Waiting

No court date yet. Our coordinator in Russia has been told that she will get a court date for us on Thursday. For either the 2nd or the 9th.

If we have court on the 2nd, they need us there this Sunday, the 28th. This is barely possible. Our visas are being completed by my new best friend Ludmila in New York and will be overnighted to us for Saturday delivery. The only way I can guarantee delivery Saturday before noon is to call the Fed Ex station, have them hold it, and pick them up at 9am. Then we could get a 12:30-1:00ish flight to Chicago and fly out from Chicago to Moscow Saturday night at 5:25. If I don't pick up the package at Fed Ex, they cannot guarantee delivery before noon...and noon would be too late for us.

I really, really, really want to go to court on the 2nd. We would then be able to get her just before or on her birthday. (There is a ten day wait required between court and being able to get her from the baby home.) But that's a lot of close calls on Saturday...the visas have to be held. I have to be able to get them and still make our flight. There can't be any delays getting into Chicago (anyone who regulalry flys out of Chicago knows how iffy that one is). Technically it is feasible, but if anything goes wrong, we are screwed.

So the agency is going to pass along that the 9th is preferable, but if it's between the 2nd or waiting weeks or months, we will do the 2nd and hope like hell it all works correctly. I'd so much rather do the 2nd than the 9th. If we have court on the 9th, we won't have her on her birthday, and while I know that isn't the absolute biggest thing in the world, how many of us want our baby to spend their birthday, especially their first one, anywhere but in our arms?

I met with the county clerk today. He is a bit confused over the letter (it can't be addressed to me...it needs to be addressed to the homestudy agency, but I don't want him to mail it to the HS agency...I will come pick it up...and that makes NO sense to him). It will be interesting to see what the letter actually says. This is always a bit of a gamble. Just add Mr. John Warren to the long list of folks willing to do crazy-assed things for a neurotic and increasingly anxious adoptive mother....