Ind*a or Bust!

I thought I'd give everyone an update on Naveen's adoption, because if you're like me and you're currently in the process to adopt from Ind*a, you are also currently stalking every single Ind*a adoption blog that you can find.

And I can assure you that if you're currently adopting from Ind*a, then I'm currently stalking your blog, too.

We can be adoption stalkers together!

So, here's my big, mega update post on Naveen's adoption.

1. NAME CHANGE

I can't mention Naveen's birth name on here just yet, but when we started the adoption process a year ago, we decided to keep his birth name as his middle name and give him a new Indian name for his first name. Sim has really regretted not keeping Noah's birth name "Partha" as his first name.  Eli's name is actually Elias, and is Spanish for Elijah, and, of course, we kept Nandini's birth name and can't imagine her as anything other than Nandi.

So, we went back and forth and finally settled on Naveen. Partly because I like the actor, Naveen Andrews, but also because both Sim and I spent time with the most adorable little boy at Sarah's Covenant Homes, whose name is Naveen. Plus, we just really loved it.

Well, fast forward 11 months later and Sim suddenly announces that he wants to call Naveen "Ian". Say what? You can't just pull a switcheroo like that. But after a lot of talking and stalling and debating and all, we decided to name Naveen, "Ian Naveen (birthname) (last name)" and call him Naveen.  But he'll always be able to use his first name if he wants a more Western name.

I just wanted to explain all that because you might hear me refer to Naveen as just "Naveen" or you might hear me refer to him as "Ian Naveen".  But I'm still referring to the same adorable little boy.

2. COURT DATE (AKA - WE'RE LEAVING THIS WEEK!)


Excuse me while I pinch myself because I still can't believe that I get to see my little boy next week!

If you'll remember, Ind*a changed their adoption laws over the summer and now the region we're adopting from is requiring two trips. We'll get to spend a couple of hours with Naveen and then go to court the next day (and, really, what does one wear to court in Ind*a? It's so trivial, but I'm freaking out over here) and then we'll head back to the orphanage that afternoon to spend a couple more hours with him, and then a bunch of people are going to have to carry me out on a stretcher because I'll probably collapse in a heap of tears at the thought of leaving him for two more months.  And Sandwich, my travel buddy, will have to revive me by waving bars of Toblerone under my nose and promise me that we can have one last meal of Paneer Muttar Masal before we leave.

It might work, but then again, it might not.

Anyway, I'm beyond nervous about the court date (Will Naveen scream the whole time? Push me away? Will he wrap his little arms and legs around me and lay his head on my shoulder?), but I'm trying not to think about it. All I can think/dream/breath right now is that I get to see him in 11 days. But because Ind*a is actually a day ahead, it's really only 10 days. And because I lose almost 2 days in travel time, it's really only about 8 days. Or so I tell myself.

3. TRAVELLING


I'm really paranoid about giving exact dates, hotel stays, blah blah blah before it happens, but I can say that we're leaving next Friday and arriving in Mumbai for Sunday. We'll leave the following Saturday night, which gives us about one week in India. The reason we're going for a week, when we only need to be there for 2 days is because it just seemed really ridiculous to spend all that money on a plane ticket (about $1500) and risk that jet lag for only 2 days. So, we're spending a couple of days in Mumbai, just hanging out and eating as much paneer as I can muster, and then we'll hire a driver to take us to the orphanage (in another city). We'll be there for three days and then head back to Mumbai to fly out.

When we get back, I'll let you know where we stayed and what we thought of it because I know there are a lot of you that will be following the same itinerary when you get your court approval. But I will say that we're doing some extreme budget hotels in Mumbai and I've already got my flat sheets and toilet paper packed.

I never thought of myself as adventurous... until I booked a hotel that starts at 15 bucks a night...

4.  ADOPTION TIMELINE


If you're adopting, then I apologize for the warble you just had to endure in order to get to what you really want to know... our adoption timeline.

I think our timeline is going to be obsolete really soon, especially with the new rules that went into place with C*RA at the beginning of the year, but you never know. So here it is...



WC Match 3/9/11
 Homestudy completed 4/13/11
I-800A submitted 5/9/11
Dossier submitted 5/13/11
Acceptance Papers submitted 5/17/11
Fingerprints for I-800A 6/3/11 but had to reschedule b/c husband was out of the country
2nd Fingerprint Date for I-800A 06/28/11
I-800A approved on 7/16/11 and arrived in mail on 7/20/11
I-800 submitted 08/02/2011
I-800 approved 08/30/11 and received in mail on 9/3/11
DS230 submitted 9/6/11
Article 5 received 09/16/2011
NOC 01/09/12
Received phone call about 1st visit (for court) 01/26/12
Court date (appear in person) week of February the 20th

5. BLOGGING WHILE IN INDIA


I'm not sure yet if I'll be able to update while I'm gone. I'm taking the iPad and anyone who knows me knows that I can't stand to type more than one or two sentences on it. My thumbs just can't get the hang of it and it takes me ages to hunt and peck out a single word.  So, if I can get to an Internet Cafe then I'll definitely update, as I know my mom is going to be glued to the computer unless she gets an update each morning.

6. PLEASE PRAY FOR SIM AND THE KIDS


If you remember, will you please pray for Sim and the kids while I'm gone. Ind*a would prefer both parents travel, but it would be too expensive for us to get another ticket, plus it's very difficult (with our family dynamic and issues) to  find anyone who could watch the kids for a week.  I would have loved for Sim to go instead of me, but he doesn't have his US citizenship yet, so he can't fill out  the paperwork at the US Embassy in Delhi. The entire adoption had to be under my name.

Sim is a fantastic father, so I know he'll do great, but Eli is who I'm really worried about. He has a lot of issues with anxiety and is already in hysterics about me leaving. He had a rough time when I went to SCH two years ago and we're all bracing ourselves for a repeat.  Nandi and Noah seem to be handling it pretty well. Noah told me that he's s-o e-x-c-i-t-e-d to have another little brother and Nandi can't wait to have a little brother to baby. She's such a mother hen.  But Eli is my biggest concern. His second grade class is doing a musical called "American Tears" about 9/11 and he's terrified of me getting on a plane.  If you remember, would you please pray that he finds peace while I'm gone? Thanks!

Okay, so that's our huge, big, mega India update. So much to do. So little time. And so incredibly excited!