Well, we've officially been in the adoption process for over a year now. Not an anniversary I anticipated celebrating, given the original 6-7 month estimate our agency gave us last January.
But here we are. What's past is past, and we now hope to hear something about reaccreditation within the next 2 months. Meanwhile, we've discovered that we need to get new copies of several of our forms because they are soon expiring (one already did). This will mean more notaries, some more travels to Tallahassee for apostilles to certify the notaries, and new background checks in case either of us has become a criminal in the last year. On the bright side, it gives us something to actually DO to pursue the adoption, instead of waiting helplessly.
We'll definitely let you know if there is any news!
Sarah
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Quick update
I confirmed today that our agency has submitted its accreditation paperwork to the Russian government! They turned it in before the holiday break, although our agency director was not sure if it was officially "processed" before the break or if it was just recently processed when workers returned from the break this week. In any case, we should hear back about their reaccreditation within 90 days, according to the new laws passed in Russia. This means that - as long as there are no errors in the paperwork - our agency should be reaccredited by sometime in March or April.
We are so happy to see things moving forward. Please pray that this deadline is honored!
We are so happy to see things moving forward. Please pray that this deadline is honored!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Christmas for our little one
While we still don't have any news on our timeline, our child was not forgotten this Christmas!
The Kampfers (my family) got us an Advent Calendar that is a whole set of tiny books, each in a special slot, as well as a sweet little teddy bear! We also went shopping after Christmas, and Mom picked out a new stocking and stocking holder for our new addition for next year.
The Hamersmas got our little one a pair of Calvin College sweatpants and some sweet little slippers that look like Dutch wooden shoes! I am glad that the Russian descent of our child isn't stopping them from raiding the Dutch store :) Hopefully our kid will like Dubbel Zout candy (double-salty black licorice) more than I do!
Our agency still anticipates being reaccreditted "soon". At least one person I have talked to, who is with our agency but submitted a dossier just recently, was told that they expected she might travel in May. Of course, we take all of these predictions with a grain of salt, but I suppose it's better than if she were predicted to travel even later...
We'll keep you updated as usual!
The Kampfers (my family) got us an Advent Calendar that is a whole set of tiny books, each in a special slot, as well as a sweet little teddy bear! We also went shopping after Christmas, and Mom picked out a new stocking and stocking holder for our new addition for next year.
The Hamersmas got our little one a pair of Calvin College sweatpants and some sweet little slippers that look like Dutch wooden shoes! I am glad that the Russian descent of our child isn't stopping them from raiding the Dutch store :) Hopefully our kid will like Dubbel Zout candy (double-salty black licorice) more than I do!
Our agency still anticipates being reaccreditted "soon". At least one person I have talked to, who is with our agency but submitted a dossier just recently, was told that they expected she might travel in May. Of course, we take all of these predictions with a grain of salt, but I suppose it's better than if she were predicted to travel even later...
We'll keep you updated as usual!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Actual progress!
You may remember from my last post that we were not clear on whether agencies were able to submit their documents to Russia yet, or if Russia wasn't accepting applications. I talked to our agency and learned that when they told me our agency's documents had been "submitted" they were relying on a faulty translation from their Russian office -- what actually occurred was that they had brought their documents to the Russian Ministry of Education, where they are eventually going to be submitted, and got information/corrections for putting together their packets.
But this doesn't sound like good news - it just confirmed that Russia was not yet accepting documents. I went for a couple of days trying to come to terms with the expectation that Russia would probably not accept applications until after their holiday break. After all, they are obligated to decide on the applications within 3 months of submission, and since they'll be on vacation for almost a month they might not want to start accepting submissions until they return to work in late January.
Praise God, I was wrong!! The Russian government issued a letter yesterday that finalized the documentation requirements for agencies applying for reaccreditation (include # of photocopies, etc.) and declaring that they would officially start receiving applications on December 20. THAT'S TODAY! I talked with our agency director and he expects our representatives in Russia to submit right away, since they had already made revisions and corrections based on their discussions with the Russian government. Though I don't know if they submitted today, it should be soon. At that point, the 3 month countdown begins!
Yes, 3 months is a long time...but if we're able to travel soon after reaccreditation (say, within a month or so) we may still get our first trip in the late spring. And it's possible they will issue the reaccreditations within less than 3 months. But I suppose I shouldn't start having wild dreams here :)
This is something to be thankful for - a reminder that while things are slow, they are not completely stalled.
