Showing posts with label immigration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immigration. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Proud to be Canadian!
It's official! Dania is Canadian! We got the certificate in the mail yesterday and it was issued November 12! Only 4 days shy of 15 months of her landing on Canadian soil and she is now Canadian! I was so happy when I walked in the door and Mike said, "guess who is Canadain?!?!" She had no idea why I was making her hold the certificate and smile but she did it anyway and looks SO proud!
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Transition
A lot has happened and that is why it has taken so long to post again!
Firstly, I received a letter from Canadian Citizenship Services asking me to mail her actual permanent resident card as it gets sent back to immigration officials once citizenship is granted. This must mean I filled out the forms correctly! Yeah! It was definitely not a document asked for in the initial package (just a certified true copy) and if they are asking for it now, I would think that would mean they are ready to grant it but, just like an old passport, they can't have a legal document flitting around that could be misused. It is now in the self-addressed envelope (postage not paid with a fancy government prepaid stamp grrr) ready to be dropped in the mailbox.
We also had a followup eye appointment. This went okay. She def didn't want to sit still for the evaluations this time, probably because she can see all the cool stuff in the office now. We have some homework from them. I have the kids version of the letter eye charts (house, apple, circle, square) and I am to work on those with her at home while covering one side of her glasses at a time. The worry is that because her prescription is much stronger on the one side that she might only really be using one side to look at things. Basically, I have to first get her used to having one glasses lens covered and then work up to having naming lines on that eye chart. We go back in January for them to look at this specifically.
Halloween was an interesting experience for her. She had no idea what it all meant and won't remember it, but totally had fun knocking on doors and saying trick or treat. Daddy collected the candy for her so I don't even think she really understood that she was getting candy. She doesn't ask for it now with the bag sitting in Mike's office. She just liked that she could finally go touch all the pumpkins on everyone's porch!
She has now also transitioned into daycare one day a week! I really needed the day and I needed her to learn to be in a big group because she just shuts down if it is a group bigger than four or five kids. By shutting down I mean standing and staring, and not taking-it-all-in staring... zombie staring where she isn't focused on anything. It's obvious anxiety or feelings of some sort being stirred up from when she was in the orphanage and I want that worked out before she can go to preschool in 3-1/2 months! We got into one where she knows one boy (who will be moving up to preschool at the end of this month so he can't become a crutch) to help her out and she clearly was happy about that!
We did a transition week where I stayed with her the first day and we played for 2 hours. She took in the room and the kids and was clingy but she definitely wanted to participate.
The second day I stayed for an hour and then left here there for 2. She cried a lot. I could tell when I picked her up that she'd been crying (she is going to be an ugly crier. Instant red blotches and super puffed up eyes). I guess she had kept saying, "I need Mama!" Heartbreaker!
Day three had me dropping her and leaving right away and her staying for lunch. The ladies told me she cried for a little at the beginning but then settled in and participated in the crafts and stories. Got a little sad outside because they think she thought she was going home when they got her dressed for outdoors, but she cheered up and ran around. Then she ate a good bowl of quinoa and many handfuls of grapes. She was very excited to see me and we have now worked out that when she gets said and says, "no Mama go," that I ask her if Mama comes back, to which she responds, "yeeeaaaaa," in a sad voice. Hahaha! I also noticed that she has started to ride her scoot-around at home by standing on the back wheel rod and holding the handlebars and kicking with her one leg so it is more like a scooter. I noticed that a lot of the kids do this on the playground so she obviously took that to heart!
Day four she cried for about 5 minutes when I left her and then was fine. She stayed for nap this day too. They said she got upset when she woke up, understandable though since she's never waken up here before! I picked her up shortly after nap time was done and she was quite gibberish-full on the way home!
The last transition day, her first full day, they said she cried for about 30 seconds and then had a great day. She did art and participated in the stories, napped, ate some lunch (good to hear that it's not just us that she doesn't want to eat her whole meal for!), and had a great time. She is definitely more vocal since this week (screeching! grrrr) but my hope was that it helps her speech develop and I think that will come very quickly for her. My other hope is that it helps her stick up for herself and become more assertive. Right now, she lets herself have her toys taken from her, gives up her places in line on playground equipment (even if she is sitting at the top of the slide she will move if she sees another kid is halfway up the ladder) and her turn in games. She lets herself be pushed and doesn't say anything and I don't like that. I don't want her to turn into a mean kid, I just want her to know that everyone gets a turn equally and that includes her!
She is singing a lot more and even making up her own songs. She's starting to get into jigsaw-style puzzles. She is still pretty combative with me over anything that sounds remotely like me trying to get her to speak properly, but is also picking up on my emotions and becoming sympathetic to moods other than sad and crying. She is getting her colours down and definitely has all her letters now. Getting much better at telling us when she has to go to the bathroom. She is a lot of fun and still makes me smile every morning when she says, "hi Mama!"
Firstly, I received a letter from Canadian Citizenship Services asking me to mail her actual permanent resident card as it gets sent back to immigration officials once citizenship is granted. This must mean I filled out the forms correctly! Yeah! It was definitely not a document asked for in the initial package (just a certified true copy) and if they are asking for it now, I would think that would mean they are ready to grant it but, just like an old passport, they can't have a legal document flitting around that could be misused. It is now in the self-addressed envelope (postage not paid with a fancy government prepaid stamp grrr) ready to be dropped in the mailbox.
We also had a followup eye appointment. This went okay. She def didn't want to sit still for the evaluations this time, probably because she can see all the cool stuff in the office now. We have some homework from them. I have the kids version of the letter eye charts (house, apple, circle, square) and I am to work on those with her at home while covering one side of her glasses at a time. The worry is that because her prescription is much stronger on the one side that she might only really be using one side to look at things. Basically, I have to first get her used to having one glasses lens covered and then work up to having naming lines on that eye chart. We go back in January for them to look at this specifically.
Halloween was an interesting experience for her. She had no idea what it all meant and won't remember it, but totally had fun knocking on doors and saying trick or treat. Daddy collected the candy for her so I don't even think she really understood that she was getting candy. She doesn't ask for it now with the bag sitting in Mike's office. She just liked that she could finally go touch all the pumpkins on everyone's porch!
She has now also transitioned into daycare one day a week! I really needed the day and I needed her to learn to be in a big group because she just shuts down if it is a group bigger than four or five kids. By shutting down I mean standing and staring, and not taking-it-all-in staring... zombie staring where she isn't focused on anything. It's obvious anxiety or feelings of some sort being stirred up from when she was in the orphanage and I want that worked out before she can go to preschool in 3-1/2 months! We got into one where she knows one boy (who will be moving up to preschool at the end of this month so he can't become a crutch) to help her out and she clearly was happy about that!
We did a transition week where I stayed with her the first day and we played for 2 hours. She took in the room and the kids and was clingy but she definitely wanted to participate.
The second day I stayed for an hour and then left here there for 2. She cried a lot. I could tell when I picked her up that she'd been crying (she is going to be an ugly crier. Instant red blotches and super puffed up eyes). I guess she had kept saying, "I need Mama!" Heartbreaker!
Day three had me dropping her and leaving right away and her staying for lunch. The ladies told me she cried for a little at the beginning but then settled in and participated in the crafts and stories. Got a little sad outside because they think she thought she was going home when they got her dressed for outdoors, but she cheered up and ran around. Then she ate a good bowl of quinoa and many handfuls of grapes. She was very excited to see me and we have now worked out that when she gets said and says, "no Mama go," that I ask her if Mama comes back, to which she responds, "yeeeaaaaa," in a sad voice. Hahaha! I also noticed that she has started to ride her scoot-around at home by standing on the back wheel rod and holding the handlebars and kicking with her one leg so it is more like a scooter. I noticed that a lot of the kids do this on the playground so she obviously took that to heart!
Day four she cried for about 5 minutes when I left her and then was fine. She stayed for nap this day too. They said she got upset when she woke up, understandable though since she's never waken up here before! I picked her up shortly after nap time was done and she was quite gibberish-full on the way home!
