Success! (But no baby in tow...yet)

Hi everyone,

Our adoption has been granted! But custody has not...yet.

The most important thing for us, however, is it's over! It was pretty stressful, but the courtroom was small so that helped it not be TOO intimidating. Brian got up and read his speech, pausing for our interpreter, and then I had to get up and do the same (but mine wasn't as long). Then the Ministry representative and the prosecutor gave speeches. Then the judge left for about 25 minutes. Upon her return, she read to us what I was sure was a novel, but somewhere in there was the word "approved."

Unfortunately, we do not yet have custody of the munchkin. It's sort of ok that we don't today, because we are exhausted (it's 7pm and I just woke up from my nap, which started at 3!). It has been very difficult to convince the ministry folk that Evan will be ok if he comes back to the apartment with us. Everyone insists that he's "too young" (at 15 months!). Of course this makes no sense, as he will be only two weeks older after our 15 day wait, but there you have it. The Shchuchinsk director (at the ministry) declined the request to remove him from the baby house, but they are going to try to override it with the Kokshetau director. We should know sometime tomorrow, so we'll keep you posted.

Until the day comes when we DO get custody (even if that's the day we get his birth certificates, 19 days from now), it's back to the dirt road to Shchuchinsk! Ah, well. You win some you lose some!

Sorry no pictures today, we are wiped.

Almost parents!

Love,
Jen and Brian