Today at court

Sveta went to court today and successfully submitted the dossier to the judge. Now she will begin going to the orphanages and vital records to get more paperwork. What paperwork? Honestly, I do not know what she has to get - but she has to get them and she said it should take anywhere from 3-4 weeks before she will submit those papers to the judge on a Friday and we should get our court date that day. Once we have the court date, we will book our flights, get the last minute medical things - x-rays and such - for the Moscow medical evaluations, visas, and make solid plans with Sarah - who will be coming up to take care of Anna, Keith, & Iryna, while we are gone. The court date is actually 2 weeks after we need to be in country. It will take time to do the Moscow medicals, Tyler has to check in at the US Embassy, and then we need to visit both boys 7 times prior to court. Calvin's orphanage has agreed - last we heard - to allow us to come later in the day so we can visit both Silas and Calvin in one day. It will be a headache (literally!) to drive to and from Vicksa each day (remember how bad those roads are?!?) but we can do all our visits in a week instead of 2, so that is very nice. Any questions?

Arrived

Sveta emailed me to say that she received the form I mailed her today. She is going back to court on Friday. I hope to hear more information then.

Form

I got an email from Sveta stating that the judge wouldn't accept the dossier without that form that I sent last week. It should arrive tomorrow, so Sveta will return back to court this Friday. I hope things can start moving faster now.

Sveta said that the boys are doing well, just wondering where we are. :(


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Judge Fran Jamieson Way,Melbourne,United States

One more form

So last Friday I got the following email from Victoria:

Dear Jill,

Just wanted to let you know I got an e-mail from Sveta today that she has received both packages, from you and from Olga.  She will be reviewing the documents over the weekend and hopes to let me by Monday.

Woo-hoo! I was so excited that the dossier and the Ukrainian birth certificates had arrived on Friday instead of the following Monday. Then I received this email:

Dear Jill,

Sveta just got back to me that unfortunately judge has visitation hours only on Friday’s now L  And there is also a new procedure that Sveta can only start getting all the documents for court for the kids – birth certificate copies, copies of parental relinquishments, etc., once the judge approves your dossier, so it will be another 3-4 weeks if everything goes well next Friday L

Sorry for the bad news…

Yeah...so, we won't be leaving for Russia this month and maybe not next month, either. I am hoping and praying that we will be able to leave for Russia AND bring home the boys before Christmas. I would appreciate your prayers, as well, for this to come to pass.

Yesterday morning we got a surprise call from Sveta - our facilitator in Russia. She said that one of the forms was missing a line stating Tyler's monthly wage. Even though this is in another form in the dossier, it has to be on this second form as well. So, Tyler put together the form today and had it notarized and tomorrow...you guessed it...I will be driving BACK to Tallahassee to apostille one document and then I will mail it to Sveta from there. I went to the library and checked out HARRY POTTER (first book) on tape and plan to listen to it it on the drive. I enjoyed THE HOBBIT last time I made this trek and I am hopeful that Harry will keep me going tomorrow. Although I don't like the idea of spending the whole day in the car, I am grateful for something that I can do to help bring my boys home.

Dossier

On Friday I drove up to Tallahassee and picked up the licensure verification and apostilled the dossier! Then, on my way to mail it, Tyler called and said that there was one paper at home that I needed to include - thank goodness it didn't need to be apostilled! So I came home and Tyler tried to mail it on Saturday, but apparently FedEx doesn't handle international packages on the weekends. Bummer. So, yesterday after I paid $193 - it was en route to Russia! They said it would arrive next Monday.

Today I found out that Olga mailed the twins' Ukrainian birth certificates yesterday and that they, too, would arrive on Monday! Neat, huh? So, Sveta will take the forms to the judge on whatever day the judge handles adoption cases and then we anticipate getting our court date sometime next week! I am thinking it will be late Oct/early Nov. I hope. It feels so nice to have things out of our hands - no more forms to run around and get filled out for the third time. Now we wait and prepare and anticipate news. Stay tuned.

Good news all around!