We'll be up north for Christmas and New Year's, so I probably won't be blogging (unless there is news). Until then, Merry Christmas!
But this doesn't sound like good news - it just confirmed that Russia was not yet accepting documents. I went for a couple of days trying to come to terms with the expectation that Russia would probably not accept applications until after their holiday break. After all, they are obligated to decide on the applications within 3 months of submission, and since they'll be on vacation for almost a month they might not want to start accepting submissions until they return to work in late January.
Praise God, I was wrong!! The Russian government issued a letter yesterday that finalized the documentation requirements for agencies applying for reaccreditation (include # of photocopies, etc.) and declaring that they would officially start receiving applications on December 20. THAT'S TODAY! I talked with our agency director and he expects our representatives in Russia to submit right away, since they had already made revisions and corrections based on their discussions with the Russian government. Though I don't know if they submitted today, it should be soon. At that point, the 3 month countdown begins!
Yes, 3 months is a long time...but if we're able to travel soon after reaccreditation (say, within a month or so) we may still get our first trip in the late spring. And it's possible they will issue the reaccreditations within less than 3 months. But I suppose I shouldn't start having wild dreams here :)
This is something to be thankful for - a reminder that while things are slow, they are not completely stalled.
We'll be up north for Christmas and New Year's, so I probably won't be blogging (unless there is news). Until then, Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Christmas time is here
I just realized it has been a full month since I posted. As usual, you all know what that means....pretty much, nothing is happening with the adoption. Our agency has told us that their accreditation paperwork has been submitted. Meanwhile, some other prospective adopters on the adoption message boards have been told by their agencies that the Russian government isn't actually accepting the applications yet. Everyone seems confused these days.
At least we will not have to wonder what's happening during late December through mid-January, since the entire Russian government will be on vacation for the holidays. Ugh.
It is still possible that we will be traveling when we had hoped -- in March for the first trip -- but that possibility becomes more distant if our agency remains unaccredited through the holidays. I suppose we just need to be patient.
How am I doing? I'm in a strange array of moods in any given week. If I think too much about this child of ours in a crib in Russia, it is unbelievably depressing to think that we can do nothing to help care for him or her. We have the time, money, and willingness to do something, and yet we can't. Can you imagine how different his or her Christmas would be if he or she were home with us?
But this is too much to take. So usually, for better or worse, I try not to dwell on this and try to separate myself from the situation. There is nothing we can do. When people ask about how things are going, I sometimes explain the whole situation, but more often I have heard myself be a bit short with people: "We just don't know. We hope for Spring, but we really have no idea." I cannot get my heart set on a certain plan, because we just don't have control. So I think, to some people, I appear less excited about the adoption than I should be. I'm not bubbling over with the joy of this plan right now. I am just getting through this hard part.
This weird range of emotions has me in a strange place with little kids and babies too. Sometimes I love to be around them and to think about our future little one - today was one of those days. The little kids sang in church and I thought about how ours would be joining them in the next year or two. How cute! And I saw a dad with his little guy hanging on his back - maybe 3 years old - at the airport this weekend, and it gave me a warm glow when I thought of Rob and our kid. (No, economists, I'm not using the technical "warm glow" terminology here). But other times I'd rather not be reminded of what's missing right now!
Now, I said earlier that there is nothing we can do. That's not quite right, I guess. We can continue offering this situation to God, calling on him to take action on behalf of our child and us. I am running out of steam on this, so I would appreciate help from those of you who are willing to be part of this effort. It has been so encouraging to get comments from some of you who have been lurking (especially the old Madison crowd! Wow! ). I'll try to email you guys individually sometime soon - I greatly appreciate your patience until then :)
I'll post again whenever there is news...but assuming nothing big will happen before Christmas, let me wish you all the joy and peace of Christ this season. We will be with family, first in MN and then in Canada, and we look forward to celebrating with them.
Merry Christmas!
Sarah
At least we will not have to wonder what's happening during late December through mid-January, since the entire Russian government will be on vacation for the holidays. Ugh.
It is still possible that we will be traveling when we had hoped -- in March for the first trip -- but that possibility becomes more distant if our agency remains unaccredited through the holidays. I suppose we just need to be patient.
