Every Sunday after church is "Sister Sunday" where me and my sister hang out, running errands, shopping, and definitely involves some form of eating. We usually do breakfast (after the early service) but yesterday we had a few things to do after church and decided to get some Chinese for lunch instead. So Britt goes and grabs us both fortune cookies from the front and tosses me one. We were joking it was going to say "Your Court date is going to be on __________ date." Laughing I opened my cookie. This is what it said: We almost fell out laughing! I know this stuff isn't real, but it was just the sign I needed. In all seriousness, all of the news coming out of Russia has been very positive, with the signing of a "final draft" of the new agreement taking place in Washington in mid-June. It is our understanding that with this agreement 1-Less agencies will be allowed to conduct business in Russia. 2-Independent adoptions will be no more and 3-More post-adoption studies will be required after a child is brought home. We agree with all of those changes and hope that these efforts will protect all children involved. Things are going to be OK. It's only going to be a matter of time before I am on that airplane! I just wish I could tell our Judge at this point we would agree to ANYTHING to get Charlie home sooner. Psych eval? Sure. Kidney? No problem! My own personal Russian official living with us for the next two years of Charlie's life to make sure we are good parents. "Privet! Russian roommate!"
Monday, May 17, 2010
Good sign!
Every Sunday after church is "Sister Sunday" where me and my sister hang out, running errands, shopping, and definitely involves some form of eating. We usually do breakfast (after the early service) but yesterday we had a few things to do after church and decided to get some Chinese for lunch instead. So Britt goes and grabs us both fortune cookies from the front and tosses me one. We were joking it was going to say "Your Court date is going to be on __________ date." Laughing I opened my cookie. This is what it said: We almost fell out laughing! I know this stuff isn't real, but it was just the sign I needed. In all seriousness, all of the news coming out of Russia has been very positive, with the signing of a "final draft" of the new agreement taking place in Washington in mid-June. It is our understanding that with this agreement 1-Less agencies will be allowed to conduct business in Russia. 2-Independent adoptions will be no more and 3-More post-adoption studies will be required after a child is brought home. We agree with all of those changes and hope that these efforts will protect all children involved. Things are going to be OK. It's only going to be a matter of time before I am on that airplane! I just wish I could tell our Judge at this point we would agree to ANYTHING to get Charlie home sooner. Psych eval? Sure. Kidney? No problem! My own personal Russian official living with us for the next two years of Charlie's life to make sure we are good parents. "Privet! Russian roommate!"
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Update....
More information about the process, what is happening at this point. Our agency has told us that our Judge is still not accepting our documents despite the positive news. We are struggling to understand. Maybe she'll change her mind or maybe we'll have to wait the two months until an agreement is reached and officially signed. Maybe we have no idea. That is a definite maybe. But regardless, we are relieved that things are moving in the right direction. Charlie in August is better than no Charlie at all. We are remaining hopeful and praying for a miracle.
Official: U.S.-Russia adoption agreement to be finalized
A draft agreement on international adoptions between the United States and Russia will be finalized by Friday, Moscow's children's rights commissioner said Wednesday.
After it is finalized, the agreement will be forwarded to the Russian Health and Education ministries and the Cabinet of Ministers, said the commissioner, Pavel Astakhov. If approved by the Cabinet, a signing date will be scheduled, he said. The final copy would be signed by Russia's Education Ministry and the U.S. State Department or Department of Justice, he added.
Under the proposed agreement, the number of U.S. adoption agencies dealing with Russian children will be diminished, he said.
"We will reduce the number of U.S. adoption agencies accredited in Russia," Astakhov said. Only those agencies that are accredited in the United States and compliant with the requirements of the Hague convention on international adoptions will be allowed to continue working in Russia, he said.
In addition, he said, "independent adoptions" will be abolished altogether. The draft agreement envisions setting up a joint Russian-American body with the authority to check out any U.S. family adopting a Russian child, Astakhov said.
High-level meetings between the two nations on adoptions followed an uproar after a Tennessee woman sent the young Russian boy she had recently adopted back to Russia unaccompanied. Artyem Saveliev, who was then 7, carried a letter to the Russian Ministry of Education from his adoptive mother saying he was "mentally unstable" and was violent with "severe psychopathic issues/behaviors."
The draft agreement stipulates that the two countries should coordinate and sign it within the next two months, Astakhov said. The two countries do not disagree over the agreement, but a number of details are still being hammered out, he said.
A senior State Department official said last week that Russian authorities continue to approve U.S. adoptions despite some public sentiment there to call for a complete halt. The official insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. But he said one possible provision of a new U.S.-Russia agreement would allow earlier and more frequent sharing of information both before and after adoptions. He said that some American couples don't see details of a child's medical and psychological condition until a court appearance for final adoption approval.
– CNN's Charley Keyes contributed to this report.
