Our Adoption

Appointment

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:39:00 +0000

We have an appointment scheduled tomorrow morning with our angency to look at what other options they have for us. We will also be researching other agencies and programs that still service Kazakhstan.

Round 2 of the infomation gathering and fact finding mission is about to start...

Hard News

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:24:00 +0000

Family & Friends,

We were informed yesterday by our agency that they are going to shut down the adoption program in Kazakhstan. We are beyond heartbroken and in disbelief. Next month will be three years since we started this journey. We were very close to going and our agency anticipated us traveling to Kaz this spring. Our agency has been experiencing some problems with recent adoptions and don’t want to send over any more families until they are able to work out the issues with the government and adoption authorities over there.
We are now uncertain what the future holds for us and what path we should start pursuing next. We have many options in front of us and many other programs to choose from. We could switch over to another International program or start looking into our Domestic options. We will meet with our agency in the next few days to go over all the options. As always, we will keep you posted as we know more.

-D&C

I am absolutely devastated. Dustin and I have worked so hard and sacrificed so much in the last 3 years. We have amazed each other with our patience and perseverance and although it is unclear why we’ve had to go through this, I hope that someday I am able to understand. Going through the adoption process isn’t for the weak of heart...it’s tough. It’s emotionally draining and the absolute hardest thing that I’ve ever had to go through. The C in Cortney stands for “Control Freak” and not being in control of all the emotions and things that are going on right now is beyond excruciating. My heart aches and is just broken. We're going to get through this...one step at a time...

Thank you all for your care and support, it really means so much to us.
-Cort

Slow news from Kazakhstan

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:31:00 +0000

Still no news...

Our case worker is telling us that things are really slow moving right now. We have received our updated medicals and the only thing that we are waiting on now is our FBI clearance (again)!

We are still crossing our fingers that it's in the cards for us to travel this Spring...

To be honest, I am amazed at how patient I am now and I KNOW that I needed to learn this before bringing our family home. ;)

We are doing great and are in good spirits about everything.

Sending love from our home to yours,
Cortney

PS - check out our new pictures @ www.dustncort.com

Happy 2010!

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:27:00 +0000

We just received positive feedback concerning our position in Petro and expect to see our Letter of Invitation very soon; likely travelling within the next few months!

While we have had almost 3 years of waiting, it feels now we're in a mad rush to prepare for our trip - frantic yet exciting!

CIS Approval

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:26:00 +0000

We got it, we got it!! Yesterday in our mailbox, among Christmas cards, was a letter from the CIS saying that we are approved (again)!

"It has been determined that you are able to furnish proper care to an orphan(s) as defined in Section 101 (B)(1)(F) of the Immigration and Nationality Act."

Tomorrow we will get it notarized and get it sent to our agency to be translated! We are so pumped that we got this before Christmas - the last of our paperwork...for hopefully the last time!!

Update!!

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:36:00 +0000

Happy Birthday Dustin! What a great day to finally hear something about our adoption!!

What we heard today is that all of our updated paperwork was sent to the translator yesterday. Once all the documents have been translated, our updated dossier will be ready to send to Kaz! As of now, we are working towards having our dossier hand-delivered (in-country) in early January 2010. The only hitch right now is that we are still waiting on our updated CIS Approval (Immigration form needed to bring our child home to the US). We really need to get that approval back ASAP so that it can be sent to translation and not hold the process up! We are hounding our local CIS office and hope to hear something back from them soon! We are crossing our fingers and hoping to receive travel dates in early 2010!

--Cortney

Still Waiting

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:33:00 +0000

What's the saying, "no news is good news"??

Our changes of intent have been received in Kaz and we continue to wait patiently for our invitation to visit. We're just under 28 months from the start of our journey and hope to round the last bend any day now.

Family and friends have been the cornerstone of our sanity over this long wait and will be that much more important in months to come. For the lack of a better expression, we simply can't wait to share our experience in Kaz and this new chapter in our lives.

Cortney & Dustin

Photos

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:04:00 +0000

Here are a couple new pictures that my friend Amy took of us.

Translations

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:40:00 +0000

Here's the latest update on our journey...

