February 26, 2007
…keeps GEORGIA on my mind.
Yes, that’s right, Georgia. We found out that we are going to have to move to Atlanta, instead of Chicago next year. At first I was really disappointed. The windy city has great shops, Navy Pier, restaurants, culture and is located right on Lake Michigan. Not to mention, it is a short flight home, since we are originally from Michigan. Add to that, the fact that I thought I knew exactly which building we were going to live in. Needless to say, with this change of plans, I was not a happy camper.
However, Frank already "monster-ed" jobs in the Atlanta area. To my surprise, he thought Atlanta was better than Chicago. He also spent several hours last night going through homes for sale that we can "afford" in the suburbs outside Atlanta. I really l.i.k.e. that idea! It didn’t take long before I became convinced that the Peachtree state is the place for us! Warm weather, friendly people, good hospital systems, great jobs for Frank and finally owning our own home! Look out Atlanta Hawks, there is a Detroit Piston coming to town, (okay so I’m not a huge sports fan … let’s try that again…), look out Ray Charles, a little bit of Motown is headed your way! Whatever, you get the idea!
**Anyone know of good agencies in the south? We’re still strongly considering EAC, but I’m just curious what else is out there. I know most agencies work in all the states, but this really adds a new dimension to my agency research … just the first of many times I’ll need to flexible, I’m sure.**
February 20, 2007
If you haven’t heard the phrase "Olive You," then you may think that our title is a bit odd… it’s just a cute way to say I love you. It’s also one of those little phrases you can mouth to someone across the room and it looks like you are saying I love you. I remember it from when I was a kid. I don’t know why, but it was a thrill to know a secret way of making it look like you were saying something you weren’t. If I remember correctly, Elephant Shoe has the same effect. Dorky, yes, but hey - at least I was easily entertained.
The second reason for the title is because in the world of adoption blogging, parents tend to make up "code names" for their children. This keeps their identities somewhat private. It’s important with Russian adoption, specifically, because there are rules against posting too many details and pictures until your child’s adoption is complete. When we saw the movie Little Miss Sunshine, the child was called Olive. We thought it was funny, so we decided to call our baby (whom we have never met) Olive. No, it will not be our child’s actual name. It is only a code name to be used on the blog for privacy and with our family and friends because we are not sharing the name we’ve chosen for our child, until we get home with her/him.
One random fact: Frank, my husband, will eat literally anything you put in front of him - with the exception of Olives. Not sure why that is - just thought I’d mention it while we’re on the topic.
February 17, 2007
It’s so much fun to find our site linked from other bloggers’ sites. You can find us on Lauren & Marco’s site and on Tricia’s site! Thanks ladies! If anyone else feels like giving this easily entertained, med student a little hop in her step, feel free to link to us, as well. Okay I know I’m a dork, but hey … I feel like I’m officially part of the adoption bloggerland. That means, in some small way, we’ve begun this process.
Now back to studying, with a smile from ear to ear!
February 14, 2007
Just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Valentines Day! We hope you all are surrounded by those who love you today!
We’re celebrating by going out on date night Friday. There are 6 cruise ships in port today and the island is full of "fritters." (Fritters = Tourists, who come here and eat Conch Fritters). Just too many people to fight for a good night out, so we’re going to wait until this weekend.
Valentines Day brings out red roses, the sappy love poems and Hallmark cards. Here is something I found in a magazine awhile ago. It may not be terribly romantic, but I think it’s sentimental and true, without the sap, and it describes how I feel about my Valentine.
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"When the last speck of fairy dust is gone, and you are married to exactly the person you married and not any fantasy of your own, you find out whether you have what it takes to make it through a few more decades of togetherness. It takes commitment, it takes forgiveness, it takes resignation and compromise, but with all of this, you still have to feel tenderness. The person you see in those eyes that meet yours across the pillow, or the dining room table, or over the head of the child whose hands you hold– if that person still touches something wordless in you, you can imagine that there are still good parts left, still surprises in the story. You can only find out what happens when you believe in love if you believe in love. We choose to believe."
Believing then, still believing now…
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***A quick adoption bloggerland note: CONGRATULATIONS TO LAUREN & MARCO WHO BECAME PARENTS TO LUCIANA TODAY! Also, congratulations to Susan & Wayne who received their release letter! Let’s hope for a quick court date! Great news!***
February 11, 2007
We are currently living in Grand Cayman. Frank is working at KPMG here and I’m going to medical school at St Matthews University.
As you now know, we decided to start writing this blog because we are going to adopt our baby from Russia.
Frank and I will be moving to Chicago in 2008. We moved here for my education and Frank’s job with KPMG. We have to move to Chicago because I will rotate through clinicals in Chicago. (Clinicals = year three and four of medical school, at which time I will rotate through OB/Gyn, Peds, Internal Med, Surgery, Family Med, Psychiatry, and numerous subspecialties). Frank hopes to get a job doing something in Accounting, Finance, or Investing there. We’re looking at apartments now, to get an idea of what the availability and costs are in Chicago. Right now, we’re really excited about the apartment complexes downtown that include pharmacies, daycares, grocery stores, gyms and more, all in one building.
Okay, so not much about adoption but, hopefully you are getting to know us better. You can click on the link on that says "About Us" on the right for a few pictures.
February 8, 2007
Since we do not yet know much about Adoption, I thought it best to point out what we do know.
(1) We will most likely be using EAC as our adoption agency. This agency has been referred to us by several people we know and seems to fit our personal desires for our adoption. Furthermore, EAC tends to have one of the quickest turn around times of the agencies we’ve researched.
(2) We want to start the adoption in 2008. This way we will have been married for 3.5 years, I will be involved in my clinical rotations for medical school, close to graduation, but not yet consumed with residency. At that time, Frank will have been working full time in Chicago and we will be staying in the Chicago area for at least 3 years.
(3) We want to adopt an infant as young as possible. This means she/he will be between the ages of 8 months and 1 year. Hopefully, she/he will be 8 months at the time he is referred, which means she/he may be about 10 months when we bring her/him home. However, this is only a hypothetical, ideal situation.
(4) We have a list of names we love… not sure which one will be "the one." And NO we will not be sharing which one we choose, or the list we’ve come up with over the years. It will be a surprise for everyone when we bring our child home.
(5) We know whether we are going to adopt a boy or a girl. We’re just not telling until we receive a referral. Think of it as waiting for an ultrasound confirmation…
(6) We have a long wait ahead of us. We aren’t even going to start this process until next year. Why start this blog then? Because everyone we know is having babies. So, we felt the need to put this stuff out there. That yes, Mom and Debbie, we will give you grandchildren someday. And yes, you are going to have to wait for a little while longer. And yes, we’re still silly and selfish and having fun….
(6) We’ve been researching for awhile now. We dream of the day this will all begin.
February 5, 2007
Welcome to our new blog. The purpose of this blog is to allow our family and friends to follow along with us, as we adopt our first baby. It is also to keep in touch with friends who are also adopting children at this time. More about that in a later post.
Since we’ve decided to adopt internationally, the process is much more complex than the traditional adoption, (which is not simple in it’s own right). We must juggle endless mounds of paperwork for both the US and Russian governments. Generally this process takes about one year to complete. In other words, without complications, it will be about 9 - 12 months between starting the paperwork and acutally bringing our baby home. To make this process go as smoothly as possible, we will choose an US adoption agency that is accredited in Russia for international adoption.
We have a lot to learn about adoption, agencies, Russia, babies, etc… stay tuned as we keep you "posted."
ps - A special thank you to my friend, Elle, for all her hard work on the blog design - Isn’t it great?!