How am I doing? I'm in a strange array of moods in any given week. If I think too much about this child of ours in a crib in Russia, it is unbelievably depressing to think that we can do nothing to help care for him or her. We have the time, money, and willingness to do something, and yet we can't. Can you imagine how different his or her Christmas would be if he or she were home with us?
But this is too much to take. So usually, for better or worse, I try not to dwell on this and try to separate myself from the situation. There is nothing we can do. When people ask about how things are going, I sometimes explain the whole situation, but more often I have heard myself be a bit short with people: "We just don't know. We hope for Spring, but we really have no idea." I cannot get my heart set on a certain plan, because we just don't have control. So I think, to some people, I appear less excited about the adoption than I should be. I'm not bubbling over with the joy of this plan right now. I am just getting through this hard part.
This weird range of emotions has me in a strange place with little kids and babies too. Sometimes I love to be around them and to think about our future little one - today was one of those days. The little kids sang in church and I thought about how ours would be joining them in the next year or two. How cute! And I saw a dad with his little guy hanging on his back - maybe 3 years old - at the airport this weekend, and it gave me a warm glow when I thought of Rob and our kid. (No, economists, I'm not using the technical "warm glow" terminology here). But other times I'd rather not be reminded of what's missing right now!
Now, I said earlier that there is nothing we can do. That's not quite right, I guess. We can continue offering this situation to God, calling on him to take action on behalf of our child and us. I am running out of steam on this, so I would appreciate help from those of you who are willing to be part of this effort. It has been so encouraging to get comments from some of you who have been lurking (especially the old Madison crowd! Wow! ). I'll try to email you guys individually sometime soon - I greatly appreciate your patience until then :)
I'll post again whenever there is news...but assuming nothing big will happen before Christmas, let me wish you all the joy and peace of Christ this season. We will be with family, first in MN and then in Canada, and we look forward to celebrating with them.
Merry Christmas!
Sarah
Friday, November 10, 2006
Russian government creeps toward reaccreditation
Some excellent news came out of Russia this week for pre-adoptive parents like us!
The Russian government has issued its new set of reaccreditation requirements. They needed a new set because the old requirements were (apparently) inconsistent with some aspects of the NGO registration laws that slowed things down from about April to September. These requirements have been expected to come out "any time now" for at least 3-4 months. Finally some progress!
Practically speaking, this means that our agency and others now know WHAT forms they need to submit to get reaccredited. The new rules also have one great feature: accreditations will last for at least 5 years instead of being subject to annual renewals. This will make life much easier for those adopting from Russia in future years (who knows, maybe us again?).
No one knows how long it will take for Russia to actually process the reaccreditations, though the law does say that they must give adoption agencies a "yes" or "no" within three months of their application. I cannot begin to express how glad I am that we are not still in that "any day now" mode...the prospect of up to 3 months more of that feeling would be overwhelming.
We have confirmed our plans again with our caseworker - that whenever it is that our agency is reaccredited, she will not submit our paperwork yet but will first contact us to discuss the timing. We hope to travel in March, which would probably mean submitting paperwork in February and not before. However, even with the new "progress" on accreditation laws this week, it sounds like there is still some waiting to do...so it may be that our first opportunity to submit isn't until February anyway. I cannot even fathom the irony if that were to happen! It would sure be a lesson in learning to trust God's plans.
The Russian government has issued its new set of reaccreditation requirements. They needed a new set because the old requirements were (apparently) inconsistent with some aspects of the NGO registration laws that slowed things down from about April to September. These requirements have been expected to come out "any time now" for at least 3-4 months. Finally some progress!
Practically speaking, this means that our agency and others now know WHAT forms they need to submit to get reaccredited. The new rules also have one great feature: accreditations will last for at least 5 years instead of being subject to annual renewals. This will make life much easier for those adopting from Russia in future years (who knows, maybe us again?).
No one knows how long it will take for Russia to actually process the reaccreditations, though the law does say that they must give adoption agencies a "yes" or "no" within three months of their application. I cannot begin to express how glad I am that we are not still in that "any day now" mode...the prospect of up to 3 months more of that feeling would be overwhelming.
We have confirmed our plans again with our caseworker - that whenever it is that our agency is reaccredited, she will not submit our paperwork yet but will first contact us to discuss the timing. We hope to travel in March, which would probably mean submitting paperwork in February and not before. However, even with the new "progress" on accreditation laws this week, it sounds like there is still some waiting to do...so it may be that our first opportunity to submit isn't until February anyway. I cannot even fathom the irony if that were to happen! It would sure be a lesson in learning to trust God's plans.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
The Fall is Flying By!
