And The Award Goes To ...

I'd like to take a moment and Thank all the Professional and Personal Contacts that have helped us get this far with our sanity intact. Yes... I'm still sane. Really ;o)

Thank you friends and family for being supportive through the "years" and country changes.

Special Thank You to all those who offered to be either personal or professional references. I know I had a lot of you on stand by for over 2 years. Thank you for not changing your minds within those years. It's nice to know our friends still think we're worthy. lol. As it turns out we needed 3 personal references. Special Thanks to Denise and Ash - (neighbors/friends), Sharon & Jim and Darren and Kelly (friends). These couples wrote awesome letters for us. And they were extremely co-operative. I had all 3 within 48 hrs. Awesome job!!! When I read one of them I started to tear up and said to Bruce "are we this nice?" his response was "Nah... she's just a really good writer" lol

Thank You ... Stephen ... Sir ;o)

And Mr. Rudy... I haven't seen you since PRHS. When this is over we'll have to have you over for dinner. Mac & Cheese OK? Tamara might be cooking. ;o) Just kidding! I heard that gasp. Although I bet Mac & cheese tastes better on China.

To my friends... My Malibu Girls for being supportive and excited with me for yes 2+ years.

Thanks Deb for becoming a notary for me and going to the Dr's. office.

Special Thanks to my young Mommy friends who take my calls no matter how silly. Like the other day I called 3 to find out the average # of bowel movements their toddlers have so I know how many pull ups to pack. They've also been awesome with suggestions for toddler equipment & child proofing. And since you all have sons... I know that Tamara will always have a Prom date. ;o)

Thanks Sis... for your medical expertise over the years. Jay has reviewed numerous reports and videos with me over the years. She too has her share of silly phone calls.

Thank You Tariq of ZAST Nutraceuticals' for reviewing the videos and medical reports with your team.

You can check out Zast's new Mega Digest at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAVXxJymjFU

This stuff really works!!!

Dr. Jane Aronson NYC. She's a tough cookie but that's why we pay her the big bucks. Thank You ;o)

Thank You Shobi .. You're a good friend.

Thank You to all my online friends. You have been very supportive and your encouragement and friendship is very much appreciated.

An EXTRA SPECIAL Thank You to my online friend Nancy from Ohio who sent me the referral for our daughter with a note that said "didn't you say you wanted a 3 year old?" Nancy will be traveling shortly to Kazakhstan to pick up her 14 year old baby girl. Many of you may have heard me talking about the knitting group. Nancy is the back bone of Mittens for Akkol. http://www.mittensforakkol.com/ . Awesome organization.

Special Thanks to my professional team. Kathy, Irina, Pat & Andrea. You along with the Georgian staff are doing what many thought was impossible in such a short time frame. I can't Thank You enough. More about these ladies later. ;o)

And last but not least... I'd like to Thank all the adoptive parents who have been so supportive, kind and willing to help sharing information to bring our daughter home. Women like Filomina who adopted her son last July from Georgia. Same age as Tamara... hey another Prom date. ;o)She calls me a few times a week checking in to offer advice and chat. Checks my sanity level.

OK... Think that's it? As you can see we've had a great deal of support.

I wanted to take this opportunity to say Thank You before Tamara comes home.

Just in case if I get a little busy after.

A Great Day in the neighborhood

This morning we heard from our assistant social worker Andrea. Great news all our clearances are back and she was typing up our "official" Home Study. We should have it in a few days. Still needs two signatures, a notary and Trenton's seal of approval. And it "The Dossier" hard copy officially goes to Georgia.

Also .. more great news. Sandy made it to Kaz. Her 4 flights turned into 5 (weather issues) but she made it safely. Woman's Day is being celebrated in Kaz so she will have to wait a few more days to meet her baby girl. She did mention that there was a man at the airport that gave all the woman a long stem rose for Woman's Day! How sweet!!! That never happen to me at Newark ... how about you?

Hi Welcome to our world...

Many of you have heard there would be an adoption blog coming... well here it is.

Just a few house keeping tips in case you're not familiar with how they work.

Last posting is first ..on top.. so you have some catching up to do.

