Locked In

Flights and hotels booked!  We had our itinerary approved and the hotel had a good address so we just booked it all!  I seriously feel like I could throw up!  It's like a kid before Christmas times a gajillion and nerves because we switch planes so many times that I worry about delays or lost luggage (which would mean lost clothing donations).

I am seriously shaking right now.

I will copy all of our confirmations tomorrow, deposit the purolator'd cheque for the Moscow CHOC representative, figure out how much we will need to have on hand to pay all of our drivers, interpreters, and hosts while we are there. I am also making a photo album for Mak.

The album is so we can leave 'us' there with him.  It will also have pictures of Leia and Howie (who, by the way, will be living the high life with K&T while we are away - thanks!) and his room so that we can hope he recognizes it when he finally gets here.

We will also be compiling an album, for his future reference, about the orphanage, city, and our journey there.  We want to show him that we recognize that he has history before us - we may not know a lot about it but we are not ashamed or in denial over it either.  I have also decided that every year, for Christmas, Mak will give his grandparents the gift of a donation to the orphanage.  While visiting I will ask about our ability to send packages, either through CHOC or regular mail, each year to help give back to what gave him to our family.  I have also saved all the emails from everyone who has shown excitement over his possibility and I am writing a journal to him about my feelings from the moment he was offered to us.  He may want to read them all one day, he may not.  The option will be there, bursting with love, if he ever chooses to explore it.

Wow.  It is happening very fast but it is HAPPENING!

Mayhem and Madness Ensue

But it's all for Mak!!1

I just joked to a friend that Mike and I might kill each other before we get to Russia!  Planning this trip on this short notice is quite stressful.  At the end of the day, though, we look at Mak's picture and know that it is worth it.

It has been difficult trying to figure out our timeline.  The reps from CHOC speak Russian as a first language so sometimes their emails can be confusing to understand.  We have to make sure to keep asking the same questions to ensure the same answers and I have also started to sum up the 'what I understands' and having her correct them as necessary.

After four business days of, what feels like, millions of emails a day I have succeeded in figuring out the following (it has her answers tacked onto the ends of the statements):

1. Leave Canada on the 21st to allow for weather related delays. OK

 

2. Land in Moscow and stay in hotel until morning of 24th.  Are we able to have a rep meet us and take us to our hotel? OK, I just got the updated price list for the services of our reps in Moscow , I attached it hereby.

 

3. Morning of the 24th fly to UFA .  Again, are we able to have someone take us from the hotel to the airport? Yes

 

4. Be picked up at airport by a driver and taken to meeting at MoE at 1pm. In Ufa our reps will meet you and take to MOE

 

5. After meeting have driver take us to orphanage. Our reps will go with you.

 

6. Stay the night of 24th with host family. Yes. From 24^th till early morning of 27^th

 

7. On the 25th, spend day at orphanage.  Is this when we have the DMP check out the child? You will have DMP on 24^th or on 25^th . Our reps will inform you once they meet you in Ufa .

 

8. Stay the night of the 25th with host family. Yes

 

9. Spend the 26th at the orphanage and stay the night with host family again. Yes

 

10. On the 27th, have a driver take us to Ufa and fly to Moscow early in the morning. Yes

 

11. Have a rep meet us at the airport and take us to the clinic for specialist appointments. Yes

 

12. Stay the night in a hotel in Moscow. Hotel has to be in downtown Moscoe. Please check with us the location before booking it

 

13. On the 28th, do we go to the clinic again? Yes

 

14. Stay the night in a hotel in Moscow.Yes

 

15. On the 29th, have a driver take us to the airport and fly to Canada ? Yes

 Wowza!
It took awhile but I nailed it down last night and got these confirmations.  Now we can look more seriously at booking flights and hotels because we have dates.  

We have also spent time getting the last half of the Russian fees in order and mailed off.  Mike, thankfully, tackled the opening of a USD bank account, getting and mailing the appropriate cheques and drafts.  CHOC then mails us back an amount that is to be signed over to their Rep in Ufa.  This is where some hostility erupted... I'm over it now but it was just one of those details that was obvious to me but not to him.  This, I told him, is why I get nervous relinquishing control of aspects to him.  He has also helped us secure dog care while we are gone (thanks to I&D or J!) and having someone clear our massive amounts of sidewalks if it snows while we are gone (thanks so much K!)

We will do our best to show all of our appreciation for everything!  I already felt so much joy telling all of our references the good news that they helped produce!  I also went shopping today to pick up gifts for our host family, translator, driver while in Russia.  Just cute items that transcend language barriers!

I also picked up birthday cards for those who celebrate while we are gone; Christmas gifts for the kids which need to be mailed before we leave; Covering my shifts at work, since I was supposed to work Christmas; and getting a doc appointment to renew my prescriptions that run out while we are away and ensuring that Mak has a place in his clientele when we return.

That is all as of now... (I feel like that last sentiment is a HUGE downplay on what the ALL is).