First good news: The auction was a huge success! My goal was to reach $1,000 and the final amount was $1,013! Thank you all so much for your help! This will definitely aid us in bringing home Calvin & Silas! So from us and soon them - THANK YOU!

Second good news: I now have the medical forms for Tyler & myself. I contacted the Dept of Health in Tallahassee and told them that we haven't received the licensure verification of our MD and they said that they have a second original that has been notarized that I can pick up on Friday when I go up to apostille the dossier! It's all coming together! Hooray! So I will mail the dossier on Friday to Russia! Woo-hoo! SO EXCITING! Boys, we're on our way! :D

Adoption Related Items

The CHRISTMAS IN SEPTEMBER auction ends tonight at 11pm EST. Thank you all for your support and generosity in our endeavors to raise money to bring Calvin & Silas home. There are a few items that haven't been bid upon, almost all of them being adoption-related items. I thought that posting the pictures and links here would allow you to see what's available still and maybe you or someone you know would like to have them.

Adoption Card. Click here to view.

Adoption Day Card. Click here to view.

Gotcha Day Card. Click here to view.

There are other adoption-related items that are on the auction:

Mother in many languages necklace. Click here to view.

Adoption onesie (custom made - choose country and heart location). Click here to view.

Forever Love Original 8x10 (custom made - choose country and heart location). Click here to view. 

Give Hope Africa Adoption T-shirt (Unisex). Click here to view.

Gotcha Day Blessing Book. Click here to view.

Loopy Russia Bows. Click here to view.

Personalized Wood and Sterling Pendant Necklace. Click here to view.

Welcome Home Adoption/Birthday Party - Full Printable Party Collection - African/Zoo Theme. Click here to view.

Women's Give Hope Africa Adoption T-shirt. Click here to view.

Closing in

Well, tomorrow is the last day of the auction. I greatly appreciate all the support thus far - the auction ends tomorrow at 11pm Eastern Standard Time. Please help to spread the word. Click here to see the 81 items (yes, 81!). After the auction is over, I will post how much we raised to bring Calvin & Silas home! :)

Auction

3 more days left until the CHRISTMAS IN SEPTEMBER auction closes! It will end on September 27th, at 11pm EASTERN standard time. There is still time left: click here to see the 66 items! Thank you for your support!

Delays

I have held off writing a post because I wanted to be able to write something positive, yet I cannot keep waiting for that. Do not worry, nothing is wrong with the actual adoption of our boys - it's just that things keep delaying our mailing the dossier to Russia. At one point we thought we had everything and were preparing to notarize/apostille/mail to Russia. Then we found out (the day before!) that our medical forms had expired and we needed to redo them. So we found another MD for Tyler & I (ours moved to England - Air Force) and started that process. She had us do (yet another) TB test and did a blood draw to test for infectious diseases. We had the same MD do the medical forms for the kids. I have those completed forms now.

However, I called to find out if our records were done for Tyler & I today and the nurse responded that it takes 7-10 DAYS to get the results. The blood was drawn on Tuesday of this week. So, the earliest we could have our forms is Tuesday, September 27th, but it could be as late as Friday, September 30th...we were planning to get our forms notarized today so I could make the drive to Tallahassee on Monday, but now that option is out the door. And even if the forms are done by Tuesday, Tyler will be out of town until Thursday, so the EARLIEST I could go up is a week from today, because he has to be with me when we notarize the documents. This may seem silly and I am probably just overemotional, but I am frustrated that things are taking so long. I am so ready to have our dossier on its merry way to Russia. Why all the holdups?!?!?

I am ready to hold my boys again. I wonder if they feel abandoned by us. Do they look out the window every day to see us coming to get them? Do they feel alone? Scared? Worried? I am not there to make things right. I want to be there to reassure them that I love them and then bring. them. home.

On the bright side, I received the following message from Victoria (our placement agency):

Dear Jill,

I got an e-mail from Sveta, she called both orphanages and was told the boys are doing well and they look forward to your coming to pick them up.

I am grateful for those small blessings that keep me motivated, like this email about Calvin & Silas. I guess I just need to keep myself busy until I'm back with my boys. Until then, I just look at these pictures to keep me going.

