Questions Answered

I have gotten a couple questions that I would like to answer for everyone:

1. How long before you are able to travel & bring home your daughter? I am told that it is reasonable to expect to travel to Kazakhstan for my first, 3-4 week trip, this Fall and to bring her home on my second, 7-14 day trip, by Winter; however many things can come up and it is important for me to try to stay flexible.

2. What is the cost? Costs differ greatly from country to country and also depending on the child you are looking to adopt. Adoptions of infants / young toddlers in Kaz range from $30-$40,000.

3. Did you ever consider Domestic Adoption? For me, I have always dreamed of adopting internationally, so I didn't look into adopting Domestically very much. From my understanding, all domestic adoptions are now 'Open Adoptions' where parents are in communication throughout the child's life, and this isn't 100% comfortable for me, plus birth mothers now choose their child's adoptive family, and how reasonable would it be for a birth mother to 'choose' to have their child adopted by a single mom?

4. Did you ever consider artificial insemination? No! :) This is a very personal decision as well, but the thought of being pregnant is such an emotional experience (not that adopting is not, but it is different in mind / heart) and I would just feel that I was missing out not having a husband with me to experience my pregnancy. And nothing in me would want to choose a 'Dad/Donor' by stats on a piece of paper either. Who on earth would truly donate for this? Would they really be a highly educated doctor with great genes, no mental health issues, athletic all stars, etc? Hmmmm I think not. Only my perception though, but my mind tends to tell me that they may just be poor college kids and that icks me out. :)

5. Can you pick your daughter's name? Absolutely! Will I pick / change her name though? I am not yet sure. I am trying not to fall in love with a name until I meet her. I do want to learn her given name and see how I feel about keeping her given name as a first or at least as her middle name, this is already a part of her and it would be ideal to keep her given name in some fashion......as long as we can pronounce it with some confidence. I do have a name I love but am not yet ready to share. That must be the middle child in me. :)

6. What kind of paperwork do you have to collect? The answer would be everything and then some. :) Original certified Birth Certificates, Guardianship letters, reference letters, FBI background checks, local background checks, HIV testing, Psych evaluations, Physical, letter from your bank showing you are in good standing, home ownership/ rental letter, home study, photos of my neighborhood / rooms in the house / family & friends, financial statement, ++++ Crazy hu! :) And all of those need to be notarized then sent to the state to be apostilled then sent out for translation and then sent to Kaz to be okayed. Phewweee! These guys are serious! :)

Please always feel free to ask questions, I am always happy to answer as I am able. I understand that this is a crazy journey that is foreign to most of us, so I welcome your questions. :)