The last transition day, her first full day, they said she cried for about 30 seconds and then had a great day. She did art and participated in the stories, napped, ate some lunch (good to hear that it's not just us that she doesn't want to eat her whole meal for!), and had a great time. She is definitely more vocal since this week (screeching! grrrr) but my hope was that it helps her speech develop and I think that will come very quickly for her. My other hope is that it helps her stick up for herself and become more assertive. Right now, she lets herself have her toys taken from her, gives up her places in line on playground equipment (even if she is sitting at the top of the slide she will move if she sees another kid is halfway up the ladder) and her turn in games. She lets herself be pushed and doesn't say anything and I don't like that. I don't want her to turn into a mean kid, I just want her to know that everyone gets a turn equally and that includes her!
She is singing a lot more and even making up her own songs. She's starting to get into jigsaw-style puzzles. She is still pretty combative with me over anything that sounds remotely like me trying to get her to speak properly, but is also picking up on my emotions and becoming sympathetic to moods other than sad and crying. She is getting her colours down and definitely has all her letters now. Getting much better at telling us when she has to go to the bathroom. She is a lot of fun and still makes me smile every morning when she says, "hi Mama!"
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Last Big Step
Today, we got the certified true copies for her citizenship application!!! I will mail the whole package tomorrow morning. I have added sticky notes to every page indicating what it's intended use is. I also included 3 different head shots to choose from (2 of each, of course) and 2 different copies of my receipt of fee payment (1 filled out, one not... I had entered my address and such online but nothing printed out on the receipt except my name and all the blanks are there so I filled one out and included another fresh off the press). I'm so paranoid about it being sent back after the back and forth I played with Immigration to get the approval letter to be foreign adopted parents! My biggest concern with this is they will not like the affadavit of the translator because it is at the bottom of each translated page and because the photocopy is slightly skewed the bottom of the last sentence is cut off... still don't even have to guess at what it says, just literally showing two thirds of the letters. I also worry that it will be a problem when I've included 1 certified true copy of a document that is to be used for both official forms (the proof of adopted parents' citizenship and the grant of a minor [adopted] citizenship), for example, the proof of guardianship via the adoption certificate; there is 1 copy to be used for both forms. I hope, hope, hope that everything is okay so we don't keep sending things back and forth.
The lady at the courthouse doing the certified true copies today was a hoot and totally enamoured with Dania. She looked at the first copy and said, "well, I didn't expect I'd be reading Russian today!" and then asked about everything as she stamped and signed all my papers. She also way undercharged me which I totally appreciate. A few pages were stapled together (translations and document) and should have counted as 2 copies each but she only counted them as 1. She was still shocked at the total being $90 but I laughed and said while we were sending Russia documents, it was $60 a document for translation and certification as opposed to $13.50, so I was happy with that total!
So, now I have a brown paper package on the dining table that is to be sent tomorrow morning! YEAH!!!!
On different notes, Dania had some good strides in the clingy department where she slept at Mima's house here without Mama and Daddy putting her to bed or being there when she woke up. She did great! All in prep for Mike leaving again and me being in a wedding in August so she will be staying there again. She has also been doing really well with trying the b and p sounds as not initial sounds. She is saying 'maybe' and 'up' all the time now. She even said 'Rob' when pointing to our friend Rob. I have been so impressed. She is clearly watching our mouths closely still... but must be practicing in secret in all the mirrors in her room hahahaha. She has even been holding her hands on her lips when trying to say 'Big Bird' because I pinch mine together with my hands to show her. What a kid.
We are also about to embark on a trip to Ontario and my favourite place in the world - The Cottage. So many childhood memories so I hope to start creating them for her - tomorrow!
The lady at the courthouse doing the certified true copies today was a hoot and totally enamoured with Dania. She looked at the first copy and said, "well, I didn't expect I'd be reading Russian today!" and then asked about everything as she stamped and signed all my papers. She also way undercharged me which I totally appreciate. A few pages were stapled together (translations and document) and should have counted as 2 copies each but she only counted them as 1. She was still shocked at the total being $90 but I laughed and said while we were sending Russia documents, it was $60 a document for translation and certification as opposed to $13.50, so I was happy with that total!
So, now I have a brown paper package on the dining table that is to be sent tomorrow morning! YEAH!!!!
On different notes, Dania had some good strides in the clingy department where she slept at Mima's house here without Mama and Daddy putting her to bed or being there when she woke up. She did great! All in prep for Mike leaving again and me being in a wedding in August so she will be staying there again. She has also been doing really well with trying the b and p sounds as not initial sounds. She is saying 'maybe' and 'up' all the time now. She even said 'Rob' when pointing to our friend Rob. I have been so impressed. She is clearly watching our mouths closely still... but must be practicing in secret in all the mirrors in her room hahahaha. She has even been holding her hands on her lips when trying to say 'Big Bird' because I pinch mine together with my hands to show her. What a kid.
We are also about to embark on a trip to Ontario and my favourite place in the world - The Cottage. So many childhood memories so I hope to start creating them for her - tomorrow!
Love these 1-year-later shots. Thanks again to Jenine at Blue Vine Photography!
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Mother's Day and 1 Year
March had us beginning our long stretch of annual celebrations. The next stretch of dates is May 11: 1 year from when we left for Russia the first time, May 13: 1 year to when we met her, May 17: 1 year from submitting our official paperwork for court, and May 19: 1 year from the end of our first trip. Yeah!!!!
How did I celebrate? I got her photo taken for her citizenship application! Yeah! Hopefully that whole package can be mailed off shortly. Have to double check everything and pay the fees and then as long as everything is good to go, she will be Canadian officially!
We had dinner with our new friends who also adopted from Russia. Dania was much more talkative this time around. She really took a shine to their middle son, aged 7 or 8, and is so happy she can say I's name! We got to watch their video they made of her trip and look through the photo book they made. The city they adopted through, Kazan, was sooooo different from Sterlitimak. It was a big city and had touristy spots and lots to see. It was okay for them to stay in a hotel and go out on their own hahaha. Such a different experience that way!
We have had our 6-month followup visit to the eye doctor and now he isn't happy with how her muscles have failed to develop with her. She is definitely nearsighted now. She is worse in the right eye. He had thought it was slight enough before that it would grow with her, but I guess not. It's funny because I feel like she has fine eyesight now... she sees things far away (like the book the lady reads to the group at the library) and doesn't lean in as close to books now. He referred us to the kids hospital (again) so we now await an appointment with their eye doctors. At least she won't need a barrage of blood work for this! I did forget to submit her requisition at her surgery to double check for rubella and chicken pox vaccinations, and I've been waiting for a reason to go back to the hospital to get it done... eye appointment is a PERFECT reason.
We are also going to be seeing the speech pathologist every 3 to 4 weeks now. We go again next week. We shall see what happens now. We are very much working on getting her to blow with her mouth (working with bubbles, harmonicas, noise makers) and the 'B' sound. I am curious if it is someone else doing these activities with her if she will be less frustrated; she should benefit from your classic student-teacher relationship.
On top of it all, we just had our first week of big change with Mike back at work. It went okay. I need to learn to relax a bit more. I see a mess and if I can't clean it right away I start to get upset. For example, Leia was sick on the floor and I had to let it sit there until I could ensure Dania was happy and distracted and Leia was okay. It sat there for about 45 minutes before I could get to it to clean it thoroughly. GUH! I just feel very hurried when it comes to anything not Dania related. All my time with her though? HILARIOUS! She wants to be outside as much as possible and I am SO okay with that. I love heading out right after breakfast and playing in the sun. I've been on a few stroller walks with her too (thanks again to everyone who helped gift us that gem!) Last year I didn't get to go on really long walks but she is okay with it now for sure! As long as cars pass us every once in awhile lol! She gibbers away about everything, reads to herself aloud now, tries to sing, pretends to be the dog in more ways than I like, and makes me laugh and feel soooo happy to see the light in those brown eyes.
