When it rains, It Pours-Part 2

I feel like it has been forever since I have sat down and written on my blog. There is much to tell so I am warning you that this will be a long post. When I last wrote on Thursday, I am sure you could tell how very discouraged I felt. It has been such a long process. After I published the post, I found out that 2 families had received a court date for March 4th. The judge only issues court dates on Tuesday and only 2 court dates are allowed per agency. So I knew that I would not be going for a court date again. That was probably one of the lowest points in the whole process. I felt like I had done the paperwork over and over again. I had reached the 4 month mark and it was another let down. I have often heard that when it is the darkest moment that is when the Lord shines the brightest. After work I went home and was working out in the yard. When I came in there was a message from my family coordinator. I tried to call, but she had already left for the day and the office was closed on Monday. I then checked my email and had a message from her announcing my court date. Because I had not talked to her personally, I held off posting until yesterday. Since then it has been a whirlwind.
In the email, she wrote that because my mom lived with me, they were requiring 3 additional documents. Sounds easy, but far from it. Even though it had been told to me several times, that they did not need these because she would be living in the addition with separate entrances, they still wanted them because they were not sure how the judge would respond. All of these documents need to be in Moscow before I arrive on the 6th so they can be translated and notarized. What is so interesting, is that there is absolutely no way I could ever get these done in time if I had a court date of March 4th. So 24 hours after the lowest point, I see God's incredible timing and I am so glad my departure date is not until the 5th.
So the first document was a medical exam. All of these documents required notarization and to be apostilled (state seal.) We were able to go to a clinic on Saturday and have this completed. On Friday after I received the email, I immediately called the psychiatrist as that was the next document needed. Since it was after 6:00, I got his voice mail. But on Saturday when we were out, he called and left several possible appointment dates. He had an opening on Monday at 5:30. So went there Monday night and that was completed. The third document they need is a police clearance. This is needed from every state that she has lived in during the last 10 years, which was 2 states. So like me she has to have one from NC and a Federal one. Please pray that they will be able to read these prints on the very first time. Remember the Federal one is the one that rejected my prints, the first time and the second time took 10 days to give me a clearance. She had to be fingerprinted by USCIS previously and they were not able to read these (done computerized) and told us that the older you get the less distinguishable your prints are. I am also taking pictures of the addition to show the separate entrances as a back up. So on Monday before the evaluation, we got to police station and she has 3 ink cards done. I am able to send 2 to the Federal location and then on Tuesday I am able to mail out the one for NC. You can only send it through the mail. Now I am waiting for all of these documents to come back on letterhead and notarized. Please pray that they come quickly as they all must go back to the state capital to be apostilled and then to the agency and then to Russia. I am now under 2 weeks to get these done. I have also not received my birth certificate and need that ASAP!!
Meanwhile, the addition is almost finished. I am feeling the pressure to get my mom moved in and settled before I leave for Russia. On Saturday, my friend Lisa gives up her afternoon and helps me move about 80% of the furniture in. I am sore for 3 days afterwards. But the place begins to look homey!! On Sunday another friend Nancy helps me move all the boxes out of the attic. I need to do this in order to move boxes out of Natalie's room into the attice (yet to be done.) Monday the final work is done on the addition and the final inspection is completed. She canofficially move in. On Sunday we go shopping and buy a stove and refrigerator. On Monday they deliver it with the wrong stove cord and no hose for the ice maker. So after working, fingerprinting, psych eval we make a trip back and get the right parts. On Tuesday night more friends arrive, Ed, Cynthia, Nancy, Marty, and Lucas and the stove and refrigerator are hooked up and the rest of the furniture moved in. Now it is just a matter of unpacking and moving in the rest of the boxes which my mom will do slowly. That means I can now move things around upstairs and prepare Natalie's room and the guest room.
Back on the adoption front, I am trying to get ready to go. The office is closed until Monday and I have no information about some important things. I am able to contact a family that is traveling the week before me and they provide all the details on Friday night. So I am able to book my ticket (see side bar for flight information), prepare my application for the VISA (sent off Monday and received yesterday) and work on other details. The bank is closed Monday, but I am able to leave a voice mail and the staff member calls me back yesterday and is working on getting "new" bills for me. I email USCIS ( the agency that allows me to bring Natalie into America) because my current fingerprints expire April 4th the day I return. I am scheduled to be re-fingerprinted tomorrow, but afraid I will not receive my revised I-171 form in time. They reply yesterday and it will be here 5 business days after my prints are done. Whew!! I send an email to the Moscow coordinator letting him know my travel days and request hotel reservations and I ask if there is any way I can also bring a stroller. I can take 2 checked items as far as Moscow but can travel with only 1 checked item in country. Take a look at my return schedule and you will see why I want an stroller. He replies with my reservations and assurance that I can leave the stroller with him. What a blessing! I also find out that the medical/lab work I had done in November is no longer valid and that all my test must be current in the last 3 months. So all of that has to be done over. Ahhhhhhhhhh!! Until I pull them out and take a look and see that it was the nurse practitioner who signed off on everything. After I see that, I am sure that the judge would not have looked at that kindly. So this time I will make sure the MD signs off. Then I find out yesterday that they also want a notarized letter from my GYN doctor. So I call today and they don't have a notary in their office. But the office manager is wonderful and calls me back later in the day to tell me that there is one in their sister office and she will get it notarized there!! I am also in contact with the pediatrician letting her know that Natalie with be home soon!!
Tomorrow I have taken the day off to get the new labs/blood work done, drive a 3 hour round trip for my fingerprint appointment, get the oil changed and to go grocery shopping. I need to get the oil changed because I am going to West Virginia on Friday 29th and Saturday 1st for my nephew's wedding. This Sunday I am working and Thursday my brother flies in. Somewhere in there I need to pack and get ready to be gone a month.
So it has been pouring here!! But along with the downpour of so much to do, there has been a downpour of blessings and seeing how things are working out and falling into place. God has placed so many people around me who are helping me and I am so grateful!!
Now it is time to prepare more documents and do the laundry that has been piling up for almost 2 weeks!!
I appreciate your prayer, please don't stop!!