They Shaved Her Head!!!

A dear friend was in Russia this week and brought Elena a package to her from us. She met with Elena and took pictures. She pre-warned me that they shaved her head!

She is so beautiful, with or without hair. Our hearts broke for her - we know how important her hair is to her, just as any other little girl. We also clearly remember how upset she was when we took her to get her hair cut and she thought her head was going to be shaved. We understand why (most likely due to lice in the orphanage), but it is still frustrating because we cannot be there to comfort her. I went out to the mall and bought a bunch of head bands and clips (I don't even think her hair is long enough to be clipped, but I am hoping that in 3 weeks miracles can happen.)

Craig and I were very distrubed by the thought of what she went through and it kept popping in our heads all week. We feel that she is already our daughter, although she may not be legally. We want her home, protected, with us.

Documents done - Check!

Yes, finally every document is done (at least for now!) and sent to California to be reviewed. I was told that it will be going to Russia the first week in December. It will then be interpreted, and then registered in Russia. Russia shuts down for a good month because of the holidays (sounds like NJ state workers!), so we should expect our first trip in February.

So, because of all these delays and setbacks, we decided we are going to host Elena again for Christmas! She will arrive her the evening of 12/16 and will stay until 1/16. It is a little over 4 weeks. We are really excited about seeing her again (beyond words) and this time we can talk about the "A" word (adoption)!

Stop the ride! I want to get off!

Okay, it has been quite a while. A very long while since this blog has been updated. There has been so much going on and so many changes occurring, but I do need to keep up. I was going to title this post "The Roller Coaster Ride, " but then I realized that roller coasters can be fun, especially when you are going downward. So, that was not a good analogy. So lets just say I am on Disneyland's Indiana Jones ride. There are sharp twists and turns, you go slow then fast, you dodge bullets and wild animals. And right at the end, a large rock comes rolling towards you and at the last minute, you avoid being crushed. So, let me sum up the last few months and all the bullets, wild animals and large boulders we have been dodging.

• 1. Our home study agency went under the week we were going to have it signed and notarized. We quickly had to find another agency who was willing to take our existing home study and basically put their letterhead on it. Luckily, we did find a great agency who was flexible and very willing to help us (Adopt Abroad), but we were still delayed quite a few months because of this set back.
• 2. We got a call from our adoption agency. They informed us that Elena (that is what is written on her passport) was very known to them. She was supposed to adopted this past spring by a family who hosted her about 2 years ago. They actually went to Russia, accepted the referral and then after returning home, changed their minds. They found out that Laina was calling her mother on a cell phone and they felt that Laina didn't want to be adopted. This answered a lot of questions we had about her reactions and behaviors. This was just another adult not keeping their promise. The adoption agency strongly encouraged us NOT to pursue adoption.
• 3. We asked New Horizons for Children to find out what the deal was with Laina's mother and did she want to be adopted. We did not want to force her to live here. We waited over a month for an answer, but her answer was, "Yes, 100%!" No stopping us now!
• 4. Gathering all our documents and getting them notarized and apostilled - what a chore. We had to have one document notarized 4 times because there was always something not right or the notary did not sign correctly. They really had a hard time understand that there could be no cross outs, no mistakes.

So, onward we move, trying to avoid the bumps and potholes.

The First Phone Call

It took me a month, but I finally found out how to call Laina. The phone rang, I asked for her in my horrible Russian, and the phone was put down. Soon I heard the laughter of a child and running feet. "I hear her! It's Laina!", I yelled out. "Mommy!" I gave her lots of kisses and then she says, "No America! Yes Russia!" She was very distant and cold and she had a friend with her who was trying to interpret. Finally, by the end of conversation, her coldness diminished and she said, "Bye Mommy, I love you, too!" It felt so good just to hear her voice and feel close to her again.