Updated Expenses So Far

In October I posted about our adoption expenses at that point.  They were $4,302.50.  Oh my kittens. . . Here is our updated expense sheet, through the present, including trip one and the few expenses we've had:

Date	Paid To	Purpose	Amount	Total To Date
May 31, 2011	Homestudy SW	Homestudy Application Fee	$50.00	$50.00
Jun 6, 2011	Integra Scan	Kim Background Check	$28.95	$78.95
Jun 9, 2011	TN Department of Health	Chris Birth Certificate	$20.00	$98.95
Jun 9, 2011	VitalCheck	Kim Birth Certificate	$54.50	$153.45
Jun 10, 2011	TN Bureau of Investigation	Background check - Kim	$29.00	$182.45
Jun 5, 2011	TN Bureau of Investigation	Background check - Chris	$29.00	$211.45
Jun 14, 2011	Chris' doctor	Chris Medical	$25.00	$236.45
Jul 3, 2011	Reece’s Rainbow	Commitment Fee	$275.00	$511.45
Jun 13, 2011	Kims' doctor	Chris TB Test	$25.00	$536.45
Jun 16, 2011	Kim's doctor	Kim's Medical Exam	$25.00	$561.45
Jul 4, 2011	Adoption Agency	Application fee	$375.00	$936.45
Jul 12, 2011	FedEx Office	Copies	$38.85	$975.30
Jul 16, 2011	Hawaii Department of Health	Marriage certificates	$28.50	$1,003.80
Jul 21, 2011	Walgreens	Passport photos - Kim	$9.99	$1,013.79
Jul 21, 2011	Local Police Department	Fingerprinting	$10.00	$1,023.79
Jul 22, 2011	US Department of Treasury	FBI Fingerprinting/Background	$18.00	$1,041.79
Jul 22, 2011	US Department of Treasury	FBI Fingerprinting/Background	$18.00	$1,059.79
Jul 22, 2011	Local County Clerk	Passport Processing	$25.00	$1,084.79
Jul 22, 2011	US Department of Treasury	Passport - Kim	$110.00	$1,194.79
Jul 22, 2011	Adoption Learning Partners	Adoption Education Classes	$149.00	$1,343.79
Jul 25, 2011	Local County Clerk	Passport Processing	$25.00	$1,368.79
Jul 25, 2011	US Department of Treasury	Passport Application - Chris	$110.00	$1,478.79
Jul 31, 2011	WalMart	Dossier photos	$12.28	$1,491.07
Jul 31, 2011	Walgreens	Passport photos - Chris	$9.99	$1,501.06
Aug 3, 2011	USPS	Postage	$18.30	$1,519.36
Aug 3, 2011	Department of Homeland Sec	I-600A Application	$870.00	$2,389.36
Aug 5, 2011	Psychologist	Psych Evaluation	$575.00	$2,964.36
Aug 13, 2011	USPS	Postage	$18.30	$2,982.66
Aug 20, 2011	Adoption Assistance, Inc	Homestudy Fee	$1,500.00	$4,482.66
Sep 6, 2011	USPS	Postage	$18.30	$4,500.96
Sep 6, 2011	Chris' doctor	Paperwork fee	$25.00	$4,525.96
Sep 6, 2011	Psychologist	Psych Evaluation Report	$200.00	$4,725.96
Oct 18, 2011	Local County Clerk	Notary certifications	$245.00	$4,970.96
Oct 21, 2011	Local County Clerk	Notary certifications	$35.00	$5,005.96
Oct 26, 2011	TN Secretary of State	Apostilles	$120.00	$5,125.96
Oct 26, 2011	TN Secretary of State	Parking	$7.00	$5,132.96
Oct 27, 2011	Local County Clerk	Notary certifications	$10.00	$5,135.96
Oct 27, 2011	TN Secretary of State	Apostilles	$4.00	$5,139.96
Oct 27, 2011	TN Secretary of State	Parking	$7.00	$5,146.96
Oct 27, 2011	Adoption Agency International Adoption	Dossier Fee	$3,500.00	$8,646.96
Oct 27, 2011	FedEx Office	FedEx Dossier to HIH	$43.11	$8,690.07
Nov 28, 2011	Kim's doctor	KJS Medical Exam	$90.23	$8,780.30
Feb 1, 2012	United Airlines	Flights	$2,057.00	$10,837.30
Feb 20, 2012	Panorama Travel	Visas	$440.00	$11,277.30
Feb 20, 2012	Walgreens	VIsa Photo - Chris	$9.00	$11,286.30
Feb 22, 2012	US Department of Treasury	FBI Fingerprinting/Background	$36.00	$11,322.30
Feb 22, 2012	Local police department	Fingerprinting	$10.00	$11,332.30
Feb 22, 2012	US Post Office	Background check postage	$11.50	$11,343.80
Feb 25, 2012	Hampton Inn South	DC Hotel	$75.00	$11,418.80
Feb 25, 2012	Misc. food in DC	Food in DC	$30.00	$11,448.80
Mar 2, 2012	International Adoption Fee	In country fee	$3,750.00	$15,198.80
Mar 2, 2012	Driver	In country transportation, 1st trip	$1,200.00	$16,398.80
Mar 2, 2012	Notary	In country notary fee	$175.00	$16,573.80
Mar 2, 2012	Miscellaneous	Food/souvenirs in country	$250.00	$16,823.80
Mar 2, 2012	Apartment cost	In country lodging	$400.00	$17,223.80
Mar 8, 2012	FedEx Office	FedEx to Agency	$56.84	$17,280.64
Mar 8, 2012	Local police department	Fingerprinting	$10.00	$17,290.64
Mar 8, 2012	Local County Clerk	Notary Certifications	$24.00	$17,314.64
Mar 8, 2012	Tennessee Secretary of State	Apostilles	$12.00	$17,326.64
Mar 12, 2012	FedEx Office	FedEx Background check to FBI	$31.75	$17,358.39
Mar 12, 2012	US Department of Treasury	FBI Fingerprinting/Background	$36.00	$17,394.39