Police report

Today Tyler & I got our police reports for our dossier. It felt strange going to the police station - I don't think I've ever been to one before. I didn't have to go for the Ukrainian adoption, so this was new for me. We got our paper stating that neither of us has been arrested before in our town.

Next on the list: Tyler is working on our financial form and next monday/tuesday we get our medical forms. Once we get all those and our birth certificates for the twins arrive from Ukraine, it's time to notarize/apostille documents. I have a few days left open next week for a trip up to Tallahassee to get them all done and then I will mail them to Russia from there. Can't wait to see my boys again - I hope it will be October!

A week or so

Okay, so I talked with a nurse on base and there is a doctor there who is registered in the state of FL. Tyler & I both have appointments with her early next week. Today we will call and get the state registration verification process going, which usually takes about a week to finish, and then we'll meet with the doctor next week and I am hoping that we will notarize/apostille next week! I pray that this will happen! And I am hoping that our judge in Nizhny Novgorod will have our paperwork by Oct 1st!

Texas is too far...

So we found out that the doctor here on base that we met with is registered in TX and not FL. This means that we will have to get a referral off-base to a doctor who IS registered in FL, so we can fill out the medical forms for Tyler & me. So many hoops to jump through...

Victoria said that Sveta called Calvin's orphanage last week and they said that Calvin is doing well with his recovery from heart surgery. I am eager to see him in person, but it's nice to hear something about him!

The CHRISTMAS IN SEPTEMBER silent auction is still going on. You can check it out here.

Open for business!

The CHRISTMAS IN SEPTEMBER silent auction is now open! Here is the link:

http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/2051/auctions/2218

Details: the auction will run for 3 weeks. I will add more items as I receive them - still accepting donations! Get all your Christmas shopping done and help support us as we bring our boys home from Russia! Thanks for your support. :)

Help us bring Silas and Calvin HOME!

Christmas in September

I am doing a CHRISTMAS IN SEPTEMBER silent auction to raise money for our Russian adoption for Calvin & Silas. If you have any donations you can offer, please let me know! Thank you!

Redo

Well...I was hoping to go notarize and apostille our dossier tomorrow and then mail it out. I was thisclose to being able to do it all...and then Victoria from AAC said that our medical records that we did back in May had just expired. I guess they only last 3 months or something. This wouldn't be too big of an issue, except for our MD just PCS'd (Air Force term for transer) to England. Oh, and our pediatrician just retired. So we may have to have the kids meet with a new pediatrician and then get those papers redone. Ugh. Anyhow, it will take 1-2 weeks to get the forms redone and that means that it's very likely that we won't go to Russia before October. :*(

I600A

The I600A form came in the mail on Saturday. Now we are waiting for the certified copies of the twins' Ukrainian birth certificates to arrive from Ukraine. Once they arrive, we will notarize all the dossier documents, apostille them, mail them to Sveta and she will translate them and present them to the judge in Nizhny Novgorod. Then the judge will give us a court date. Progress!

Some news

Tyler spoke with Victoria from AAC yesterday and she said that Sveta called Calvin's orphanage a few weeks ago and they said that Calvin is doing okay health wise. I wish I knew more than that - but it's nice to hear SOMETHING!

We still haven't received our form back from the USCIS, so Victoria asked us to contact them because it may have been lost in the mail. Olga was able to get the birth certificates for Keith & Iryna in Ukraine and has already put them in the mail to us. Once those arrive and we get the form from USCIS, we will notarize and apostille all the documents and then - the moment we've been waiting for - we will mail them to Sveta to be translated by her and submitted to the judge. Can't wait to find out when we get to bring home Calvin & Silas! I miss them so much and feel like they must have forgotten us since it's been so long since our first trip. :(

It's August

It's August. *sigh* It's August and we didn't have all our documents for our dossier in July (we're still waiting on several of them), so they haven't been mailed/translated/shown to the judge in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. It's August and that is the holiday month for government officials in Russia. It's August, so I won't get to find out when we're going back to Russia for our court date until at least September. It's one more month that my boys aren't here with me. It's August. Blah.

