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Tver Oblast

We were recently assigned to the region of Tver Oblast, Russia to work with during our adoption process. Frank Adoption Center was asked to assign 2-3 families to work with this newly re-established region and they felt that our family was a good match based on our adoption criteria and requirements. We just submitted the final paperwork and are hopeful that there will be some activity within the next few months. This new development has allowed Dave and I to begin to research this region which is nice bonus, some families only get 5 days notice :)

The city of Tver is located one-third of the way between Moscow and St. Petersburg and is fairly large with a population of 1.6 million people. If you would like to read more about Tver go to

http://tverromance.com/tverhist/

We are happy to be traveling to a region close in proximity to Moscow and one that is fairly well established :) More to come....

Pediatrician and Adoption Specialist........

An important resource to secure when going through an International Adoption is a specialized pediatrician. Dave and I recently hired an amazing pediatrician and adoption specialist to work with us during the adoption process, Dr. Melissa Goldstein who is a pediatrician with Carnegie Hill Pediatrics in NYC. It was important for us to find a medical professional to help us review medical records, Russian medical terminology, photos, etc. as we prepare for the journey to bring our son home. Both Dave and I connected with Dr. Goldstein immediately and feel confident that she will help us make the best educated decisions for our family.

More information about Dr. Goldstein....
Dr. Melissa Goldstein is an American pediatrician who recently spent 3 years in Moscow where she worked as a pediatrician at the European Medical Center (EMC). She brought to Moscow her knowledge of the latest developments in Western Pediatric Medicine. In addition to her work at the EMC as a pediatrician, Dr. Goldstein specializes in facilitating international adoptions by helping prospective parents with medical exams and screening tests, and through her close contacts with colleagues and friends involved in adoption programs in New-York. Dr. Goldstein is a United States board-certified pediatric specialist. She received her medical degree from the Cornell University Medical College in New York. After completing medical school, she remained in New York City where she did her pediatric residency training at the Cornell - New York Presbyterian Hospital. As a pediatrician, Dr. Goldstein is trained to treat children from birth through age 21.

http://www.russiajournal.com/archive/Russia_Journal/daily/2003/March/13.03.2003/Russia/Mar.13-03.pdf

The Nursery....

We have spent the last two weekends completing the nursery. This was Dave's first chair rail project and he did a great job. One step closer....

Our First Referral....

On Thursday, January 22 we received our first referral for a little boy from Russia (Samara region). He had just turned 2 in December and was as cute as could be, however, after two days of going back and forth and reviewing his medical information, Dave and I decided that he was not the best match for our family. Based on some of his medical information and mother's history, we felt this child might be heading down a path medically where we are just not equipped to take on a child with potential special needs at this time. The good news is we have discovered that we are pretty high up on the list and they assured us that another child would be coming along shortly. However, it was a pretty eye opening experience as we were not prepared to make that kind of decision. Our thoughts and prayers are with this little boy as we know there is a family out there for him. I had not blogged in a while and frequently am asked on our progress. We plan to complete the nursery within the next 2 weeks as we know this journey is set to begin within the next 4 months. Fingers crossed and we will keep everyone posted.

Info. on the region of Samara. It is the largest city in Russia and sits along the left side of the Volga River. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samara,_Russia

Our I-171H Arrived Tonight....

Tonight we received our I-171H form that we applied for on 8/10/08. What does this mean? This means that we have been given clearance from US Homeland Security to adopt a child (male), 0-18 months from Russia. As a result our application (dossier) has been forwarded to the Russian Ministry of Education (MOE) in Moscow where it will be translated. This is the final step in submitting our paperwork. So it is now OFFICIAL!!! We have been waiting for this letter for 4 months now!!!

Adoption Update

A few of you have asked for an update regarding the adoption process. I apologize for not posting anything, however, there really is no update at this time. We are officially on the referral list and are now just waiting for that "phone call".

We did have a small setback in that our Adoption Coordinator, Chelsea (who we love) is leaving Frank Adoption. Due to the economic factors in the US, fewer families are willing to take on the expense of International Adoption at this time. Because of this, Frank Adoption has had to make a reduction in their staff. Chelsea was the newest social worker to join Frank and is now working part time on a contract basis. We have been assigned a new Coordinator, Anne who has been with Frank for 13 years and has adopted 2 children of her own from Russia. We plan to meet with her in the upcoming weeks.

We will post an update when we have one...Happy Holiday's.
Love - The Scott's