May 2004

It's May 10th, and yes, I do now find myself holding my breath every time the phone rings! Since the last update, 2 things have happened. First, I received email confirmation from the American Embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan that they did indeed receive the update on my approved 171H from the Department of Homeland Security. Doesn't seem like much, but it's pretty cool to know that someone there knows for sure that I'm coming! They even commented that they look forward to meeting me in Kazakhstan (yes, I'm sure it was a form letter, but let me just pretend that I'm special!). The second happening, was that my final dossier was sent to Kazakhstan on April 22nd to be translated.The process that my dossier follows for the remainder of it's trip is that once it's transalated, it will be sent back to my agency here in the U.S, then they will forward it on to the Kazakhstan Embassy in New York. Once there, it must stay for 60 days -- no less (don't ask), and then will be sent BACK to Kaz to the Ministry of Education, who keep it for about a week, and then forward it to the city where my adoption will take place (at this point, still unknown).All this means there is still much to happen before this process comes to an end, but I assure you that for me, the hardest part has just started. The wait! Although I've heard from other parents the wait for a referral is only a little less agonizing than the wait for your travel dates.So with all that said, I wait, knowing that the next ring of the phone could be "the one", but also recognizing that each day I wait is one day closer to that magic moment!So help me out -- cross your fingers and wish really hard! Until next time, peace, love, and happiness!