Oh! We got her ears pierced! I was sick of her being called a boy (even with the frilly red coat with the butterfly broach). I had thought about after seeing a friend's cute pictures of her daughter. The extra sparkle was just adorable with the round face and cheeks. I mentioned it to Mike and we went the next day. She sat there quietly and suspiciously while the lady marked her lobes. They kept commenting on how small and dainty her features were. I had never noticed before, but she doesn't have a lot of lobe! Mike sat on the chair and held Dania on his lap while the ladies lined up the piercing guns. 1...2...3 BANG! Done. She gasped, did the silent cry while tears welled, let out the cry, I picked her up, they showed her a bucket of lollipops and she was done crying. It was about 6 seconds of crying in total. She then kept pointing to her ears and then to mine. I really think she understood what had just happened. I take mine out every night so sometimes in the morning I don't have them in and she will point out the difference, but all in all, she is so fine with it that I'm not even worried about infection from hand transfer. She did take one out while refusing to go down for a nap. These are the standard piercing studs that snap into place so she must have pulled HARD! I woke her up and she pointed to her lobe and said "OOOWWwwwwWWWW." Right away I knew where to look, the window ledge. Sure enough, both pieces were on the floor by the window ledge. She likes to stand and look out her window while she poops or is anti-sleep. She was a little pissed about having it put back in but that, so far, was the only bad instance of her handling them. The lady had mentioned they can get pinched too tight and I'm wondering if she did that and then counteracted... she just looks so cute!!!
Oh, also, she is shooting up in height again. She has grown almost 2 inches since her birthday! That's almost an inch a month! GIANT!
How did I celebrate? I got her photo taken for her citizenship application! Yeah! Hopefully that whole package can be mailed off shortly. Have to double check everything and pay the fees and then as long as everything is good to go, she will be Canadian officially!
We had dinner with our new friends who also adopted from Russia. Dania was much more talkative this time around. She really took a shine to their middle son, aged 7 or 8, and is so happy she can say I's name! We got to watch their video they made of her trip and look through the photo book they made. The city they adopted through, Kazan, was sooooo different from Sterlitimak. It was a big city and had touristy spots and lots to see. It was okay for them to stay in a hotel and go out on their own hahaha. Such a different experience that way!
We have had our 6-month followup visit to the eye doctor and now he isn't happy with how her muscles have failed to develop with her. She is definitely nearsighted now. She is worse in the right eye. He had thought it was slight enough before that it would grow with her, but I guess not. It's funny because I feel like she has fine eyesight now... she sees things far away (like the book the lady reads to the group at the library) and doesn't lean in as close to books now. He referred us to the kids hospital (again) so we now await an appointment with their eye doctors. At least she won't need a barrage of blood work for this! I did forget to submit her requisition at her surgery to double check for rubella and chicken pox vaccinations, and I've been waiting for a reason to go back to the hospital to get it done... eye appointment is a PERFECT reason.
We are also going to be seeing the speech pathologist every 3 to 4 weeks now. We go again next week. We shall see what happens now. We are very much working on getting her to blow with her mouth (working with bubbles, harmonicas, noise makers) and the 'B' sound. I am curious if it is someone else doing these activities with her if she will be less frustrated; she should benefit from your classic student-teacher relationship.
On top of it all, we just had our first week of big change with Mike back at work. It went okay. I need to learn to relax a bit more. I see a mess and if I can't clean it right away I start to get upset. For example, Leia was sick on the floor and I had to let it sit there until I could ensure Dania was happy and distracted and Leia was okay. It sat there for about 45 minutes before I could get to it to clean it thoroughly. GUH! I just feel very hurried when it comes to anything not Dania related. All my time with her though? HILARIOUS! She wants to be outside as much as possible and I am SO okay with that. I love heading out right after breakfast and playing in the sun. I've been on a few stroller walks with her too (thanks again to everyone who helped gift us that gem!) Last year I didn't get to go on really long walks but she is okay with it now for sure! As long as cars pass us every once in awhile lol! She gibbers away about everything, reads to herself aloud now, tries to sing, pretends to be the dog in more ways than I like, and makes me laugh and feel soooo happy to see the light in those brown eyes.
Oh! We got her ears pierced! I was sick of her being called a boy (even with the frilly red coat with the butterfly broach). I had thought about after seeing a friend's cute pictures of her daughter. The extra sparkle was just adorable with the round face and cheeks. I mentioned it to Mike and we went the next day. She sat there quietly and suspiciously while the lady marked her lobes. They kept commenting on how small and dainty her features were. I had never noticed before, but she doesn't have a lot of lobe! Mike sat on the chair and held Dania on his lap while the ladies lined up the piercing guns. 1...2...3 BANG! Done. She gasped, did the silent cry while tears welled, let out the cry, I picked her up, they showed her a bucket of lollipops and she was done crying. It was about 6 seconds of crying in total. She then kept pointing to her ears and then to mine. I really think she understood what had just happened. I take mine out every night so sometimes in the morning I don't have them in and she will point out the difference, but all in all, she is so fine with it that I'm not even worried about infection from hand transfer. She did take one out while refusing to go down for a nap. These are the standard piercing studs that snap into place so she must have pulled HARD! I woke her up and she pointed to her lobe and said "OOOWWwwwwWWWW." Right away I knew where to look, the window ledge. Sure enough, both pieces were on the floor by the window ledge. She likes to stand and look out her window while she poops or is anti-sleep. She was a little pissed about having it put back in but that, so far, was the only bad instance of her handling them. The lady had mentioned they can get pinched too tight and I'm wondering if she did that and then counteracted... she just looks so cute!!!
Oh, also, she is shooting up in height again. She has grown almost 2 inches since her birthday! That's almost an inch a month! GIANT!
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Busy, Busy, Busy
Yes, I would have liked to type sooner but life (OLYMPICS!!!) got in the way! I also type for my job so, sometimes I just want to hide the keyboard!
First and foremost, Dania is completely healed. She came through that like a complete trooper. The followup with the surgeon was great and he was very happy with how the closure looked. She definitely doesn't have as much food out the nose while eating, that's the biggest change, but she also has been trying to talk a whole lot more. She isn't necessarily making the different sounds that she couldn't before but she is watching my mouth again (I hadn't really realized that had stopped) and she is repeating syllables. She really, really wants to talk. She will need to do a lot of work still. Really, with English, she is only 9 months old.
She also turned 2 last month!!! What an exciting day! I made two cakes, one for her first birthday and one for her second, and we had a little shindig. I know she was overwhelmed with the amount of people. She hung around my legs and wanted to be held a lot while people were arriving and then she stayed quiet and kind of just bounced from person to person. I had asked that if people wanted to bring gifts that they bring books because she loves them so much. I had asked people to think of their fav kids' books or ones their kids enjoyed and to pass on the fun. She has spent so many hours going through all of them over and over again ever since the party!
What I am working on with her is trying to get her to finish the sentences in the books I am reading to her. Kids' books are so repetitive and she definitely knows what is coming next but she doesn't quite grasp this concept. She will follow along with me and then if I leave a blank she stares at me and taps her collar bone because my first strategy was pointing at her hahaha! She will repeat it after me but just isn't quite there yet. The speech pathologist said to make sure we follow her lead in the books and not to force the story to progress how it always goes... which is what we've been doing with the Grover book. She knows what page she wants and what words she wants to hear!
She has developed her temper and her demands of us are growing in volume too. She is thankfully not pulling her hair out anymore when she gets angry... she just slams the floor or tries to hit us. She finally had a tantrum in front of friends so that people can believe me when I say she is feisty and can be very difficult! She is always so complacent in front of people and she did give me a black eye in one of her fits, but having eye-witnesses felt good! hahaha! We try very hard to curb her hitting and we give her options but if she is not happy with those options we do not bend over backwards to change anything.
She is also sleeping in a big bed now - I say as she is currently walking around in her room instead of sleeping - and she usually goes to bed much quicker now. She does not always have a nap, but we give her quiet time and she just plays in her room. I have also developed a theory that she goes crazy around full moon time...she must have Russian werewolf inside her.
I just checked and the full moon is tomorrow hahaha!
On the administrative side of things, I got her a SIN card so we can set up an RESP for her and so that I had another piece of government issued identification for her citizenship application. I have it filled out, just needed the extra ID and a new picture to send with it.
