No Longer Blogging

We ran into a significant difficulty in March 2009 with posting blogs due to a Russian law that prohibits sharing confidential information about a Russian adoption. Therefore we are no longer posting blogs about the adoption other than to give very general information...

Update

We will be traveling to St. Petersburg Russia in August or September 2009 for court and to bring home Makai. If you would like to follow our process please comment on this post with your email address. Thanks!

Change

If you would like to keep up with our adoption please comment on this blog and include your email address. We will be sending out emails about our adoption progress from time to time.

And We Wait...

Foreign adoption is so funny. Rush. Rush. Rush. Get lots of paperwork done and then wait. We spoke with our adoption agency earlier this week to see what is the next step. We found out we are waiting for the initial court hearing. We gave Olga in Bryansk power of attorney to represent us in Russian adoption court for the initial hearing. (If we had not done this we would have to make 4 trips to Russia!) Russian adoption court gives her 2-4 weeks notice of the court hearing. Hand In Hand is communicating with Galina to see if she can get the court to give her any kind of an idea when they might schedule the preliminary hearing... So... for that we wait...

Travel Packet!

We received our travel packet and there are a 'few' things we have to have for the trip:

• copy of I-171H
• copy of State Home Study Approval
• copy of all birth certificates and marriage licenses
• copy of passport's
• proof of USCIS Poverty Minimum Guidelines
• copy of employment letters
• copies of last 3 years tax returns
• I-600 (Blue Form)
• I-604 (Determination on Child for Adoption)
• Form DS-230 (application for immigrant visa)
• Affadavit concerning exemption from Immigrant Vaccination Requirements for a foreign adopted child
• Powers of Attorney for U.S. Embassy

The travel packet also contained a 'few' forms:

• notice regarding passport
• your region information sheet
• estimated expenses for an adoption from your region
• suggested orphanage donations
• things to bring for adoption travel
• copy of important numbers
• hotel information
• humanitarian aid letter for customs
• department of state caution
• questions for the caregivers
• referral/travel affadavit
• visa packet
• U.S. embassy moscow registration form
• authorization to publish
• placement agreement
• progress report agreement

Travel Packet

We just received word from Hand In Hand International Adoptions that they are sending us our travel packet in preperation for when we receive permission to travel to Russia.

Note from our Adoption Agency on January 13, 2008

No info on your appointment yet. Things are moving well in Bryansk however. We had some court dates and a first trip in December. You are next in line.