social worker called

homestudy update is coming to me today via email for review. talk abought lightning fast! wow! she was here on the 14th of Feb! I guess I better work on an I600A today when the kids are at school. that and transferring money to my account to cover the cost of it. and the promise fund for the girls. Hope our tax refund comes soon! that was A LOT of what we need. the rest we will scrape up.

well things arent going according to plan. but when does it? so I am sending in the promise for the two girls. will have to wing it for the rest.

I have a terrible feeling someone is going to get hurt. or rather we will hurt for them.

ARRGGHH!! I HATE NOT KNOWING!

letter from the other side of the world

Tammy,
We talked to the (adoption agency of the government) about your case and they say that according to their rules they cannot issue a referral for 4 unrelated kids at a time. At first they issue a referral to see the sisters. Once we get all the paperwork for the girls (in case you decide to adopt both or just the one) we file a petition asking to issue a referral for the other two (girl and boy). After you meet the children and receive all the information on their health condition you can decide whether you want to adopt them or not.
We don't know if the boy is available for international adoption at all and if he has special needs. Because if he does not have special needs you'll not be allowed to adopt him if your dossier is submitted in front of the line for special needs children. But we can find that all out only once you get here and we receive referrals to meet the children.
Blessings,
(person on other side of the world)

this frustrates me! I will work through it. I know I have to jump the hoops and do what Im told. but sheesh why is it so hard to just take some kids that dont have a home and give them love and a family and a future? and what if the boy is unable to come home to us? we adore him. We were really looking forward to having him in our family. ok. calm. deep breath. patience. PATIENCE IS NOT MY THING! patience. I must have patience. I am the Mama. I am the Mama. I must be patient and give up control.

today

I have spoken with IAS and found out what I need to do to get things finished for sending in I600A. I also emailed sw to find out when she might have our study done.
will send out RR stuff today while kids are at school. ONE step closer to bringing home the kids! in the scheme of things this One little thing is a very small thing but it feels as if I have done SOEMTHING. Halle Hope Isobel and Jacob, Mama is working as fast as I can to get it all done.

because the kids are 5 6 7 8 years old I am thinking to name them as we have named the others and move their current name to middle. Then call them what they like. If they want to be natasha and vika and diana and vasy then thats what we will call them. if they want to be Halle Diana Isobel and Jacob that will be fine. or any ohter combination. although I am not sure Vika will understand the options.

well its official, everyone thinks we are crazy. and they may be right. but we are crazy in a good way. We have big hearts. we have a big enough home. we have enough food. why are we crazy to share that with someone who needs it? Why are we crazy to give a home to kids who need one? Taking them from a life of hell and giving them hope and a future is crazy? well then I dont wanna be sane!

the kids

I could spend all day looking at their photos and videos. but nothing would get done then would it? Got the paper notarised for RR and tried to email it but it was returned. so now I have to mail it. still waiting to hear about the sib. Hopefully our hs wont take very long since not much has changed. She will have to change everyones ages to a year older, add in sophie and ben as our kids, change the age range, number of kids and special need and thats about it. Will gladly come up with the rest of the payment if it meant it would be done in a hurry!! I just got a bill saying the down payment is 1200. but the whole thing costs 1700? and we have to pay 100 travel fee.I sent 500 back with the worker. I am not paying nearly the ENTIRE thing before the hs is done. They better be happy with my 500 until they tell me send money hs is done! oh please let it go fast! now I have read some different things lately about changes in the country in how things go. also how things work on this end. hope it all falls into place.

until I can come for you my darlings, goodnight goodnight, sweet dreams till the morning. good night. good night goodnight.

i found a video of one of the girls and one very kind soul translated it for me. or rather asked someone she knew to translate it for me. it was priceless and precious and I am so thankful to know that little girls thoughts. She needs a mam so badly. I cant wait to be her mama. and do all the mama things with her. i hope no one scoops her up before I can get there. but I know that older kids with special needs are not likely to be high on someones wish list.

passport renewal.

in the mail. CHECK! one thing down.

what to do what to do? LOTS to do!

so homestudy in the works. then BCIS approval and meanwhile getting passport and gathering dossier. build bunks so the girls have a place to sleep when they get home. Carpeting for their room and basement is on backorder until the 20th of Feb. Have to remember to call SW with date of adoption of Sophers and Ben. I have other things to report and may burst before saying them. but I think eventually my family will read this site and I want them to have a few surprises.

a very strange situation

we had been told that natalya has a sister but doesnt know her and she is far away.and now we found them on the government website for kids who need to be adopted and it shows her sister is not far away but is a child we met last year when we were there. so now do we bring home "our girls" and not the sister? breaking up sisters? bring home one of our girls leaving the sisters? our girls are best friends so someone is going to get their heartbroken no matter what we do. Unless we can come up with the funds to bring home the sister too and decide we can indeed deal with her needs.

