Thank you for your kind thoughts and words.  My sweet fuzzy face Woofus died on Tuesday night November 27th at 7:00 pm.  He lay on my chest and I hope he knew how much I loved him.  I certainly knew how much he loved me.  Dogs will love their owner no matter who that person is or what kind of person they are.  All they require for their devotion is a warm bed, a meal, and a scratch behind the ears.  Human beings can learn a lot from these simple but pure creatures. 

Years before Woofus was born I distinctly remember thinking if I ever had a dog I would name him Woofus.  I don’t know what prompted me to think about this at the time or where the name came from….it was almost as if it just came to me.  I feel like some higher being knew that I would need warmth and affection in the years to come and so I knew of him before he ever existed.  After I got him and named him I would have many people ask me how I came up with the name Woofus, partly I think because it was such a cute and goofy name, and partly because when they met him it was clear to see how perfectly the name fit his personality.  I never knew what to tell them, that I knew his name before I knew him…so I would tell them a little girl down the street suggested the name and it stuck.  It was easier than telling them the truth. 

He was truly a good dog, a good Woofus, my little boy and all who met him took a liking to him because of his sweet disposition and spunky personality.  Thank you for being my friend all these years…at times I felt that he was the only being there for me…and I think this is why he was a part of my life and for so long.  Some angel knew that I would need him.  I hope that I was worthy of such devotion.   

I have nearly 16 years of memories of Woofus – him as a puppy racing down the sidewalk his ears (that he still had to grow into) flapping madly in the wind reminding me of Dumbo, at the 3rd floor apartment in Elmhurst where in the morning I would let him out the back door and stand on the porch and watch as he raced down three flights of stairs to the patch of grass to do his business and then in a flash he would race back up unaided, the night at the apartment I had in North Hollywood where I tried various ways to pen him into the kitchen with multiple objects (didn’t have a gate) only to have him break out time and time again like Houdini dog – this went on for about two hours and I finally gave up exclaiming gosh darn it!!!I have been to college for heaven’s sake!!, and when I was sad he could tell and was always there ready to play the role of a box of tissues (or maybe he just liked the salty tears) and always managed to cheer me up with his sweetness. 

I will remember you always as my good friend and I hope to see you again some day.

Woofus, Woofmeister, Woofie

March 29, 1992 – November 27th, 2007

I have two puppy dogs.  They are both cock-a-poos.  The youngest is Honey, she is almost 4 years old.  Then there is Woofus, he is nearly 16.  I have had him since he was six weeks old. 

 I had just turned 22 and decided I wanted to get a dog.  I drove to a pet store in (I believe it was) Libertyville where there was a huge plate glass window.  Behind the window there were cages, at least 16, in rows of four.  In each cage there was two to three little puppy dogs.  It was like something out of a storybook.  Every color of puppy dog was there, black, brown, tan, apricot, white, and combinations of these colors.  All of the puppies were poo mixes.  There were maltipoos, peek-a-poos, shih-tzu-poo, cock-a-poos and others.  They were all very small and would fit in the palm of your hand.  And they were all very very cute.  On the drive there I had decided that I really wanted a male dog.  So, I stood in the shop and stared at the jumping happy puppies.  I was the only one in the store and they all seemed to know I was there to buy.  Every wet nose was focused on me. 

It was hard to concentrate actually.  It was an overload of cute.  At this point the clerk seemed to realize I was a real customer and not just window shopping.  She pointed out the different types of poo mixes and told me they wouldn’t grow more than ten pounds.  The excitement on the other side of the window was still going strong.  I actually felt bad that I was getting them all riled up.  I looked at the cute jumping puppies and noticed there was one puppy that was not jumping up and down.  He looked rather mellow in comparison to the other puppies.  I thought that was a good sign.  And he looked a little forlorn compared to the other happy puppies.  At six weeks old I figured he probably was a bit confused and missed his mother.  He was jet black with buff colored legs, chin and belly. 

