I've heard from Children at Heart that I should be prepared to travel to Kazakhstan in late June (exact dates won't be known for a while). So I must re-new my focus on learning even just a little Russian!
I was asked to re-iterate my preferences regarding age, gender, and race of the child I would like to adopt. Here's my answer:
"I want to adopt a child between 6 months and two years of age, either boy or girl, any race."
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Out of my hands!!!
Pictured above, from left to right: Kathy Geleta, Cindy Froggatt, Janice Bergeron -- at offices of Children at Heart
On January 25 2007, I handed over my completed dossier to Children at Heart Adoption Services in Mechanicville, New York. Woo hoo!
Many thanks to Janice Bergeron, founder, and Kathy Geleta, assistant director of the adoption agency. They have helped me every step of the way. (For more information about the agency, go to http://www.childrenatheart.com)
My dossier is a 29-page set of 20 different documents (plus 10 photos). [Note: Each one of the 20 documents has been notarized, certified by a county clerk, and then apostilled by the appropriate Secretary of State.] Collectively, these documents explain who I am and why I want to adopt a child from Kazakhstan as well as assure the authorities that I do not have a criminal record, am healthy, and financially stable. All the paperwork included in the dossier supports the conclusion stated on the one-page Form I-171H from the United States Department of Homeland Security - U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS):
"It has been determined that you are able to furnish proper care to an orphan or orphans as defined by Section 101(b)(1)(F) of the Immigration and Nationality Act."
Here are a few photos included in the dossier (exterior of home, interior of home, baby's room, and ME!!!)
So, the dossier is now literally out of my hands and I move to the waiting stage -- where the adoption process is figuratively out of my hands. I place my trust in Janice and Kathy and the other people that work with Children at Heart in this country and in Kazakhstan. First, the dossier will be translated into Russian. The translated dossier then goes to the Kazakhstan Consulate here in the States before being sent over to the Ministry of Education (and others) in Kazakhstan for their review. At some point (probably no sooner than May or June), I will receive a Letter of Invitation (LOI) from the local authorities in Karaganda, Kazakhstan to travel there to adopt a child from the Malutka Baby House. Once the LOI is issued, I will be able to get a visa and make travel arrangements. Then I'll be in the country 3-7 weeks to bond with and adopt a child (the number of trips/length of time for each trip has been changing recently).
I'm confident it will be a great adventure!!! I hope you'll follow along and participate in the process through this blog...
Zhanna meets Carlee
I stayed in Mechanicville Thursday evening (January 25) to participate in an informational meeting at Children at Heart attended by prospective adoptive parents. Parents who recently adopted children from the Malutka Baby House in Karaganda were also there -- see photo of 19-month-old Zhanna (who came home with her mother Christine last March) saying hello to 9-month-old Carlee (adopted by Nancy and Bob just a few weeks ago). They are adorable!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Frequently Asked Questions
Thanks to everyone who responded to the first “Baby Update” message sent in November. I have discovered that many friends, family members, and colleagues have been touched by adoption in some way -- as an adoptee, prospective adoptive parents, adoptive parents, or as aunt/uncle/grandparent to adopted children. Many of you asked great questions. My guess is that some of you wondered about these same questions, but maybe didn’t quite know how to ask. Here are the most popular questions with my answers. Keep those questions coming...
Why not just get pregnant?
My goal is to raise a child. I do not have a burning desire, at 46, to experience pregnancy and childbirth. But, hey, many thanks to the really generous guys who offered to be sperm donors in the, um, shall we say, more traditional way...
Why not adopt a child from the United States?
This question deserves a long, comprehensive answer, but let me try to be brief. In the US, we no longer have orphanages full of babies waiting to be adopted. Domestic adoption of babies is a very individualized, complicated process that I have decided is not for me (at least at this time). Yes, we do still have group homes for foster children in this country. When I did volunteer work for about eight years with foster children from group homes near New York City, I came to the sad conclusion that our system grants far too many rights to the birth parents and too few to the children. While many of you know my penchant for trying to solve large, complex problems (that sometimes fall into the category of “trying to boil the ocean”), fixing the foster care/adoption system is too big for me to take on (again, at least at this time).
Okay, so you’ve chosen international adoption over domestic adoption, but why Kazakhstan?