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

This post is just for you. You won the Pink Necklace Auction. I do not have a way to contact you. Please send me an email at jilldpierce at yahoo dot com, so that we can arrange for payment and shipment of your necklace.

Have a great day! Love, Jill

Running back to Russia Silent Auction Winners!

Before announcing the winners of our "Running back to Russia" Silent Auction, I would like to again thank each and every one of you who helped make this auction a success. We were able to raise almost $500 and we are so appreciative of the help and support of so many of our family and friends. All of you are such a big and important part of this journey and we feel blessed to be able to share this journey with you.


Now, without further ado, the winners of the "Running back to Russia" Silent Auction:


Customized Letters – Tisha ($20)

Haircut in OH – Valene ($30)

Thirty One Items Voucher – Elizabeth ($20)

Choffy – Tina ($15)

Hawaiian Gift Box – Sarah ($30)

Homemade Lemon Curd and Scones – Shanna ($15)

Long Turquoise and Wood Necklace – Tisha ($15)

Sea Glass Necklace – Nichole ($25)

Ribbon Gift Collection – Jolene ($15)

European Bangle Bracelet #1 – Tisha ($10)

Monster – Valerie ($10)

Main Dish – Local only to FL – Tina ($10)

Teddy Bears – Breezeinandbeauty ($15)

Little Red – Tisha ($18)

Pink Necklace – Kelly ($10)

Baby Sign Language Starter Kit – Christine ($30)

Haircut in FL – Malina ($20)

Baby Girl Hair Clips – Malina ($5)

Robot, Monster, or Cupcake Shirt – Tisha ($16)

Mookite Necklace – Tisha ($15)

Dessert – Local only to FL – Tina ($12)

European Bangle Bracelet #2 – Tisha ($12)

Felt Cookie Sampler – Christine ($7)

White Ukrainian Quilt – Valerie ($50)

Must Haves zipper pouch – Nichole ($10)

On The Go organizer – Tina ($18)

Haircut in OK – Tisha ($15)

 

Elmo Burpcloth and Blanket – Sarah ($5)

Winning bidders have the option to pay via personal check/money order which you can mail to me or pay via Pierce Family Adoption Chip-In which uses paypal. As you may know, there is a fee by paying with paypal and so payment by check, or including the cost of the paypal fees in your payment are greatly appreciated. J Email me at jilldpierce@yahoo.com to receive our address if mailing a check.
When you contact me, please be sure to include your contact information so that we may ship your items to you or pass your information along to those who will be shipping your items.
We would also like to announce the winners of our giveaway! We are so grateful to all those who participated by donating, bidding and/or "advertising" that we decided to choose two names. And the two lucky winners are. . . .

Kera and Tina, thank you both so much for donating to our auction and for helping us get the word out! We appreciate your support so much! For your prize you may choose from the cookies on my Warrior Kitchen blog. Email me your choice at jilldpierce@yahoo.com.

"Running back to Russia" Adoption Silent Auction

When someone is expecting a baby, there are some things that we can do to help. Usually it involves throwing a baby shower and giving diapers and clothing, etc. While these items are much appreciated, they are different from the support that you are giving us at this time. With your financial support, you are actually helping us be able to bring Calvin and Silas INTO our home. YOU are making this possible. We have only spent a few days with each of them, but they already feel like part of our family. We pray for them everyday. We look at their pictures and memorize their features. We look around the house and try to imagine them here with us. I want you all to know that we are overcome with all of the support that you have given us in this adoption of Calvin and Silas. Your encouragement, love, knowledge and friendship are deeply appreciated. You are all AMAZING! Thank you! And with that, I’d like to welcome you to our “Running back to Russia” Adoption Silent Auction!

To be honest, I hate asking for money and I struggle accepting it. But I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and support of family, friends and even strangers as we work to bring Calvin and Silas home from Russia. I am excited to offer such amazing items in return for your support!

Here is how it will work:

Each auction item will be listed in a separate post (so be sure to keep scrolling so you don't miss anything!). At the bottom of each post, the current auction price will be listed. If you wish to bid on an item, simply post a comment with the amount you wish to bid.