Grand total so far?  $17,394.39.  And, like I posted in October, every time we've needed money for something we've had it.  I've estimated our second trip expenses, and they're pretty substantial.  

Walgreens	Visa Photos	$18.00	$17,444.14
Panorama Travel	Double Entry Visas	$1,500.00	$18,944.14
Airline	Airfare, second trip	$2,500.00	$21,444.14
Miscellaneous	Orphanage donations	$200.00	$21,644.14
Apartment	lodging second trip	$1,100.00	$22,744.14
Driver	Transportation, second trip	$3,000.00	$25,744.14
Medicals	Second trip medicals	$1,800.00	$27,544.14
Adoption agency	Second trip fee	$3,750.00	$31,294.14
Adoption agency	Court Dossier fee	$1,950.00	$33,244.14
Miscellaneous	Second trip food	$500.00	$36,994.14

Our second trip totals, if they're accurate, will bring us to $36,994.14.  (I apparently deleted a FedEx charge which is why the sheet jumps from $17,394.39 to $17,444.14. . . )  Those second trip expenses are obviously estimates, and some are likely over estimated.  And then we'll still have a third trip. . . Our in country transportation is what's killing us, so we're trying to figure out some creative ways to cut that cost down (take the train to her orphanage, stay closer, etc.) but we still have the issue of nobody at her orphanage speaking English and the need for a translator.  We will figure it out.  I know one thing - this face is totally worth it.

Court Dossier Filed!!

OUR COURT DOSSIER IS FILED!!!

What does this mean?

It means that barring any unexpected complications or delays, she's coming home.  It means this sweet girl will be home.  Home with her family, before her birthday in June.  

It will mean no more hungry belly, no more sick days without a mama or daddy to comfort her and hold her, no more being alone. Because no matter how "nice" her orphanage is, it's still an orphanage.  She is still alone.  She will never, ever be alone again.  She will have a full belly, and brothers, and more snuggles than she can count.  She will have a family, and friends, and an enormous community that loves her already.  She will have a warm bed and bedtime stories.  She will have books, and ballet shoes, and a bicycle and a dog.  It means she will have a home and a family and more love than she knows what to do with.  Forever.  I cannot wait for her forever to start.

Playing Catch Up

We've been back for a week, and it feels like a month!  I was back to work on Monday, and there was plenty waiting for me to do.  Going away is so hard when I come back and have a week's worth of work to catch up on!  

It's consignment season here in TN, and I love it.  I got this chair at half price day for $7.50.  It's perfect for our table height, and it's getting a nice cheery coat of paint to make it a bit more attractive.  I can't wait to see the difference.

The boys got haircuts on Saturday, which meant they also got to get Sweet CeCe's when we were done.  

I started to do some car seat shopping.  Jack is ready to move up to the next one, and we need one for Katie Ruth.  We didn't buy any, but this is what we're leaning toward.

Jack did some cooking in the kitchen.  He wanted a "chef hat" but we don't have one, so we improvised with a kitchen town and a clip.

The boys have been building their Lego creations.  This is never ending!

I could have done without this excitement. . . Thursday I got rear ended at lunch.  Everyone was fine and there was minimal damage to my vehicle.  There is some, but it will get taken care of.  The bright side?  I had a car seat in the vehicle, which now can't be used.  My insurance covers the replacement of the car seat so one of those new car seats we need will be taken care of!

See this?  GIRL LAUNDRY!