a weeks worth of cleaning for a 20 minute visit. but glad its over. she didnt seem at all concerned about us bringing home the girls or any others for that matter. She told us of someone she knew who was just bringing home his 10th child from this country. We showed her pictures of the kids we met there and she thought they were darling. of course, they are.

thinking

Been thinking about our girls. my girls. how will they take to family life? will they remember us? Do they know we remember them? Do they remember all the fun we had together last year? Do they remember all the pictures we took of them? that someone took an interest in them? I just cant wait to see them unfold. Will they want a new name? or want to keep their old name? Will they be as excited as Sophie and Ben were to go to Amelika? more? I am hoping to get a chance to take them to the zoo in Kiev. when will we be able to get everything lined up and get an appointment with SDA? I need to order a new passport and kick myself for not doing it sooner. when will I be able to get THAT done? Maybe monday while the kids are in school? I have to go to Milaca to do that. and how can I with the littles? I can take them with me but then it would take me longer to haul everyone out of the car than it would to get it done inside yet I cant leave them IN the car. oh wait no school monday its a holiday. and so I suppose the govt center isnt open anyways. anyways I am just thinking of our girls and what to name them and how it will be to see them again. I look at their photos all the time.

Program

kids can get the program without regard to income. they just enroll them. That is great news. Program is a DHS program that helps pay for the expensive medications required to treat our girls special need.

the little boy

I showed the cute little boy to husband. I have planted the seed. he is concerned about the costs of 3 kids and their medications for this special need. he is guessing 5k a year per kid. I say well ok what else can we give up? we already dont eat out anymore. we could cancel the newspaper that no one reads. well he reads it but he could read it online just as easily. I am not renewing any of my magazines. I have boxes and boxes of junk to sell/get rid of. homeschool stuff to sell. whats another 5 thousand a year if it means this darling little boy IS HOME WITH A MAMA AND PAPA! While I love our girls, I am already committed to them. I know they have a Mama and Papa. I am their Mama. so I dont worry about them being "left behind." Not a lot of kids are adopted from Ptown. and kids with this special need I suspect would never be chosen by anyone in country and not a lot of people outside of the country are willing to take it on. there is still a lot of ignorance about it.

I hesitate to say this but there is a VERY VERY cute little fellow in Ptown. He needs a mama too. I suspect my husband will say no dear. but I am going to ask anyways. he will be 3 in sept. and has the same condition our girls have. and we did hear that Natasha's sibling is far away and would be very difficult to adopt. and they dont know each other anyways. maybe? a baby boy? you think?

WOWEE

potential hs update visit feb 20 or 21!!

update: she wants to come SATURDAY! THIS SATURDAY!

I obviously have way too much time on my hands

Natasha Adrienne and Diane Alesha or Alyce

Natasha Ava and Diana Ayla

Natasha Bayley and Diana Brenna

Natasha Brooklyn and Diana Brynn

Diana Cadence and Natasha Callie

Natasha Ciara and Diana Claire

Natasha Eden and Diana Elena

Natasha Emily and Diana Erica

Natasha Halle and Diana Hayden

Natasha Holly and Diana Hope

Natasha Ivy and Diana Isabel

Natasha Janie and Diana Jenna

Diana Jessica and Natahsa jordyn or Jordan or Diana Josephine

Natasha Journey and Diana Justice

Natasha Kara and Diana Kassidy or Kasey

Diana Kyleigh and Natasha Kyler

Diana Laura and Natasha Laila

Natasha Laurie and Diana Lilly

Diana Madeline and Natasha Maggie or Makenna

Natasha Molly and Diana Melissa

Natasha Rylie and Diana Rebecca

Diana Ruby and Natasha Ruth

Natasha Sage and Diana Samantha

Diana Sierra and Natasha Sienna

Diana Talia and NatashaTate or Tabatha

Diana Tatum and Natasha Tara

part of the year I will have triplets. and a set of twins. part of the year one of the triplets and one of the twins will be twins. how is THAT for keeping things interesting!!

more name nonsense(scroll for craft sales)

natasha carey
diana corrine
(carey and cory if they so choose) or maybe diana caroline and natasha corrine.
natasha elizabeth
diana elinore

ok now what does this name look like to you? diarria. Im sure its DEE ar eeya. but it looks like di a rrhea. not a good name.

did I already say diana rosalie?
natasha isabel or diana isabel or natasha maribel
diana ivy
natasha justine
diana samantha?
natasha sylvia
tatum
tavia

so all this time we have been calling her Elliana and her name is Diana. must sound like deeonna. Elliana laura was what I was going to call her. but her name isnt elliana! diana madeline? she can choose what to be called. I should really just make a list and let the girls pick if they want a new middle name or first name. Diana sage is another I like. Natasha is really natalia. natalia what I have no idea. natalia rosalie? natalia lucia? natasha emerson? natalia emerson? natalia lauren? natalia claire? natalia jolie? diana jolie? diana makenna? diana alice? diana grace or natalia grace?

news

I am sitting here with my heart racing and tears in my eyes. we can start moving forward on our adoption of the girls.

