Court Date! (Maybe?)

I spoke with our adoption coordinator this afternoon and she had GREAT news for us!  She said that the tentative date for our court hearing is Thursday October 18th!!!  Can't believe that it is already so soon.  I am nervous and excited.  Of course I have things that have to get done before that date, including getting some documents down to Montgomery to get the apostle from the Secretary of State.  I am waiting on a document from our home study agency (in Fairhope, AL) which should be here on Wednesday morning and then I will head down and get all the documents apostilled.  We also have to update our fingerprints for immigration.  These fingerprints are good for 18 months and don't have to get redone al that often, but as you all know, our process has been on the longer side, so we will get ours redone on Friday.

Once all that is done and court date is finalized, we will book tickets and begin the process of planning again - for home and for away.  I hate to leave the kids again - and the thoughts of leaving them a third time is almost unbearable - but it will go by quickly and I know that one day I will look back on it and wish that I enjoyed it more.  But being "in country" (i.e. in Russia) is not the most leisurely of travels to say the least - it is very stressful and, as I learned from the vascular headaches I struggled with for 5 straight days last week, I am not a very good traveler.  Oh well.

I am very excited to get past this second step.  Until court, nothing is certain and someone could potentially "take her away" from us - well, a Russian could.  That rarely happens, but it could so I am consistently praying for the Lord's protection over Maggie and His plan for her to come home with us.

But if court is on October 18th, that means we can bring her home as soon as November 19th - BEFORE THANKSGIVING!!!  Oh how I have so much to be thankful for!!!