On April 17, 2008, I elected to attend an appointment with an adoption
agency, Alliance for Children, to obtain information on the adoption
process and was provided with all kinds of documentation necessary
to begin the process. I heard a variety of stories from different
sources about the length of time it takes to adopt a child so I did
some research on the Internet to find a reputable agency and came
across the Alliance for Children. I decided to schedule an appointment
to get some more information. Aside from being a highly accredited
agency, they had two big things going for them in my selection
process - the main office was in the Boston area (Go Red Sox!)
and the Florida office is only one mile from my office. I had a great
discussion with my social worker, looked at pictures of multiple
adopted children from a variety of countries and concluded that
my instincts regarding adoption were well founded and this was
something I wanted to pursue. On April 23, 2008, I completed
the paperwork and alas, the process began. Initially, I believed
hat this was a process which could potentially take years but
when I expressed interest in adopting a boy, I was advised that
the wait time was not nearly as long as the wait time for girls.
So I started gathering papers, completing a home study, taking
courses for adoption and in mid-August, 2008, my dossier, the
fancy term for all of the paperwork that they need, was sent
to St. Petersburg, Russia, which is the region I selected because
my Aunt and Uncle actually live in St. Petersburg. Once the Dossier
arrived in Russia, I was advised the average wait time is 6-8 months
but of course, in the adoption process, there are always variables...it
could be shorter and then again, it could be longer.
The morning of Friday, November 14, 2008, was initially a day like no
other. A State Mediation was set for 1:00 p.m. which fortunately I
settled by 9:30 a.m. I was on the phone with the door shut and my
brother popped into the office to announce a visitor from the agency
- Robert. As I sat down in the conference room, he told me that he
located a perfect kid for me but he was in a different part of
Russia - Kazan, a city I never heard of prior to November 14 but yet a
city mentioned at the conclusion of the most recent James Bond Movie.
And so here I am in Kazan, Russia after a whirlwind of two weeks of
getting additional documents to Russia, making flight arrangements
at the last minute through my travel companion and travel
agent a/k/a Dad. The flight from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta to
Moscow to Kazan took approximately 24 hours but fortunately, the jet
lag is much better. As I still have it, the quick update is that Kyle
Daniel is fantastic and I look forward to getting more information to
you!!!