We Have Our Dates to Russia!

Did I get you?
Happy April Fool's Day!

No, we don't really have our travel dates to Russia. I'm still thinking it will probably be June, but we probably won't know for a while. We are in the final stages of finishing up our Dossier Two, as they call it. We were instructed not to have our medical exams done until we had been home 20-30 days after Trip 1, because they are only good for 3 months, and we'll have to re-do them if they expire before our Court date. This makes total sense, because my health changes at least every three months. ha

So on Monday Jim and I had our exams, and Tuesday we got blood drawn for the blood tests. I totally annoyed the Dr by arranging for a Notary to meet us at his office to witness his signature on the forms, not realizing that he was shutting the office down right after our appointment (he really only had to wait about 10 minutes, if that.) But I didn't feel too bad. I think there is a reason he didn't have any more appointments after us. The man is good at writing prescriptions for any kind of medication, but he has a very odd bedside manner. Let's just say he's not very...doctorly.

What, you want an example? Hmmm...could be the time he lost his wallet at the hospital and I had to spend about 10 minutes of my appointment assuring him that all would be fine - my husband has done this lots of times and it is nothing that can't be fixed (sorry Jim!). Or when he did the medical for my Dossier One form, and laughed hysterically while asking me some of the questions. As in "Ummmm, I'm guessing you don't have any STDs or mental illness? woo-ha ha ha ha ha" Well, if I did, I sure wouldn't mention it NOW. And now, on this visit, he again was laughing over the questions on the form. Yes, I know they make no sense and mean very little. But then he asks, "So how much have you spent on this adoption so far?? No, really. How much? ha ha ha ha ha It would have been so much cheaper to just have one naturally, you know. ha ha ha ha Why didn't you have one naturally? Really?" sigh...

I know people may think those things. But really, a doctor should have better sense than to say it. Next he told us a story about a friend of his who was "getting a foster baby" and had to transport his sperm and then it went bad....OK, he then mentioned that word about 10 more times, and I finally realized he was talking about a surrogate situation, not a foster situation. And I never want to hear him say that word again. Ever. Then he answered his cell phone while in the exam room with us and proceeded to talk about a patient in front of us. When this is all over, I'm definitely moving on to a new Doctor.

Last week we trekked over to get fingerprints taken for a State Background check, and received the results back in the mail this week. Unfortunately, they had Jim's middle name spelled wrong, my birthdate year wrong, and Jim's citizenship wrong. At least it correctly said we had never been arrested. So that is being re-done now....

Nothing about paperwork is ever easy. Did I mention that the Notary, upon arriving at the Dr office, then signed and dated her signature..2008...so she crossed it out and wrote 2009 and put her initials next to it, and so help me if that causes problems I will hunt her down. Once we get the background check back again, we can then send everything off to get the State Apostille seal on them, and then off to the agency. Simple. Then we wait for our date.

Meanwhile, at gymnastics today Natalie was being chatty with her instructor. This is a new development. She has been chatty at preschool as well, and her teachers are so excited. Up until now she has been extremely quiet around anyone other than family (go figure!). Anyway, after they were done with class, her teacher told me, "She talked to me a lot today, especially when we were doing the trampoline. But she kept talking about Russia? She told me her brother is in Russia?" I had to laugh. I told her, "Well, he is, actually. We're adopting her baby brother Owen from Russia." She just went, "Oooooohhhhh. She did mention Baby Owen too. I didn't know she was right!" Poor woman must have thought Liam was vacationing in Russia.