All paperwork has been updated, notarized and apostilled. Next step is translation. After everything is translated into Russian, our updated packet will be sent to Kazakhstan. As all things in this process, it takes TIME!

We still have no idea when we will be traveling, but are crossing our fingers that it is late summer/early fall.

We've been doing a lot of research on Petropavlovsk and think that we will both be able to work, at least somewhat, while we are over there. We are so glad to be able to work while we are there to help pass the time and still stay "connected" to our work families.

Dustin and I have updated our paperwork to read that we are open to adopting a child 6mos - 36mos in age; as well as a sibling group, with the oldest sibling being no older than 36mos. We've been working on name options and reading up on toddler adoptions, developmental delays and all the other things that we think might be helpful to us. If any of you have good reading recommendations - let me know.

--Cortney & Dustin

Update

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 13:21:00 +0000

Hey everyone! No bigs news to report, but wanted to keep you updated on what's happening. We have finished updating all of our paperwork that had expired and soon Kazahkstan will have a fresh, updated copy of everything! The update took a little longer than we thought with some hold-ups with our doctors and notaries! Now that our paperwork is updated, we really need to focus on learning Russian! April of 2007 is when we first started the adoption process and it has been 2 years this month! Crazy to think that it has been this long, but we keep telling ourselves that we must be getting close to the end!

This weekend we went to Target and started the Stone Family Pharmacy! We stocked up on all the meds we could possibly need while in Kaz for us and the little Stone!

Keep your fingers crossed for us and hopefully we will hear some news soon!

Love,
Cortney & Dustin

Petropavlovsk - what we know so far...

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:57:00 +0000

1. We are going to a beautiful place...in very far north Kazakhstan.
2. We will be bringing home a snow bunny.
3. We will be able to take only 1 trip.

We're going to Petropavlovsk!!!!!!!

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:51:00 +0000

We have a region!!!! We now know where we are going, just waiting for the when. We are still in shock and feel extremely grateful. It's almost time, it's almost time.

Here's the email that we got from our case worker.

Dear Dustin and Cortney, I am excited to share with you the wonderful news that your dossier has been assigned by the Ministry of Education to the region of Petropavlovsk. Congratulations to you both!!!!! Information specific to that region is attached here for you to read and review. If you have any questions I will be happy to request answers from the in-country team for you—just let me know. In the next stage of the adoption process we are waiting to receive your Letter of Invitation (LOI) from the Kazakhstan adoption authorities. The LOI is issued specific to each family after their dossier is studied and approved by the regional Department of Education and it is determined that there are children available for the family in keeping with the child preference described in their homestudy. The LOI must be issued to allow you to travel; it requires several meetings with officials and several officials studying the dossier. The length of time of dossier-processing at this stage is unpredictable, but as soon as I receive word of your LOI being issued I will be in touch to share the good news with you both.

After I've calmed down and done more research - I'll post another update.

Thank you all for the well wishes!

Cortney & Dustin

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:22:00 +0000

We had a blast on our mini-vacation to Lake Tahoe and wanted to share a couple photos! We went with some friends of ours (Cal & Amy) to celebrate Cal's 30th birthday! There was soooo much snow! Happy New Year!

-The Stone's

Still waiting...

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:20:00 +0000

Nothing new to report, but I thought I'd share our latest update from our caseworker.

Hi Cortney,

I received an update today from the in-country team. They confirm that the status of your dossier remains the same - the Ministry of Education has your dossier and we are now waiting to receive notification of the region assignment. As soon as there is an update to share I will be in touch with you and Dustin.

All the best,
Robin

Eastern Europe Program Caseworker
Gladney Center for Adoption

Love to all and Happy Thanksgiving!
--Cort & Dust

Not much to report

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:53:00 +0000

We still don't have anything major to report, but we did get word from our case-worker that throughout our agency, we are next on the list waiting for a region assignment. We are really looking forward to getting this info so we can start researching the area. For now, we need to finish our Hague training (we've really been procrastinating)!

Keep your fingers crossed and maybe we'll hear something soon!

