Saturday, December 30
We have had a nice last few days. Yesterday morning we had a good visit with Sasha and then went out to lunch with the other americans. It was nice to be able to talk to someone else here. They have had an even harder time than we have had, and have been here even longer than us. After lunch we went to a deparment store and picked out a few more toys for Sasha, and then went to a bigger supermarket. We were very excited to find peanut butter, Cheerios, Nescafe iced coffees, and frozen pizza. We then walked back to our apartment, which was nice to get out and get some exercise. Last night when we returned to the orphanage they were having another performance, by some high school girls (scantily dressed I might add). Sasha came and sat with us for some of it. Also today he had his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich! He liked it, but so far he likes everything to eat.
We are getting more familiar with the orphanage and the people there. The orphanage is actually very nice and clean. We have been impressed with it, and it seems to be full of people that care about the kids. His orphanage has about 40 children aged 4-7 years old. The kids are all so sweet, I wish adoption wasn't so hard- we both feel like we could bring that whole orphanage home and between our church and friends all of these children would be adopted! It is also difficult to be with Sasha in front of the other children, but prayerfully they will also be adopted. Unfortunately, as they get older their chances of being adopted are less and less, and at age 16 they will just be let out with no help.
To answer a few questions- we officially named him Alexander Kent Snow (Kent is Chris and his Dad's middle name), and plan to call him Alex eventually. At first, though, we will probably continue to call him Sasha as that is what he has always known. Since we are already changing everything else and speaking a totally different language we don't want to just start calling him something else. We cannot tell his clothing size yet, none of his clothes have tags. He looks like a normal-sized 4 year old, maybe a little on the small side. He is definitely skinny. We'll try to get a better idea soon.
We hope everyone has a happy New Year's Eve, and we certainly hope Georgia wins its bowl game!
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Thursday, December 28
Today was a slower day than in the past, and typical of the way it is going to be for a while. All we did outside the apartment was go visit Sasha twice, and now we've stopped off at the internet. It was nice to stay in more today as it has been snowing and slushy out the last few days.
We just had a great visit with Sasha. We were a little nervous about the language barrier and how we would communicate, but we are managing. While neither of us know the exact words the other is using, we are starting to pick up on the meaning. I'm sure it is frustrating for him, but I know once he is home he will pick it up in no time. We have started bringing him food (mosty fruit and a few other treats) on our visits, and he really enjoys that!
We are ready to be home now, but we just have to be patient. It will be great to be on our turf with Sasha. We heard today that we will not get to meet with the courts until Jan. 5th or so, (followed by a 10 day waiting period). He will officially be ours after the court hearing, though. There are several other couples here in the same boat- another American couple adopting a 6 year old boy, and an Italian couple adopting a 7 year old girl. We all have to wait until next week for court to start back up. Thankfully, our translator is staying with us during the wait, as there's are not.
We miss you all, and thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
Today was a slower day than in the past, and typical of the way it is going to be for a while. All we did outside the apartment was go visit Sasha twice, and now we've stopped off at the internet. It was nice to stay in more today as it has been snowing and slushy out the last few days.
We just had a great visit with Sasha. We were a little nervous about the language barrier and how we would communicate, but we are managing. While neither of us know the exact words the other is using, we are starting to pick up on the meaning. I'm sure it is frustrating for him, but I know once he is home he will pick it up in no time. We have started bringing him food (mosty fruit and a few other treats) on our visits, and he really enjoys that!
We are ready to be home now, but we just have to be patient. It will be great to be on our turf with Sasha. We heard today that we will not get to meet with the courts until Jan. 5th or so, (followed by a 10 day waiting period). He will officially be ours after the court hearing, though. There are several other couples here in the same boat- another American couple adopting a 6 year old boy, and an Italian couple adopting a 7 year old girl. We all have to wait until next week for court to start back up. Thankfully, our translator is staying with us during the wait, as there's are not.