You are welcome to leave comments after each post. Just please keep in mind that someday the entire blog will be transformed into a bound book for Tamara. So please keep it clean ;o)

At the bottom is a video bar. There should be videos of the Republic of Georgia. Should you see different ones REFRESH the page and they should appear. When viewing the videos you may want to mute the music first so you can hear the videos.

When we travel we will be posting updates from Georgia so you can all follow along on our journey. Please feel free to post comments as it will be great to hear from our friends and families from around the world as we plunge into parenthood. OK... I'm done for today... ENJOY!!!

I had a Brilliant Idea...

Nina Ananiashvili & the State Ballet of Georgia

As I researched The Republic of Georgia the other day I found out that their prima ballerina will be back in Tbilisi in April having returned from a world wind tour. So I thought hum... I like the ballet. I bet Tamara would as well as the Foster mom's Bio 10 year old daughter and neighbor's daughter that Tamara is friends with. So I'm hoping to arrange a girl's night out ;o) . Bruce of course will join us as will the translator and perhaps the nanny? Wish me luck in arranging this extra special evening at the Tbilisi Ballet and Oprah house.

Then in a few years when Tamara is taking ballet we can take her to see the same ballerina in NYC. Pretty cool idea don't you think?

One of the many things we'll need to pack is gifts for the staff in Georgia. Everyone from the facilitator to the driver, foster mom, foster siblings and friends gets a gift from Tamara before we leave. For Tamara's little friends I thought a night at the ballet would be a well received treat and a very memorable evening that I'm sure they will all cherish for the rest of their lives.

Thank Heaven for little girls ... I finally got Bruce to agree to go to the ballet.

Where are we now...

We're in a sort of waiting mode this week.

Our Dossier is ready for Georgia. Dossier is a French word for a bunch of documents. Everything has been apostilled in Trenton and Madison and is ready to roll. Apostil is the notary for the notary. Every document has to have this done for international adoptions now.

Just waiting for our NJ Home study report to arrive. Not sure but I think they're waiting for the Ceries report and perhaps the FBI / Homeland Security clearance? But everything else is ready and waiting.

We also filed our I600A with immigration and are waiting for our next finger printing appointment and I 600 which is basically the US gov. giving permission to us to bring Tamara home.

Then our Dossier gets OK'd in Georgia and when we're issued a court date we travel. I emailed our Dossier to Georgia last week for translation and gave power of attorney to our Georgian lawyer so he could go speak to the judges and get things moving.

We are supposed to be traveling in April so things will be moving along at lightening speed. We hope.



In the mean time we're starting to pack. Bought 2 new 5pc luggage sets a week ago. We'll be gone for 2-3 weeks but as you can imagine we need to bring a tremendous amount of stuff with us. Beyond the basics for us we also have to bring medications (just in case). Lots of health and beauty products and even protein bars for energy. For Tamara we need clothing, health & beauty products ( that's what we call J&J baby lotion at our house ). A stroller, traveling aides such as special harnesses for planes, toys, movies, things to entertain her. Pull -ups ... yes my baby is potty trained ;o) . And healthy snacks and sippy cups. The list goes on and on so I won't bore you. But imagine you're going to a foreign country where you don't know the language... certainly have no hope of learning how to read or recognize the words in such a short time as their alphabet is so unlike ours. Now add in 2 food allergies. One for each and imagine you have a toddler who doesn't speak your language. You'd bring a tremendous amount of stuff ... just in case. Better safe then sorry on this trip.

Oh yes I found out yesterday that in Georgia they really really like their walnuts. In fact they use them as a thickening agent in soups, sauces and dressings as well as desserts. How much fun that will be with my nut allergy. So when our crash Georgian language course arrives hopefully this week I'll have to learn how to say "If I survive this meal you'll get a much bigger tip" in Georgian. lol . Seriously I am somewhat concerned but I can usually tell with the 1st bite and a shot of Benadrly is usually all it takes. Besides we will have a translator with us most of the time and when at home a cook. Did I mention the Nanny, house keeper and driver? Oh .. we may never come home. ;o)

Last Saturday we got our 1st round of shots.
ouch!!! Arm still hurts. :o( Yeah... I know... I can hear ya "quit being such a baby"

So Exciting!!!

