It’s Friday at 6pm and I can’t believe that I finally get to say that…we have completed the adoption of the new Katherine Anna Basinger! A trip to the US Embassy today provided us with her passport and visa to get in the US, and all of the official adoption paperwork. As soon as the plane touches down in Atlanta, she will be an American citizen. The driver will be here to pick us up at 12:15am to go to the airport tonight.
While I can’t wait to get home, it is with somewhat mixed emotion that we leave Kazakhstan. I guess melancholy is the best term to describe how I am feeling now that this chapter of our lives is closing. For the past 18 months or so, we have chased papers in regards to our backgrounds to prove we are physically, mentally, emotionally and financially “fit” to raise a child. The red tape, revisions of documents and waiting times tried all of our patience. I never feared that we would not complete the adoption, but with all of the uncertainties involved in an international adoption, I knew it would be challenging. The paper chase, the wait and now the trips are over with and we will start a new adventure as parents.
I knew we had the best adoption agency for Kazakhstan, but now that we have been here, I appreciate them all the more. Even at the US Embassy today, there were two other families adopting children through a different agency and the woman was in tears over all of the money they had been “cheated” out of during their process. I guess they had to double pay for the Embassy fees and she just lost it! Looking back at the process we went through, there were some big leaps of faith – and we are so glad that everything went as planned. International adoption is not for the faint of heart. It is hard in every sense. But…looking at Katie melts our hearts and it was worth every tear, effort and penny. Dave is talking about coming back for child number two. Hmmm – we will just have to wait and see about that.
For now, we can’t wait to get home and show off our new girl and introduce her to her new life in Atlanta. One more long trip to endure – but it seems like a piece of cake.
Thanks to everyone for your love and support! I am not sure we cold have made it without it!
Love,
Kelley
While I can’t wait to get home, it is with somewhat mixed emotion that we leave Kazakhstan. I guess melancholy is the best term to describe how I am feeling now that this chapter of our lives is closing. For the past 18 months or so, we have chased papers in regards to our backgrounds to prove we are physically, mentally, emotionally and financially “fit” to raise a child. The red tape, revisions of documents and waiting times tried all of our patience. I never feared that we would not complete the adoption, but with all of the uncertainties involved in an international adoption, I knew it would be challenging. The paper chase, the wait and now the trips are over with and we will start a new adventure as parents.
I knew we had the best adoption agency for Kazakhstan, but now that we have been here, I appreciate them all the more. Even at the US Embassy today, there were two other families adopting children through a different agency and the woman was in tears over all of the money they had been “cheated” out of during their process. I guess they had to double pay for the Embassy fees and she just lost it! Looking back at the process we went through, there were some big leaps of faith – and we are so glad that everything went as planned. International adoption is not for the faint of heart. It is hard in every sense. But…looking at Katie melts our hearts and it was worth every tear, effort and penny. Dave is talking about coming back for child number two. Hmmm – we will just have to wait and see about that.
For now, we can’t wait to get home and show off our new girl and introduce her to her new life in Atlanta. One more long trip to endure – but it seems like a piece of cake.
Thanks to everyone for your love and support! I am not sure we cold have made it without it!
Love,
Kelley