I have chosen to adopt from Kazakhstan because I believe that country’s adoption process prioritizes the child’s welfare. Adoptive parents travel to Kazakhstan, meet with the staff at the baby house, and over the course of a two-week bonding period find their child (often, adoptive parents say that their child selected them rather than the other way around). I’ll be able to spend four hours a day at the baby house (two in the morning, two in the afternoon) -- this is a good transition time for the child, I think. I’ll have the chance to learn from the caregivers about eating and sleeping habits and the general needs of the child. I also plan to use the time in Kazakhstan to learn even more about the people and culture of the country (to eventually teach to my child). All in all, when it comes time to appear in court to finalize the adoption (some time in the third week), I believe everyone involved will have had enough time to know that the child and I are meant to be a family.
Why does it cost so much?
About $26,000 of the estimated $40,000 total fee, is paid to Children at Heart Adoption Services (this covers work that is performed in the U.S. for the home study and dossier, the fees for drivers, translators, coordinators, and lawyers in Kazakhstan, and a $2,000 donation to the orphanage). More than $1,000 goes to various US government agencies for fingerprinting, background checks, certifications, and apostilles. Finally, there are the expenses involved in traveling to, staying in, and coming home from Kazakhstan. To me, it is all worth it.
Do you want a boy or a girl?
Yes, I want either a boy or a girl. No, I still don’t plan to designate a gender preference beforehand. I have confidence that I will know my child when I see him or her...
Do you have names selected?
I love hearing suggestions for names so keep those ideas coming! I won’t decide on a name until I meet my child and know his or her Kazakh/Russian birth name.
Why not just get pregnant?
My goal is to raise a child. I do not have a burning desire, at 46, to experience pregnancy and childbirth. But, hey, many thanks to the really generous guys who offered to be sperm donors in the, um, shall we say, more traditional way...
Why not adopt a child from the United States?
This question deserves a long, comprehensive answer, but let me try to be brief. In the US, we no longer have orphanages full of babies waiting to be adopted. Domestic adoption of babies is a very individualized, complicated process that I have decided is not for me (at least at this time). Yes, we do still have group homes for foster children in this country. When I did volunteer work for about eight years with foster children from group homes near New York City, I came to the sad conclusion that our system grants far too many rights to the birth parents and too few to the children. While many of you know my penchant for trying to solve large, complex problems (that sometimes fall into the category of “trying to boil the ocean”), fixing the foster care/adoption system is too big for me to take on (again, at least at this time).
Okay, so you’ve chosen international adoption over domestic adoption, but why Kazakhstan?
I have chosen to adopt from Kazakhstan because I believe that country’s adoption process prioritizes the child’s welfare. Adoptive parents travel to Kazakhstan, meet with the staff at the baby house, and over the course of a two-week bonding period find their child (often, adoptive parents say that their child selected them rather than the other way around). I’ll be able to spend four hours a day at the baby house (two in the morning, two in the afternoon) -- this is a good transition time for the child, I think. I’ll have the chance to learn from the caregivers about eating and sleeping habits and the general needs of the child. I also plan to use the time in Kazakhstan to learn even more about the people and culture of the country (to eventually teach to my child). All in all, when it comes time to appear in court to finalize the adoption (some time in the third week), I believe everyone involved will have had enough time to know that the child and I are meant to be a family.
Why does it cost so much?
About $26,000 of the estimated $40,000 total fee, is paid to Children at Heart Adoption Services (this covers work that is performed in the U.S. for the home study and dossier, the fees for drivers, translators, coordinators, and lawyers in Kazakhstan, and a $2,000 donation to the orphanage). More than $1,000 goes to various US government agencies for fingerprinting, background checks, certifications, and apostilles. Finally, there are the expenses involved in traveling to, staying in, and coming home from Kazakhstan. To me, it is all worth it.
Do you want a boy or a girl?
Yes, I want either a boy or a girl. No, I still don’t plan to designate a gender preference beforehand. I have confidence that I will know my child when I see him or her...
Do you have names selected?
I love hearing suggestions for names so keep those ideas coming! I won’t decide on a name until I meet my child and know his or her Kazakh/Russian birth name.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Let's Start at the Very Beginning
Here is the text of the e-mail I sent out on November 17, 2006:
When I was growing up, my parents emphasized two simple rules:
1 - go to college
2 - don't get pregnant
You can imagine how proud I am that I have exceeded my parents' expectations: 1) I not only went to college, I earned a master's degree; 2) at 45 (almost 46), I have never gotten "in trouble."
But those of you who know me well understand how tempted I am to break some rules...
