Coming Into the Final Stretch

Rocky

February 7, 2012

We went to the American Embassy today. We are only a few days away from making it home.  The Embassy would not accept our passport photos because the ears weren’t showing in the photo…it has to be a face forward shot and Natalia’s chin was turned to the left. I don’t know how the passport photo office messed this one up, but it cost us a day…We had to go and re-take the photos and so we missed our doctor’s appointment. We are going to try to get the medical exams tomorrow.

I can’t wait to get home. I have been here way too long and I am starting to go crazy.

We met our translator, Alla, for the last time today and she gave us some paperwork that we needed. The children wrote her a thank you note. Natalia thanked her for all of her work to help them have a family. Roman said that because of her hard work, they now have a family. “Without Alla”, he wrote, “they wouldn’t have any parents”.  It was very touching and brought tears to our eyes. We hope that she can come and visit with us in the U.S. sometime. We gave her some money for all of her extra hard work. She said that she is saving up to buy a dishwasher someday.

Sorry, I haven’t posted any photos. I am having trouble loading my photos from my iphone.

We arrive in Kiev-the last leg of the trip

Rocky

Everything went well in Chernigivka. All of Roman and Natalia’s friends came to the school entrance to say goodbye. They were happy that all of their friends were there to see them off.  I felt bad for the children who they were leaving behind. I’m sure they were all hoping it was themselves who found a new family and were headed to America. It was very touching. Roman wanted to take a photo with Rosa and as they posed together (holding hands) she started to cry. I felt bad for her.  I know that she will be very lonely without him there.  I know she has been in the back of Roman’s mind for the last few days.

These children are so good (I hope it lasts). I keep hearing the words Alex (the school director) said to me as we were leaving, “you have good children, you have good, good children”.  “Yes”, I said, “I know. They are very good”. They have been wonderful and have been very helpful in our travels. Roman is like the little man in the family here…carrying the heavy bags, looking out for his sister, etc. It’s been an incredible experience to be their mother and I am thankful that God has given me all the 4 children that I now have. I feel very blessed.

We had a somber ride from the orphanage to the train station, but once we got on the train, it was very exciting for the children. We had our own sleeping car and the train ride was fun….freezing cold, but fun. Ukraine is having a deep freeze and they told me it was -27 C. Yikes!! It is so cold, that your nose hurts when you breathe. My heart aches for the many stray dogs that roam around Ukraine. I don’t know how they survive. Everyone here saves their table scraps for these dogs, so I  now find myself putting our leftovers in plastic bags for them.

The last five days I have spent here with the children have been great.  Although I can see a slight sadness in Roman that he left behind his girlfriend (he doodled a heart on his notebook with her name), they are both so happy to have a new family and to be headed to America. There has been a lot of joy in their hearts and  I have gotten some really good hugs and it’s great.

One of the highlights of our trip has been our taxi driver, Sergei. We had some bad taxi drivers here at first. When we found a good one, we got his name and number and so we call him whenever we need a ride. The kids love to see a familiar face when we go somewhere. He even came in the grocery store and helped us with the bags on the first day we were here (and only charged $15 for the ride-I was very grateful that he waited for us to grocery shop and he got a good tip from me).

Our apartment is located near the National Opera House and is very nice. Today we visited a Russian Orthodox Church (St Vladimir). It is very, very old and it was gorgeous....lot’s of gold everywhere and every wall (and ceiling) was hand painted. It reminded me of the Sistine Chapel.  This afternoon we are going to the National Marionette Theater to see a show.

Our translator expects our passports to be printed tomorrow so we can have our visit at the Consulate and go to the American Embassy on Tuesday.  If all goes well, we can leave here Thursday or Friday.

More later…

Happiness in Dr Zhivago Land-The Kids Are Now PART OF OUR FAMILY!

January 31, 2012

Rocky


Happiness in Dr Zhivago Land



When I was litte, the movie Dr. Zhivago came out. The story was set in Russia and I heard everyone say how beautiful the scenery and music was. When I heard that my parents were going to the movie, I asked them if I could go, too. I got a big fat "No".( I didn't know that there was some adult content...oh, well, I never did see that movie, but now I feel like I'm starring in it)

The scenery over Ukraine was breathtaking..there was no snow in Germany, but as soon as we hit the Ukraine border, it was barren and snow covered, just like you would picture in a Russian movie set in the wintertime. All these people are walking around with long furry coats and furry hats and boots..nothing like you would see here in the states. I felt like I was starring in the Dr. Zhivago Movie. It is just how you would picture it this time of year...bleak, snow covered, barren and cold. No one talks to you, they just look unhappy and keep walking.



I almost had a heart attack today because Alla was arguing with the girl at the birth certificate office in Zaporazhe. It seemed that someone had made a mistake in the old court order and forgot to mention that the father's rights had been terminated for Natalia. The girl at the court office told us to submit a request for new paperwork and come back in three days..no guarantee it could get straightened out by then either!! I’m so thankful for Alla…Alla worked her magic today to get what we needed…. we ran around town getting documentation and got the OFFICIAL REVISED BIRTH CERTIFICATES WHICH NOW SAY WE ARE THE PARENTS OF ROMAN AND NATALIA!! We have two new children and we have two new members of our family. I can't really believe this is happening and I feel like I'm in a movie. But it really sunk in when I saw them and they gave me big hugs today. I'm sorry Don missed it, but he will get that same great feeling when we all see each other at the airport next week.



