Adoption Update # 3

Now that we have most of the paperwork completed for our social worker, we need to focus on completing all the paperwork for our agency. We have completed most of the following:

- Review the contract and sign off on all the clauses
- Complete the Vietnam Application Form
- Have our doctors complete the Vietnam Medical Forms
- Provide a copy of our Marriage Certificate
- Provide photos
- Provide copies of our passports
- Provide employment letters
- Provide a copy of our Statement of Income and Expenses

This appears to be alot easier than the paperwork we had to collect for China. There's got to be a catch or perhaps this is only the first part of the paperwork required. Anyways, so far our agency has been pleasant and easy to deal with. Perhaps not always easy to reach but it's also a smaller agency. At this point we are just waiting for our medicals to be completed and then to meet with our social worker again. It is at this time she will likely let us know if we are approved. Maybe because it's been a long and rocky road, I'm just not feeling optimistic about this adoption. My heart wants it so bad, but my head keeps telling me it's not going to happen. I won't even allow myself to think about it. I'm just tired of broken dreams and don't want to get myself excited like last time.

Adoption Update # 2

The last 24 hours have been crazy. We met with our social worker yesterday. We had to complete 2 new Safe Requirements Questionnaire (new requirement by the Ministry) and answer other questions to update our homestudy. At one point, the social worker placed Alex and I in separate rooms and asked us questions to make sure we weren't hiding issues on Alcohol/Drug and/or Physical Abuse. We were there for 2 whole hours and by the end, my brain turned to mush. This morning we had to get our fingerprints taken for an RCMP Check, as well as go to the local Police Station. I stayed up late last night collecting as much of the required information as possible. With the exception of our medical check ups, we have completed as much as we can. We have been running like chickens with our heads cut off but we are hoping it will pay back in the time we must wait for approval. We are both fortunate that we managed to get early February appts. for our Complete Medical Check Ups. So far the process has gone fairly smoothly. Too smoothly! I think we are just waiting for something to go wrong. We've never had it go so smooth so it's leaving us scratching our heads. For those of you who are curious, this is what is required of us for our homestudy report

- Application to Adopt
- Financial Statements
- Complete Medical Check Ups
- Five References
- Autobiography
- Photographs
- Police Clearance by R.C.M.P.
- Police Clearance from local police (criminal record check with vulnerable sector screening and list of occurrences)
- Memorandum for Adoptive Applicants
- The Foster Home Safety Standards and Inspection Report

This does not include the rest of the things that we have already completed for our homestudy such as:

- Interviews
- Review of our home and compliance to safety
- Providing Work and Education Resumes
- Statement of earnings from Employers
- True Certified Birth Certificates (no these aren't those little ones that everyone has...this personally caused me alot of grief)
- True Certified Marriage Certificates (again this isn't the one that everyone gets on their wedding day)
- Guardianship plans
- List of all adoption related resources we have done (read books, talked to families, etc.)

So once these items have all been completed, our social worker will review and decide if she approves. If she approves, she will forward our file to the director of our adoption agency and she will review and decide if she approves. If she approves, she will send our file to the Ministry and then they will review and decide if they approve. If we are approved, then our file will be sent to Vietnam to be reviewed and approved or not. As you can see, we have a long way to go. Now on to completing the Adoption Agency Paperwork.....

Adoption Obstacle # 1

And here we go. Sept 2008 is the earliest Alex can get in for a full check up with his doctor. Due to the fact that all documents that are to be submitted to Vietnam can't be older than 6 months old, this poses our first problem. Alex has made a special request to see if there is any way that his doctor can make an exception for us. I managed to get a March 12th date for a full check up and am on a waiting list to get in sooner. And I thought that I was in for a long wait. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

Adoption Update # 2

During the winter holidays, we received a general e-mail from our agency indicating that they are hoping to do about 60 adoptions (35 boys, 25 girls) in 2008. They also mentioned that although they currently have 25 dossiers in Vietnam for girls (so obviously they have already reached their max for the year), for boys there are fewer waiting files. Alex and I read this a few times. Were we reading right? So we called the agency and left a few messages. Well today I decided to follow up and we are finally on the primary list. We were told to get our homestudy update done immediately and that if all goes well, we should see a proposal by as early as the end of this year. Part of me wants to jump up and down but looking back on our past experience, this type of info is volatile. The Ontario ministry also increased the requirements to get approved so we really do have a long way to go and it's way too early to get excited. We have our first homestudy update meeting with on social worker next week so we'll have to see how that goes. In the meantime, I'm trying to refocus my energies on other things and to keep moving with life.

Winter Vacation

We rented a cottage in Saint Sauveur, Quebec for 1 week with some close friends. Portia was so excited to get away she forced us to wear party hats the first night. This kid loves to travel just as much as we do. No doubt the highlight of our trip was the day we spent Snow Tubing. Our little Kamikaze wanted to sit upfront and center as we slid down the hills. The whole ride down left me screaming with my uvula flapping in the wind. And even before our tubes could come to a complete stop, Portia would scream "Again, again, again!!". We will definitely be doing that again and highly recommend it. It was a cozy week and most of the time was spent watching movies, coloring and putting puzzles together. Our little family took one afternoon and just walked lazily through town. Of course we had to make a pit stop for a Beaver Tail. Then we got a brilliant idea to try to make them back at the cottage and you know what...they weren't half bad. We still have to perfect the process, but I'm guessing, we won't be giving up trying until we do. Lemon juice, cinnamon and sugar was my favorite but we still have to try Nutella.

Move Over Ratatouille

Portia has taken such a liking to cooking and baking. She was overjoyed when she received a new apron, chef's hat and accessories. As soon as she sees me working in the kitchen, she runs and gets her green plastic chair and places herself smack, dab, center. Oh yes, there have been a few spills and I've caught her with her finger in the bowls, taste-testing, more times than I care to count, but it's a joy. It allows us time to bond, and talk about her day. She's worked past the instant puddings and jellos. She's helped with cakes, biscotti, cookies and treats and now has officially moved on to helping with dinners. Of course I can't take anything for granted so I have to rhyme off the rules every time...don't go near the stove, knives are only for big people, yes you must wash your hands (especially after you've been digging for gold). I love it and will always cherish these moments.

Saturday Kids Party & Sunday Breakfast Buffet

We held a kids party at our home for Portia's little friends. Portia had loads of fun. I wasn't sure how she was going to react with all the children playing with her toys but she was a trooper. Alyssia, our niece, came to help out and handled all the arts and crafts. I definitely couldn't have done it without her. Alex made this great tomato sauce (he's become such a great cook) which seemed to be a hit with everyone. You're never sure what to put on the menu when you've got little ones to please. We made a butterfly cake with flowers and spiders all around. Of course the spiders were big hits with the boys. With all that sugar, all those little munchkins were literally bouncing off the walls. And ooooh, what a mess!! I guess that's a good indication of how much fun was had by all. That night we just vegged at home and it felt great and well deserved. Early the next morning, we had some friends over for breakfast. Everyone brought something. Needless to say, we were absolutely exhausted by Sunday night.