HELLO? hello...? (hello........?)

 Yes, that's an echo. And yes, I've been MIA (missing in... adoption?). I could spew out all of the lame valid excuses I have, but after months of such a hiatus, I hate to bore you now. Let's just say Satan knows Derek and I are up to something good.

So, let's get on with it shall we?

We have made SO MUCH progress! Our interview with our placement agency went well, despite learning of such despicable news less than 30 minutes after our arrival. Meeting with the staff really made us even more confident with our decision to use them. I can't imagine being in better hands. While media has reported otherwise, adoption in Russia has yet to cease—at least not in the regions we may adopt from (Moscow and St. Petersburg). Our agency continues to help families receive referrals and court dates, so we're still moving full steam ahead!

I've created a new section of my blog: Milestones (see panel at right). It contains the important... well... milestones... ;-) in our journey thus far. While there is much that has been done and much that has been received that is not listed, these dates give you an idea of what we've been up to concerning the adoption.

Now that I'm getting back into the swing of things with my blog once again, I plan to recap some of the high- (and LOW!) lights of the hoops we've had to jump. Stay tuned... And, seriously, if I slack on blogging again, someone please get on my case! ;-)

CHECKLIST:
• Psychologist administered MMPI
• Compiled dossier documents (including, but not limited to):
      Notarized home study letters, licenses, etc.
      Personality/psycho-analysis results
      Financial statements
      Letters of employement
      Property ownership letter
                                     Certified marriage certificates
                                     Passport & family photos
                                     Medical letters
• Fingerprinted/biometrics
• Received I-171H