I am happy to report that within the next year, I will become an un-wed, single mother (how naughty!) without ever being pregnant (no, this is not another case of immaculate conception). Today, I selected an agency to handle an international adoption for me and started the process by submitting an application that will be the first of many forms I will complete over the next few months. After choosing Kazakhstan as the country where I will adopt a boy or girl, 6 months to 2 years old, I then decided to work with a great agency that has a strong relationship with an orphanage in Karaganda, Kazakhstan -- Children at Heart Adoption Services from Mechanicville, NY and Wilmington, NC.
So November 17, 2006 is an important date -- the official start of my adoption process. It will be a busy year -- paperwork, fingerprinting, references, learning russian, waiting for permission to travel to the Karaganda orphanage, and then, finally, spending 6-8 weeks in Kazakhstan to choose, bond with, and legally adopt a child.
Yes, in between all of that, I'll also be working. For now, I am accepting projects again through Froggatt Consulting LLC as well as exploring some other options here in Ithaca, New York.
As the holiday season approaches (including that most important holiday -- my birthday -- on December 21st) and the tax year comes to a close, I hope you'll consider making a charitable contribution to an organization that in some way helps to make children's lives a little better. During my agency-selection process, I learned that the reputable agencies not only arrange successful placement of children that need loving families, but also give humanitarian aid to help those children who have not yet been adopted. I would, of course, recommend that you donate any extra money you have (yes, kids, even you have some "extra money") to the agency I am working with, Children at Heart, because I believe they do great work. If you were planning to give me a birthday or Christmas present, please donate the money instead.
Let me be clear. I have saved more than enough money to afford the nearly $40,000 cost of an international adoption all on my own. If you decide to make a donation to Children at Heart, it will go entirely toward their humanitarian efforts (there is no need to even mention my name).
If you enjoyed reading my updates during my recent cross-country drive, you may be pleased to know that I will be learning how to post photos/videos/text to a website before I make the trip to Kazakhstan -- so that you can all follow along (without having your e-mail in-box clogged by large photo attachments).
Happy Thanksgiving (a little early)!!!
best,
cindy
When I was growing up, my parents emphasized two simple rules:
1 - go to college
2 - don't get pregnant
You can imagine how proud I am that I have exceeded my parents' expectations: 1) I not only went to college, I earned a master's degree; 2) at 45 (almost 46), I have never gotten "in trouble."
But those of you who know me well understand how tempted I am to break some rules...
I am happy to report that within the next year, I will become an un-wed, single mother (how naughty!) without ever being pregnant (no, this is not another case of immaculate conception). Today, I selected an agency to handle an international adoption for me and started the process by submitting an application that will be the first of many forms I will complete over the next few months. After choosing Kazakhstan as the country where I will adopt a boy or girl, 6 months to 2 years old, I then decided to work with a great agency that has a strong relationship with an orphanage in Karaganda, Kazakhstan -- Children at Heart Adoption Services from Mechanicville, NY and Wilmington, NC.
So November 17, 2006 is an important date -- the official start of my adoption process. It will be a busy year -- paperwork, fingerprinting, references, learning russian, waiting for permission to travel to the Karaganda orphanage, and then, finally, spending 6-8 weeks in Kazakhstan to choose, bond with, and legally adopt a child.
Yes, in between all of that, I'll also be working. For now, I am accepting projects again through Froggatt Consulting LLC as well as exploring some other options here in Ithaca, New York.
As the holiday season approaches (including that most important holiday -- my birthday -- on December 21st) and the tax year comes to a close, I hope you'll consider making a charitable contribution to an organization that in some way helps to make children's lives a little better. During my agency-selection process, I learned that the reputable agencies not only arrange successful placement of children that need loving families, but also give humanitarian aid to help those children who have not yet been adopted. I would, of course, recommend that you donate any extra money you have (yes, kids, even you have some "extra money") to the agency I am working with, Children at Heart, because I believe they do great work. If you were planning to give me a birthday or Christmas present, please donate the money instead.
Let me be clear. I have saved more than enough money to afford the nearly $40,000 cost of an international adoption all on my own. If you decide to make a donation to Children at Heart, it will go entirely toward their humanitarian efforts (there is no need to even mention my name).
If you enjoyed reading my updates during my recent cross-country drive, you may be pleased to know that I will be learning how to post photos/videos/text to a website before I make the trip to Kazakhstan -- so that you can all follow along (without having your e-mail in-box clogged by large photo attachments).
Happy Thanksgiving (a little early)!!!
best,
cindy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
