get into September, find out we need more paper work, also to re-do paper work and now half the people to help us do this are out of town.

It leaves me in the end of this blog almost speechless.

Adoption is one of the most stressful things to go through with a huge reward at the end of the tunnel and I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, however it is an extremely rigorous process where one needs so many levels of support, ability to vent and just be in a time when that often feels impossible.

As I sit here answering calls, making calls, sending e-mails, sending faxes I also think about what do I prepare for? When are we going? When should I pack? What will I need? How cold will it be? How much will my daughter have grown? How old will she be? What has she been doing all of this time? Has her smile faded at all when we have seen her from photos?

As I end all of the office work today, I will then go to return all of the 12 month size clothing as she will most likely be almost 18 months by the time we bring her home.

What amazes me is that we have a healthy 3 year old boy from Russia who we are bringing with us, I wish this would account for something since even a recent post placement has gone in explaining everything about who we are and our lives and yet I have to worry right now about a psychologist putting in more about our personalities.