Lions, Tigers, and Bears, OH MY!

Or, should I say Western Wildcats? We returned home from wonderful weekend back in our hometown late Sunday night. It was Matt's high school reunion (Western High School, known as the "Western Wildcats") so we headed home for a weekend of festivities. We actually went a day earlier than necessary to visit with my grandmother and had such a good time! She has recently moved into an assisted living facility and it is as wonderful as one can be! She has a great apartment and we got to meet her friends during lunch. They even had an art show on Friday afternoon! On Saturday we hung out at the beach (how awesome!) and then out to a restaurant on the Intracoastal (even awesomer!) as part of the reunion festivities.

We met Matt's god daughter for the first time! She is beyond precious! Of course, she had to be pried from my hands to get her bottle and burped! We stayed with my sister so we even got quality time with her! The only thing we missed- Matt's brother and his family! Hopefully, next time we will be able to hook up and visit with each other!!! We seem to only catch each other at weddings!!!!

And, in the "what were we thinking" category, we brought the dogs along! Yes, you read right, Matt, me, and Duke and Raleigh (all 120 pounds of them) packed up the rental SUV (Enterprise didn't know what hit them!) and drove (!) the 7 hours there and back. Oi vay! NEVER AGAIN!!!! They were good for about 4-5 hours, but the last 2 hours each way was beyond brutal. For those of you who don't know, Duke and Raleigh are Golden Retrievers...the breed also known as "velcro" dogs. Typically, at home, this isn't a problem. They love to cuddle up on our feet or sit next to us- making sure to always touch us. Well, imagine what THAT was like in a car! Their primary mission was to figure out a way to sit with us in the front seat. Of course, we have invested in the dog harness safety belts. Unfortunately, Duke and Raleigh demonstrated their "considerable intellectual prowess" and either a) chewed it -apparently the harness' taste delicious or b.) they moved around so much that they get un-harnessed! So, imagine me and Matt yelling, "No! Sit! In the back! Lay down!" every 15 seconds. For the last 2 hours getting there. And, for the last 2 hours coming back. Oh, and then add in the fantastic excitement of.... toll booths!!!! Each toll collector was a potential friend and greeted excitedly with wagging tails and barks of joy. Or, greeted with a watchful and unsure eye and a low "warning sign" bark. We couldn't quite figure out what or who determined the logic behind each response. Regardless, Duke and Raleigh were "on it" and committed to letting everyone on the road know of their presence! Did I mention there are 4 toll booths - each way! Again, lesson learned. Next time we go away..it's "camp canine" for them!

And, did I mention my sister has a cat-a-delicious-never-before-seen-up-close-and-personal gato? We are not sure whether Duke or Raleigh met Gatsby first; however, suffice it to say that Gatsby is NOT a fan of the canine species. Although, Duke and Raleigh would love to see/chase/play with him more often!

Since this IS an adoption blog, I feel compelled to give everyone an update. There is no update. Actually, we have our approved and final copy of our home study in hand and need to send it, our I-600A adoption petition, and our fee to the US Immigration Service for review. Because I have a HUGE project due on Oct. 28 (part I) and Nov. 4 (part II), I probably won't get it Fed Exed before then. The folder is sitting on our dining room table- otherwise known as the "adoption desk" because all of our work seems to be done around it. Once the USCIS processes our application, we will be sent appointment times in Jacksonville. It is necessary to have an appointment because we need to get fingerprinted. I believe these finger prints are run in a national database as part of our background/security check. As a point of information, the finger print clearance is only good for one calendar year. Therefore, if our adoption is not completed within 12 months we have to apply for an extension. Fingers crossed (pardon the pun) that won't be necessary!

Tagging...or, what PAP's do to whittle away time while we wait for news!

Tagging is a way that PAPs (prospective adoptive parents) hang out on our blogs as we wait for our paperwork pregnancy to proceed (who knew I was so alliterative!?) Anyhow, I was tagged weeks ago and am just now getting to it! I am THE slacker blogger! I wear the crown sheepishly.