It's been a few weeks since I posted something, so I thought it was about time for a new one.
There is no news from Russia, but happily this is only something I check on a couple of times a week, instead of every day. Still no agencies have been reaccredited. If we were still planning to travel ASAP, I can't imagine how stressed I would be right now. Rob's idea of delaying our first trip until the spring was definitely the right thing to do. I have been more productive at work, more enthusiastic about the conferences I'll be attending (rather than worried that I might have to cancel at the last minute to leave for Russia), and a much less stressed-out person.
This month I am presenting in two conferences: one in Madison (my grad school hometown) and one in Charleston, SC (Rob might come with me for that one). They should both be productive and also great fun - I am planning to connect with friends at both conferences for meals, etc. As if that weren't enough travel for one month, we also decided to go ahead and plan something crazy and exciting for this time before the baby arrives: for Thanksgiving, both Rob's and my parents are joining us in Florida for a 4-day cruise!!! I can hardly wait! Most of you know how thrifty (OK, cheap) we are, so this is a real adventure for us. (Of course, we got the tickets for less than half price...but you already knew that....). Our two sets of parents haven't seen each other since our wedding over 6 years ago, so we are excited to all hang out together.
Last weekend, we made a bit of progress on the baby's room - we installed new closet doors. the old ones were completely mirrored. Not only might that scare our poor kid, but I wasn't a big fan either! So we got some nice plain white doors with a very basic design. It looks great!
I'll close up with a reminder to please pray for our little one in Siberia. Earlier this month we were in Canada with Rob's family and got to see some of his cousins who have a 20-month old (Jake) and newborn (Mitchell). It was really wonderful to see them, and especially to meet little Mitchell! But it was a little bittersweet knowing that we can't take care of our own child right now the way these parents (and grandparents, and aunts, and uncles, and cousins) can take care of him. Our child is most likely between the ages of these two cuties, and there are two more kids on that side of the family who are slightly older, so he/she will have lots of cousins to play with.....just can't wait until he/she can actually come home and DO that! Until then, we're praying that our baby is experiencing attentive care from the orphanage staff, enough food to eat, and at least a few hugs along the way. We'd sure like to send some!
There is no news from Russia, but happily this is only something I check on a couple of times a week, instead of every day. Still no agencies have been reaccredited. If we were still planning to travel ASAP, I can't imagine how stressed I would be right now. Rob's idea of delaying our first trip until the spring was definitely the right thing to do. I have been more productive at work, more enthusiastic about the conferences I'll be attending (rather than worried that I might have to cancel at the last minute to leave for Russia), and a much less stressed-out person.
This month I am presenting in two conferences: one in Madison (my grad school hometown) and one in Charleston, SC (Rob might come with me for that one). They should both be productive and also great fun - I am planning to connect with friends at both conferences for meals, etc. As if that weren't enough travel for one month, we also decided to go ahead and plan something crazy and exciting for this time before the baby arrives: for Thanksgiving, both Rob's and my parents are joining us in Florida for a 4-day cruise!!! I can hardly wait! Most of you know how thrifty (OK, cheap) we are, so this is a real adventure for us. (Of course, we got the tickets for less than half price...but you already knew that....). Our two sets of parents haven't seen each other since our wedding over 6 years ago, so we are excited to all hang out together.
Last weekend, we made a bit of progress on the baby's room - we installed new closet doors. the old ones were completely mirrored. Not only might that scare our poor kid, but I wasn't a big fan either! So we got some nice plain white doors with a very basic design. It looks great!
I'll close up with a reminder to please pray for our little one in Siberia. Earlier this month we were in Canada with Rob's family and got to see some of his cousins who have a 20-month old (Jake) and newborn (Mitchell). It was really wonderful to see them, and especially to meet little Mitchell! But it was a little bittersweet knowing that we can't take care of our own child right now the way these parents (and grandparents, and aunts, and uncles, and cousins) can take care of him. Our child is most likely between the ages of these two cuties, and there are two more kids on that side of the family who are slightly older, so he/she will have lots of cousins to play with.....just can't wait until he/she can actually come home and DO that! Until then, we're praying that our baby is experiencing attentive care from the orphanage staff, enough food to eat, and at least a few hugs along the way. We'd sure like to send some!