This is getting pretty exciting! One of my friends that I met when we first started researching Kazakhstan is on her way to meet her baby girl. She left Florida yesterday and we heard from her in NYC and then again in Paris on her way to Almaty. 4 flights in all to meet her baby. Congratulations Sandy. Can not wait to see your baby. Safe Travels and lots of hugs.

Dos & Don’ts for Family & Friends of Adoptive Parents

OK... I didn't write this list but an expert did. I Thought it was worth borrowing for our blog in the hope that it will give some who perhaps are not familiar with adoption a little in site as to why we will do the things we do once our daughter is home. Hopefully Tamara will bond quickly but in case she doesn't ... Your co-operation will be greatly appreciated and is expected. Thank You!


Dos & Don’ts for Family & Friends of Adoptive Parents

Do
1. Offer household help (running errands, preparing meals that can go right from the freezer to the oven, etc.) so the mother can spend more time holding the child.
2. Trust the mother’s instincts. Even a first time mother may notice subtle symptoms that well-meaning family and friends attribute to “normal” behavior.
3. Accept that attachment issues are difficult for anyone outside of the mother to see and understand.
4. Be supportive even if you think everything looks fine to you.
5. Allow the parents to be the center of the baby’s world. One grandfather, when greeting his grandson, immediately turns him back to his mom and says positive statements about his good mommy.
6. Tell the baby every time you see her what a good/loving/safe mommy she has.
7. When the parents need someone to care for the baby for a night out, offer to babysit in the child’s home. (After the child has been home for a substantial period of time.)
8. As hard as it may be for you, abide by the requests of the parents. Even if the baby looks like she really wants to be with Grandma, for example, she needs to have a strong attachment to her parents first. Something as simple as passing the baby from one person to another or allowing others, even grandparents, to hold a baby who is not “attached” can make the attachment process that much longer and harder. Some parents have had to refrain from seeing certain family members or friends because they did not respect the parents’ requests.
9. Accept that parenting children who are at-risk for or who suffer from attachment issues goes against traditional parenting methods and beliefs. Parenting methods that work for many children can be detrimental to a child with attachment issues.
10. Remember that there is often a honeymoon period after the child arrives. Many babies do not show signs of grief, distress, or anxiety until months after they come home. If the parents are taking precautions, they are smart and should be commended and supported!


Don’t
1. Assume an infant is too young to suffer from emotional issues related to attachment. Babies are not immune.
2. Underestimate a new mother’s instincts that something isn’t right.
3. Judge the mother’s parenting abilities. What looks like spoiling or coddling may be exactly what the child needs to overcome a serious attachment disorder. Parenting methods that work for many children can be detrimental to a child with attachment issues.
4. Make excuses for the child’s behaviors or try to make the mother feel better by calling certain behaviors “normal”. For example, many children who suffer from attachment issues may be labeled strong-willed by well-meaning family members. While being strong-willed can be seen as a positive personality trait, this type of behavior in an attachment-impaired child may signify problems.
5. Accuse the mother of being overly sensitive or neurotic. She is in a position to see subtle symptoms as no one else can.
6. Take it personally if asked to step back so the parents can help their child heal and form a healthy and secure attachment. You may be asked not to hold the baby for more than a minute. This is not meant to hurt you. It is meant to help prove to the baby who his mommy and daddy are. Up until now the child’s experience has been that mommies are replaceable. Allowing people to hold the baby before he has accepted his forever mommy and daddy are can be detrimental to the attachment process.
7. Put your own time frames on how long attachment should take. One mother was hurt when she was chastised by a relative who couldn't’t understand…after all, the baby had been home six months. It could take weeks, months, even years. Every child is different.
8. Offer traditional parenting advice. Some well-meaning family members will tell a new mother not to pick the baby up every time she cries because it will spoil her. A child who is at-risk or who suffers from attachment issues must be picked up every single time she cries. He needs consistent reinforcement that this mommy/daddy will always take care of her and always keep her safe.
9. Fall into the appearance trap. Some babies/toddlers with attachment issues can put on a great show to those outside of the mother/father. What you see is not always a true picture of the child. Even babies as young as 6-months-old are capable of “putting on a good face” in public.
10. Lose hope. With the right kind of parenting and therapy, a child with attachment issues can learn to trust and have healthy relationships. But it does take a lot of work and a good understanding of what these children need.
Thanks for reading!