The sales clerk pointed out a peek-a-poo and insisted that I see her.  She went in the back and came out with a sweet looking female peek-a-poo with the classic smooshed face and indeed she was very sweet.  But I kept looking back at the sad little puppy in the window.  I asked to see him and the clerk, who said she thought that puppy was a female, took back the little peek-a-poo and went to get him.  A few minutes later she came out with the little puppy and told me that in fact he was a male.  He was shaking from fear and so small and so cute with the sweetest puppy dog eyes.  I was hooked.  The clerk rang me up, sold me a bunch of puppy gear and put a red bow in his hair. 

We drove home, it must have been about an hours drive, and he sat in the palm of my left hand while I drove with my right hand.  He shook all the way home and even though I tried to calm him down I could tell he was really scared.  About a block from home he threw up on me…and it has been true love ever since. 

Woofus has been everywhere with me since that day.  He has moved with me from Illinois to California and back several times.  He survived the fire I had in 1999 when I lost everything and was lucky to get out of my apartment with him under my arm.  He was the only thing that made it out and the most important.  He survived the 6.5 earthquake in Northridge in California with me.  He lost his mellow behavior a few days after I got him and was the most rambunctious and happy puppy – and here I thought I had picked a mellow dog. 

He was the most gentle dog with children and I remember him being about two years old and being carried around for hours at a time by my friend’s three year old.  She would pick him up under his arms and you could tell this was not his idea of fun but he just endured it and when she would set him down he would race around the yard like a bullet until she caught up with him. 

And over the years he became my constant companion.  It got to the point where I could actually recognize expressions on his puppy face.  Like when I would scratch his chin for a good long time he would purse his thin puppy lips together in an expression of pure satisfaction.  Or when I would scold him for something and he would snort almost to say “whatever”.  And how when I would leave him in one room and go to another he would shove his nose up to the crack at the bottom of the door and make snuffling noises trying to figure out where I was until I came back and opened up the door.  How when he is happy and feeling content he would roll on his back and wiggle back and forth for a few minutes.  I could go on and on.

He has been such a good friend for the past 16 years that I can’t believe that he seems to be on his last legs.  The vet has told me that all of his organs are in excellent shape and his blood test is very normal…his cholesterol and triglycerides are lower than mine.  But his heart is giving out.  I can’t believe that it is his heart because for such a little puppy he has such a big heart.  I can tell that his breathing is much more difficult.  He has just enough energy to water the grass but then he must lay down.  I don’t know if he is going to make it through the week and I am heartbroken.  He has been such a wonderful dog and one of the top blessings I have had in my life.  I can’t imagine him not being here.  I know that he has lived a long life and I don’t want him to suffer but I also don’t want him to go. 

Sandi just got her LOI.  I am very excited for her!  She will be traveling around January 22nd.  This is the same lady who found out her region about a day before Kim from Oswego found out her region.  So, I expect that Kim will get her LOI pretty soon now…I give it a week at the most Kim!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

“The Lucky One”

by Jill Underhill

“You adopted him?” they always say,

“An orphan from afar?   

What a lucky boy he is!  

How wonderful you are!”   

At first, at times, I must admit

I liked this heartfelt praise.

But soon I learned they had it wrong

In oh, so many ways

My revelation first began

The day he took my hand

And waved good-bye to all he knew

To fly to foreign land

When home, I took the water hose

And sprayed him top to bottom

His bell-like laugh inside me woke

A youth I had forgotten

He thrilled to spot a plane! A car!

A spider web in May!

He noticed things I never saw

Yet walked by every day!

He’d run to me when I came home

With hugs that turned me blue!

He tried to say, “I love you,”
Though it came out “Ah va lou!”

And now, when I am overcome

With burden and with trial,

My every worry melts away

When I see Dima smile   

To touch his face, to hold him close

To pull him to my knee

To hear him call out, “Mommy!”

And to know that he means ME!!!

HE’S the one who’swonderful!

A precious, blessed soul 

His warmth is what fulfills me

And his love’s what makes me whole

And still they say, “He’s lucky!”

When they learn about my son.

But now I smile and firmly say,

“No, I’m the lucky one!”

