March 1 2008

Currently all our paper work has been translated and sent to Moscow. We are currently waiting to be matched with the two siblings we originally heard about. One boy 8 years old (hearing) and a 6 year old girl (deaf). We have to be matched with these children before we can receive any information on them. Our social worker has informed us that information going in and out of Sakhalin region (island on far eastern side of Russia) is slow. As soon as we are matched with these children we will have the option to further pursue adoption of them. If we decide to move forward, travel to Russia could happen within weeks of being matched. We are now working on quickly getting our house ready to be sold. Obviously our current house is not suitible for a family of 4. The exterior painting has been wrapped up by Sara. I am in the process of completing a brief remodel to the bathroom, and any remaining work inside.

Sara has been eagerly learning RSL (Russian Sign Language). Im sure her vocabulary is at least 50 sign words by now. Now its my turn to start getting focused on learning Russian.