She continues to amaze me, make me giggle, and frustrate the hell out of me on a daily basis and it is the best.
First and foremost, Dania is completely healed. She came through that like a complete trooper. The followup with the surgeon was great and he was very happy with how the closure looked. She definitely doesn't have as much food out the nose while eating, that's the biggest change, but she also has been trying to talk a whole lot more. She isn't necessarily making the different sounds that she couldn't before but she is watching my mouth again (I hadn't really realized that had stopped) and she is repeating syllables. She really, really wants to talk. She will need to do a lot of work still. Really, with English, she is only 9 months old.
She also turned 2 last month!!! What an exciting day! I made two cakes, one for her first birthday and one for her second, and we had a little shindig. I know she was overwhelmed with the amount of people. She hung around my legs and wanted to be held a lot while people were arriving and then she stayed quiet and kind of just bounced from person to person. I had asked that if people wanted to bring gifts that they bring books because she loves them so much. I had asked people to think of their fav kids' books or ones their kids enjoyed and to pass on the fun. She has spent so many hours going through all of them over and over again ever since the party!
What I am working on with her is trying to get her to finish the sentences in the books I am reading to her. Kids' books are so repetitive and she definitely knows what is coming next but she doesn't quite grasp this concept. She will follow along with me and then if I leave a blank she stares at me and taps her collar bone because my first strategy was pointing at her hahaha! She will repeat it after me but just isn't quite there yet. The speech pathologist said to make sure we follow her lead in the books and not to force the story to progress how it always goes... which is what we've been doing with the Grover book. She knows what page she wants and what words she wants to hear!
She has developed her temper and her demands of us are growing in volume too. She is thankfully not pulling her hair out anymore when she gets angry... she just slams the floor or tries to hit us. She finally had a tantrum in front of friends so that people can believe me when I say she is feisty and can be very difficult! She is always so complacent in front of people and she did give me a black eye in one of her fits, but having eye-witnesses felt good! hahaha! We try very hard to curb her hitting and we give her options but if she is not happy with those options we do not bend over backwards to change anything.
She is also sleeping in a big bed now - I say as she is currently walking around in her room instead of sleeping - and she usually goes to bed much quicker now. She does not always have a nap, but we give her quiet time and she just plays in her room. I have also developed a theory that she goes crazy around full moon time...she must have Russian werewolf inside her.
I just checked and the full moon is tomorrow hahaha!
On the administrative side of things, I got her a SIN card so we can set up an RESP for her and so that I had another piece of government issued identification for her citizenship application. I have it filled out, just needed the extra ID and a new picture to send with it.
She continues to amaze me, make me giggle, and frustrate the hell out of me on a daily basis and it is the best.
Friday, December 13, 2013
All of the Appointments!
It has been a crazy busy time right now. First of all, we had her hearing tested, which was inconclusive due to the amount of fluid in her ears. Then we went to the family doctor to see if she had an ear infection. Also inconclusive due to the amount of wax, nonocclusive though. She did burst into tears upon seeing her doctor who, up to this point, has only given her needles... sorry kid! A week later, we return to the doctor for her flu shot! She got over it much quicker this time.
We also received her permanent resident card finally! Yeah!!!! Now, at any time before she is 18, we can apply for her citizenship!
We also had first hair cut, first snow fall, visit from Gramma Mary, and many other antics!
Then we did the big visit to the cleft palate clinic at the children's hospital here. We met some really nice parents of kids who have been attending the clinics for longer than us and have assured us that this really is the best clinic. They had to travel to other provinces for a few surgeries and were grateful that this hospital was their home base for everything. The team of employees we met were very, very nice and informative. It was a heck of a lot of information thrown at us in a few hours (still much longer than I had anticipated and Dania did wonderfully being trucked around from office to office and only getting cranky at the very end!). The cleft palate coordinator and head nurse met us first and went over standard protocol of who we would meet and who might be in our future. We didn't need to meet with their speech pathologist or pediatrician because we had prior appointments with them outside the clinic and nothing has changed. That probably saved us 2 hours of time! They talked about preparation and recovery procedures. A lot of prep had to do with weening kids off of bottles, soothers, sucky things that can pop the incisions - we are ahead of the game there! Then the recovery had to do with the possibility of bracing the arms so the kids can't get their fingers at the incisions, how to eat, and how to clean and care for the wounds properly. Then we were sent to the ear surgeon and met with him and his nurse. They looked in her ear, confirmed the presence of fluid still, and said that she probably always has a build up of it because it cannot drain properly. He showed us the tubes and how they would be inserted during the main operation. They will stay in for a year and we will reevaluate at that time, and after hearing testing post operation, if he needs to intervene further. There was a lot of post tube care that seems different from when I had tubes, but nothing drastic. She didn't mind him poking around in her ears and was very good. Overall, the big question of whether or not she has ever heard us correctly (due to constantly present fluid) has been raised. We may sound a whole lot clearer post surgery ie. M and B or G and K not sounding the same.
We then had to go back to the shared surgery section and be directed to the oral maxillofacial surgeon. He and his resident were so nice and gentle. She was cranky at this point, hungry and thirsty too, and she has never liked people poking in her mouth - I assume it is because she has always had that! My nose started gushing blood due to dryness and I got over a sink only to discover the tap didn't work. Mike had to find someone to show them so it could get cleaned up... well, that resulted in me being heavily questioned and I kept insisting it was just dry nose and I only wanted to ensure the blood got cleaned up! Afterward, we started playing a game with Dania. The crush-up-tissue-and-throw-it-out game while we waited and waited. When the surgeons came in it was actually pretty quick. They both looked in her mouth and she semi-cooperated. She didn't bit the mirror in half, at least! The main surgeon then drew up some diagrams for us and I now have an even better understanding of what will happen. He says he can do it all in one surgery since her jaw isn't too wide and he wants to get it done before she is 2. She turns two in two months and a week! I asked if this could happen in January. He seemed to imply that he just had plans change with a different client so there is a distinct possibility that that could happen (next month! holy smokes!) but if not, this winter for sure. Wow! Now I'm nervous! The procedure will be: we come in the day before for prep, go home and come in first thing the next morning with her having fasted. The actual surgery is 1.5-2 hours and, if all goes smoothly, 2 days in recovery. The first day with strictly IV food, the next day and the next 3 weeks will be soft food only. We will stay with her in a private room and decide if we need the arm braces. They look to be fun fabric covered bamboo place mats that tie around the elbow so kids cannot bend the hand to the mouth but can still use their arms for arm-length play.
Now, we wait for a call, probably next week, with the proposed date!
Wow! All of that, my play going on (3 more shows to perform as of this moment!), my last two weeks of my course, AND Christmas!
I'm tired hahaha. Now, hopefully, you can understand why I had almost a month gap in between blog entries! Sorry and thanks to those of you who still follow! xoxo
We also received her permanent resident card finally! Yeah!!!! Now, at any time before she is 18, we can apply for her citizenship!
We also had first hair cut, first snow fall, visit from Gramma Mary, and many other antics!
Then we did the big visit to the cleft palate clinic at the children's hospital here. We met some really nice parents of kids who have been attending the clinics for longer than us and have assured us that this really is the best clinic. They had to travel to other provinces for a few surgeries and were grateful that this hospital was their home base for everything. The team of employees we met were very, very nice and informative. It was a heck of a lot of information thrown at us in a few hours (still much longer than I had anticipated and Dania did wonderfully being trucked around from office to office and only getting cranky at the very end!). The cleft palate coordinator and head nurse met us first and went over standard protocol of who we would meet and who might be in our future. We didn't need to meet with their speech pathologist or pediatrician because we had prior appointments with them outside the clinic and nothing has changed. That probably saved us 2 hours of time! They talked about preparation and recovery procedures. A lot of prep had to do with weening kids off of bottles, soothers, sucky things that can pop the incisions - we are ahead of the game there! Then the recovery had to do with the possibility of bracing the arms so the kids can't get their fingers at the incisions, how to eat, and how to clean and care for the wounds properly. Then we were sent to the ear surgeon and met with him and his nurse. They looked in her ear, confirmed the presence of fluid still, and said that she probably always has a build up of it because it cannot drain properly. He showed us the tubes and how they would be inserted during the main operation. They will stay in for a year and we will reevaluate at that time, and after hearing testing post operation, if he needs to intervene further. There was a lot of post tube care that seems different from when I had tubes, but nothing drastic. She didn't mind him poking around in her ears and was very good. Overall, the big question of whether or not she has ever heard us correctly (due to constantly present fluid) has been raised. We may sound a whole lot clearer post surgery ie. M and B or G and K not sounding the same.