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
There is Finally a Plan
It has been a rough couple of weeks trying to figure out whether we should keep waiting with our agency or switch to another where things are moving forward.
Over the weekend, we had decided to switch...but then some feedback from our current agency gave us some hope that things might begin moving before too long. Meanwhile, the new agency that we really liked had some hoops we needed to jump through in terms of some new paperwork, a 2-hour interview, and an educational requirement (involving reading books/watching videos on adoption). We sent them a preliminary application but were still unsure.
The decision we made today - to stay with our agency - actually rests on Rob's very thoughtful but persistent suggestion of an idea I initially did not like. He pointed out that with the new agency, our best case scenario would be bringing home a child in January (maybe February). At that point, I would have needed others to cover my classes for the trip and I would be returning to the work of teaching my two classes immediately upon our return. I’d also have a toddler running around (or at least learning to walk) who is confused and can’t understand most of what I say to him/her – and it is really important to be proactive about “attachment” when adopting a child at this age. Though Rob would also stay home part time, I think he realized that he'd have two people to take care of: a new child and a frazzled wife. He suggested that it might be in the best interest of all of us - especially the child - if we could delay by a few months and bring our child home early in the summer. I will not have any work responsibilities until Fall, so could concentrate on bonding with our little one and visiting family. Ironically, this was exactly the plan when we first started (to bring home our child in the summer). So we asked our current agency whether we could intentionally hold back our paperwork in order to do our first trip in the Spring, even if they become reaccredited before that. They said we could certainly do that.
So then we just had to decide whether we wanted to do this. My initial reaction was "I want a baby YESTERDAY! I'd be nuts to wait longer than I have to". Later on, I started doing the math....the difference will just be a few months compared to starting with the new agency, and the costs of starting over are high. And then a couple of people independently suggested this option, not knowing that we were considering it. You know, it made sense. Rob is a smart guy. One thing I love about this idea is that we have some control over timing, so we don't need to worry whether our agency gets reaccredited this month or next month or even the month after. (There are agencies who have met with the Russian officials about the delays, and it sounds like they are gradually getting things resolved -- so we really don't expect our agency to remain unaccredited into next year.) My daily following of all the Russian adoption news can fall back to a calm, weekly check on what's going on. We will leave our paperwork where it is, in Russia with our facilitator, and it will be up to us to decide when we want it submitted -- travel dates are usually given within weeks of submission. We will still likely travel without having been assigned a specific child in advance.
Phew! Sorry for the long entry. It's been an eventful time for us. But it will now be followed by some peace about this and no frenzied switch or hyperactive websurfing for Russian news. I'm hoping we can even do a little vacation at some point over the next 6 months before life changes drastically :)
Over the weekend, we had decided to switch...but then some feedback from our current agency gave us some hope that things might begin moving before too long. Meanwhile, the new agency that we really liked had some hoops we needed to jump through in terms of some new paperwork, a 2-hour interview, and an educational requirement (involving reading books/watching videos on adoption). We sent them a preliminary application but were still unsure.
The decision we made today - to stay with our agency - actually rests on Rob's very thoughtful but persistent suggestion of an idea I initially did not like. He pointed out that with the new agency, our best case scenario would be bringing home a child in January (maybe February). At that point, I would have needed others to cover my classes for the trip and I would be returning to the work of teaching my two classes immediately upon our return. I’d also have a toddler running around (or at least learning to walk) who is confused and can’t understand most of what I say to him/her – and it is really important to be proactive about “attachment” when adopting a child at this age. Though Rob would also stay home part time, I think he realized that he'd have two people to take care of: a new child and a frazzled wife. He suggested that it might be in the best interest of all of us - especially the child - if we could delay by a few months and bring our child home early in the summer. I will not have any work responsibilities until Fall, so could concentrate on bonding with our little one and visiting family. Ironically, this was exactly the plan when we first started (to bring home our child in the summer). So we asked our current agency whether we could intentionally hold back our paperwork in order to do our first trip in the Spring, even if they become reaccredited before that. They said we could certainly do that.
