CIS Here We Come

It feels like we have been holding our breath for a while, waiting, waiting, waiting to be told we could submit our CIS application. Today, we got some good news so I am making sure to celebrate these milestones.

1) We just green light to submit our CIS application. It's been a long wait and our social worker finally cleared us to go ahead and mail it in. Believe me when I say that this will be happening first thing tomorrow.

2) The other good news is that our social worker also told us he would have our homestudy ready this week. This means we will need to step it up on the Kyrgyzstan dossier. As soon as we get the CIS clearance, the intent is to have the dossier ready to go and sent to Washington to be submitted to Kyrgyzstan.

3) Not only did we make some headway with the homestudy and CIS application, our placement agency social worker who I will refer to as "K" also told us that she didn't think we would have to wait long for a referral. Now I know that it doesn't mean anything because these are just her thoughts and nothing is certain. And truthfully, I'm trying very hard not to feel like we are racing against the clock because so many more families are catching on to the Kyrgyzstan program, jumping ship from their China application due to the ridiculous wait times. But her words were encouraging. We can only do our best and hope that we come home with our little one sooner than later.

So, today really is a good day on the adoption front, best one yet so far...

Me, a Blogger?? Why not!

I was never one who could keep a diary. I would attempt to start one but found it silly to talk to a notebook to tell it about how my day went. After a while, I just figured I'm one of those people who do not keep diaries. I am one who will attempt to memorialize all the details and feelings in my brain and my heart. So I never thought it would come to this. I have decided to join the ranks. I have started a blog, for the sake of memorializing our adoption journey to our little munchkin. And what better time to do that than today.

Until today, not much had really sunk in. It didn't sink in when we paid for a homestudy. It didn't sink in when we submitted a bunch of paperwork about the most minute details of our lives to our agency. It didn't sink in when we officially applied to a placement agency who will be working on our behalf to find our baby in Kyrgyzstan. It didn't even sink in when weI sent another rather large check to yet another agency. It didn't sink in when we got the email containing a draft of our California homestudy.

It sank in today, as I read our homestudy draft and emailed our social worker in regards to some minor details that needed to be corrected. It sank in because I realized these details mattered because this homestudy will define us in the eyes of the CIS. It sank in because it is the same set of words that will be translated to Russian, so that the Kyrgyz government can decide if we are good enough human beings worthy of being entrusted with a precious little life for love and support. It sank in because when I read about Bill and me on these pages, I see two people who are ready for this journey, this responsibility and this privelege. It sank in because for the first time, it stopped being surreal, and became real. It sank in...