planes, trains and automobiles...

(...and, for the sake of completeness, a boat too)

A little jet lagged, a lot lacking of sleep, but we survived our trip to Germany.

In case I haven't mentioned it here, lately I've been asked to travel for work a bit more than usual. And as Ryan also has a big business trip coming up next month, it means that we've been looking at spending about one week out of every month apart. I know for some people this is perfectly normal, but for us, it's pretty rare and it was starting to bother me. Back when I was in law school, I used to think it would be super cool to have a job that required lots of international travel. Now I think I was crazy!!

I knew a few months back when I suggested to Ryan that he and Simon accompany me on this particular business trip to Germany that it wasn't going to be a vacation exactly. And frankly, since I would have some pretty long workdays and Ryan would be on his own with Simon, I was offering Ryan a harder week than he would have had at home. But fortunately the boys are troopers and they agreed to join me on my latest German adventure. (It didn't hurt that my boss also agreed to give me a day off while I was there so that we actually had as much play time as work time.)

So off we all went to Germany.

As people who love (LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!) to travel, we've been deluding ourselves into thinking we can still be globetrotters trying to figure out how we can choose trips that will satisfy our love of travel and still be positive experiences for Simon. Now I won't pretend that traveling with a two year old is anything like traveling as a couple, but I'm proud to say that we are making it work (mostly anyhow!).

Of course, one of the interesting thoughts that this trip raised for me was the fact that Simon will not remember any of it. Not the sights or sounds. Not the trip to the Frankfurt zoo... the train to Cologne... the boat trip on the Main River... He won't remember the food he tasted, the people we met, the parks he played in. For all the time spent planning, the extra stress and challenges we faced trying to meet the needs of a two year old who was jet lagged and living out of strange hotel rooms, the compromises we made... Simon will have no memory of his time in Germany.

And yet, I know that this time was still so valuable.

As a family, we spent more time together during these ten days than we otherwise would have. Ryan and I got to watch Simon experience and react to so many new things. We were amazed at his independence, his sense of self.... and just how quickly he is growing and changing and learning new things. And though I know that there is nothing we can do to change the fact that all of the things he experienced in Germany will soon be erased from Simon's memory, I believe that they will still play a role in shaping the person that he is becoming. Actually, they will continue to shape us too.

30 second update

Leaving for the airport shortly, but had to log on since we've actually had some real movement in the adoption process.

The FBI has confirmed that we are not criminals, and...

Gladney has finalized our homestudy and sent it off to CIS!!! Only took two months and a day, but hey, who's counting? ;)

Let the waiting (to be waiting) begin!

happy mother's day!

to our moms, to simon's birthmom... to all moms... a very happy and beautiful day!

another step closer

Slowly but surely we continue to finish the paperwork required for adoption round 2.

We finally got our CIS fingerprints taken and our Gladney application has generally been completed for over a month now... if only Gladney would actually finalize our homestudy, so that it could be submitted to CIS for their review and approval (Dear Gladney: hint! hint!). Our homestudy visit took place on March 12 and all related papers were to Gladney by the end of March, so not exactly sure what is taking so long, but so it goes. We had the same issue last time around... not much we can do (except harass and annoy our caseworker, and I'm trying hard not to do that).

Other than that, we've just been trying to enjoy the Spring and the warm, sunny weather (notwithstanding the gray and rainy day we're having today). Celebrating friends' birthdays... going to the park... having an Ethiopian play date with all our local friends from Gladney.... And since I'm still generally suffering from writer's block when it comes to keeping up this blog, here are some recent pics to express the words that I have not been able to write. (I know - the pics are all anyone really wants to see anyway!)

moving right along

CIS Fingerprints are rescheduled!!

I still can't believe we never received the notice telling us that we had an appointment a few weeks ago. Things have changed too - when we were adopting Simon, we actually missed our CIS appointment as well. The notice came while we were on vacation and the date of the appointment was either the day we got back or the day before or something like that. Anyhow, that letter told us if we couldn't make our appointment, we could just show up any subsequent Weds. (Thurs.?? - I can't remember now) between certain hours. Easy. No rescheduling or explanation required.

Seems things are a little different now.

CIS (at least our local CIS) now views your appointment as binding and if you need to reschedule, you need to promptly mail back the notice letter with an explanation and reschedule request for their consideration. And if you don't do that and you don't show up on your appointment date, they will view your case as abandoned.

So we are very grateful that our local CIS office thought it was worth calling us to find out why we had not shown up or contacted them before throwing our I600-A in the trash as an abandoned request! And I am even more grateful that they gave us a new fingerprint date of May 4!! Yup, we are to be printed this week!! And finally, I am feeling like adoption round 2 is actually happening.

For sure the second time around has been a completely different experience than Simon's adoption. Not just because we have been more laid back (although I do admit, news of a CIS fingerprinting appointment did get my heart racing just a bit)... but the paperwork process has generally been easier, less eventful - i.e. got the right form of my birth certificate on the first try (last time: 5 tries)... same for my employment letter. And while I am not in any way complaining about that, it can sometimes kind of make this adoption feel more like something that's happening in the background, rather than one of the most significant things affecting our family - which it is. So hitting a milestone like our CIS fingerprinting appointment, which is totally outside of our control, is all the more exciting.

And so after Tuesday we will be one giant step closer to the waitlist.

Coming soon: Gladney approval (should be this week), more adventures in banking, and FBI clearances (I really, really hope).

So to the 4-5 of you still reading this - stay tuned. Good times are ahead!