We then had to go back to the shared surgery section and be directed to the oral maxillofacial surgeon. He and his resident were so nice and gentle. She was cranky at this point, hungry and thirsty too, and she has never liked people poking in her mouth - I assume it is because she has always had that! My nose started gushing blood due to dryness and I got over a sink only to discover the tap didn't work. Mike had to find someone to show them so it could get cleaned up... well, that resulted in me being heavily questioned and I kept insisting it was just dry nose and I only wanted to ensure the blood got cleaned up! Afterward, we started playing a game with Dania. The crush-up-tissue-and-throw-it-out game while we waited and waited. When the surgeons came in it was actually pretty quick. They both looked in her mouth and she semi-cooperated. She didn't bit the mirror in half, at least! The main surgeon then drew up some diagrams for us and I now have an even better understanding of what will happen. He says he can do it all in one surgery since her jaw isn't too wide and he wants to get it done before she is 2. She turns two in two months and a week! I asked if this could happen in January. He seemed to imply that he just had plans change with a different client so there is a distinct possibility that that could happen (next month! holy smokes!) but if not, this winter for sure. Wow! Now I'm nervous! The procedure will be: we come in the day before for prep, go home and come in first thing the next morning with her having fasted. The actual surgery is 1.5-2 hours and, if all goes smoothly, 2 days in recovery. The first day with strictly IV food, the next day and the next 3 weeks will be soft food only. We will stay with her in a private room and decide if we need the arm braces. They look to be fun fabric covered bamboo place mats that tie around the elbow so kids cannot bend the hand to the mouth but can still use their arms for arm-length play.
Now, we wait for a call, probably next week, with the proposed date!
Wow! All of that, my play going on (3 more shows to perform as of this moment!), my last two weeks of my course, AND Christmas!
I'm tired hahaha. Now, hopefully, you can understand why I had almost a month gap in between blog entries! Sorry and thanks to those of you who still follow! xoxo
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Eyes and Hair
This week started with the visit to the eye doctor again. We had to use the dilating drops and I had put one in my eye the night before to see how much they 'sting,' (as the pharmacist informed me they would). They sting a bit but they didn't seem to bother her. As I have previously stated, she likes water being pored on her face. The first round of drops went in with ease. We held her down and held open each eye and dropped in one drop. The second round, five minutes later, had her crying and I think it was because of us forcing her eyes open. Once the drops were in, she was fine. Even when I knew the drops must have made her vision blurry, she was playing happily with her train. She wore her sunglasses in the car the whole time and was a star at the clinic. The doctor said Dania's eyes are much better than he had thought! No glasses needed... I admit, I am a little sad about that. She would have been so cute with glasses. We have to go back in six months just to ensure her muscles continue to develop appropriately.
I also had my hairdresser take a look at her hair. It is growing in top-heavy and I wanted to know if it was worth it to shape it and if that would bring out the curls more. After she was cooed over by a lot of the ladies at the salon, my hairdresser said she would definitely bring her in to shape it in a few more weeks. She was taken by how long and thick the hair from the top of her head is compared to the rest.
We also had her permanent resident card photograph rejected so we had to take that again. I did it at the shoppers myself so I know it is the correct size. The one we sent before was the one from Russia and her face was a centimeter too big. We will mail this back tomorrow and THEN we should get her card! Finally!
I also have to relate the tale from Sunday night prebedtime... We were at our friends' place for boardgames and I had been saying she is a different kid now since Ontario. Much more playful. As soon as the bath was done and they two little ones were in their jammies, Dania began spinning and acting silly. Well, this was new for E and he seemed to like it. He climbed up onto the couch and I had to help Dani up and then E started mimicking her! Well, this was the most hilarious thing ever to her! She was squealing and giggling and doing different things for him to copy. Erik seemed to like all of this too and even laughed himself right off the couch! I cannot explain how much it warms my heart to see Dania play this way. She was always so quiet and self-sustaining in her actions, as we noted at the orphanage, but now she enjoys interacting with other kids with imagination and delight! I LOVE it!
I also had my hairdresser take a look at her hair. It is growing in top-heavy and I wanted to know if it was worth it to shape it and if that would bring out the curls more. After she was cooed over by a lot of the ladies at the salon, my hairdresser said she would definitely bring her in to shape it in a few more weeks. She was taken by how long and thick the hair from the top of her head is compared to the rest.
We also had her permanent resident card photograph rejected so we had to take that again. I did it at the shoppers myself so I know it is the correct size. The one we sent before was the one from Russia and her face was a centimeter too big. We will mail this back tomorrow and THEN we should get her card! Finally!
I also have to relate the tale from Sunday night prebedtime... We were at our friends' place for boardgames and I had been saying she is a different kid now since Ontario. Much more playful. As soon as the bath was done and they two little ones were in their jammies, Dania began spinning and acting silly. Well, this was new for E and he seemed to like it. He climbed up onto the couch and I had to help Dani up and then E started mimicking her! Well, this was the most hilarious thing ever to her! She was squealing and giggling and doing different things for him to copy. Erik seemed to like all of this too and even laughed himself right off the couch! I cannot explain how much it warms my heart to see Dania play this way. She was always so quiet and self-sustaining in her actions, as we noted at the orphanage, but now she enjoys interacting with other kids with imagination and delight! I LOVE it!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
7 Nights and 7 Days
Well, it has been a whole week since landing in Canada. What a flipping great week!
After getting over the sickness, we have a rough routine that we follow. I say rough because she still will need more sleep sometimes. Her train is her favourite toy and she plays with that nonstop. She likes to 'dance' to the music it plays. She also has been meeting new people, experiences, food each day and taking it all in good stride. She has only one 'big' new event each day, or every other day, and she has been enjoying it. Sometimes, she takes it all quietly and just watches, but other times she will just walk right up to the person and babble.
After visiting our neighbours' kiddy pool I realized she must miss little kids. She crawled right over to J, our neighbours' little guy, and started interacting. She also watched our other friends' little guy when he came over and rode her train all over the place. The next day she started getting on it on her own and can almost maneuver it around - her legs are just a tiny bit too short. She does seem to be overwhelmed a little when parting from the kids, but she is such a remarkable kid that she continues to impress me with her resilience and acceptance.
She keeps trying new food and simply spits out what she doesn't like or what she cannot chew properly. She likes steak, oatmeal, yogurt, and soups. She does try to eat a lot with her hands now, which is so great, but she also needs to learn to put her cup down after she drinks instead of pitching it over the side! hahaha!
I crocheted her a little hat that is similar to the ones she wore in the baby home, and it's so cute. That's my one self-promote thing this entry!
I made her a photo-book about her journey to us. Only her part as opposed to the many years before her. This will go in a box I am compiling of her experience. A memory box to show we appreciate her beginnings to us. I will also put copies of what is not 'confidential' documentation. We had to copy all of the documents we brought home, the certificates, the court decree, the application for adoption...everything, and will send it to CHOC next week to close our file!!! CLOSED! Other than post-placement reports (at 6 months, 1 year, 2 and 3 years), we do not have to deal with the agency anymore. That seems crazy!
We also applied for her provincial health care card. We can do that because we have declared her a permanent resident as of right now. She will receive her permanent resident card in a few weeks and we will be able to apply for the actual card as opposed to just the number and papers that we have now. When we receive that card I will also start the next steps in the immigration process. I am going to call them (now that I have a file number and can get through!) to clarify if I need to resend the forms we already filled out because we didn't have any specific information for her at that time and she was just Child Miklos Bathurst. I hope not because it's just more chances for it to be mailed back for silly reasons like no signature from my 18-month-old.