We miss you all, and thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Wednesday, December 27th
We need to recap the last few days that were so hectic, but we will start with today. It was very special because we got to see Alex's play. It was very nice, and all the kids in the orphanage had parts in it. Alex and his four year old classmates dressed up as bunnies, and some of the older classmates were all kinds of other strange characters that we didn't know. Santa Claus visited, but they call him Grandpa Frost here, and also Mrs. Pig, the three piglets, the big bad wolf, and who knows who else. There are no references to Christianity whatsover from their Communist days. The performance went on for an hour and a half, and it never really got boring. There was constantly someone doing something in Russian. Afterwards, we went back to Alex's (also known as Sasha) room, and he recognized us, and started yelling, "there's my momma and pappa." We got to see him receive his New Year's present with his classmates, and then we got to hang out with him for a while. It was a great time with him and it has been a nice day.
Other than our time seeing Sasha, we have been running here and there and all over the city trying to get our court date for this week. The last two days have been stressful and taxing on us, and especially on our translater, Igor. We have gone from the orphanage director, who wouldn't let us make copies of the paperwork for her at her orphanage, to a notary, who had told us he would prepare our paperwork, but later decided he didn't have time, to the court clerks, who told us they could get us a court date this week, but later changed their minds also. After hours and hours of work, we have managed to get through all hurdles, but one, the head judge. There is really no one we have found that can help us with this man who said, "if the American's really want to adopt this boy, then they can wait until after the holidays." The only bright spot we have found in working with the courts is that they start up on Jan. 3rd instead of the 9th (like everything else), or at least that is the latest we have heard - everything changes depending on who you talk to. So, that is where we stand now. We have felt everyone's prayers for us and are at peace with whatever happens with the court date because the important thing is that we will be adopting Alex.
P.S. To answer one of the questions posed to us, we will only be adopting Alex. We would love to take several of them home with us, but the way the system is setup, it is just not going to work out for us to adopt anyone else at this time. It's okay, though, I think Alex will keep us busy for a while!
We need to recap the last few days that were so hectic, but we will start with today. It was very special because we got to see Alex's play. It was very nice, and all the kids in the orphanage had parts in it. Alex and his four year old classmates dressed up as bunnies, and some of the older classmates were all kinds of other strange characters that we didn't know. Santa Claus visited, but they call him Grandpa Frost here, and also Mrs. Pig, the three piglets, the big bad wolf, and who knows who else. There are no references to Christianity whatsover from their Communist days. The performance went on for an hour and a half, and it never really got boring. There was constantly someone doing something in Russian. Afterwards, we went back to Alex's (also known as Sasha) room, and he recognized us, and started yelling, "there's my momma and pappa." We got to see him receive his New Year's present with his classmates, and then we got to hang out with him for a while. It was a great time with him and it has been a nice day.
Other than our time seeing Sasha, we have been running here and there and all over the city trying to get our court date for this week. The last two days have been stressful and taxing on us, and especially on our translater, Igor. We have gone from the orphanage director, who wouldn't let us make copies of the paperwork for her at her orphanage, to a notary, who had told us he would prepare our paperwork, but later decided he didn't have time, to the court clerks, who told us they could get us a court date this week, but later changed their minds also. After hours and hours of work, we have managed to get through all hurdles, but one, the head judge. There is really no one we have found that can help us with this man who said, "if the American's really want to adopt this boy, then they can wait until after the holidays." The only bright spot we have found in working with the courts is that they start up on Jan. 3rd instead of the 9th (like everything else), or at least that is the latest we have heard - everything changes depending on who you talk to. So, that is where we stand now. We have felt everyone's prayers for us and are at peace with whatever happens with the court date because the important thing is that we will be adopting Alex.
P.S. To answer one of the questions posed to us, we will only be adopting Alex. We would love to take several of them home with us, but the way the system is setup, it is just not going to work out for us to adopt anyone else at this time. It's okay, though, I think Alex will keep us busy for a while!
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Sunday December 24
What a happy day for us!! We will be getting the best Christmas gift ever! We plan on starting the adoption proceedings for Alex tomorrow- on Christmas Day!!
We went to the orphanage at 10am and met with the doctor. She basically told us his only problems were from being in the orphanage and not in a family, which are normal delays. Our visit with her was very encouraging, and then she brought Alex in to see us. When she brought us to the play room, she asked him if she could leave him with his mama and papa, and he said yes. Those were sweet words to hear. We had a great visit. He is going to be a handful! He is very talkative and inquisitive. He went around the room and showed us everything in the room, and then he found my bag with a few toys. Of course the things he was most interested in were the adult stuff. He really liked carrying around a pen and made some pictures in my journal. He kept putting things on top of his head, and he also really liked a hair clip in my bag. He kept wanting me to put it on his head and then he would ask to put in on mine and Chris'. It was so funny. We got to play with him for an hour and then were told we could return at 4pm to play with him again, and so we did.
