NGO Registration Completed

We received an email today from the director of our placement agency telling us that our agency's registration as an NGO has finally been completed. What remains is to acquire the remaining 3 of 6 required signatures for the accreditation renewal, and they expect to get those when the 3 accreditation ministers return from their vacations. Hopefully the accreditation will be finalized in mid-September, and then any closed regions will once again be open to adoption. We are working with an affiliate of the Frank Foundation, and while they have been awaiting their reaccreditation (since May) they have been continuing their work by processing their adoptions as independent.

So, with closed regions opening up in September after the accreditation is renewed, and with referrals expected to pick up after August has passed and everyone has returned from their summer holidays, perhaps our referral will not take quite so long. We are curerntly looking at January (or February with the Christmas holidays).

I cannot believe that the twins will be starting kindergarten in less than 3 weeks. It's coming so fast. I'm looking forward to having a little bit of time to myself again, but I also feel like my role as a mother is going to irreversibly change. Summer has been intentionally slow for us, aside from the couple of camping trips that we have taken. We've filled 4 weeks with swim lessons, and a couple of weekends with birthday parties, but otherwise it's been very low key. I know that's all about to change... but I'm in denial.

Some adoption things I need to do:

- sign the visa applications
- find out what's going on with the I171-H. (We received it, but only with approval to adopt one child, and we had requested approval to adopt two.)
- it's time to join FRUA for Northern CA
- learn adoption and travel-related Russian phrases

I've just been reading about Isabel and John's second trip to Russia to bring home their two girls. What an encouraging story! And they had their 10 day wait waived, too! They have inspired me to get going on the Russian phrases again. I currently have Pimsleur's Introduction to Russian (6 CDs, or something like that) and I'm nearly on the last lesson and I still haven't learned how to ask where the bathroom is. However, I do know how to tell you that you can have lunch at my place. I need something better. In the past I've managed to get around both Italy and France after listening to the Berlitz travel tapes and taking the tiny booklet with me. For those that learned some Russian and have traveled, what have you found to be the most helpful? Spaciba.