18 months old! Tomorrow! That's how old she is! WOW! She has probably had more firsts in the last week than she has had in her previous 17 months! We love her.
She has had one freakout, but we bathed her early and got that calmed down. Otherwise, a normal day has her waking up and breakfasting, then playing for about 3 hours before a nap. She will then wake up and have lunch and play. She might have an afternoon nap but she usually sups around 5:30 and then bathes around 6:30 and to bed around 7:30. Oh, there was the one night when neither Mike or I heard her cries! Mum stood in our bedroom door and asked us if we were going to get up or if we were just playing a game with each other to see who would get up first... we didn't hear her either. We both felt bad when we learned about that! Hasn't happened since, thank goodness! That was also the only time she woke up for real during the night. Thanks Mum!
Her baths are the best! She throws herself backwards (the first two days had her hitting her head on the tub bottom but she didn't care!) and then rolls over and sits up with water dripping all over her face and she LOVES it! She does this over and over and it is hilarious! I will get it on video soon. We also took her to the lake today and she liked that! I could tell she was a bit colder but she definitely liked it! She was squealing and she was trying to walk instead of throwing herself backwards. I am so glad she liked it because I love swimming and we have that perfect lake right close by!
That smile, when I first walk in in the morning, sets my mood for the day and it is fantastic!
After getting over the sickness, we have a rough routine that we follow. I say rough because she still will need more sleep sometimes. Her train is her favourite toy and she plays with that nonstop. She likes to 'dance' to the music it plays. She also has been meeting new people, experiences, food each day and taking it all in good stride. She has only one 'big' new event each day, or every other day, and she has been enjoying it. Sometimes, she takes it all quietly and just watches, but other times she will just walk right up to the person and babble.
After visiting our neighbours' kiddy pool I realized she must miss little kids. She crawled right over to J, our neighbours' little guy, and started interacting. She also watched our other friends' little guy when he came over and rode her train all over the place. The next day she started getting on it on her own and can almost maneuver it around - her legs are just a tiny bit too short. She does seem to be overwhelmed a little when parting from the kids, but she is such a remarkable kid that she continues to impress me with her resilience and acceptance.
She keeps trying new food and simply spits out what she doesn't like or what she cannot chew properly. She likes steak, oatmeal, yogurt, and soups. She does try to eat a lot with her hands now, which is so great, but she also needs to learn to put her cup down after she drinks instead of pitching it over the side! hahaha!
I crocheted her a little hat that is similar to the ones she wore in the baby home, and it's so cute. That's my one self-promote thing this entry!
I made her a photo-book about her journey to us. Only her part as opposed to the many years before her. This will go in a box I am compiling of her experience. A memory box to show we appreciate her beginnings to us. I will also put copies of what is not 'confidential' documentation. We had to copy all of the documents we brought home, the certificates, the court decree, the application for adoption...everything, and will send it to CHOC next week to close our file!!! CLOSED! Other than post-placement reports (at 6 months, 1 year, 2 and 3 years), we do not have to deal with the agency anymore. That seems crazy!
We also applied for her provincial health care card. We can do that because we have declared her a permanent resident as of right now. She will receive her permanent resident card in a few weeks and we will be able to apply for the actual card as opposed to just the number and papers that we have now. When we receive that card I will also start the next steps in the immigration process. I am going to call them (now that I have a file number and can get through!) to clarify if I need to resend the forms we already filled out because we didn't have any specific information for her at that time and she was just Child Miklos Bathurst. I hope not because it's just more chances for it to be mailed back for silly reasons like no signature from my 18-month-old.
18 months old! Tomorrow! That's how old she is! WOW! She has probably had more firsts in the last week than she has had in her previous 17 months! We love her.
She has had one freakout, but we bathed her early and got that calmed down. Otherwise, a normal day has her waking up and breakfasting, then playing for about 3 hours before a nap. She will then wake up and have lunch and play. She might have an afternoon nap but she usually sups around 5:30 and then bathes around 6:30 and to bed around 7:30. Oh, there was the one night when neither Mike or I heard her cries! Mum stood in our bedroom door and asked us if we were going to get up or if we were just playing a game with each other to see who would get up first... we didn't hear her either. We both felt bad when we learned about that! Hasn't happened since, thank goodness! That was also the only time she woke up for real during the night. Thanks Mum!
Her baths are the best! She throws herself backwards (the first two days had her hitting her head on the tub bottom but she didn't care!) and then rolls over and sits up with water dripping all over her face and she LOVES it! She does this over and over and it is hilarious! I will get it on video soon. We also took her to the lake today and she liked that! I could tell she was a bit colder but she definitely liked it! She was squealing and she was trying to walk instead of throwing herself backwards. I am so glad she liked it because I love swimming and we have that perfect lake right close by!
That smile, when I first walk in in the morning, sets my mood for the day and it is fantastic!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
For Impatient Sisters...
I only have one!!! She says I need to stop loafing around and blog already!
Laziness or jet lag... you tell HER after reading this.
I am still tired. guh. But oh, so, happy. I KNOW this was the right decision because to me it feels like she has been here always. I emphasize the knowing because I started to question this decision after the court hearing. Not because it was now final, but because the prosecutor asked if we would regret this decision because we were so young and could feel in five years that this high needs child would be a mistake. I had no doubts going into it but you can bet your sweet bottoms that I started to at that point.
Then, at the airport in Toronto, Dad says to me that he could tell I was a great mom for her already. Done with the questioning. After day one and how well she has fit here, done with the worrying (well, the worries about this being the right decision...)! It seriously feels to me that she has been here for her whole life so far. Other than her not understanding us and us not knowing so many little things about her likes and dislikes, because they are already established, we have slipped back into Canada with no hiccups.
We woke up around 5 am yesterday morning (Moscow time), traveled to the airport, went through passport control with no problems, and got on the plane. I never again want to do that long plane ride with a child who is so unfamiliar with change. She was so overstimulated and cranky and seriously did not sleep longer than 1 hour and 15 minutes, not in one stint, and I just felt so bad for how cranky and exhausted and upset she was getting on the plane. Her cries were easy to muffle so I didn't give a care about the surrounding people, and she's not large enough to hit the seat in front so that wasn't an issue either. We were all tired when we landed in Toronto.
I started crying as soon as the wheels hit the runway upon landing. I didn't expect too... thought I was too tired. But I looked at Dania and said 'you are home'. I looked at Mike and we were both grinning. Customs was a breeze, the immigration officer we had was so nice and excited for us, it was just a smooth procedure.
I was then excited to see the family! Yeah! Mum was there first and then Dad, and then my sister and cousin. It was great. Dania was tired but she was so watchful. As soon as we sat down she was all cute and flirty and kissing people and fist bumping and being her great self.
The same could have been said for Halifax if it hadn't been 7 hours later and she was Extremely exhausted. She did give them a few fist bumps and smiles, but she hit the car seat and fell asleep within ten minutes. She woke up and was excited to see the bathtub, and then was out like a light as soon as she was lowered into the crib. She didn't even move and she is normally traveling all over the crib while she sleeps! She slept 8 hours still and didn't have a massive freakout when she woke in a different place... it must feel right to her too.
She has spent the day puttering around here, meeting a few new faces, but mostly finding her places in the house and still being her cute self, of course. She definitely knows Mike and me and smiles huge when she sees one of us. I love that. She also is really comfortable and relaxed being put into all these new rooms and fixtures around the house. It will be fun to find out what food she likes (steak, we found out tonight) and to get her routine here now that she can have more room to run around and a yard to play in! And friends that don't spend every minute of the day with you! LOL!
Other than the crying baby on the plane (mine, if there was any misunderstanding about how upset she was) the whole trip went smoother than any other. In 6 - 8 weeks her permanent resident card will be here and we can start her official immigration process!
Laziness or jet lag... you tell HER after reading this.