Both girls have "special need" (I removed the name of the need)and have no other health issues at all.
They are very smart and talented.
They will be in this orphanage until August 29, 2010 only and are supposed to be transferred to the boarding school after that. I hope the Enbergs will be able to adopt them before that because according to the director they don't want to go to the boarding school and ask her all the time to keep them in the orphanage longer.

P.S.
N has one sister who lives in the specialized orphanage and is a special needs child. I don't have any info on this child. We think we'll be able to get permission for separation of siblings for adoption of N. I don't think they know each other anyways.

I am happy to have news of them. except we are unsure about the name thing. we thought their names were natasha and elliana. but the info is about "natalia and diana" but it sounds like them. its a fairly small orphanage so I cant imagine there are too many little girls their age with their special need.

for sale: PIRATES! fleece blanket.

fleece tied blanket. soft and cozy. red back and top is full of pirate treasure hunt pictures. Ships and treasure trunks, palm trees and maps. this is sized for toddler bed or crib. not full size. 41 x 25 inches. $ 14 plus shipping

for sale: crayon roll Crayons INCLUDED!

crayon roll in darling fabric with color words on the outside and crayon confetti on the inside. these are great for travel. there is a slot for each crayon, put the flap down and roll em up and off you go. no crayons lost! $19 plus shipping

for sale: piggie pot holders

set of two piggie pot holders with loop for hanging. cute piggie plaid pattern. measure 9 x 8 inches.if you are a piggie enthusiast these are a must have! $10 plus shipping.

for sale: tote bag/diaper bag

this bag is so cute! it would be perfect for tossing a couple diapers and a change of clothes into. it features the "little piggies" and also the hey diddle diddle crew as well as other nursery rhyme characters. it is fully lined (and reversible) with sparkly blue with stars. it has one long strap. 18 inches deep and 17 across. I love this bag. I wish I had a baby so I could keep it! $15 plus shipping

for sale: BIG BAG

this bag is very big. Think "espirit bag" size. it has a neat pattern and will hold lots of stuff. this one has squared bottom corners. measures 17 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches. $17 plus shipping

for sale: tote bag

this tote bag is reversible. Hand made by me. it is pretty turquoise and golden yellows. 14 x 20 inches $10 plus shipping
note: the handles do not line up on this bag. will still work fine for carrying but if laid flat the handles do not line up.

For sale: small bag

this would be a great church quiet bag. its small and lightweight. measures 13 x 15. $6 plus shipping

For sale: wet bags

Hand made mint green waterproof wet bags. made with PUL fabric. Perfect for cloth diapers when you are out, or mama pads if you use those, even a wet swim suit after a trip to the pool. There are two of these they measure 7 x 7 1/2 inches. $6 each plus shipping

for sale: handmade tote bag

this bag is red white and blue americana. but its not really white, more of a khaki making it look "old fashioned" measures 12 x 22 inches. $10 plus shipping.

for sale: gift bag

handmade gift bag. unique fabric and pretty pink drawstring ribbon. you can use this again and again. Save trees by using a handmade gift bag. $7

For Sale- handmade

tote bag, completely reversible. Bright pinks and yellows. Any little girl would love this. it measures 20x15 inches. nice size for toting about anything. $12

HANDMADE items for sale

these are all handmade by me. Anything you buy here will go into our fund to bring home our girls. tell your friends! pass the word! lets get tons of people to stop by my blog and help us get these girls home!




This quilt is lined in pretty rose colored fleece for extra warmth. the colors and patterns are very retro feeling and pretty. measures 30 x 30 inches. $30 plus shipping

more to come! will have to post each item seperately!

help!

ideas? once again we need to come up with the funds to adopt the girls. Seems like not so long ago we were just doing this! and we found that our small town was less than forthcoming and downright mean. so how can I raise the funds to bring home the girls? I still have a few bracelets I can sell for a few bucks. we expect to get about half from our tax return using the adoption credit for sophie and ben. I have some 2 inch tiles I was thinking of putting something on them and making them magnets to sell on etsy or somthing. locally there is little I can do, it costs several hundred dollars to sell at the local craft shop. I put up a chip in so friends or family who read can put in a few dollars if they want but I know from our previous adoption that it wont come up to what we need. We had enough in savings last year but obviously its gone now because we used it to bring home Sophie and Ben. so help me come up with ways to get some money! When its warmer I was thinking to take all my garage sale crap to my moms house in a bigger city and have a sale there. doing it here last year netted me peanuts. not enough to make it worth my time and energy. HELP! Our girls need a home! their special need is one that many people would never even consider. Their future in thier home country is not at all bright. Very dim indeed.

help us bring em home

We expect to get about half of the money we need back from taxes. Help us come up with the rest so we can give these girls the life they deserve.