Love,
The Stone's

Flexible

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:16:00 +0000

Being flexible is not my best quality...but I am getting better and better at it! There is a chance that we may have to change our paperwork to be non-gender specific. So far, we haven't had to yet and we are still specifying a little girl. But, Dustin and I are opening our minds to the possibility of a baby boy. This process has changed so many times, but what can you do...we're learning to roll with the punches. Well, I should say that I am. Dustin lives life this way, but it's a whole new ballgame for me. I thrive on having everything planned out and scheduled...it makes me feel safe. I now know that it's not my "plan" that matters, it's getting through this adoption process and helping a child. It's not about us...it's about the baby (girl or boy) that needs us. So we'll be patient and do whatever it takes.

--Cortney

Our paperwork is finally in Kazakhstan!

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:20:00 +0000

Hey everyone! Dustin and I received this update from our agency yesterday and we wanted to share!! We are so excited & relieved that things are moving along! Keep us in your thoughts!

Love,
Cortney & Dustin

Hi Cortney,

I am pleased to confirm for you that your dossier has been released by the Consulate. It has arrived in Kazakhstan and been logged in with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

You can anticipate the next steps as follows:
--From the MFA review one of three things can occur – a dossier can be rejected, accepted or additional documents may be requested by the MFA authorities.
--Once reviewed and accepted, your dossier will be registered with the Ministry of Education (MOE) for review.
--From the MOE review, again, one of three things can occur – a dossier can be rejected, accepted or additional documents may be requested by the MOE authorities.
--Once accepted, your dossier will be assigned to the Regional Department of Education (DOE) for the issuance of your Letter of Invitation (LOI). NOTE: Overall, the estimated processing time for your dossier to move through all of the ministries is approximately 3-4 months until the LOI is issued.
--The LOI will allow the in-country team to request your visa confirmation number and then being planning your travel arrangements. NOTE: The time frame from LOI until travel is estimated at approximately 3-4 weeks.
**It is rare for a dossier to be rejected, but it is a possibility.

Flexibility in necessary in international adoption because unexpected delays may be experienced at any point in the process. Currently, the overall processing time families are experiencing for their dossier to move through all of the ministries is approximately 6 months.

Thank you for your patience. When we received status report about the progress of your dossier as it moves to the Ministry of Education, the government authority that oversees intercountry adoption in Kazakhstan, we will update you.

Warmest regards,
Robin

Robin Longoria
Eastern Europe Program Caseworker
The Gladney Center for Adoption

Vacation Time

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:45:00 +0000

To help us get through the waiting, we have decided to go on vacation! What better way is there to help pass the time?? I really think that this is just what Dustin and I need. So, in September, we're heading to the Caribbean via a Carnival Cruise. We're leaving from Galveston and going to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel! We're absolutely pumped and looking forward to our little adventure!

We have no new news to report on the adoption. We haven't heard anything - just still waiting. Apparently we (mostly me) need to learn a little more patience before we are blessed with our little pebble!

Thanks for all the love, support and encouragement - it really does help!

Love,
Cortney & Dustin

Sad news for The Stone's

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:28:00 +0000

This week we've received some sad news...

1. Our dossier is stilllllllll at the Consulate.
2. Once our dossier leaves the consulate, we will have at least a 6 month wait until we travel. (According to our agency)
3. There are some in-country delays re: Kaz passports right now, so our agency is recommending 2 trips instead of one.

It looks as though we won't have her by Christmas, which I was really hoping for. I'm trying really hard to stop setting expectations for the rest of this process, since I keep getting let down. It's just so hard for me, I am such a planner - I can't help it.

How will we ever be able to go to Kazakhstan, find our child, bond with her and then come home without her for 3 weeks? Will I be strong enough?

Too many emotions for now. Maybe I will be able to write more on it later this week.

--Cortney

Happy Mother's Day

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:40:00 +0000

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!

Here's a picture of our Mother's Day with my mom, brother & sister.