I will try to update the auction price as often as possible, but please be sure to check the comment section to ensure that you are bidding high enough to become the highest bidder.

The auction will run from 8am, EST, on Sunday, June 26th until 10pm, EST, on Sunday, July 10^th. At the close of the auction I will post a list of the winning bidders and ask that you contact me so that I can get your contact information in order to ship your item(s) or pass your information along to those who have donated items to the auction.

You will have two payment options. The first is to pay via Pierce Family Adoption Chip-In which uses paypal. It is located on the left-hand side of this blog. The second option is to send your payment by personal/bank check or money order.

I would like to extend a BIG thank you to all of those who have donated their time and talents to making this auction possible: and, of course, my incredible family, for their support as I pulled all of this together! We appreciate each and every one of you SO much!

In addition to the auction, we will also be doing a GIVEAWAY and it is completely free (and easy) to enter!!! To enter the giveaway: simply post our auction information to your Facebook page, Twitter or Blog to help us get the word out! Leave a comment on THIS POST to let us know that you have shared the news and your name will be entered into the giveaway.

And just what are we giving away?? The winner of our giveaway will have the privilege (at least, I'd like to think it's a privilege) of choosing one type of cookie listed on my Warrior Kitchen blog. I will bake one dozen cookies of your choice, package them, and ship them to you. Or if you are local, I will deliver them to you. Click here to see your yummy options.

And without further ado, let the Pierce Family Adoption Silent Auction Begin!

Customized Letters

Customized wall letters that spell a name, donated by Shelbee. This could be a child's name for a child's room, nursery, etc. Or I could make a families last name for the living room, etc. The winner would tell me what letters and color scheme/theme they would like.

$20

Haircut in OH

Kera has donated a haircut. She lives in Dayton, OH. Please bid only if you live near or will be visiting the Dayton area.

$30

Thirty One Items Voucher

Donated by Christy: www.christybusbey.com
Thirty One Gifts: Celebrating Encouraging and Rewarding Women, one purse, tote bag, home accessory and piece of stationery at a time.


A $25 voucher for Thirty One items! Click here to see items.


Some examples of items on the website are:

$20

Choffy

Choffy is made from 100% organic cacao (cocoa) beans roasted and ground to create a rich drink that provides long-lasting energy and whole-body wellness. Not only does Choffy taste good, it’s really good for you. It contains no sugar, dairy, or chemicals.

Choffy is richer and more robust than hot chocolate, and brews just like coffee. It has a strong, intense taste on its own; some people prefer to drink it that way. Others love the deep chocolate flavor that’s revealed when you add a little creamer. Be creative!

Unlike coffee, Choffy supplies you with long-lasting energy throughout the day without the crash, jitters, or other negative effects of caffeine. Which means you can drink as much as you want, whenever you want. So if you wake up craving a cup of Choffy, it’s only because it tastes so good!

Choffy has much to offer beyond flavor alone. It is truly good for you! It comes in a 12 oz bag. And I'm including one of their divine vegan, glutten and dairy free truffles. A chocolate fix for only 20 calories. Donated by Melisa.

$15

Hawaiian Gift Box

Hawaiian Gift Box donated by Stacey (who lives in Hawaii!)

This box includes 15 items:

• Surf's Up mug
• Island Heritage mug
• Pineapple coconut pancake mix
• Coconut syrup
• 6 piece hot pad/towel set
• Tropical jam set
• Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts
• Chocolate Covered Toffees with Macadamias
• Hershey Kisses with Macadamia Nuts
• Island Princess Mimi Meles Toffee
• Chocolate Macadamia Nuts
• 4 sample Mauna Loa Nut
• a Hula Girl magnetic shopping list.

$30

Homemade Lemon Curd and Scones

Homemade Lemon Curd and Scones by Paulette.

Traditional English scones are a sweet biscuit and usually use currants. I used orange flavored cranberries and orange zest in these delicious scones. A combination of real butter, milk, sugar and flour give these scones a wonderful crumb. Add to that a traditional lemon curd made with eggs, sugar, butter, lemon juice and lemon zest and you're almost ready for tea. Scones make a great breakfast or dessert.

