Next steps

We have received our next set of paperwork from our adoption agency - boy is it a lot!
They have also included travel information for Moscow and within our region. Basically we have to complete a lot more paperwork relating to all aspects of our lives (health - physical and mental, finances, employment, marriage, criminal background checks, pictures of our home and family/friends, etc.). But it is relatively straightforward and we should have plenty of time to work on all of it. We are also getting some CD's to learn a little Russian!
Once we receive a referral we make travel plans for Trip 1, which should be approximately one week. This trip is to meet the child and make a final decision on whether to adopt that child. When will then return home and await our court date. Trip 2 will be for our court date and to bring our child home. If the 10 day wait is not waived, we may be in Russia for 2-3 weeks on that trip. The judge has the authority to waive the required 10 wait and allow us to leave the country, but the trend is that the judges are being pressured not to waive it. It is suppose to be the appeal period.
I don't mind the travel -except for leaving Bryson!!! It is going to be sooooo hard to leave him here, especially for that second trip knowing we may be gone for that long. I know he will be fine with my parents, but I will worry and miss him so much! It is so far to travel away from him. I know some families take their other children - even on both trips. If he was older, we probably would. But that is such a hard trip to take a 3 or 4 year old on. And our new child will likely be frightened and need ALOT of attention. Can you imagine a 10 -12 hour overseas flight with both a preschooler AND a scared 1 or 2 year old. Can you say "flight from hell"? Ha! Ha! Author John MacLean has a whole section in his book "The Russian Adoption Handbook" entitled "The Flight From Hell" and I about died laughing when reading it. But I'm sure it is correct unless we get very lucky!
Until next post!
Steph