Some days...

srmmm09

Some days, I just wish I could go to the bathroom without someone hitting me in the back with the toilet seat lid... and then grabbing whatever he can out of the trash while I try to safely restrain him without getting off the toilet. Or sometimes he'll try to flush the toilet while I'm still seated. I'm sure I'll look back fondly on these days anyway!

Just a little reminder to those of you waiting - you, too, will be inconvenienced in the funnest ways soon. If you can remember, and when you're in the mood to, take a long shower or bath. Make a really fancy, involved dinner. Go out to see a movie at the last minute. Our kids are obviously worth it, but those things are nice to do when you can!

On an unrelated note, DH and I are now considering adopting a waiting child from Russia. My poor husband is shell-shocked by all this change in our plans. But I've always felt like we should be adopting a waiting child. We'll see!

jillianmb

We are adopting a waiting child from Russia, so feel free to ask me questions or bounce ideas off of me! 

DH and I are sucking the marrow out of our child-free lifestyle right now.  Can't wait to have our little guy home, but trying to make the best of what we have right now too. I do daycare so I know the feeling of wanting to pee in peace!  I still can on evenings and weekends... at least for a few more months! ha!  

CaptainSerious

Jillian, maybe you could answer this:  isn't adopting from Russia rather pricey?  Is it significantly less if you adopt a waiting child?  I only ask because I thought that srmmm mentioned that as a consideration before, and now I'm curious to know if Russia has some great waiting child program.

jillianmb

Our adoption will be about $35,000 which I've heard is significantly less than the $50,000 figure many agencies give out.  We did not look into adopting a non-waiting child, so I can't really compare the reason for the price difference.  Maybe our agency just has a lower fee schedule? 

Russia has many waiting children, however I do not know if I would call their program "good."  I think it used to be better, but right now it is somewhat uncertain due to a USA-Russia adoption agreement waiting to be ratified and you have to make three trips to complete your adoption.  In addition, I've heard the judges can be hard to please in the court hearings as many cannot wrap their mind around why someone would want a child with special needs.  In many Russia minds (though certainly not all), these children are throw aways.  That said, since we started with our agency 8 months ago they have not had a judge deny an adoption, so that's good.

 Despite the challenges, we decided to move forward because there is just such a great need in this country.  The statistics for children who are not adopted are staggering- most turn to crime, prostitution, or suicide (10% to suicide). Adoption- domestic or international- is the only hope for these children.  We wish are program was easier, but we know it's worth it. 

srmmm09

We've found an agency that offers reduced fees to those adopting a child with a special need (they waive all fees for children with severe ones), which helps with the costs bc, with some agencies, it's really hard to believe they're non-profits, with the fees they charge!

My parents also have a ton of frequent flyer miles they're "donating" to our "cause," so that will help too. And it kind of also feels like, well, if this is what we feel like we're supposed to do, the funds will come. We may just have to work harder... 

CaptainSerious

Okay, tht makes sense.  I also understand the idea that if you are being pulled to a certain program, you just have to follow where it leads and trust.