The winner of this auction will get 8 scones and a pint of lemon curd.

Recipes:
Cranberry Scones
Lemon Curd

$15

Long Turquoise and Wood Necklace

The necklace is 30 inches with a 2 inch extender chain. It is made of blue-green turquoise nuggets and dark chocolate colored wood beads, finished with a silver lobster clasp :) Donated by Trinkets N Treasures.

$15

Sea Glass Necklace

Sea Glass Necklace donated by Shannon.

This exquisite example of hand-crafted jewelry features a striking beach glass setting. The elegant curves of beach glass, also known as sea glass or memaid's tears, are shaped naturally through the course of several decades. Most of my sea glass is handpicked from the shores of Lake Erie, where the ebb and flow of the waves smooth the rough edges of glass shards into beautiful gem-like pieces. If you like to learn more about beach glass, please visit my website:

www.BeachGlassMemories.etsy.com

$25

Ribbon Gift Collection

Ribbon Gift Collection donated by Sarah.

It's the gift that's more than a gift card! A Ribbon Gift Collection not only promises your recipient will receive a gift they love, but gives them an experience they'll remember – choosing for themselves!

The Ribbon Variety Gift Collection offers dozens of current, popular gift items, with something for everyone. Enjoy the convenience of a gift card, with a personal touch. Variety gifts include everything from electronics and gourmet goodies, to travel gear, and more. You’ll see the name brands you know and trust, like Cross®, Conair®, Unlisted® by Kenneth Cole®, Proctor Silex®, Royal®, and Eureka®.

It can be hard to find just the right gift for a special occasion – or a special person. Ribbon makes giving that perfect gift simple and enjoyable because there’s no shopping or guesswork involved. You just choose one of the Gift Collections and, your recipient gets to pick their own special gift from a selection of up to 40 items.  Ribbon is a simple and convenient solution to giving that perfect, unique gift they won’t expect. They’ll get their Gift of Choice delivered right to their door – with no shipping fees!

Ribbon Gift Card Ensemble comes with a Gift Card and a beautiful print Album that fit in a shimmer envelope for an elegant presentation. The Album showcases a selection of the gifts available to your recipient, while inviting them to view the most current selections and redeem their Gift Card for the gift of their choice.

You may view the products for this gift card here.

$15

European Bangle Bracelet #1

European bangle bracelet #1 donated by Adrienne. More of her jewelry is found here and here.
This is sterling silver plated, with 4 charms each. Other European beads can be added, or changed out easily to customize each of these. It is 8" long including the Pandora style clasp.

$10

Monster

Monster donated by Diana.

He's hand made, approximately 14" tall x 9" wide. Made of polar fleece and stuffed with fiber fill. Eyes are safety style eyes. Washable, whackable in times of stress, and has big arms for giving big hugs when needed.

$10

Main Dish - Local only to FL

Donated by me (Jill) :)

I will make your choice of any main dish (any main dish, soup, vegetable, bread, etc) recipe listed on my WARRIOR BLOG. This is only for people who live local here in FL. Look through the blog for something that interests you! I do not want to boast, but I am a good cook! :)

Some examples include:

$10

Teddy Bears

Teddy Bears donated by Diana. 

This is a collectible set of original Furskins Teddy Bears circa 1986. Both are in excellent (near mint) condition. . They are each approximately 8" tall x 6" wide and stand on their own. All clothing and accessories included.

$15

Little Red

Little Red donated by Paulette.

Red is a girl who can take care of herself. When faced with a crisis she makes the best of it. And she's frugal too. Here she is taking the head of the wolf to mom to make some stew.
Little Red is a cloth doll with cloth over clay construction for her head. Her face and body are hand painted, and made of an original pattern by Paulette Burton, also known on the internet as Craftewoman. Made in the Gothic style, she wears her signature red cape trimmed in braid over a black and white dress. Gothic Little Red Riding Hood is a one of a kind doll who will never be duplicated.

$18