Chris would like me to add that yes, David, he did throw Alex the ball, and he caught it on his first try and threw it back. Chris was very impressed with his hand-eye coordination. After that, he liked throwing the ball away from Chris and making him go get it.
The sweetest thing about the next visit was his smile and happiness when he saw us this evening. We took him back to the play room and the first thing he asked for was the pen, and the next was the hair clip. It was so funny. He spent most of the time making sure he found every little item in my bag. He also found the hand sanitizer and enjoyed giving that to everyone on their hands. He carried that around with him the whole time, until we had to say goodbye. It was already so hard to leave him, and he even motioned for us to take back off our jackets when we had put them on to leave. And after his teacher had taken him away and we were walking to the door to leave, he came back out to say goodbye again. It was so sweet.
We are so excited about him and can't wait to see him again tomorrow. We will get to visit him probably twice a day- in the morning and then the afternoon.
Major Prayer Request -- It would be great if we could have the court date by Thursday, as the 10 day wait starts at that time. If we don't have it then, Friday is a holiday, and then they are off the whole next week for the holidays. It would delay our trip home by about 10 more days. They are not sure if it will be possible or not since it normally takes more than 5 days to have court once you decide to adopt, and we only have 4, but as we believe- nothing is impossible with God!!
What a happy day for us!! We will be getting the best Christmas gift ever! We plan on starting the adoption proceedings for Alex tomorrow- on Christmas Day!!
We went to the orphanage at 10am and met with the doctor. She basically told us his only problems were from being in the orphanage and not in a family, which are normal delays. Our visit with her was very encouraging, and then she brought Alex in to see us. When she brought us to the play room, she asked him if she could leave him with his mama and papa, and he said yes. Those were sweet words to hear. We had a great visit. He is going to be a handful! He is very talkative and inquisitive. He went around the room and showed us everything in the room, and then he found my bag with a few toys. Of course the things he was most interested in were the adult stuff. He really liked carrying around a pen and made some pictures in my journal. He kept putting things on top of his head, and he also really liked a hair clip in my bag. He kept wanting me to put it on his head and then he would ask to put in on mine and Chris'. It was so funny. We got to play with him for an hour and then were told we could return at 4pm to play with him again, and so we did.
Chris would like me to add that yes, David, he did throw Alex the ball, and he caught it on his first try and threw it back. Chris was very impressed with his hand-eye coordination. After that, he liked throwing the ball away from Chris and making him go get it.
The sweetest thing about the next visit was his smile and happiness when he saw us this evening. We took him back to the play room and the first thing he asked for was the pen, and the next was the hair clip. It was so funny. He spent most of the time making sure he found every little item in my bag. He also found the hand sanitizer and enjoyed giving that to everyone on their hands. He carried that around with him the whole time, until we had to say goodbye. It was already so hard to leave him, and he even motioned for us to take back off our jackets when we had put them on to leave. And after his teacher had taken him away and we were walking to the door to leave, he came back out to say goodbye again. It was so sweet.
We are so excited about him and can't wait to see him again tomorrow. We will get to visit him probably twice a day- in the morning and then the afternoon.
Major Prayer Request -- It would be great if we could have the court date by Thursday, as the 10 day wait starts at that time. If we don't have it then, Friday is a holiday, and then they are off the whole next week for the holidays. It would delay our trip home by about 10 more days. They are not sure if it will be possible or not since it normally takes more than 5 days to have court once you decide to adopt, and we only have 4, but as we believe- nothing is impossible with God!!
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Saturday December 23
We are sorry it has taken us a few days to post again, but it has been one wild ride (literally) for the last few days.
Before we start we just want to let you know how much your comments mean to us in encouraging us and lifting us up. It makes us feel like we are not so far away. Your prayers mean so much- sometimes we get so tired we just rest on knowing you are covering us in prayer.
So... after our last blog Chris got extremely sick. We think it was a bacterial infection, and so we spent a sleepless night (with Chris in the bathroom) before our appointment the next day. Thankfully he was well enough to go to the appointment, but it was very hard for him. It went well- we were given several children to chose from - about 5 boys around 4 years old, and two sibling groups. The sibling groups had older children around 7 or 8, so we decided we would just go for one younger child. We chose to visit a boy named Alexander who is located at an orphanage in the city of Lugansk- it is very close to the Russian border.