Thanks to consignment season I have been able to stock up on some clothes for Katie.  I'm so glad we found out how big she is last week so I could get things we need in the appropriate sizes

We also got a carrier to use with Katie.  I don't know if she's like it or not, but we picked one up at the consignment sale for $10.  Jack and I tried it out. . . he's ten pounds over the weight limit (and weighs 17 pounds more than Katie!) so I think she will fit just fine.

We got this adorable dress as a gift for Katie - it's so, so cute!

Chris picked this out. . . It's a collegiate dress I can live with!  It also came with bloomers.  Am I the only person who thinks those are completely adorable?!

Love this little dress and shirt combo!  The dress is Hannah Kate and the shirt is Kelly's Kids.  My total cost for the outfit was $5.00.

I LOVE this one!  There are little bloomer type shorts that match too.  This set was $3.00.

Love me some seersucker!  This dress was $4.00.

This cute little set was $3.00.  I love the half price day!

Next up?  Some serious outside projects.  How sad is this walkway?  I started on my weed killing project this morning.  We're having David's party in two weeks, so we need to do some major work outside before then! 

His request?  A Lego Ninjago party.  We did some planning this morning and, despite the theme not being what *ahem* I want it to be, it will be cute.  He's very, very excited.

Fingers crossed that our court dossier gets submitted tomorrow!!

Trip One, Day Seven

Day seven was our last day, and the day we came home.  We really weren't in Katie's country much that day - just to get ready, go to the airport, and wait, wait, wait for our flight.  While we were in country we stayed in an apartment owned by our driver.  It was t.i.n.y.  We are so spoiled in America.  While it was quite small, (think entire area of less than 500 square feet - I could literally put it in my kitchen) it was very comfortable, and was exactly what we needed while we were there.  It was very clean, and had everything we needed.  I really liked that we had a kitchen, because we were so exhausted by the time we got to the apartment every day, we were more than happy to just eat something we had picked up at the market.

This is the "living room" area.  The couch has storage underneath, and the space behind the drapes is used for storage as well.  There are no closets at all, so the owner really has to use the space wisely for storage.  Imagine that - a home that actually has fewer closets than ours!

This is the bed, obviously, which is opposite the couch area.  The crib is provided for people who stay there after picking their children up.  I think the bed is a king size (maybe queen?) which was a nice surprise!

This is the entry, and the bathroom is off of this.  I didn't take a photo of the bathroom, but the tub is HUGE.  You have to step way up and over the side to get in and out - I mean like up three feet.  The building is hundreds of years old and is concrete, so all of the plumbing and wiring is outside of the walls.  I think the tubs are so high because there is a space underneath for the plumbing.  Regardless, it's a hike!  We were so fortunate to have a washing machine in our apartment (which took a bit of instruction from our driver to figure out!) so we were able to pack very lightly, and also didn't come home with a suitcase full of dirty clothes.

This is one side of the kitchen.  He has it stocked with basic necessities, and there was nothing that we needed that he didn't provide.  It was great.

This is the other side of the kitchen.  We didn't use that tiny table, but we got a good laugh out of it.  It's  so little - seriously like something our children use.  

This was the view from our window, of a sort of court yard area.  I saw several people walking their dogs here, and there are benches and playground equipment as well.  This window has a very small balcony area too, just big enough for two very small chairs.  

This was our scary elevator. . . this photo does not do it justice.  It is about four feet wide.  I'm totally serious.  Three people barely fit inside.   

If this gives you any indication, this is how close we were inside the elevator.  Touching.  

And we would have taken the stairs to the sixth floor, but the common areas of the apartment building are. . . um. . . really gross.  My chant in my head each time we were coming or going from the building was, "This is not an American apartment building.  This is not an American apartment building.  This is not an American apartment building."  

It was very, very affordable, and very safe.  We are fortunate that this is an option for us, and we will very likely stay there again if it's not occupied by someone else while we're there.

Our flights home were so uneventful - NOTHING like our flights there!  Uneventful can be good!  We were starving by the time we got home, so we stopped off (during a tornado warning we later realized) to get something to eat.  By the time we got home, the boys were all asleep.  I was so excited to see them the next morning!  It was our first trip ever away from them, and they all did so well.  They were excited to see us, and very excited to get the treats we brought home for them.  I'm pretty sure Jack liked his treat we got in AMERICA better than the one we got in Katie's country.  We had about 5 minutes at a very small flea market to pick up some quick gifts, so next time we hope to have more of an opportunity for that sort of thing.  I'm going to have to step it up with Jack's gift selection!

Trip One, Day Six

Thursday was our last visit with Katie.  It was bittersweet, for sure.  We left our apartment at 7:00 that morning because they traffic had been so bad.  It still took us almost three hours to get to the orphanage.  Here, that trip would have taken us about an hour and fifteen minutes.  I know I sound like a broken record, but the traffic there is unreal.

While we were waiting for Katie, I took some pictures of the therapy room.