So then we just had to decide whether we wanted to do this. My initial reaction was "I want a baby YESTERDAY! I'd be nuts to wait longer than I have to". Later on, I started doing the math....the difference will just be a few months compared to starting with the new agency, and the costs of starting over are high. And then a couple of people independently suggested this option, not knowing that we were considering it. You know, it made sense. Rob is a smart guy. One thing I love about this idea is that we have some control over timing, so we don't need to worry whether our agency gets reaccredited this month or next month or even the month after. (There are agencies who have met with the Russian officials about the delays, and it sounds like they are gradually getting things resolved -- so we really don't expect our agency to remain unaccredited into next year.) My daily following of all the Russian adoption news can fall back to a calm, weekly check on what's going on. We will leave our paperwork where it is, in Russia with our facilitator, and it will be up to us to decide when we want it submitted -- travel dates are usually given within weeks of submission. We will still likely travel without having been assigned a specific child in advance.
Phew! Sorry for the long entry. It's been an eventful time for us. But it will now be followed by some peace about this and no frenzied switch or hyperactive websurfing for Russian news. I'm hoping we can even do a little vacation at some point over the next 6 months before life changes drastically :)
Friday, September 22, 2006
Ok...so that excitement has worn off now
I was reading my last entry and it sure doesn't reflect where things seem to be now.
What has become clear is that even those agencies who have had NGO status since JULY have still not been reaccreditted. Absolutely no agency has been reaccredited since the NGO legislation initially went into effect at the end of April. There has now been a report from one agency, to their clients, that two officials in the Russian Ministry of Education have resigned, and their signatures were needed for accreditations to be granted. If it is true, we must wait for these people to be replaced before anything new can happen.
There are a few agencies that were reaccredited last March and April, before the NGO rules were passed, who are still operating smoothly because their licenses are good until next March/April. A couple have gotten NGO status as well, so there are no delays with them at this point. We need to think and pray hard about this. Forms would need to be redone, money would be lost, and the process would still be unpredictable. However, if we could travel during this semester (while I am not teaching) it would be so much better than if we had to wait until Spring and I ended up having to recruit help to cover my two courses. I know I would get the help - my department is so fantastically supportive of all this! - but it would just make more sense for this to happen NOW!!! (Plus, as you may have noticed, I am ready to be a mom and am tired of waiting!)
Thanks so much for listening and hanging in there with us.
What has become clear is that even those agencies who have had NGO status since JULY have still not been reaccreditted. Absolutely no agency has been reaccredited since the NGO legislation initially went into effect at the end of April. There has now been a report from one agency, to their clients, that two officials in the Russian Ministry of Education have resigned, and their signatures were needed for accreditations to be granted. If it is true, we must wait for these people to be replaced before anything new can happen.
There are a few agencies that were reaccredited last March and April, before the NGO rules were passed, who are still operating smoothly because their licenses are good until next March/April. A couple have gotten NGO status as well, so there are no delays with them at this point. We need to think and pray hard about this. Forms would need to be redone, money would be lost, and the process would still be unpredictable. However, if we could travel during this semester (while I am not teaching) it would be so much better than if we had to wait until Spring and I ended up having to recruit help to cover my two courses. I know I would get the help - my department is so fantastically supportive of all this! - but it would just make more sense for this to happen NOW!!! (Plus, as you may have noticed, I am ready to be a mom and am tired of waiting!)
Thanks so much for listening and hanging in there with us.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Successful Jump through Hoop # 1 !!!
We just learned today that our agency has been granted NGO status by the Russian government. Woohoo!!!!!
You might ask how this affects our situation. It essentially means that now our agency can actually apply for its reaccreditation (which was not allowed w/o NGO status). It could still be a while -- the online adoption gossip ranges for estimates of "any week now" to maybe not even this calendar year. Our agency has an optimistic timeline, but we will just have to see what happens. In any case, the situation is MUCH better now that the first hoop has been jumped through. Once hoop # 2 is done, we will be on our way to Russia in no time!
We'll keep you posted!
You might ask how this affects our situation. It essentially means that now our agency can actually apply for its reaccreditation (which was not allowed w/o NGO status). It could still be a while -- the online adoption gossip ranges for estimates of "any week now" to maybe not even this calendar year. Our agency has an optimistic timeline, but we will just have to see what happens. In any case, the situation is MUCH better now that the first hoop has been jumped through. Once hoop # 2 is done, we will be on our way to Russia in no time!
We'll keep you posted!
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