SILENCE

no word from Russia.... I was watching Dateline last night about a family who adopted twin babies from Russia, then later went back and got their 4 older siblings.. I bawled like a baby!!
On the show, the girls had a ANYA doll. ( she speaks English & Russian) I hadnt noticed but Summer had been wandering around throughout the show. At one point she went upstairs and found HER Anya doll. She came down and sat transfixed watching Dateline.
Made me cry harder!! If she only knew!!!!!....
I want this so much for Summer & her sisters. Perhaps the delay means they are working hard on the request. Our first two letters were answered quickly by email. All I can think about is how "B" is approaching 16 in Sept and will be turned out into the streets. Does she have anywhere to go?Is she scared to to be adopted by us? The judge will allow her to speak her feelings since she is older. But from the bizarre things they hear about Americans, I cant say I would blame her for being scared!
On the search front, we are in the process of placing a three way call to the orphanage to actually talk to the girls. Will we be allowed to talk before the judge makes his decision???
ARRRGGGHH! The suspense is killing me!

GETTING CLOSER!

I just finished sending all my info to a Russian search team! Hah! If you thought I was going to sit idly by and wait for the judge to do his thing, you are wrong!!!

This group will make the appropriate calls to the orphanage to pave the way for me to actually speak with "A" & "A"!!
Hmmmn from now on I will call them A&B or it will get confusing!

OMG! OMG! OMG!!!!
I have done as much research as I can, so hopefully the contact info I have for the orphanage is correct. Barring problems in that regard
we should be able to talk SOON!

What do you say to a 9 & 15 yr old??? Maybe I should put Summer on the phone, she will talk their ears off!
I want to seriously talk with the girls to see how they feel about America and most importantly, are they in contact with their other sisters?
Im afraid if that is the case we will never adopt them.

But contact is awesome too!
You cannot write this stuff! Within a year I have managed to find 3 of the 5 sisters.
Folks have written asking if I plan to search for the birth parents. The answer (at THIS POINT anyway) is
NO.
The first 3 girls were abandoned and years later so were Summer & her other sister. By all accounts the parents do not wish to be contacted . They dont even have an address based on court papers. Not a good situation. I do not want to delve there, I feel my best efforts will be re-uniting the sisters, as they didnt ask for this.

I believe they ALL deserve better
& I'm going to do all I can to make that happen.

I'm off to wait the instructions on what to do next!
T status: Don't ask, don't tell. Just tell him when to get on the plane!!! ;)
Boys: Curious but apprehensive as the girls are older and they cant boss them around like they can Summer!!!
Rain: Off the charts!!

COME ON UNIVERSE!
BRING IT ON!!!!!!

RUSSIA TALKS BACK..

Ok so I was sitting in class at Texas A &M University ( I go once a year for a week) and an email popped into my box. I translated it and was stunned to find out that Ms. A has been in the orphanage with another sister since their arrival. The judge thinks its best not to seperate the girls at this time. ;(
We have always known there were 5 girls total, (all having the same mom) but only Summer & A have the same dad. The older three were put in orphanages over 10 yrs ago. Their ages best I can calculate are 19, 15, 13, 9 (A) and Summer 4. I am pleased they have found each other again.Oddly enough, at court we learned that the oldest sister actually had to give her permission to let us adopt.
SHE DID NOT KNOW SUMMER EXSISTED.
How easy it wouldve been for her to just say no!!
Russian law/tradition does not require a family member to actually TAKE the child if they dont want them to be adopted, their word saying no is enough. Not fair, but none the less thats how its done. I commend the sister for letting her go to a good home.
Anyway, I realize that they had indeed found each other and I instantly told Todd and had the attorney draw up a letter stating we would
TAKE THEM BOTH! Heck she's 13 right in between the boys, we can adjust!!


ok that alone brings on many emotions...
but here is where it gets really fun!!!!!

The attorney sends back an email saying (in a nutshell)
uh.... do you KNOW that the sister we are talking about is NOT the 13 yr old??? SILENCE.
She is the one who turns 16 in a few months. (old enough to say whether she WANTS to be adopted, yet too young to fend for herself when she gets turned out of the orphanage and has no where to go . dont even ask about the stats of what happens to these kids... ;(

sigh. so I kinda well.... sorta... ok I said YES WE STILL WANT THEM BOTH.

The irony is that the attorney happened to be going to Russia and hand carried the request to the judge for us.
the date???
MAY 11,2007
EXACTLY one year to the day we adopted Summer!!!!


Hold on to your hats my friends!!!