To say that I was expecting something like this to be in her orphanage would be a total lie.  This is like a very well stocked preschool/occupational therapy room.

David would have done well to have one of those mats on the floor in the photo above - it's got different textures on each square, like stones, grass, sticks, smooth, rough, et cetera.  That child could not stand to be in the grass when he was little, and really still is not a huge fan of grass on his bare feet. I am seriously considering a DIY mat like this for our house.

The room is set up into "centers", like many preschools.  This was what I called the home center, with a kitchen, little sitting area, a baby bed with a doll, and a little vanity with some play makeup, brushes and combs, and a blow dryer.  It also had this little corner with mirrors, a ball/tube activity, and a nice sturdy easel for some artwork.  I should also note that the room was immaculate, and all of the toys were obviously played with but were in very good, clean condition.  Quite honestly, it's nicer than our playroom at home.  All of the toys had a purpose, which I really appreciate.  And wish we did at home.

This section was more for babies, and Katie really didn't even go near it.  She did rock on the little rocking boat a bit, but that was it.  It was a great little area for little ones, with soft mats to lay on for tummy time, and a little activity center for strengthening bellies and encouraging hand/eye coordination.  They played soft, soothing music the entire time we were in the room.

This was the little kitchen, which Katie really enjoyed and used a lot.  It made me so glad we have our kitchen set at home!  She also really enjoyed the playhouse that you can just see the corner of.  This is something I know Jack would like a lot too, so I think we'll have to start looking for one for our backyard.  I would love to find a decent sized one on Craigslist that I could decorate inside!  OK, so I *may or may not* enjoy a playhouse as much as my children. . . 

When we got to the orphanage, the director told us it was "bath day".  I asked if she gets a bath every day, knowing what the answer would be.  "No.  One time per week.  Sometimes two."  This is not because they don't provide care for the children - there is one nanny for ten special needs children; some very special needs.  If you have tried to bathe two or three children (special needs or not) in one day, at the same time, you understand why they don't bathe them every day.  

Katie went right for the ball pit when she came into the room.  She was excited to see us and looked to make sure we were following her.  And seriously - how cute is she with her pigtails?!  

She is so energetic, constantly in motion.  I expect some of that was excitement about being in the big playroom, because I'm sure she doesn't get to do that every day.  

She really liked the stacking cups that David picked for her, and she was quite good at stacking them.  We asked what sort of items the orphanage needs, because we want to bring items for them that they really can use, not what we think they can use.  They told us board books (like lift the flap books, or books with different textures), educational toys like the stacking cups, crayons, play doh, and things like lacing beads and cards or other toys to encourage hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.  We are going to start to pick those things up as we see them on sale, et cetera so we can bring lots over with us on our next trip.  

She really liked this whack-a-mole type toy, and she especially loved it when Chris would make her little doll hit them.  She was cracking up.

I just love that sweet smile!!

She had to try using the doll herself.  She's a big copycat!

She loved her princess phone - she would "dial" and then hold it up to her ear and have a very animated conversation.

This little muffin is the sweetest girl.  We were obviously sad to leave her while we came home, but we are not sad about the orphanage she is in.  If she needs to be in an orphanage until we can bring her home we are glad and thankful that she is where she is.  The workers there take very good care of the children, and she is a happy girl.  

I cannot wait to see how much she will blossom and grow when she's home.  I brought a tape measure to measure her while we were there, but she wanted nothing to do with that.  They did tell us her weight and height, and I peeked at her shoe size.  She's 28 lbs. and 38 inches tall, so about the size of a three year old, although she will be five very shortly.  For those unfamiliar, as I was, with the difference, here's a link to the Down syndrome growth chart - Katie is in about the 25th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. By comparison, according to the typical growth chart, on which she would be about the 15th percentile for weight and around the 60th for height.  (She's obviously quite tall!)  

I was very pleasantly surprised at how big and healthy she seems to be.  I was really expecting her to be tiny - like the size of a two year old.  I went through her clothes that I've got, and we've got some 3T and 4T already, but definitely need more.  Her shoes were European sizing, and were size 24.  I converted that, and it looks like size 7 1/2.  That seems so tiny to me!  Jack wears size 11 shoes!  I'm going to exchange some things that I had gotten in smaller sizes and hit some consignment sales this week to see what I can find.  I'm so excited to shop for her and actually know what she wears, as opposed to just picking up cute things I saw and thinking that maybe it will fit her.  

After our last visit, we met our facilitator at the notary and signed our official petition and intent to adopt Katie.  Our facilitator expects to have our court papers filed March 12th, so we could, assuming all goes without incident, have a court date and be back in her country within about 8 weeks after that.  Please keep your fingers crossed that this is the case, because we would be able to bring her home so soon!  And she could have a blow.out. fifth birthday/welcome home party!