After our visit, we got plane tickets to fly to Lugansk, as it a 12 hour trip east, or an 1 1/2 hour plane flight. Unfortuanelty the airports got mixed up and we did not make our flight! We couldn't believe it, and the next flight was not until very late the next day (Friday). So instead of spending another weekend in Kiev we got bus tickets and took a bus that left at 9:00 pm and would arrive in a city close to where we needed to go at 9am the next morning. The bus was fairly nice, but it was still a very, very long bus trip, and Chris was not feeling particularly well yet, either. There are several funny stories, but we don't want to write too much all at once. We'll have to save some for in person. After we arrived we still had to take a 2 hour taxi to Lugansk, and we had a lot we really wanted to accomplish before the day ended (Friday) so there was no time to rest (or eat or think).
We then had to get approval from the inspector to visit the orphanage, which took some time as she didn't show up until 3pm. In the meantime waiting for her to show up we went out to get some food and have some soup since Chris was sick, but it was awful (even our translater, Igor, stated it was the worst he had ever had). The important thing is we did get the approval to go to the orphanage so we finally left to see Alex!!
Right before 5pm we made it to the orphanage, but we were allowed to see him but not interact with him until we meet with the doctor (which we will do tomorrow am). First we talked to the orphanage director and found out Alex's background, and then we got to also talk to his teachers. In Russian they call Alexander by the nickname Sasha, so they call him Sasha. They said he is learning a song and a poem for the New Year's play that the orphanage is doing, and told us a lot of very postitive things about him. He obeys well, brushes his teeth, dresses himself, likes to dress up in costumes and play, etc.. They were not going to let us see him at all, but Chris asked if we could at least see him, but we wouldn't interact with him. They agreed to bring him in.
He is so cute!!! He is blond haired and blue eyed, and was wearing a red turtleneck, and shorts for some reason (although it is freezing outside). He was kindof shy but they talked to him about what we he was doing, and if he would sing us the song, etc.. He started to, but then got bashful. It was very cute. Both Chris and I were very touched. We will get to meet with his doctor tomorrow morning and then will get to meet and interact with him. We can't wait! We are feeling very hopeful, but after our last experience we are still somewhat cautious. The experience is overwhelming.
We were reminded today, though, of the verse in 1 Corinthians 2 that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for us. We will rest in that.
We are sorry it has taken us a few days to post again, but it has been one wild ride (literally) for the last few days.
Before we start we just want to let you know how much your comments mean to us in encouraging us and lifting us up. It makes us feel like we are not so far away. Your prayers mean so much- sometimes we get so tired we just rest on knowing you are covering us in prayer.
So... after our last blog Chris got extremely sick. We think it was a bacterial infection, and so we spent a sleepless night (with Chris in the bathroom) before our appointment the next day. Thankfully he was well enough to go to the appointment, but it was very hard for him. It went well- we were given several children to chose from - about 5 boys around 4 years old, and two sibling groups. The sibling groups had older children around 7 or 8, so we decided we would just go for one younger child. We chose to visit a boy named Alexander who is located at an orphanage in the city of Lugansk- it is very close to the Russian border.
After our visit, we got plane tickets to fly to Lugansk, as it a 12 hour trip east, or an 1 1/2 hour plane flight. Unfortuanelty the airports got mixed up and we did not make our flight! We couldn't believe it, and the next flight was not until very late the next day (Friday). So instead of spending another weekend in Kiev we got bus tickets and took a bus that left at 9:00 pm and would arrive in a city close to where we needed to go at 9am the next morning. The bus was fairly nice, but it was still a very, very long bus trip, and Chris was not feeling particularly well yet, either. There are several funny stories, but we don't want to write too much all at once. We'll have to save some for in person. After we arrived we still had to take a 2 hour taxi to Lugansk, and we had a lot we really wanted to accomplish before the day ended (Friday) so there was no time to rest (or eat or think).
We then had to get approval from the inspector to visit the orphanage, which took some time as she didn't show up until 3pm. In the meantime waiting for her to show up we went out to get some food and have some soup since Chris was sick, but it was awful (even our translater, Igor, stated it was the worst he had ever had). The important thing is we did get the approval to go to the orphanage so we finally left to see Alex!!
