Life is Messy

I know I left most of you hanging in the last few months..but in truth that is where I have been.  We arrived back in the US on Dec 27th, 2012 and by the time we woke up on Friday, Dec 28th president Putin had signed the American Adoption Ban into law effective Jan 1.  So we cried, we prayed, we hoped and mostly just checked every major website, newspaper, and the State Departments website for updates.  Really we have never gotten much news.
We have had several conference calls with the State Department and other Russian Non Governmental Organization personnel.  Mostly what is discussed is that our government is urging but not negotiating with Russia to let pending adoptions proceed.  What does that mean, who does that include?  Well, us....and several hundred other families.  There is supposedly upward of  1000 families somewhere in the process of adoptions with the Russian Federation. 
As of Feb 6th, 2013 we were told that families that have not been to court prior to Jan 1, 2013 will not get to bring home our children.  This cluster of people does include us.  So we are slowing closing the door but have not given up complete hope.  There is still talk of US delegates heading to Russia to discuss this further and really push to let the families that have met their children proceed.  However, the State Dept gave no timeline for this to happen so we could be looking at months from now.  Secretary of State, John Kerry is meeting with the Russian Prime Minister next week to have discussions about the two countries relations but we were not given any indication that the adoptions will be on the Agenda. 
It is a frustrating time and we are trying not to get too uptight, but POLITICS are just as crazy as people joke about them.  We are stuck in the middle of a crisis and we get a lot of blanket answers that go back to the press release statements and most questions do not get direct answers. We get little guidance on what each family should be doing or what is being done on a diplomatic level.  We are also among the families wondering why our President has not made a statement at all towards all the families stuck in this political mess.  He has not even acknowledged there are hundreds of families in limbo and financially strapped into a journey we will not get to complete.  We have not been offered anything but a statement saying that our highest level of government is deeply concerned and is urging Russia to consider letting families that have met their children complete their adoptions. 

So you can see we don't have answers.  I don't think we are allowed to start another adoption of any sort since we are bound into this one, unless we terminate.........which sounds easy until you look at the money we have invested and the fact that neither government is just drawing a line and giving us a clear answer.  It seems so simple for the Russian Government to say Yes or No and leave it at that...then our government turns around and relays the message.  It is so confusing of why this doesn't happen.  I am assuming it is politics again and both sides want something out of the decision.
We really only have one option and that is to wait out the political mess and see where we end because if there is any hope we get to go back and get Alexey..we want it.  He is ingrained in our hearts and mind and we are not willing to relinquish our ties to him.

We will never relinquish fully...and he will remain a part of family forever!

Please pray for answers and that either way the dice fall...that our Sweet Alexey finds a family to love him forever...even if it is not with us!