| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | Months go by ... agencies are scrambling to get the |
| 11-13-2000 | | | | necessary paperwork in for accreditation. Some |
| Once signed up with my agency, I received the | | | | adoptions are happening, but slowly and in much |
| information on their Russian program and instructions | | | | smaller numbers. The coordinators in Omsk were |
| for assembling my dossier compiled into a red binder. | | | | being told the first adoptions were for older children, |
| At the time (July 1999), the only region Focus on | | | | and I was set on a baby girl. My agency asked if I |
| Children worked with in Russia was Vladivostok, in | | | | wanted to try Chelyabinsk. They’d already |
| the Russian Far East. I started learning about that | | | | completed one adoption there and the coordinator |
| region while assembling my dossier. | | | | thought it would move quickly. I said ok. |
| The process of putting together my dossier took | | | | First problem ... Chelyabinsk needs TWO original |
| three months. It included sending away to New York | | | | dossiers! One for the Ministry of Education (who |
| for three official, certified copies of my birth | | | | gives all the referrals) and one for the Department of |
| certificate. The other elements were: | | | | Justice. So, off I go to re-do my entire dossier, again! |
| -12 photos of my home, family, child’s | | | | The new dossier went to Chelyabinsk September 18, |
| bedroom, community, school, etc. | | | | 2000, and I waited on pins and needles for any word. |
| -The aforementioned home study, plus copies of the | | | | Finally, we were told the Ministry of Education would |
| home study agency license and the social | | | | have a referral for me in 30 days. So, again, I waited. |
| worker’s individual license. | | | | I bugged my agency three to four times a week, |
| -Letter of medical approval from my doctor, plus a | | | | and when the 30 days was up we got word that |
| copy of his license! | | | | Chelyabinsk had no healthy girls. |
| -Copy of my most recent income tax return. | | | | "Healthy" meaning a child who has correctable |
| -Local police statement stating that I have no criminal | | | | problems. Most children adopted from orphanages in |
| record. | | | | Eastern Europe have medical problems, including |
| -Copy of my passport. | | | | malnutrition, rickets, anemia, intestinal parasites, |
| -Power of attorney for my agency’s staff in | | | | scabies, and more. "Unhealthy" would include hepatitis, |
| Russia. | | | | TB, Cerebral Palsy, spina bifida, and worse. Thankfully |
| -Declaration (a form required by the Russian | | | | there are many families out there who are prepared |
| government). | | | | to raise and request children with special needs. |
| -Copy of the INS form I171-H (favorable | | | | When you decide to take this step, you must be |
| determination letter). | | | | very honest with yourself about what you can and |
| -Letter from employer stating salary, length of | | | | can’t handle. |
| employment, and with a work habit comment on | | | | Unfortunately, the only girls available for adoption in |
| company letterhead. | | | | Chelyabinsk were beyond the scope of what I was |
| All items in the dossier then must be notarized. If | | | | prepared to handle. |
| they’re copies of original documents (like | | | | The gentleman at my agency who has taken care of |
| passport, tax returns, I171-H form, etc.) a page must | | | | me since I moved to the Tomsk program, Scott |
| be attached that says, This is a true and correct | | | | Banks, felt as badly as I did and asked me if I |
| copy of the original. This page must also be | | | | wanted to consider a little girl in Kazakhstan. She was |
| notarized. Then each document needs an apostille | | | | 17 months old and seemed pretty healthy, though |
| seal. | | | | definitely in need of some good nourishment and |
| I know, you’re thinking, a WHAT seal? | | | | TLC. |
| An apostille is a state seal, recognized by foreign | | | | Kazakhstan is part of the former Soviet Union that |
| countries that have signed the Hague Treaty, which | | | | gained its independence in 1991. So, this would mean |
| basically authenticates the notary public’s | | | | re-doing my dossier yet again! But there |
| signature. It doesn’t matter if the same | | | | wasn’t too much of a difference in what was |
| notary notarizes every document, each document still | | | | needed, and although a pain, it wouldn’t be |
| needs an apostille, and the state of California charges | | | | impossible. |
| $20 for each apostille. | | | | He said he would send me her picture, a videotape, |
| Well, I got it all done. On October 16, 1999 I sent my | | | | and what little medical information they had on her if |
