A Little Explanation....

I've been debating a long time on if I wanted to start a blog or not. It seems odd to put loads of personal info onto the web for all to see. However, I read other's blogs as way to know what to expect in this crazy adventure called Ukrainian adoption. I cheer and cry with them and gossip to my husband about xyz's blog so I decided it was only fair that I share my experiences as well.

For those who know me personally you know Winnie is our old dog's name. She has been gone now for about three years, however I've used her name as a web name for years and have come to think of myself as Winnie when I type. I do this mostly for privacy, as you know there are some nutcases out there. Other names will be changed as well to protect privacy but the story will remain the same.

The thought of a Ukrainian adoption first settled in our head in January of '07. Our homestudy for a domestic adoption was due for renewal and we had been sitting waiting to be picked by birthmother, however we were not even being afforded a second glance and sometimes not a first since we already had one child. Hours of internet research later, and a bell ringing in our head about the story of an aquaintance who had adopted a few years ago from Ukraine got us moving in the right direction.

The paper chase soon began in earnest and became a part-time job to rush through it as fast as I could. USCIS was our biggest hold up but we got our dossier into a FED-EX envelope in early May and started an agonizing wait to be submitted. You see this is a period in current Ukrainian adoption that is the worst, you documents are aging quickly, and just getting your paperwork in to be approved is stressful. However after updating all the documents in August we were finally submitted on Oct 1. The next wait began and a month and half later we were given a travel date of March 11.