Jill Underhill 

Adoption ARK Consultant

A beautiful poem written by one of the fantastic women who work for my adoption agency.  I am so happy to have found this agecny that is really all about Aiding and Rescuing Kids.

And the winnnner issss……Regina Ruopoli! 

Make sure to click on the link to the Ruopoli Family Adoption Blog listed at the bottom (we save the best for last) of my links column to read the absolutely funniest post I have read in at least a week about the adoption process.  That might seem like a short amount of time but in the world of preadoption waiting there is a whole lot of funny. 

Regina and her Dossier (yes her Dossier) will regale you with their wit, humor and musicality.  I laughed, I cried, okay I didn’t cry but I laughed a lot and then had to show my coworkers so they could see in fact that my level of sanity is pretty much on par with other waiting PAPs.

 Oh heck, I am not even gonna make you scroll, here is the link right now:

http://ruopoliadoption.blogspot.com/

Well, I’m in a mood to whine. 

I have not had any news on my dossier since October 15th.  It has been a solid month.  I was at a point on Monday of this week where I wanted to call my coordinator and ask about my dossier – and if she had heard anything about processing times at the Min of Ed.  Per my rule, I have to wait till I feel I can wait no more and then I have to wait a week further before I can call my coordinator. 

So, at first, I figured that I would be able to call her on this upcoming Monday the 19th.  But then I decided to compare my timeline with Kim’s and I figured out that, using her timeline as a guidepost, I would not hear about my dossier going to the MOE until December 2nd – which is still two whole weeks away.  So now, I am questioning whether it makes sense to call her on Monday.  If I already have an idea that I am going to have to wait up to two more weeks for info why bother her only to find out that there is no news.  Basically, now, I am bummed because I was using that date as a way to last through this week and into the beginning of the next.

I keep reading other people’s blogs in the hopes that I see someone else, anyone else, getting their LOI and leaving…I don’t know if it is my dour mood or reality that makes it seem like no one else is getting anywhere either right now.  Or maybe I just am not aware of the people that are getting their LOIs.

I keep getting advice from several different people – people that I like too – on ways to not focus on this so much but I have to tell you it really doesn’t work very well.  I will have to say that I am also not trying too hard so that may be the reason. 

I think that I have spent so much of my life not concentrating on the things that I really wanted because time and time again I didn’t seem to get them.  Now that I am so close to actually having one of the things I want come true I can’t bring myself to be dispassionate about it even if it is for my own good.  I want to wade in the feelings of this experience and coat myself from head to toe with them – even if, right now, the feelings are of impatience and emotionality. 

Logical people might say that it is a form of self-discipline to keep yourself from obsessing but I say phooey.  Yes, I said phooey.  You want self-discipline?  I was the model of self-discipline for the last decade not obsessing about the things I wanted but did not get, concentrating on work, and work, and more work.  Now all bets are off.  

If I could only hear something about where my dossier is. 

Man, I wish I could have embedded a GPS chip in it.  Then I could track it using my Adoption Paperwork Tracker 2000 Satellite.  HEY!!! There is my million dollar idea!!! Tell me you other waiting PAPs wouldn’t pay money at this point (ha, ha – as if any of us has any money left) to be able to log on and see if your paperwork is still blinking away at the same spot at the MFA or MOE in Astana.  Don’t anyone else steal my idea! 

It is the weekend…I am going to organize my adoption paperwork (have been putting it off for a few weeks) and then go home and get a bottle of fake wine and have a glass maybe even two.

P.S.  I just thought for kicks that I would compute how many more whiny waiting posts you all will have to endure if I don’t travel until the end of February.  At one a week (do you think I can keep it down to this amt?-it is good to have goals) that will be 14 more times. 

P.P.S.  Check out Kim’s page (she gets more hits than me, can you believe it? LOL) for an update – no she didn’t get her LOI yet.

Here is a hearty congratulations to Becky and Steve, a very nice couple that just got back from their first trip to Kazakhstan.  I met them back in July at the Huntley, Illinois Kaz picnic.  In a few weeks, Steve will be traveling back to Kaz to pick up their 5 year old son.  Congratulations!!  I can’t wait to see some pictures!

