Do not fear
if the path is unclear,
have faith
in your journey.
For Kyra & Adam
if the path is unclear,
have faith
in your journey.
For Kyra & Adam
Do not fear
if the path is unclear, have faith in your journey. For Kyra & Adam So our 2nd home study was approved almost a year ago & yes we are still waiting. At this point we are hoping we did not waste our money, hopes & time. We have been told on several occasions that it would be a long wait but we don't even get a phone call to say, "hey we're still lookin' for ya." We are open to all methods of adoption with the home study agency we selected - the Lutheran Service Society. And while our first choice was to go back to Russia - we know how improbable that really is.
I could get on a soapbox for hours about this topic - but I'll spare you. Pete is now on the cusp of turning 4 & every day is a great day! We have a great summer in the works busy all the time with camping, vacations & Kennywood! Who would've thought Santa Claus would be so cool that he'd bring us all season passes to Kennywood! And finally after all this time - Panther has decided she will play with him! It took a long time but she either got lonely enough from living her life alone in the upstairs of our house or she decided he was safe. Doesn't matter either way - Pete is thrilled! That's really about all we got for now - we are just in a boring everyday routine & not much exciting happens here. Since this blog is kind of a PITA to update - feel free to follow me on Twitter! @PJ_Fan_Kelly So - signing off... Kelly Nothing like starting out the New Year with a bang. Mr. Putin made a big one. In our previous post we had determined we would return to Russia for a sister. The reality set in back in December that this would be an undertaking too large for us to handle now. So before Mr. Putin put a lid on it - we had already made calls to some other folks to explore other avenues. Then on December 26, that path was closed permanently & not by our choosing. Disappointment for us & for lots of other families set in.
We are still hoping that something will pull through & that the 46 families with court approved children will be able to complete their families and that these children will have the mommies & daddies they deserve. Our opinion on this matter is that it is inhumane to purposefully keep these children away from their parents over political matters. We realize that Mr. Putin may have had several things weighing on his mind when he signed the ban - but these children had their futures in their hands, they were just waiting to go home. We ask that they allow these families to complete their adoptions. If they wish to close the country from Americans, then so be it, it is Russia's right to do so. (And please know - this blog is not a forum for political rants, views or arguments & any comments in that realm will not be ok'd to post.) Adopting internationally is a privilege that should not be taken lightly. We are forever greatful that we were blessed with the opportunity and we know that this is what God intended for all three of us. We also had stated prior to that we wanted to adopt both internationally & also here in the US domestically. So with His guidance & grace we will be following that path now. We have explored a few options in regards to that path are close to choosing an agency. In the next few months we will be beginning the home study process again, attending the required classes, and of course - what would we do without a paper chase! We will update our blog as we did before - only this time we will have a 3rd contributor! In final, we'd just like to say - that our thoughts and prayers are with the 46 families, the 52 children, our Adopt-A-Child family both near and far, the countless people in the US and Russia who will now and already may be rendered jobless and for the thousands of children in Russia's orphanages. Please sign the petition to force the White House to respond to these families. To date there has been no comment from the Obama administration. They have 30 days from 12/27/12 to get 25,000 signatures at which time the White House is required to respond. https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/help-46-families-wchildren-caught-politics-bring-their-court-approved-adopted-child-home-russia/SgvPTKR2 "Do you want a sister?"
"Esh" "Ok. Do you want to go back to Russia to find her?" "Esh" "Ok, but you'll need to get a job." "Kay" And so it begins... round 2. A different job of getting there this time though. We must find new ways to earn the money & adapt the old. The piroghi kitchen is open, though it's not as quick. We will bake for the holidays as well. And we've embarked on a whole new "2nd job" - Avon. Feel free to shop oKel's online store or ask for a catalog. We gotta start somewhere! www.youravon.com/kellymiller113 We've been home for two days & are happy to say just that very thing. Russia was nice - but home is better : ) Our little man is doing well though we are having some issues relating to time adjustments. It seems as though he is feeling it the worst. We are limiting visitors & also outings to try and alleviate some of this craziness but it is difficult. We know how much everyone wants to see & meet this wonderful guy but we ask for patience as he will be with us for many years to come and everyone will get a chance. He has many obstacles to overcome and while we know that kids are resilient, it will still take some time.
Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers & well wishes while we were away! It was wonderful to hear from you all then & you will certainly be hearing from us again soon. So - we haven't updated for a week because the internet was so horrible at the apartment it was absolutely disgusting. Grandma made it to St. Petersburg fine & well, and today we made the journey from St. Pete to Moscow. We have so much baggage and so much to keep track of - we are absolutely exhausted. Never before did we welcome an elevator or wall to wall carpet so much! The hotel here is amazing & our first meal here was room service club sandwiches. They were fantastic! Now here comes the best part... We had originally planned on taking the night train from St. Petersburg to Moscow, but suddenly it became urgent that we be in Moscow for Monday morning to do our Visa paperwork for Pete. So instead we took the fast train (the Sapsan) and were here at 6pm today. So we bailed on our crappy apartment one day early & moved to the hotel one day early. And now we are sitting in the hotel's lobby bar updating the blog. We packed, hurried AND tomorrow is Labor Day. So you are all off of work... and the US Embassy here is closed too. So that means - we can't do any of Pete's Visa paperwork and we rushed to Moscow one day early for no reason. Yep. But its ok - wall to wall carpet & elevators. We like. So tomorrow since we have absolutely nothing to do - we will take a walk to Red Square. See the Kremlin - whatever. And tonight - we go to bed early cause if the plane ride is anything like the train was - we need the 3 days to prepare.
We got Pete today! Everything went very well. He is now in his footie pj's, playing in the livingroom of the new apartment. He likes to throw things and we expect the neighbors to come and complain. I say let'em!
So today started with a bit of the unknown. Last evening once we had a few minutes to relax, we checked email, etc., and found that we had a problem with our apartment. We are moving to another apartment tomorrow at 7pm - fortunately our move will be short as we're only going a few doors down the street. If this is the only bump in the road - we'll take it! We are having lunch tomorrow with our agency contact & then coming back to finish packing everything up. Annoying cause we've been here for 2 weeks & only have 1 week left - but whatever. So after that was all sorted out we decided to pick up the pieces from our weekend plans & we hoofed it to the Artillery Museum. Let me say, that after walking over there, through the museum itself, and back to the apartment - our long walks our over. It was the furthest we walked yet & we should've taken a cab - of course - when we wanted one we couldnt get one. But the museum itself was pretty awesome. If you ever find your way to St. Petersburg - it's worth a stop. Among the displays there were items from the 15th century through the 20th century, a display honoring Kalishnikov & the AK47, and they had the actual armored car that Lenin took from Finland Station to celebrate their triumph. And you can climb on tanks outside. |