I braced myself for this upcoming trip because I heard it was 0 degrees here! Yikes! That is COLD! No wonder they wear these fur hats! You freeze your "dupa" off (as they call it here. Hey, I didn't know that was a real word in a foreign language, did you?). Well, I left home at noon on Sunday and arrived at 6pm here today...today is TUESDAY! .I flew to DC, Frankfurt, Kiev and then took 10 hour train trip to Zaporazhe, waited on paperwork at the birth certificate office, then drove all over town getting even more paperwork…. then I had a 2 hour car ride to Chernigivka with huge, deep potholes every square inch of the way (I thought the car wheels were going to fall off). Whew! I can't sleep on a plane, so I am exhausted. I think I slept 7 hours in the last two days. I started getting a little shaky, so I am going to be short and go to sleep now, a happy lady. I hope I wasn't too tired and that this all makes sense.

Das Vedana...see you later.

The final trip (we hope)!

Don...

Just a quick update. Rocky departs Sunday to bring Roman and Natalia home. Can't wait. They should be here by the 11th of February. I am planning a welcoming committee at the airport and then off to a restaurant for the celebration. It could be as many as 20 people coming to greet them. Dinner is on me.

Please pray for Rocky's safe travels. I was hoping to there when the kids said goodbye to the orphanage.

Today Made It All Worthwhile

Rocky….

Well, as you all know, we have gone through a lot to make it to this day….today made it all worthwhile.

After a very extensive procedure (150 pages of documents and the judge read every one of them - AND they were also translated verbally to us) we were proclaimed as the parents of Roman and Natalia. The children now have a family…they now have parents who will love and care for them. It was a very touching moment for everyone there.  A total of 8 people were overseeing the proceedings. They were all very nice to us…the judge, court reporter (no court reporting here, she just used a recording device on the computer), prosecutor, the attorney for the orphanage, assessors, etc.

Our children are grown and gone from our house…. It’s strange to feel once again that I need to be a responsible parent:). I will try to avoid the small mistakes I made the first time around.  My children are really great kids, but anyone who already has grown children can relate to tweaking it a bit.

So now we have to wait the obligatory 10 business day waiting period. We are flying to Munich tomorrow and home on Wednesday.  I will be coming back at the end of January to bring the kids home. We are so thankful to God for bringing these children into our lives, and to all the people who worked so hard for us to make this happen…New Horizons for Children (for the orphan hosting program), Tonya Boggs (our facilitator in US), Nastya (our facilitator in Ukraine) and Alla who was here working with us these last few weeks. What a great group of people to have on our side.

We have been truly touched during our visit here in Ukraine. The children here at the orphanage are all so precious, and the people we have met in Ukraine have been so good to us.

I wish I could take them all back with me to the US and let them enjoy the life we have. Ukraine is making progress since obtaining its independence, but it has a long way to go. It is not an easy place to live…when the judge asked the children if they wanted to be adopted, Roman said, “Yes, yes, what we had in America was 100 times better than anything we have here in Ukraine.” I was a little embarrassed, because everyone knew it was true. We really have it made in the US and we don’t even know it…. I will try to remember this every day, and be thankful for what we have…and I will try to raise these children to appreciate that fact. I feel so blessed that it makes me want to cry…really… I am getting tears in my eyes just typing this. We are all so blessed and we tend to focus on the unimportant, trivial things in life. I have to try and change that…. I once heard that if you think of what you HAVE in life, instead of what you DON’T HAVE, your life will change….I truly believe that. I’m going to sleep tonight feeling so blessed.

Some details on the Big Day.

Don...


I thought that instead of telling the story in words, I would let the pictures do most of the storytelling.

Walking to court

 Don't say anything negative about the statue on the way in. Some people here look at Lenin very favorably

Lenin

I felt kind of like I was going to see the Wizard Of OZ

Steps to the Judge's office

Minutes following the decision

All smiles

Welcome Roman James and Natalia Marie

Moments later outside the courthouse

A Coke at the restaurant

This is a rare treat for these once orphaned kids. Their new mom told them not to get used to it because they would be drinking healthy things in their new home. I know this woman. I am certain that she meant it.

I will miss the girls at the restaurant. They always have a smile

They told me that if they had known I was going to take their picture they would have put on some make-up. I said that they didn't have to worry, I was just going to use it on the internet...they don't speak English.

Alla with the kids

This is Alla, our facilitator with Roman and Natalia . She possesses just about the best work ethic I have ever seen. She worked tirelessly for this adoption and we have become good friends. We are grateful that God sent her to us.

We said goodby to the kids tonight. Roman asked if we could stay a few more days. We told him that we could not. It is remarkable how he keeps his emotions inside. He does this much better than I do. When you have been through what they have experienced at such an early age, I guess you would have to develop some kind of emotional defense. I did not have the heart to tell him that I could not return with Rocky to pick them up in February.

The next time I see them it will be sometime in February at the Pittsburgh airport.

I can't wait!!!

Welcome to the family

Don...

This photo was taken moments after the decision by the judge. 

Moments following the decision

As of 1:30 pm Ukraine time, there is an addition to the family. Welcome to Roman James and Natalia Marie. Rocky and I will follow-up with the details later today. This is just a quick post for those of you who are following the blog.