Right before 5pm we made it to the orphanage, but we were allowed to see him but not interact with him until we meet with the doctor (which we will do tomorrow am). First we talked to the orphanage director and found out Alex's background, and then we got to also talk to his teachers. In Russian they call Alexander by the nickname Sasha, so they call him Sasha. They said he is learning a song and a poem for the New Year's play that the orphanage is doing, and told us a lot of very postitive things about him. He obeys well, brushes his teeth, dresses himself, likes to dress up in costumes and play, etc.. They were not going to let us see him at all, but Chris asked if we could at least see him, but we wouldn't interact with him. They agreed to bring him in.
He is so cute!!! He is blond haired and blue eyed, and was wearing a red turtleneck, and shorts for some reason (although it is freezing outside). He was kindof shy but they talked to him about what we he was doing, and if he would sing us the song, etc.. He started to, but then got bashful. It was very cute. Both Chris and I were very touched. We will get to meet with his doctor tomorrow morning and then will get to meet and interact with him. We can't wait! We are feeling very hopeful, but after our last experience we are still somewhat cautious. The experience is overwhelming.
We were reminded today, though, of the verse in 1 Corinthians 2 that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for us. We will rest in that.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Wednesday, December 20
Yesterday did not go as well as we had hoped. It was our first setback of the trip, but it was a difficult one. We had been told that the boys had a small rash that comes and goes, but when we met them, we discovered that the "rash" was much more serious - open sores all over their bodies. It was very hard for us as we had around 30 minutes to meet them and make a decision. We decided that we didn't know enough about the condition, if it would be able to be corrected, and if we were prepared to take on so much more than we are already undertaking. As we have had more time to reflect on the situation, we feel like we made the right decision. It was one of those times when we didn't really hear God telling us anything, and so we made the best decision we could. We were very sad, especially for the boys. We will meet again with the adoption center and get another referral from them, and then we will head off to another orphanage. We are not too worried about this same thing happening again as it is the first time this situation has ever happened to our adoption agency (we for some reason have been chosen for the harder road to adopt). Right now, we are back hanging out in Kiev. We were down in spirits for a while, but are starting to get back to normal. It is not bad hanging out in Kiev, but we are ready to move forward and get on with the reason for why we are here.
Yesterday did not go as well as we had hoped. It was our first setback of the trip, but it was a difficult one. We had been told that the boys had a small rash that comes and goes, but when we met them, we discovered that the "rash" was much more serious - open sores all over their bodies. It was very hard for us as we had around 30 minutes to meet them and make a decision. We decided that we didn't know enough about the condition, if it would be able to be corrected, and if we were prepared to take on so much more than we are already undertaking. As we have had more time to reflect on the situation, we feel like we made the right decision. It was one of those times when we didn't really hear God telling us anything, and so we made the best decision we could. We were very sad, especially for the boys. We will meet again with the adoption center and get another referral from them, and then we will head off to another orphanage. We are not too worried about this same thing happening again as it is the first time this situation has ever happened to our adoption agency (we for some reason have been chosen for the harder road to adopt). Right now, we are back hanging out in Kiev. We were down in spirits for a while, but are starting to get back to normal. It is not bad hanging out in Kiev, but we are ready to move forward and get on with the reason for why we are here.
Monday, December 18, 2006
We had a great weekend enjoying Kiev. We really like the city, it is very nice - nicer than any american big city- safe and clean. Saturday our tour person was sick so Chris and I went out on our own and walked around the city. We went to Indepence Square (the site of the Orange Revolution where the current pro-western president came into power after his poisoning). We also saw several churches and toured them. They are very beautiful with their gold domes and dating back to the 11th century (rebuilt in the 16th century after fires and wars). We ate at McDonalds for lunch as nothing is in english anywhere, so that was the only place we felt comfortable ordering. Chris said it was the first time he has ever had a big mac. Then we walked around to the mall and other statues. Chris saw someone with a Georgia Bulldog hat on, so he went up and talked with him, but he couldn't speak much English. We walked for a total of about 6 hours so we were worn out that evening.