Hi all.  I spent a restless weekend checking my email and the yahoo groups I belong to for further information.  I have not found any further information confirming or denying.  I am anxiously awaiting info from my agency on what they were able to find out. 

Part of me wishes that I had not posted my concerns so quickly but the other part of me thinks that when dealing with such a situation like international adoption where information dissemination is so secretive and guarded that it is only by sharing what info we have with other PAPs and them with us that we are able to keep each other informed about real time situations. 

Well, there is some information circulating about the net that there is a slowdown going on in my region in Kaz.  I am hoping that it is untrue or if it is true that it is just a slow down and they do not completely shut down the region. 

However, since the information seemed to come from two completely different sources, using different agencies, in fact from two different countries (Ireland and the US) it stands a good chance of being more than just a rumor.  So, as not to freak out any other waiting PAPs, the region I am referring to starts with a U.  Please excuse my vagueness but I am trying to communicate information while not taking any chances that my blog could be used to add fuel to a fire of any sort.   I do have some further unsubstantiated information that I would be willing to share with anyone who wants it and is willing to post their email address in my comments.  Again, I do not have verification of this from my agency yet and seriously hope that I am mistaken.

If there is anyone out there that has heard of this happening as well I would really appreciate it if you would also post your contact info in the comment box below and I will email you privately.

I am not the kind of person that usually asks for help – I am more of a just do it yourself kind of gal – but if you all could think positive thoughts regarding this situation (don’t know if that really works or not but willing to try) I would appreciate it. 

ADDITIONAL NOTE:  I just did a bit of research and found that the last two regions to experience problems were Karaganda (which seemed to slow for the most part and even stop at times from the Spring of 2007 for nearly five months until September 2007) and Almaty (which closed down for a whole year in 2006).  Both of these regions experienced problems because of previous adoptive parents failure to submit the required yearly post placement reports.  (NOTE:  CORRECTION, I have been informed that the slowdown in Almaty was due to an HIV scare and new testing requirements for all children) If you are an adoptive parent from Kaz and haven’t turned in or are late with your reports don’t take a chance that your overlooking this report might stall or stop some child and families future adoption.  Please turn in your report!!

transitive verb1: to stay in place in expectation of : await <waited the result of the advertisement — W. M. Thackeray> <wait your turn>2: to delay serving (a meal)3: to serve as waiter for <wait tables>intransitive verb1 a: to remain stationary in readiness or expectation <wait for a train> b: to pause for another to catch up —usually used with up2 a: to look forward expectantly <just waiting to see his rival lose> b: to hold back expectantly <waiting for a chance to strike>3: to serve at meals —usually used in such phrases as wait on tables or wait on table4 a: to be ready and available <slippers waiting by the bed> b: to remain temporarily neglected or unrealized .

(Amy adds:  There was more but I think this said it well enough)

QUOTES ON WAITING – ALL YOU ADOPTIVE WAITERS OUT THERE SHOULD APPRECIATE THIS – ALSO THERE IS A FLY IN MY SOUP/BORSHT

A sure way to irritate people and to put evil thoughts into their heads is to keep them waiting a long time. This makes them immoral. - Friedrich Nietzsche (pronounced nee-cha, my philosophy teacher would be so proud)

Reading while waiting
for the iron to heat,
writing, My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun— - Adrienne Rich(Amy adds:  waiting to go off)

Schools of fish come to those who wait patiently; if the big ones don’t come, the little ones will. - Anonymous (umm, yeah, one little one will be just fine)

The people we keep standing in the anteroom of our favor either start fermenting or turn sour. - Friedrich Nietzsche(Amy adds:  Right on Freddy baby – hmmm, i wonder which one am i- fermenting Amy or sour Amy – neither sounds that good)

There was silence deep as death;
And the boldest held his breath
For a time. - Thomas Campbell (yeah, for a time)

To one who waits, a minute seems a year. - Anonymous (perfectly said and for all you amateur mathematicians out there (or people with calculators) how long then does it seem for the one who waits a year?  There is a prize for whoever gets it right.)