Wow.

A very sobering thought hit me the other day. The waiting time for a referral for a child in B right now is 2-3 years on average. I've requested a child between the ages of 2-4. There is a very real possibility that my child is sitting in an orphanage right now. Waiting. Wondering. Is he or she happy? Lonely? Hungry? Sick?

I put a lot of thought into choosing to adopt from B. I was almost swayed a few times into going with a different country. But deep down, something in my gut made me stay on this path. I believe my child is waiting for me. This child has been selected for me to parent. Eventually, this child will know me as Mommy- the one to comfort, heal, educate, and love him. But until then... he or she will be growing up in an institution. I can only hope that my child and all of the other orphans are loved and well taken care of until their forever families arrive.

Our Adoption Timeline

Our timeline from start to finish-

• College, 2001- Decided one day I would adopt a child, hopefully from Russia.

• 2012- Started thinking more seriously about pursuing an adoption.

• Sept 2013- Began heavy research on country and agency options, as well as financing options. Contacted agencies to get information and decided to pursue adoption in an Eastern European nation.

• Oct 03, 2013- Submitted application and application fee to chosen agency!

• Oct 04, 2013- Received call from agency that application looks good and I should receive contract soon. :-)

• Oct 08, 2013- Received email with agency contract!

• Oct 16, 2013- Mailed the signed agency contract and first payment. 

• Oct 23, 2013- Received agency package with envelopes for two mailers. First mailer will be pretty quick to gather.

• Oct 28, 2013- Spoke to my assigned Social Worker. Since I live in a state my agency is licensed in, I use the SW they assign me. She immediately emailed me a list of documents to start filling out and gathering. Yikes.

• Nov 12, 2013- 1st mailer was sent to the agency.

• Nov 14, 2013- Fingerprints done at local PD to mail with FBI background check.

• Nov 22, 2013- Home Study meeting. My social worker is awesome. So nice and caring. I had most of my documents gathered but had some issues getting my medical forms completed. It will take a few more weeks to finish that. In the meantime, pretty much everything else is on hold til that's completed.

• Dec 9, 2013- Mailed request for federal FBI background check. They say it takes approx 5 weeks for return.

• Jan 18, 2014- Received my final copy of my Home Study! I am approved to adopt a child from B. AHHHH!!!!!

• Jan 21, 2014- Mailed my paperwork to USCIS for immigration approval. They say the wait time is approx. 40 days for approval (but I will be assigned a day for fingerprints).

• Feb 3, 2014- Received FBI background check results. (It took about 8 weeks instead of the 5 weeks they estimated.)

• Feb 6, 2014- Received a letter from USCIS with my appointment for biometrics. They're moving fast!

• Feb 25, 2014- Went down and had fingerprints done today for USCIS. They claim I should have my approval paperwork within 2 weeks.

• March 7, 2014- Received I-800A Approval Notice!!!!! (Dated from Feb 28. Well that was fast!)

• March 11, 2014- Mailed completed Dossier to agency. Had to re-do one form before sending it. The financial statement was done in 2013 for the Home Study. The agency said it would be best to send one for the current year.

• March 13, 2014- Agency received Dossier.

• March 14, 2014- Agency sent documents out for Apostille.

• April 30, 2014- Dossier received in B!!

• July 11, 2014- Registered in B! Not notified until July 21, 2014.

• October 2014- After much deliberation, I've decided to change agencies. It's a little bit time consuming and a lot stressful, but it's the right choice for me. (Contract signed Oct 24)

• November 2014- Time to start the process for the home study update already.

• March 8, 2015- Home Study Update completed. Needs to be sent to FL for apostille.

• March 19, 2015 USCIS Lockbox notification of I800A.

• June 19, 2015- Update logged in B.

5600 Miles to Home!

Welcome! I'm new to this whole blogging thing, so I guess I'll just dive right in.

My name is Kelly. I'm a single mom to a smart, adorable, and funny 6-year-old daughter, my little Monkey. For YEARS I've dreamed of one day adopting a child (specifically from Russia... but now that won't be happening). I've finally decided that there's no time like the present. I'm doing it! Now!

After much research and soul searching, I've decided to adopt a child from Eastern Europe. We have requested a child between the ages of 2 and 4 (at the time of the referral), but have not specified a gender. (My daughter has her heart set on a little brother.)

I will be using this blog as a way to update family and friends (and anyone else!) on our progress. The excitement, the joy, the wait, the heartbreak, the frustration. Everything that comes with the territory of adoption. Oh. And the title? 5600 miles is how the orphanage is from Florida. That's how far my child will have to travel to come home!