I am still tired. guh. But oh, so, happy. I KNOW this was the right decision because to me it feels like she has been here always. I emphasize the knowing because I started to question this decision after the court hearing. Not because it was now final, but because the prosecutor asked if we would regret this decision because we were so young and could feel in five years that this high needs child would be a mistake. I had no doubts going into it but you can bet your sweet bottoms that I started to at that point.
Then, at the airport in Toronto, Dad says to me that he could tell I was a great mom for her already. Done with the questioning. After day one and how well she has fit here, done with the worrying (well, the worries about this being the right decision...)! It seriously feels to me that she has been here for her whole life so far. Other than her not understanding us and us not knowing so many little things about her likes and dislikes, because they are already established, we have slipped back into Canada with no hiccups.
We woke up around 5 am yesterday morning (Moscow time), traveled to the airport, went through passport control with no problems, and got on the plane. I never again want to do that long plane ride with a child who is so unfamiliar with change. She was so overstimulated and cranky and seriously did not sleep longer than 1 hour and 15 minutes, not in one stint, and I just felt so bad for how cranky and exhausted and upset she was getting on the plane. Her cries were easy to muffle so I didn't give a care about the surrounding people, and she's not large enough to hit the seat in front so that wasn't an issue either. We were all tired when we landed in Toronto.
I started crying as soon as the wheels hit the runway upon landing. I didn't expect too... thought I was too tired. But I looked at Dania and said 'you are home'. I looked at Mike and we were both grinning. Customs was a breeze, the immigration officer we had was so nice and excited for us, it was just a smooth procedure.
I was then excited to see the family! Yeah! Mum was there first and then Dad, and then my sister and cousin. It was great. Dania was tired but she was so watchful. As soon as we sat down she was all cute and flirty and kissing people and fist bumping and being her great self.
The same could have been said for Halifax if it hadn't been 7 hours later and she was Extremely exhausted. She did give them a few fist bumps and smiles, but she hit the car seat and fell asleep within ten minutes. She woke up and was excited to see the bathtub, and then was out like a light as soon as she was lowered into the crib. She didn't even move and she is normally traveling all over the crib while she sleeps! She slept 8 hours still and didn't have a massive freakout when she woke in a different place... it must feel right to her too.
She has spent the day puttering around here, meeting a few new faces, but mostly finding her places in the house and still being her cute self, of course. She definitely knows Mike and me and smiles huge when she sees one of us. I love that. She also is really comfortable and relaxed being put into all these new rooms and fixtures around the house. It will be fun to find out what food she likes (steak, we found out tonight) and to get her routine here now that she can have more room to run around and a yard to play in! And friends that don't spend every minute of the day with you! LOL!
Other than the crying baby on the plane (mine, if there was any misunderstanding about how upset she was) the whole trip went smoother than any other. In 6 - 8 weeks her permanent resident card will be here and we can start her official immigration process!
her one 45 minute long stretch of sleep on the plane
her performing for everyone at the toronto airport
her asleep at the end of her 22 hour long day!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Movement.
Holy Moly! The first month after our visit flew by! The last two weeks? CRAWLED like a dehydrated snail!
I had emailed CHOC a few times and asked if there was a standard notice time, ie. if our appointment was July 20, would we hear 2 weeks before? 3 weeks?
There is no standard. Blah.
I had a little cry on a cousin's virtual shoulder yesterday. I miss her more than I let on. I'm sad because I'm forget the way she feels and sounds and smells. I want to bink my nose on hers to make her giggle. I want to be her mother, dangit!
That aside, today we received an email from CHOC saying that the embassy has received a letter confirming Dania is eligible for immigration! Yeah! This letter, unbeknownst to us, had to be processed in London, England and then sent back. So, four different recipients along the way, in 4 different time zones, makes for a long transaction. This letter states that there is nothing medically that should exclude Dania from immigrating. With that, and the Letter of No Objection from Canada, we should be good to get our date soon! I didn't even know we had to have this other document. It makes sense (now) that they wouldn't schedule a custody hearing for a child if they are unaware if she is allowed to immigrate! She is! Yeah! So, we signed the document and just posted it so CHOC will receive it on Tuesday and then they can send it off right away.
The downside to today's email... I have been SO organized and on top of the dates of our documents and what needs to be done and payments and everything! I blew it! HUGE! $6000 huge! To go into financial detail of this process (just for the fees, mind you) the agency fee is $6500. That pays for the people at CHOC, their time, their building, their knowledge and their trust. There were a few fees on top of that for individual documents, etc. The Russian fee is $18,000 USD. First, we sent the agency their fee when we started the process and sent them our full application. Our second lump of $6000 was made when we sent our completed home study, and therefore our approval from Canada, to CHOC for them to translate and send to Russia (hence the Russian fees). The next chunk of $6000 was upon acceptance of a proposal, so, this was done up in November with the first proposal, and then sat in the bank until we were ready to actually go over. We handed that to the Rep in Ufa, for her to pay Russia. Now, in my own pitiful defence, Mike was in the same frame of mind as me. We've paid 18000... not remembering that the first lump was for just the agency... GAH! I feel awful that I let that get overlooked. Our guardian angel helped again, big time. The cheque has been written, and by Tuesday the funds will be there. I feel like the asking for the final chunk of fees means that Russian wheels are turning... this will be lawyer fees, court fees, translator fees, the social worker who observes us for a day, etc, etc, etc... always more etc...
Big breath.
It's in the mail, it's being handled, it's never going to feel like we can thank the people who have helped us out enough! The extra support is unbelievable and so, so appreciated. As I said in a previous post, I imagine sending thank you cards from her when this is all said and done... and that scares me to think that because she's still not ours until 30 days AFTER court. HOPEFULLY!
I had emailed CHOC a few times and asked if there was a standard notice time, ie. if our appointment was July 20, would we hear 2 weeks before? 3 weeks?
There is no standard. Blah.
I had a little cry on a cousin's virtual shoulder yesterday. I miss her more than I let on. I'm sad because I'm forget the way she feels and sounds and smells. I want to bink my nose on hers to make her giggle. I want to be her mother, dangit!
That aside, today we received an email from CHOC saying that the embassy has received a letter confirming Dania is eligible for immigration! Yeah! This letter, unbeknownst to us, had to be processed in London, England and then sent back. So, four different recipients along the way, in 4 different time zones, makes for a long transaction. This letter states that there is nothing medically that should exclude Dania from immigrating. With that, and the Letter of No Objection from Canada, we should be good to get our date soon! I didn't even know we had to have this other document. It makes sense (now) that they wouldn't schedule a custody hearing for a child if they are unaware if she is allowed to immigrate! She is! Yeah! So, we signed the document and just posted it so CHOC will receive it on Tuesday and then they can send it off right away.
The downside to today's email... I have been SO organized and on top of the dates of our documents and what needs to be done and payments and everything! I blew it! HUGE! $6000 huge! To go into financial detail of this process (just for the fees, mind you) the agency fee is $6500. That pays for the people at CHOC, their time, their building, their knowledge and their trust. There were a few fees on top of that for individual documents, etc. The Russian fee is $18,000 USD. First, we sent the agency their fee when we started the process and sent them our full application. Our second lump of $6000 was made when we sent our completed home study, and therefore our approval from Canada, to CHOC for them to translate and send to Russia (hence the Russian fees). The next chunk of $6000 was upon acceptance of a proposal, so, this was done up in November with the first proposal, and then sat in the bank until we were ready to actually go over. We handed that to the Rep in Ufa, for her to pay Russia. Now, in my own pitiful defence, Mike was in the same frame of mind as me. We've paid 18000... not remembering that the first lump was for just the agency... GAH! I feel awful that I let that get overlooked. Our guardian angel helped again, big time. The cheque has been written, and by Tuesday the funds will be there. I feel like the asking for the final chunk of fees means that Russian wheels are turning... this will be lawyer fees, court fees, translator fees, the social worker who observes us for a day, etc, etc, etc... always more etc...
Big breath.
It's in the mail, it's being handled, it's never going to feel like we can thank the people who have helped us out enough! The extra support is unbelievable and so, so appreciated. As I said in a previous post, I imagine sending thank you cards from her when this is all said and done... and that scares me to think that because she's still not ours until 30 days AFTER court. HOPEFULLY!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
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...