Official: U.S.-Russia adoption agreement to be finalized
A draft agreement on international adoptions between the United States and Russia will be finalized by Friday, Moscow's children's rights commissioner said Wednesday.
After it is finalized, the agreement will be forwarded to the Russian Health and Education ministries and the Cabinet of Ministers, said the commissioner, Pavel Astakhov. If approved by the Cabinet, a signing date will be scheduled, he said. The final copy would be signed by Russia's Education Ministry and the U.S. State Department or Department of Justice, he added.
Under the proposed agreement, the number of U.S. adoption agencies dealing with Russian children will be diminished, he said.
"We will reduce the number of U.S. adoption agencies accredited in Russia," Astakhov said. Only those agencies that are accredited in the United States and compliant with the requirements of the Hague convention on international adoptions will be allowed to continue working in Russia, he said.
In addition, he said, "independent adoptions" will be abolished altogether. The draft agreement envisions setting up a joint Russian-American body with the authority to check out any U.S. family adopting a Russian child, Astakhov said.
High-level meetings between the two nations on adoptions followed an uproar after a Tennessee woman sent the young Russian boy she had recently adopted back to Russia unaccompanied. Artyem Saveliev, who was then 7, carried a letter to the Russian Ministry of Education from his adoptive mother saying he was "mentally unstable" and was violent with "severe psychopathic issues/behaviors."
The draft agreement stipulates that the two countries should coordinate and sign it within the next two months, Astakhov said. The two countries do not disagree over the agreement, but a number of details are still being hammered out, he said.
A senior State Department official said last week that Russian authorities continue to approve U.S. adoptions despite some public sentiment there to call for a complete halt. The official insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. But he said one possible provision of a new U.S.-Russia agreement would allow earlier and more frequent sharing of information both before and after adoptions. He said that some American couples don't see details of a child's medical and psychological condition until a court appearance for final adoption approval.
– CNN's Charley Keyes contributed to this report.
More Positive News
This is great news, but I would still like someone to call me personally and say "Chad and Sarah, this is how this effects you and Charlie" Is that too much to ask? I mean, there can't be too many of us in this exact predicament, right? I need some clarification people! I mean it is ALL ABOUT ME! (That's a joke, but not really....)I am waiting to hear from our agency, I have resorted to annoyance. I am trying the "squeaky wheel" approach. I didn't want it to come to this. I am hoping they may be able to provide more definite answers to our questions. But, nevertheless, this is a wonderful step in the right direction. Please keep praying.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues
May 12, 2010
A U.S. interagency team held meetings to discuss an adoption agreement with their Russian counterparts on May 12. The meetings are ongoing and will continue on May 13. The initial talks were positive, productive and conducted in a spirit of cooperation. Both sides are interested in taking steps to increase the safeguards for adopted children. The discussions were technical in nature because they involve domestic laws of two countries. There is still important work to be done and this continues to be a high priority for both governments.
It is our understanding that there has been no change in the status of on-going inter-country adoptions originating from Russia. Many thousands of Russian children, who were not adopted by Russian families, have found loving, safe and permanent homes in the United States through inter-country adoption. We are pleased to be discussing with the Russian government a future approach to ensure intercountry adoptions continue.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues
May 12, 2010
A U.S. interagency team held meetings to discuss an adoption agreement with their Russian counterparts on May 12. The meetings are ongoing and will continue on May 13. The initial talks were positive, productive and conducted in a spirit of cooperation. Both sides are interested in taking steps to increase the safeguards for adopted children. The discussions were technical in nature because they involve domestic laws of two countries. There is still important work to be done and this continues to be a high priority for both governments.
It is our understanding that there has been no change in the status of on-going inter-country adoptions originating from Russia. Many thousands of Russian children, who were not adopted by Russian families, have found loving, safe and permanent homes in the United States through inter-country adoption. We are pleased to be discussing with the Russian government a future approach to ensure intercountry adoptions continue.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Russia and US hold second round of adoption talks
Published 12 May, 2010, 09:30, Edited 12 May, 2010, 15:21
Russian and US representatives have met in Moscow for the final round of negotiations to lift a ban on adopting Russian children and finalize a deal between the two countries.
Adoption from Russia to America was suspended last month after the culmination of several cases over recent years of neglect by foster parents, including the deaths of Russian children in the US.
The first round of negotiations took place in Moscow on April 29 and 30. At the time, Russia handed the American side a draft agreement. Now the concrete details of it have been discussed.
The American delegation is headed by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Michael Kirby. The Russian representatives include officials from the Education Ministry, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Pavel Astakhov.
Pavel Astakhov said that the text of the agreement will be finalized by May 14. He added it will most likely be signed between Russia’s Education Ministry and either the Department of Justice or the State Department on the American side.