Love,
Cortney

Pebble

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:33:00 +0000

Dustin's Aunt Sandy sent us the cutest little piggy bank as a baby shower gift. The best part of the gift was on the outside of the envelope! The card was addressed like this:

Pebble (Little Stone)

At first I was like "who the heck is Pebble?" but then I got it! How cute!!! This is the cutest nickname we've heard and we love it. Our little Stone!

Thanks Aunt Sandy & Family!!!

--The Stone's

Consulate Update

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Sun, 04 May 2008 00:24:00 +0000

We've received word that the Consulate office is back from hiatus, but there is a crazy backlog of over 100 dossiers. The good news is that they are reviewing and releasing dossiers. Keeping our fingers crossed that our dossier is at the top of the pile!

--Cort & Dust

No news...

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:47:00 +0000

It's May 1st and still no news. I just want to know where our paperwork is...I should've embedded a lo-jack device in our dossier. We don't want to call our Program Coordinator everyday and be "that crazy couple"...but it's starting to eat at us! Sometimes it seems like we are getting closer, but it still feels so far away.

Hopefully we will hear something soon.

I went to a brunch last weekend with other ladies who are approved for adoption and waiting. It was really neat to meet people that are literally going through the same things that we are. I was the only one adopting from Kaz that was there. Some people have been waiting for over 2 years and it makes me so grateful that we are not in the same boat.

Hopefully we'll have some news to share soon.

--Cortney

April 7th!

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:46:00 +0000

It's April 7th and Dustin and I are hoping that the Consulate is back from vacation and looking at our paperwork right now. Hopefully it will get to Kazakhstan quickly!

Thursday of this week we are going to attend a training seminar on Parenting Transracial and Transcultural Children. We are looking forward to learning more about this.

We're also attempting to learn Russian, but it's complicated! We've downloaded a bunch of lessons to our iPods and are listening as we get time. This is going to be a long road for us!

Any info or suggestions on the best way to learn Russian would be great!

--Cortney & Dustin

Temporary suspension of dossier processing by the Embassy is lifted

dustncort@gmail.com (dustncort) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:05:00 +0000

I found this great post and wanted to share!

--Cort

Country Status

Kazakhstan is currently OPEN to adoptions by US citizens.For a list of Joint Council agencies working in Kazakhstan, please consult our Country Programs page.

March 25, 2008 -

On Monday, March 24th, Joint Council met with Kazakhstan Ambassador to the United States Erlan Idrissov and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Michelle Bond. The meeting addressed the Ambassador’s concerns regarding adoptions between the United States and Kazakhstan and confirmed the ongoing review of all adoptions cases currently at the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington D.C. The Ambassador kindly detailed Kazakhstan’s efforts to ensure that intercountry adoptions are in the best interest of each child and conducted within an ethical and legal framework. He also expressed Kazakhstan’s efforts to utilize the tenets of the Hague Convention in both current and future laws.

Joint Council is pleased to report that at the conclusion of the meeting, the Ambassador confirmed that the temporary suspension of dossier processing by the Embassy is lifted and dossier’s meeting all necessary criteria will be processed. Dossiers not meeting the criteria will be held at the Embassy until all issues and concerns are successfully resolved. The Ambassador also confirmed that a review of all adoption service providers and family dossiers is ongoing and will remain in effect until further notice. During this review period, adoption service providers and potential adoptive parents should expect ongoing delays in processing times. No specific time line for the processing of dossiers is currently available.

It remains Joint Council’s understanding that in adoption cases where the dossier has already been processed by the Kazakhstan Embassy and forward to Astana are not affected by the review process noted above.

The Kazakhstan Embassy, U.S. Department of State and Joint Council have agreed to work collaboratively over the coming weeks to ensure that the goal of ethical, legal adoptions under the tenets of the Hague Convention are met in a timely fashion and in the best interest of each child. Joint Council hopes to meet with Consular Chief Almat Aidarbekov in the coming days to discuss specific issues related to child welfare in the U.S. and Kazakhstan.

Joint Council extends our sincere thanks and appreciation to Ambassador Idrissov and Deputy Assistant Secretary Bond for their efforts on behalf of the children we serve. We also applaud Ambassador Idrissov’s commitment to ethical child welfare and to ensuring a safe, loving and permanent family for every child.