Sunday, we had a driver named Nicolai take us and the other american couple that are adopting to some sites. We went to the caves monastery and toured the church, grounds, and underground tombs that are in the caves beneath the monastery. It was very interesting. We also saw an orthodox mass going on since it was Sunday morning - the place was packed. We also visited a WWII memorial (that was Chris' favorite part of the trip so far). It had lots of tanks and artillery and helicopters, etc. It also had large metal sculptures of people in battle. After that, Nicolai had to go be the godfather at a child's baptism, so we went along with him. It was just the baby's family and the godparents in a small Russian Orthodox chapel- and us 4 americans. I'm sure we stood out, but everyone was very nice and gracious to us. We felt honored to be a part of the occasion.
Last night we met our facilitator for the first time. He is the one that will be with us for the duration of the trip. His name is Igor, and we really like him. He is only 21, but he is very mature. He speaks perfect english and also is fluent in german and french. He is a journalist for the paper in Kiev. We think he will do a good job for us and feel fortuanate to have him. He took us to a salsa club and then on to a coffee house for a quieter place so we could talk.
We will leave tomorrow morning at 5am to head to the orphanage. We are really excited to meet the boys. We have had a lot of time this weekend to pray and talk about them. We've been a little nervous thinking about getting two at one time, and at those ages, but we have felt reassured by God that He won't give us more than we (with His help) can handle. We will let you know how the meeting goes!
Sunday, we had a driver named Nicolai take us and the other american couple that are adopting to some sites. We went to the caves monastery and toured the church, grounds, and underground tombs that are in the caves beneath the monastery. It was very interesting. We also saw an orthodox mass going on since it was Sunday morning - the place was packed. We also visited a WWII memorial (that was Chris' favorite part of the trip so far). It had lots of tanks and artillery and helicopters, etc. It also had large metal sculptures of people in battle. After that, Nicolai had to go be the godfather at a child's baptism, so we went along with him. It was just the baby's family and the godparents in a small Russian Orthodox chapel- and us 4 americans. I'm sure we stood out, but everyone was very nice and gracious to us. We felt honored to be a part of the occasion.
Last night we met our facilitator for the first time. He is the one that will be with us for the duration of the trip. His name is Igor, and we really like him. He is only 21, but he is very mature. He speaks perfect english and also is fluent in german and french. He is a journalist for the paper in Kiev. We think he will do a good job for us and feel fortuanate to have him. He took us to a salsa club and then on to a coffee house for a quieter place so we could talk.
We will leave tomorrow morning at 5am to head to the orphanage. We are really excited to meet the boys. We have had a lot of time this weekend to pray and talk about them. We've been a little nervous thinking about getting two at one time, and at those ages, but we have felt reassured by God that He won't give us more than we (with His help) can handle. We will let you know how the meeting goes!
Friday, December 15, 2006
The big day has arrived!
We had our appointment this morning at 10am- Chris wore a shirt and tie and Kim also dressed up. Yuri brought us there and got us in right away. The appointment went great! It was with a psychologist and a state interpretator. They were both young women and seemed very nice. They asked who we were looking to adopt, and we said two children under the age of 5. First they said there were no siblings available, but Chris continued to ask questions about adopting two, and then they said they did have two brothers to show us.
The oldest boy is named Ivan and he was born in 2002 and is 4 1/2. The younger brother is Dmytro; he was born in 2003 and is 3 1/2. They appear to be healthy, besides normal orphanage delays, but we will know more once we meet them. They appear to be very blond headed, although their pictures were almost a year old from when they first entered the orphanage. She said they are both friendly children who love to play, and are very sociable. They didn't have much more information on them. She said they were the only sibling referral they had for us, but we were very happy with it and didn't ask to see anyone else. We are so excited to meet them! So, we will get the official referral for them on Monday by 5pm and then will travel to their city and meet them on Tuesday. The city we will be traveling to is Novograd-Volynskiy and is about 2 hours west from Kyiv.
We will spend the weekend sightseeing in Kyiv-there is someone who will take us to see the sights. Then we will meet up with our facilitator, I believe his name is Igor, and he will be the one traveling with us to Novograd-Volynskiy.
We are so excited! Please continue praying for us- that these boys are the ones God has for us, that the meeting will go well, and all our dealings with the governing agencies will go smoothly. We probably won't post again until after the meeting.
