Another Delay :(

Yesterday was THE day. It was two weeks from the day that our documents were submitted to court. It was THE day we were supposed to finally get our court date but alas ....

After corresponding with our contact, the judge has our case on hold because 'the medical reports do not comply with the rules established by the RF Health Ministry's Order # 332 (effective on Sep. 10, 1996) "Procedure of Medical Evaluation of Prospective Adoptive Parents/Guardians". The Determination further states the doctor's licence to act as a physician and surgeon does not state his authority and qualification to conduct evaluations of and give reports on general health condition of a patient and that the verification of such authority and qualification was not submitted.' It's ironic that our doctor is not only a licensed physician here but he originally trained in Belarus which was a part of the former Soviet Union at the time of his licensing. One would think he was beyond qualified. Ugh.

Our agency is presenting a letter today stating that if they'll give us a court date, we'll have our medicals completed in Moscow. Not my idea of a good time but if that's what it takes. The exam is a bit intimidating even in the best of circumstances but to have this done in Russia at a clinic (wow, we saw one of their clinics and it definitely looked very 'developing nation-ish'. We will definitely bring our own needles in case we need any bloodwork).

The Eight Part Medical Evaluation and Russian Adoption
The tests for evaluation include: testing for TB, infectious diseases (Hep B, HIV, VRDL), diseases of internal organs, diseases of muscular-skeletal system, history of substance abuse, mental illness which leaves you incompetent, diseases of central and peripheral nervous system, Malignant oncological diseases, and any diseases or trauma leading to disability. As I've been lurking on lots of adoption boards, many regions are requiring this to be done in Russia.

Interestingly, the Russian medical system revolves around specialists (as opposed to our system where people typically start with someone who cares for their general health and if there are problems, they send them to a specialist for further treatment). What I was told by a doctor in Russia is that people see a variety of doctors each year including an oncologist, psychiatrist, etc. Can you imagine? I can barely get Nathan to see one doctor each year!

The thought is that, with all the deaths of Russian children in the U.S. (5 murders, 19 accidental deaths and 199 children returned to Russia), that the Russian government is trying to use additional screening to make sure that their children are going to good families. Unfortunately, the statistics for their own adoptions is a more statistically significant (1,220 Russian children adopted by Russians have died since 1991, including 12 killed by their foster-parents). Current laws are being put forward to eliminate foreign independent adoption and to make adoption by Russian families easier.

We want this part of the journey to be completed. It's such a roller coaster ride keeping up with all the news and being scared that something might change that would prevent us from bringing Sasha home. He just needs to be home.

Focusing on Other Things
So, we continue on a myriad of projects. We finished staining our deck last weekend and moved out the 'Plants of the Tropics' collection that my folks drove up for me last year in a UHaul (yes, they are wonderful parents). They will be happy to know that their efforts weren't in vain as we only had a few casualties from their indoor stay. The deck once again looks full of life. We finished a new back landscaping bed that holds vegetables, herbs and perennials. It also has some cute children's objects in it. I've decided to make it more of a children's garden to spark Sasha's interest in plants (obviously with two Master Gardener Grandmothers and a Master Gardener mother - his fate is sealed :) I planted some plants in little plastic pails and have four birdhouses that I'm in the process of painting. I've finished a European church and have plans for a Texas log cabin (yes, Texas is it's own country - just ask them), an Asian house and I have one more to design.

We added a side bed with roses and trees that should provide a nice vegetative fence in future years. Our yard was fully landscaped when we moved in so there was no room for me to play in the dirt. We're definitely in the process of fixing that. Nathan gets scared of my 'big plans' for the yard which includes eradicating all the buckthorn out of the woods, putting in wood chipped trails and adding an annual bed with a mini-patio for us to watch Sasha when he's playing in the front yard.

I'm continuing my artistic endeavors and have nearly completed the top of Sasha's table. This photo gives you a general idea. I got the idea at the Night of Promise when Nathan and I were outbid for a lovely childrens table. At some point, after viewing it for the 50th time I thought "I can do that". The table and two chairs are from Ikea and cost $30. Even if I mess them up, I can't go wrong. I decided that using primary colors and using jungle themed squares would work perfectly in his room. As I was working on it, I thought about the advice my Aunt Karent had given me. She said that if you pick things that have lots of pictures and colors, it will provide hours of things to do with your child. Well, this table should keep him busy for a while! I'm designing the underneath side (since you know at some point this table will double as a fort or cave). I plan on painting some special things that only cave or fort dwellers might see. I have another table and four little chairs to work on next. I haven't decided how I want to do the chairs. I may put critters crawling on the legs and use primary colors for the seat and back. I must admit that I'm having a blast working on these projects. I think creativity is like any other muscle, if you don't use it, it shrinks up but once flexed it just gets stronger and becomes easier to use.

I decided that his room would be more fun with three dimensional jungle items so I created this butterfly using nylons, fabric paint, glitter glue and electrical tape. It was a fun project and has given me the idea that I should create some fairy wings for some of the special little girls that I know. (Yes, Nathan does cringe when I talk about needing to go to Michael's and there's a reason I have an entire room for all my 'stuff'. But isn't it nice that no matter what medium a project might be in, I probably have most of the materials in my closet. I think it's really quite smart to have everything ready to go ... but there's always one more thing I need at Michael's :)

As you might recall, Sasha's current favorite toy in the orphanage is a plastic pink elephant rocker. He uses this toy to self sooth and could rock for hours. We've been looking for a rocker for him since returning to the States. There just aren't any like the one that he has. However, we finally found this plush rocker. There are a variety made by the same company but we really loved this lion. When you press his ear, he roars. Very cute. In the picture below, you can also see the head of a little wooden horse. Grandma Jan brought this for Sasha out of the 'archives' that are her basement (you really wouldn't believe the stuff that they've managed to preserve over the years -Scout stuff, OA outfits, refrigerator box full of Fisher-Price toys, walnut half-rounds, an alarm created by Nathan using a commodore, etc. ) This little horse was given to Nathan by Grandma Zimmerman for his first Christmas. I know Sasha will enjoy both of his rockers.

We purchased a special handpainted wooden chest in Moscow on our first trip. This will be Sasha's first "Gotcha Day" gift. It is quite lovely and will be used for keeping all his special treasures (well, the ones that aren't covered in mud and alive at least. He is a little boy after all. Yes, I will have a special place for those kind of treasures as well ;)

I'm trying not to be disheartened by all the waiting and the constant additional / changing stuff that seems to be needed. It is hard. I keep joking that if Sasha doesn't come home soon, I'm liable to start painting a mural on his wall to pass the time.

I hope it doesn't come to that!