Coming Home...

We have Alia’s visa! We can come home now!

Went to the U.S. Consulate this afternoon, along with two other WPA families. We paid our money, and went up to the window, signed a few papers, got Alia’s passport, birth certificate, and adoption certificate back, as well as a super-secret folder THAT MUST BE KEPT SEALED until we arrive in the U.S. We’re then supposed to hand it over to the Immigration folks. Took us about 30 minutes, and that was only because there were at least three other adoptive families in line ahead of us, in addition to all of us WPA folks.

Went back to the sisters’ office for an exit interview/debriefing. Kind of tough to finalize payments and listen to what I was being told about the papers Gulzhan was giving me because all of the women were trying to play with Alia, who was sitting in my lap the whole time. They were talking to her in Russian, squeezing her cheeks, fawning over her outfit, the whole bit. And she met all of the attention with a scowl. “I don’t know you people, and I don’t much care for your attempts to curry my favor through baby talk and peek-a-boo!”

Vitalii is due to pick us about in about two hours and take us to the airport. After that, we’ll be out of touch until late Thursday. So glad to be bringing Alia home with me to see Angela and meet Luca. Can’t wait to settle down for a while and get back to family life, complete with our daughter.