We had our appointment this morning at 10am- Chris wore a shirt and tie and Kim also dressed up. Yuri brought us there and got us in right away. The appointment went great! It was with a psychologist and a state interpretator. They were both young women and seemed very nice. They asked who we were looking to adopt, and we said two children under the age of 5. First they said there were no siblings available, but Chris continued to ask questions about adopting two, and then they said they did have two brothers to show us.
The oldest boy is named Ivan and he was born in 2002 and is 4 1/2. The younger brother is Dmytro; he was born in 2003 and is 3 1/2. They appear to be healthy, besides normal orphanage delays, but we will know more once we meet them. They appear to be very blond headed, although their pictures were almost a year old from when they first entered the orphanage. She said they are both friendly children who love to play, and are very sociable. They didn't have much more information on them. She said they were the only sibling referral they had for us, but we were very happy with it and didn't ask to see anyone else. We are so excited to meet them! So, we will get the official referral for them on Monday by 5pm and then will travel to their city and meet them on Tuesday. The city we will be traveling to is Novograd-Volynskiy and is about 2 hours west from Kyiv.
We will spend the weekend sightseeing in Kyiv-there is someone who will take us to see the sights. Then we will meet up with our facilitator, I believe his name is Igor, and he will be the one traveling with us to Novograd-Volynskiy.
We are so excited! Please continue praying for us- that these boys are the ones God has for us, that the meeting will go well, and all our dealings with the governing agencies will go smoothly. We probably won't post again until after the meeting.
Hi everyone
We arrived yesterday at 10:00 am, and thanks to our VIP service, made it through customs and immigration in a matter of minutes! Everything went very smoothly, and the flight was long, but not bad at all (9 hours from New York). The other American couple adopting from our agency was actually sitting in front of us on the plane, which was really neat, so we could hear their story and talk to them! They are about our age and very nice- they already have an older girl picked out for adoption. We then managed to find our driver and he brought us to our adoption agency office (having an adoption agency is the only way to go because of the language and paperwork and insider knowhow). We got settled in at our apartment which is really nice. Then we went to the grocery store to get a few things for dinner, breakfast and our apartment. They really had a lot there- it was a lot like an American big city grocery store! ! We all then went out to lunch with Yuri, the office manager for our adoption agency. We had some good pizza and he explained how our appointment and everything would go. The weather is nice, it is gloomy and cloudy, but about 40. The language is somewhat difficult, especially to read since it is in Cyrillic, but we are getting the hang of the letters more and more.
We hung out the rest of the night at our apartment watching movies, made up for some loss of sleep, and prepared for our appointment in the morning! We are 7 hours ahead of you all at home (in Eastern time). It took us a day or so to get on Ukrainian time- we feel good (except Chris got Kim's cold- sorry mom the airborne didn't work)
We arrived yesterday at 10:00 am, and thanks to our VIP service, made it through customs and immigration in a matter of minutes! Everything went very smoothly, and the flight was long, but not bad at all (9 hours from New York). The other American couple adopting from our agency was actually sitting in front of us on the plane, which was really neat, so we could hear their story and talk to them! They are about our age and very nice- they already have an older girl picked out for adoption. We then managed to find our driver and he brought us to our adoption agency office (having an adoption agency is the only way to go because of the language and paperwork and insider knowhow). We got settled in at our apartment which is really nice. Then we went to the grocery store to get a few things for dinner, breakfast and our apartment. They really had a lot there- it was a lot like an American big city grocery store! ! We all then went out to lunch with Yuri, the office manager for our adoption agency. We had some good pizza and he explained how our appointment and everything would go. The weather is nice, it is gloomy and cloudy, but about 40. The language is somewhat difficult, especially to read since it is in Cyrillic, but we are getting the hang of the letters more and more.
We hung out the rest of the night at our apartment watching movies, made up for some loss of sleep, and prepared for our appointment in the morning! We are 7 hours ahead of you all at home (in Eastern time). It took us a day or so to get on Ukrainian time- we feel good (except Chris got Kim's cold- sorry mom the airborne didn't work)
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
We finally have received our appointment date of 12/15/06! We are so excited, just praying our last approval comes through. We even have our plane tickets booked- we will be flying out of Atlanta on 12/13 and arrive in Ukraine 10:30 am on the 14th. We will have an orientation dinner on the 14th to meet everyone we will be working with from our adoption agency, and then will show up to the adoption center on the 15th!
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