The deal will lead to the creation of a special Russian-American body for foreign adoption, which will also follow the fate of adopted children in foster families.
Russian and US representatives have met in Moscow for the final round of negotiations to lift a ban on adopting Russian children and finalize a deal between the two countries.
Adoption from Russia to America was suspended last month after the culmination of several cases over recent years of neglect by foster parents, including the deaths of Russian children in the US.
The first round of negotiations took place in Moscow on April 29 and 30. At the time, Russia handed the American side a draft agreement. Now the concrete details of it have been discussed.
The American delegation is headed by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Michael Kirby. The Russian representatives include officials from the Education Ministry, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Pavel Astakhov.
Pavel Astakhov said that the text of the agreement will be finalized by May 14. He added it will most likely be signed between Russia’s Education Ministry and either the Department of Justice or the State Department on the American side.
The deal will lead to the creation of a special Russian-American body for foreign adoption, which will also follow the fate of adopted children in foster families.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Russia declines to stop American adoptions
Fri May 7, 9:04 am ET
MOSCOW – Russia's parliament on Friday defeated a motion that would have prevented Americans from adopting Russian children.
The motion was put forward in reaction to the case of Artyom Savelyev, an 8-year-old Russian boy sent back to Moscow alone last month by his adoptive mother in Tennessee. The mother claimed the boy was violent and that the orphanage had lied about his condition. Russian physicians said they found no mental issues with the boy.
Savelyev' return led to calls for more control over foreign adoptions and a freeze on all adoptions to Americans until the United States signed a bilateral agreement allowing Russia to better monitor and control adoptions.
A motion to freeze all adoptions to the U.S. pending the signing of such an agreement fell 98 votes short Friday in the State Duma, the lower house.
After a month of conflicting signals, Education Minister Andrei Fursenko confirmed earlier this week that Russia had not suspended U.S. adoptions, which he said required legislation to be passed by parliament or a presidential act.
The dominant Kremlin-friendly party, United Russia, voted against Friday's motion, saying it did not make sense given Americans' willingness to discuss an agreement.
"If an agreement is not signed, we will be the first to submit a freeze bill to parliament," deputy Natalya Karpova said.
Some 1,800 Russian children were adopted in the United States last year, according to the Russian Education and Science Ministry.
U.S. citizens have adopted nearly 50,000 Russian children since the early 1990s, the ministry's Alina Levitskaya told the State Duma on Friday.
MOSCOW – Russia's parliament on Friday defeated a motion that would have prevented Americans from adopting Russian children.
The motion was put forward in reaction to the case of Artyom Savelyev, an 8-year-old Russian boy sent back to Moscow alone last month by his adoptive mother in Tennessee. The mother claimed the boy was violent and that the orphanage had lied about his condition. Russian physicians said they found no mental issues with the boy.
Savelyev' return led to calls for more control over foreign adoptions and a freeze on all adoptions to Americans until the United States signed a bilateral agreement allowing Russia to better monitor and control adoptions.
A motion to freeze all adoptions to the U.S. pending the signing of such an agreement fell 98 votes short Friday in the State Duma, the lower house.
After a month of conflicting signals, Education Minister Andrei Fursenko confirmed earlier this week that Russia had not suspended U.S. adoptions, which he said required legislation to be passed by parliament or a presidential act.
The dominant Kremlin-friendly party, United Russia, voted against Friday's motion, saying it did not make sense given Americans' willingness to discuss an agreement.
"If an agreement is not signed, we will be the first to submit a freeze bill to parliament," deputy Natalya Karpova said.
Some 1,800 Russian children were adopted in the United States last year, according to the Russian Education and Science Ministry.
U.S. citizens have adopted nearly 50,000 Russian children since the early 1990s, the ministry's Alina Levitskaya told the State Duma on Friday.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Update/Prayer Request
Although things are certainly not “frozen” things will most likely be slowed down for us in getting him home. Unless, that is a miracle happens. This would be what a miracle would look like:
1-The meeting on May 12th goes exceedingly well and though changes in policy are inevitable, that they decide to have mercy on us folks that have already jumped through 5,000 hoops and “grandfather” us into the old way of doing things since we are in the final stages of his adoption.
2- Then the MOE would issue a clear statement on how this effects us, other parents like us, parents that have not yet traveled, parents that have not yet gotten a referral, as well as families that are just beginning the process in the states.
3- Then the judge in our region reads the order immediately (prior to her pending vacation) and “pencils us in” either before her vay-kay or immediately following it.
4-Then off we go!
-OR-
1-God intervenes and the Judge has a change of heart and wants us in Russia
See, isn’t that one better? In all seriousness, our case manager state side is still doing a magnificent job pleading our case and is sending the judge some information from the MOE stating that “adoptions are not frozen”. Because they aren’t! Keep the faith people. Miracles still happen everyday and we are needing one right now. We need him home!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)