And while this is all going on, the play opens tomorrow night and I have five shows a week until four days before I stop work LOL!

Man, I love his chestnut eyes and sweet little mouth!  He WILL know how much excitement is drummed up around him!  Those efforts are another post for another day! 

Now that Most People Know...

Monday we were sent an email from CHOC that asked us to see how fast we could process travel visas because there was a feeling that there would be an offer soon, possibly for December 24th.  I was at work and I was completely floored!  NEVER did we expect to even 'possibly' hear this soon.  It has been five weeks since our papers were sent over to Russia!

I immediately jumped on to the visa applications and it turns out it takes 12 days to process.  I told CHOC and said I would await their call.  This is when CHOC tells me they won't be calling.  They have to offer a possible child to our provincial government first and then NS offers us the child.  Wheels started turning.  I asked if CHOC was able to tell me when they have forwarded an offer or even any of the details regarding the child.  CHOC tells me they are not able to tell me ANYTHING.  OK!  I start to buzz because how else would CHOC have a possible date and be encouraging us to fill out visas if there hasn't been an offer?  I now knew I wouldn't sleep...

Wednesday morning I'm at work on the phone with a food representative and my cell phone rings.  I see it is an unknown caller and know that Family Services always appears as unknown.  I immediately hung up on the rep and answered the cell.  It was the head of Family Services!!!

Lo and Behold!  We are being offered a boy!  He just turned two at the end of October.  The description we received is as follows:

The boy is active, emotional, sociable, he speaks by simple words, understands orders, can walk.

And the photo melted me. 

He has a name but if everything goes according to plan we will be Canadianizing it slightly when custody is official.  His name is Makerov Maxim.  Instantly I was enamoured with Makerov (I've always liked names with v's) and had shortened it to Mak.  I find out a few hours later that Russians often go by their middle names.  Too late.  He isn't a Max to us, he's a Mak.  We won't say the first name until we know we have custody but for now, Mak Miklos?  sounds awesome!

We have told people but still request no public postings until we have the date - which I now know will come on MONDAY!

This is so amazing and so wonderful.  It is hard to describe the emotions that I went through but I will give it a go -

I didn't react to the call the way I expected.  There was a not a blubbery mess of tears.  I was definitely and  obviously happy and excited but I am pretty sure I was in a state of shock for 36-ish hours.  I immediately called Mike and told him and then ran around the store telling everyone.  I even saw the teller from the bank who sold me the last bank draft for the Russian Consulate and I showed him the photo and hugged him (only to later think that might have been uncomfortable for him)!  I was told several times that I was visibly shaking and stayed that way all night and next day.  Mike and I were both pretty speechless sitting together that night.  We just kept asking 'are you alright' and then smiling.  Our minds were made up even though we had a doctor looking over the file we were pretty sure nothing was going to stop us from pursuing this boy.

Thursday started the same way Wednesday night ended - I was buzzing.  I started to tell friends and family (beyond the parents whom already knew now) and it wasn't until reading one response that the immense awesomeness of this situation hit me like a tonne of bricks!  There are two ways that I can best describe the feeling.  One is that it felt like I literally shed a second skin and that it was so heavy that the sudden lightness made me fall to the floor.  I had dropped to my knees and just started bawling and laughing.  The second way is that suddenly Mak became three dimensional.  Up to this moment he had been the picture and nothing more.  I had even stood in his room the previous night but couldn't see him there.  Now I could picture holding his hand, him coming down the stairs with me standing at the bottom, eating breakfast with him, him rocking in the chair with me... it was an endless flood of three-dimensional opportunity!

WOW!

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!

More to come when I know more too.  Monday, as soon as I have the date, my status will be updated for the world to see my joy!

Travel Visas

Now that the immigration forms are done until we have Kid's info I must miss filling out forms since I downloaded the guide to filling our online Visa applications.  Single Entry Business Visa is what we require once we have dates and destinations.  This guide is WAY smaller.  The only downside to this is having to list all of the countries traveled to in the last ten years.  Me?  I'm fine.  Mike on the other hand...

Every single deployment that crossed borders must be entered!  Have fun with that Mike! 

Boo Ya!

Finally got our Immigration approval!  Yeah!  I left work as soon as I could and got the money order for the Russian Consulate to authenticate the letter and mailed it all off!  That was officially the last bit of paperwork before our proposal could be made.  It makes sense that Russia can't offer us a child until they know we are doing this legally...

Success!

I finally got through to the ability to hold for next available operator.  I guess the trick is to have a client id.  I checked my status, even though I know it, because that allowed me to indicate that I was a client.  Then I selected to speak to an operator.  It then gave me the same recording but it didn't hang up after 10 seconds of elevator music!

I was able to ask what I'm supposed to do about the missing signature of someone we don't know and who won't be able to sign anyway and the missing background declaration.

The answer?

I'm supposed to sign Child Miklos.  Then write that on the background document and n/a for everything else on that form.

Wow.  That seemed a lot of hassle for a little writing.