getting ready for the baby

I am mamainwaiting. That is, I'm in the process of adopting a baby girl or boy from Perm Russia. The adoption agency has hopefully sent our dossier to Perm, however, there have been numerous setbacks and delays. It has been frustrtating. Last week they called to tell us we were missing a necessary document. I wondered why it had taken them two weeks to call and tell us. We had already imagined our papers were in the hands of the authorities in Russia.

When people ask when we will be going to Russia, I don't know what to tell them. We should receive a photograph of our child in one to three months. At that time, they will send us whatever medical information they have as well as information on our child's mother and posiibly father. We don't expect to get too much info, but we will forward it all to the famous Dr Jane Aronson who will review what we send and tell us to the best of her ability if our child is healthy or not. If we accept the "referral" i.e., the baby they have chosen for us, we will travel to Perm within a month. We go for 7 days to meet our baby and begin the adoption process in Russia, Then we return approximately one month after that.

I know. It is hard to imagine meeting one's child and then leaving them at the orphanage. There are so many things in this process that are hard to imagine.

So in the meantime, I am trying to make room for our baby in our small two bedroom apartment. The tiny second bedroom has been our office for the past 3 years so I have been busy trying to get rid of as much stuff as possible. This whole office will move into our bedroom, or perhaps into a rental space. I have already filled up 4 huge black garbage bags with papers and stuff to throw away.

It feels good to make room for our baby.