| completed dossier to the agency. I had been given a | | | | I was interested. I agreed to see the information on |
| four to six month referral timeline, so I thought for | | | | Wednesday, October 18, a year and two days after |
| sure I’d be a mom before the summer. In | | | | I sent in my first dossier. |
| early November I got a note from my agency that | | | | I awoke the following morning to two pictures in my |
| they were expanding into additional Russian regions, | | | | e-mail inbox of the most precious, tiny little girl. |
| and my dossier was being sent to a town called | | | | I’ve always had a mental picture of what I |
| Tomsk. They said I could plan on traveling in | | | | thought my daughter looked like, and these pictures |
| February! | | | | were so incredibly close! |
| I began preparing for cold weather travel. Months | | | | When I got to the office, a Fed-Ex package with |
| passed and no referrals were coming from Tomsk. | | | | very sketchy medical information was waiting. At 15 |
| The coordinator hired by my agency in that region | | | | months she weighed 14 pounds, was anemic, and |
| just wasn’t making anything happen. Then in | | | | had some other typical Russian diagnoses that are |
| March Russia elected a new president. No one | | | | too complicated to explain here (if you’re |
| thought Vladimir Putin would mess with adoptions, | | | | interested in reading about referral medical reports, |
| after all, there are so many Russian children in | | | | you can check out I went by myself into an office, |
| orphanages that need homes. | | | | shut the door and watched the three and a half |
| We were wrong. Although Putin’s intentions | | | | minute video, which showed a beautiful little girl, |
| were in the right place, adoptions grounded to a halt. | | | | obviously a little scared by being in a room with so |
| Unfortunately, not all agencies working in Russia are | | | | many people, but following every move very intently. |
| as benevolent as they should be. The Russian Mafia | | | | During the last minute, she was in another room with |
| has a very strong presence, and Putin wanted to | | | | only a few people and was obviously more |
| make sure some safeguards were put in place, so he | | | | comfortable, she smiled, giggled and completely won |
| issued an edict that only accredited agencies could | | | | me over! |
| facilitate adoptions in Russia. The problem was that | | | | Since I had 18 months to prepare for this moment, I |
| not only weren’t there any accredited | | | | knew I had to think with my head and not my heart. |
| agencies, there wasn’t even a procedure in | | | | I ran out and got the video dubbed and overnighted |
| place to become accredited. | | | | it to a doctor who specializes in evaluating |
| Over the summer, some independent | | | | international adoption referrals. Dr. Alla Gordina is |
| adoptions did take place with agencies assisting | | | | Russian physician based in New Jersey who runs an |
| families. But the procedure changed. No referrals | | | | international adoption clinic, and has seen hundreds of |
| were given to agencies. Instead, families whose | | | | these tapes. She watched the video and told me |
| paperwork was approved were allowed to go to | | | | that the baby looked pretty good — severely |
| Russia to get a referral in person and meet the child. | | | | malnourished, definitely has rickets, but didn’t |
| If they accepted the referral, they had to file all the | | | | see anything that lots of Vitamin M — |
| paperwork in person, then return home and wait for | | | | mommy — wouldn’t take care of! |
| a court date. They’d make a second trip to | | | | She did want more information, since we got so little, |
| Russia to go to court, complete the adoption, and | | | | and my agency was able to set up a call between |
| bring the child home. | | | | my doctor and the orphanage doctor in Kazakhstan. |
| It wasn’t the best scenario, but I was | | | | Dr. Gordina told me she’ll need a lot of work |
| prepared to do that. Still no referrals were coming | | | | — physical therapy, occupational therapy and a |
| out of Tomsk. In the meantime, my agency was | | | | lot of one on one attention, but thinks she’ll |
| trying to get another program going, this one in | | | | do fine. |
| Omsk. So, we moved my paperwork to Omsk...( | | | | I accepted her referral October 21, and got my |
| each time it moved, I had to redo more paperwork, | | | | dossier re-done (for the last time) in record time. I |
| change the power of attorney forms, get them | | | | am now four days away from leaving the States to |
| notarized, and get them apostilled). | | | | meet my daughter! |