Monika received her first package

I received an e-mail stating that Monika received her first package.  I know it seems like a small thing but to me it is big.  Each thing is a positive step in the right direction.  It had a talking toy that said each letter of the alphabet and sound it makes when pressed, a button that had music, and a little game button.  It is a small V-tech toy sort of like a large cell phone.  She loved our cell phones while we were there, so it just seemed like the perfect thing for her.  I also included one outfit and enough bubble gum to share with all her friends.

A call from the FBI

Life is full of surprises and little blessings! I got a call from the FBI today.  I called them last week and ask that they expedite my file so that the Clearance letter on original FBI letterhead would make it in time for court.  They called me today to let me know they located my prints and are processing them now.  They will be in the mail within the next couple of days so will be done in time for court!  Praise God!  So relieved and excited to hear this and so thankful for the FBI worker that took the time out of their busy day to put this mother's heart at ease :)

A new court date has been set

The adoption did not finalize on the last court date.  The judge decided that since the FBI fingerprints were more than 6 months old, she wanted them done again and set a new court date of May13th.  There is some confusion over exactly what is needed.  I sent new FBI prints ordered from state of TN for this court hearing but apparently the judge is rejecting these because they are computer generated results from the state.  Now VESTA the Bulgarian agency in charge of representing me is saying that I can get fingerprints from an FBI Channeler (that normally takes 2 weeks) ......  problem with this is that it will still be a computer generated report and cannot be apostilled.  This is the report I sent to MOJ before my first visit and they rejected it because it was not on original FBI letterhead and could not be apostilled.  After much research and discussion from other parents that have done this before me, it is very unlikely it will be accepted by court.  I am going to do it anyway since that is what I have been asked to do and it is fast.  As a back up plan, I went yesterday and had my ink prints made and overnighted them to the FBI.  I spoke with a lady at the FBI that was very nice and told me that she will expedite these prints for me to try to make the court date (it normally takes from minimum of 4 weeks up to 3 months depending on the backlog).  I decided to take my chances and order them anyway.  Hopefully they will be here by the May 13th date and if not and the other prints are rejected again, at least this process will be well under way.

This whole process is frustrating.  I am only the 2nd family to adopt from Bulgaria through my agency. The agency is great and up front about everything, but their experience is not in Bulgaria, so they are still in the learning process. There seems to be a break down in communication between my American and Bulgarian agency.  This latest delay is totally caused by incorrect communication of what was needed for court and I still do not have clear answers for what is needed for court in May.  I have had the wonderful privilege of being able to communicate with many other families that are in process or have completed their Bulgarian adoptions.  I am depending heavily on what they are telling me, which is why I am going ahead and ordering the prints directly from the FBI.

 I know all this is technical but I am blogging it mainly because this is my way of keeping a diary for myself.

Good news this week is I asked for and received permission and address information to send packages or letters to Monika.  I fully intend to make good use of this.  I found a stuffed rabbit from Hallmark that lets me record a 1 minute message in my voice and a book that lets me record myself reading the story to her.  I will do this to keep in touch with her.  I already love her so much and really want her to know that I am still coming for her.

Thank you so much for all the prayers.  I would love it if you share my blog/ prayer requests with others.  Adoption is not for the faint of heart, there are many ups and downs.  I can go for excitement to the pits all in on day depending on the news (or lack of it) that comes in.

This picture was taken the last day of our visit.  We had just been playing balloons just batting them around and she was so excited to be up and moving.  In her exuberance, she raced over to this balloon sculpture with full intention of pouncing on it.  Dave grabbed her last minute saving the sculpture.  She thought that was hilarious.  I snapped the picture right after the grab where she was still laughing.  So glad I got this shot, it just makes me smile every time I see it.