Thursday, November 1, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Maybe if they had picked up the phone...
Our Immigration application was bounced back to us. We failed to include our unknown baby's signature and background information... We also needed a different Financial Evaluation (although I filled out the one the instructions told me to). So, if that was ALL that was wrong that's pretty damn good considering I could NEVER get through to ask what I should do. I included a cover letter and added little notes stating that the information would follow when we knew who Kid was but I guess that didn't cover our omissions adequately? I wrote the agency to ask for help - most times this whole application are not filled out until the kid is known so maybe they know the trick to this first part. I will also resume the phone calling tomorrow. I might try the line for the deaf or hard of hearing just so I can get through... I have hearing damage, it's not QUITE a lie. In the meantime, I have already filled out the financial form they requested - it was almost the same so it took no time at all.
oh i feel a headache coming on...
oh i feel a headache coming on...
Friday, October 26, 2012
Different Feeling of Excitement
It moved faster than I thought! I was under the impression we had to wait for the letter from immigration before we could have our files sent over to Russia - nope! We can forward that letter later! It's all ready to go!!!!!
Mike just mailed our first half of the Russian fees to CHOC! Last night a new feeling of excitement hit me. It's like I know I'm pregnant and waiting for the ultrasound where I can first see the baby and find out the sex! Oh wow, I'm tearing up again right now LOL!
The following is an excerpt from the CHOC timeline documents. I thought I'd include it so you can see what we see. HOLY MOLY! Next week we hit step nine!!!!!!
step 8) 6 to 8 weeks CHOC assembles dossiers (one set is assembled for initial submission/application to the regional MoE offices; another is assembled for submission to the local court. Dossiers include the homestudy and supporting documents from parents and government agencies). CHOC notarizes the dossiers, couriers them to CMFA and Russian Consulate for authentication and legalization, and sends legalized packages by international courier to CHOC in Moscow.
step 9) ~6 weeks CHOC in Moscow has the English dossiers translated to Russian, has the translations certified and notarized, and couriers them along with the original English versions to the CHOC regional representative for initial submission/application to the regional office of Ministry of Education (MoE) and in/for future submission to court.
step 10) 12 to 52+ weeks The regional CHOC representative walks the dossier into the regional office of the MoE and drops it off at the desk of the MoE regional officer. The regional officer will decide when to register the dossier as having been submitted (it may sit on his/her desk for an unspecified period of time before s/he gets around to registering it. Sometimes, the officer may ask for additional documents or clarification of a document or additional medical information on the family, etc, before accepting and registering the dossier). When a child becomes available (that is, a ward of state that has fulfilled a minimum of 2 months' time on the local or regional data bank and a further 6 months' time on the federal data bank and is now available for international adoption, having had no Russian nationals express interest in adopting the child or taking the child into a guardianship program, and furthermore, providing it is now the parents' turn and the child fulfils the parents' criteria), the MoE regional adoption officer will pass on to the CHOC rep, either an oral or a written invitation to the family for an appointment with the MoE or, along with this invitation, s/he may also pass along some preliminary information about the proposed child.
Again, HOLY MOLY!
Mike just mailed our first half of the Russian fees to CHOC! Last night a new feeling of excitement hit me. It's like I know I'm pregnant and waiting for the ultrasound where I can first see the baby and find out the sex! Oh wow, I'm tearing up again right now LOL!
The following is an excerpt from the CHOC timeline documents. I thought I'd include it so you can see what we see. HOLY MOLY! Next week we hit step nine!!!!!!
step 8) 6 to 8 weeks CHOC assembles dossiers (one set is assembled for initial submission/application to the regional MoE offices; another is assembled for submission to the local court. Dossiers include the homestudy and supporting documents from parents and government agencies). CHOC notarizes the dossiers, couriers them to CMFA and Russian Consulate for authentication and legalization, and sends legalized packages by international courier to CHOC in Moscow.
step 9) ~6 weeks CHOC in Moscow has the English dossiers translated to Russian, has the translations certified and notarized, and couriers them along with the original English versions to the CHOC regional representative for initial submission/application to the regional office of Ministry of Education (MoE) and in/for future submission to court.
step 10) 12 to 52+ weeks The regional CHOC representative walks the dossier into the regional office of the MoE and drops it off at the desk of the MoE regional officer. The regional officer will decide when to register the dossier as having been submitted (it may sit on his/her desk for an unspecified period of time before s/he gets around to registering it. Sometimes, the officer may ask for additional documents or clarification of a document or additional medical information on the family, etc, before accepting and registering the dossier). When a child becomes available (that is, a ward of state that has fulfilled a minimum of 2 months' time on the local or regional data bank and a further 6 months' time on the federal data bank and is now available for international adoption, having had no Russian nationals express interest in adopting the child or taking the child into a guardianship program, and furthermore, providing it is now the parents' turn and the child fulfils the parents' criteria), the MoE regional adoption officer will pass on to the CHOC rep, either an oral or a written invitation to the family for an appointment with the MoE or, along with this invitation, s/he may also pass along some preliminary information about the proposed child.
Again, HOLY MOLY!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
It's Ready to Go!
Wow! Surprise to me! We don't have to wait for the letter from the CIC. CHOC emailed me the invoices for the Russian fees saying it's ready to go as soon as they receive the payment. YEAH! That was sooner than I thought. They can just forward on the letter from CIC whenever it arrives, since it's not really a complete form without Kid's name anyway!
I had another vision too. I really think Kid's a boy. Strange since we both went into this process assuming a girl - no reason why, we just did.
I also feel like June is going to be a key month.
Hell, I was crying at work when I figured all this out yesterday! YEAH!!!!
Friday, October 12, 2012
Part one: Done and Done!
Yes! Application for sponsorship mailed. We really HAVE finished what we can for this step. All we need to do (other than send more money orders, lol) is to wait for the letter from Citizenship and Immigration saying they've accepted our application for sponsorship of an unknown Russian child and get a copy of our social worker's license. THAT'S IT! I've never felt so unencumbered yet during this process.
We are now on vacation for a weekend of anniversary celebration. It's kind of fitting that the four year marriage mark is also the mark of this next step passing beyond our control. Here you go fate, you've treated me good thus far, let's see who you bring us.
Happy Anniversary Mike. I love you and am proud of us!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Only One More Piece
We got our police checks-again. We are just waiting on the hone study to be returned. I expect it soon; it was 3-4 weeks the first time and that is right where we are now.
I am thinking we are just going to send in the immigration stuff as is. I will attach a cover letter and explain why we are doing this first part only.
I think I contemplated how to mail this waaaaaay too long.
Sent from my HTC
I am thinking we are just going to send in the immigration stuff as is. I will attach a cover letter and explain why we are doing this first part only.
I think I contemplated how to mail this waaaaaay too long.
Sent from my HTC
Friday, September 21, 2012
Can I Please Hold the Line?
I've been trying to get through to Citizenship and Immigration for three days! It doesn't let you hold the line, it disconnects if there are no available agents. I do know that they do not accept aggressive behaviour or language and that I may be warned that my call will be terminated if I choose to use such actions. i also know that my call may be recorded for quality assurances but if I choose not to have my call recorded I must inform them. Then I get about four bars of elevator music, three rings and another recording informing me that there are no agents and to try my call later and that their least busy days are Thursday and Friday. I tried so frequently today and yesterday. Why can't I just hold the line to ask my three questions?
Monday, September 10, 2012
It's Been Awhile...
Guess what? We're waiting for a document... surprise, surprise!
Ha!
Seriously though, we have only the amended home study left to wait on. We got our new passports. They came in a week! I'm so glad I didn't pay to get the rush order.
Once we have the amended study we have to get another police check (they expire every three months). Then we mail it off with the 9 new forms we have to sign (all for the Russian Consulate and Ministries).
I have all the immigration forms filled out. Just waiting a bit before paying the fee. sigh. So many fees.
I am still hopeful for having it all sent off by the end of this month.
20 days left.
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