1. What time did you get up this morning? Too early- I stayed up studying last night. Ok, really, 8am (I work from home so commuting and work clothes take on a whole new meaning)

2. Diamonds or pearls? Depends on the occasion.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? I can't remember! Agh!!! Grad school is consuming my life.

4. What is your favourite TV show? Anything on HGTV. I love nesting!

5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Whole wheat bagel

6. What is your middle name? Kept my last name as my middle name when I got married.

7. What food do you dislike? Anything with garlic.

8. What is your favourite CD at the moment? Anything by DMB. or, Jack Johnson.

9. What kind of car do you drive? 10 year old VW Jetta- we are saving for an international adoption, folks!

10. Favourite sandwich? Hmm...anything toasted, cheesy, and on a bagel.

11. What characteristic do you despise? Disrespect and ignorance.

12. Favourite item of clothing? PJ's

13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Hard to say, I looove to get away- anywhere! I often think of a tropical beach, calypso music, and balmy breezes ...And, Russia is just TOO obvious an answer.

14. Favourite brand of clothing? I am not really a clothes horse these days..we are in save, save, save mode.

15. Where would you retire to? North Carolina- like almost everyone else in Florida! I would like a place on the beach and a place in the mountains!

16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? My recent 35th (gulp)! 31, oddly enough, was pretty fun, too! Weird and random year, I know. But it was a great year!

17. Favourite sport to watch? College football- Go Gators!

18. When is your birthday? September 26th

Are you a morning person or a night person? Night Night Night! Unless I am tired and then.. Morning, morning, morning! But, I am never grumpy in the morning!

20. What is your shoe size? Me and every other woman who trolls the sales racks- 8.5!

21. Pets? Two Golden Retrievers who are "energetic" =)

22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? I think I have figured out my dissertation topic! WAHOOOOOO!!!! Well, it's exciting to me- but I have no delusions of grandeur and can completely anticipate boring everyone with the details. Essentially, I am examining how school leaders "make sense" of state policies- especially with regard to the idea of competition in public schools (i.e. online education, charter schools, etc). Still reading? In particular, I am interested in the "political" aspect of how compliant a principal is in implementing the policy. And, by political I mean how a superintedent or school district exert informal influence in how the school principal constructs meaning. Don't say I didn't warn you.

23. What did you want to be when you were little? A lawyer, but I hate arguing. Fundamental flaw, I know.

24. How are you today? So-so...wondering when all of the paperwork and documentation will be done. ***sigh***

25. What is your favourite candy(lollie/chocolate)? I know this sounds un-American, but I don't really like candy. I am much more a fan of an ooey, gooey, chocolate brownie.

26. What is your favourite flower? Camillas

27. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Thanksgiving! Unequivocally!

28. What is your full name? Gillian

29. What are you listening to right now? I am watching CSI: Miami! I don't think David Caruso means to be funny, but his acting skills are fantastic! His use of sunglasses as a prop is inspiring. Plus, it's awesome to watch the old hometown!

30. What was the last thing you ate? A roast beef sandwich on whole wheat bread.

31. Do you wish on stars? Not really- although I love to see all of them on a clear, crisp night.

32. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Green

33. How is the weather right now? Unseasonably warm- I am ready for another cold front!

34. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? One of the teachers in my schoolhouse.

35. Favourite soft drink? Diet Pepsi

36. Favourite restaurant? Bella Bella!

37. Real hair colour? "Dark" blonde- really mousy brown, but recently with gray streaks! AAGGHHH!!!

38. What was your favourite toy as a child? Any book.

39. Summer or winter? Summer. Winter. Fall. Spring. I love the change of seasons- I am usually ready for which ever one is next when it comes!

40. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

41. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate

42. Coffee or tea? Hot chocolate with whipped cream. I don't drink coffee or tea.

43. When was the last time you cried? Today. The aforementioned teacher's dad passed away from cancer yesterday and I had been a part of his diagnosis, prognosis, and hospice. I knew how important he is to her and her son. Her loss just made me sad. And want to hug everyone in my life harder.

44. What is under your bed? "Winter"ish clothes- I live in Tallahassee, y'all. And, in a small, old house- every possible space is storage!

45. What did you do last night? Studied for my mid-term that was tonight. Blech.

46. What are you afraid of? Being unfair to someone.

47. Salty or sweet? Salty...I love Salt bagels...delish!

48. How many keys on your key ring? 3

49. How many years at your current job? 1

50. Favorite day of the week? Friday. Evening. after 5. The weekend has so many possibilities.

51. How many places have you lived in? 4

52. Do you make friends easily? Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course, group work in grad school makes that answer easy!

Famous last words...

How funny is that my last post was about being committed to posting ...and then I didn't post for 3 weeks! Hilarious!!!! It was my full intention to update our blog at least weekly. Ahh..the best laid plans.

So, you should be asking what I have been doing with all of my free time. So much! Since we last posted we have...completed our life album, completed the Hague International Adoption Education requirement, and RECEIVED OUR HOME STUDY! Wahoo!!!!!

Our Life Album
Our social worker asked that in order to prepare for our adoption we create a scrapbook of our lives, including our home, our families, and our "puppos"! We spent an alarming amount of money creating one, but it is done! We collected pictures from our families and friends and organized them to tell our story. And, then I "bedazzled" the pages with stickers and three dimensional objects and glitter. I am not sure what I need to do with it next, but it's done!

Hague Internation Adoption Education requirement
While I don't know the evolution of the Hague requirements, I do know that the Hague Conventions are established guidelines to ensure children who need homes are placed in loving families with the highest ethics possible. For those of you not actively involved in the adoption community, it would probably shock you to know that there have been some pretty strong allegations of "baby-knapping" - that is, that some infants have been taken from mothers who did not want them to be adopted and placed within the adoption system. In the most general terms, the Hague Conventions are a set of guidelines to prevent this kind of exploitation. Part of the conventions require an educational component for prospective adoption parents. It is a ten hour course about issues related to culture, attachment, bonding, medical issues, and various other topics relevant to adopting. We completed this course! WAHOO! We even got a certificate!

Home Study
And, ta da(!), our home study is complete! Complete! COMPLETE! This is a huge step!!! A home study is a study of house (the physical components of it), ourselves as individuals, and ourselves as a couple. It also includes an examination of our finances and how we anticipate having a child will change our lives. We met with our social worker as a couple and individually multiple times. There were many, many forms to complete with lots of questions. It feels so good to be able to "check that off our to do list"!!

So, what is our next step?
Well, we have to submit our documents to the US Immigration and Customs Service for pre-approval to continue the adoption. Once we get these documents off (hopefully, by Friday), we will need to travel to Jacksonville for finger printing (this would be the third time). Of course, there are fees associated with this paperwork. Once these documents are processed, the ticker starts as they are only good for one year. Our home study is only good for a year as well, but that's an 'easy' fix- we just meet with our social worker again for an update meeting. If these documents expire we have to either complete an extension before they expire or re-do them (and pay again). In a few weeks, we will begin compiling our dossier. A dossier is the file of documents that the Russian government requires. Each document has to be original and apostilled (stamped by the Secretary of State for Florida)- good news, since we live in Tallahassee this should be "easy."

The dossier will be submitted to our agency who will present it to the Ministry of Education in Russia in a particular region. The agency who is assisting us in the international component of our adoption works in nine regions, like Moscow, Siberia, and Vladivostok. We will be matched with a region based on what is a good fit for our family based on the documents we have submitted. So...our next BIG news will be when we find out which region in Russia our little one(s) are coming home from. We can't wait to post that blog!