The Big Day

We met Charlie! He is adorable!!
On Thursday, we picked up our paperwork at the SDA. We stood outside for an hour waiting, and this huge pack of dogs wandered by! There were about a dozen of them. I really looked like a tourist as I exclaimed over them - but we were in a tourist-y area, anyway :). After we got our paperwork, we stopped at our apartment to finish packing and get our luggage. Niko took us to the train station. He's such a great guy - he took us onto the train, told us where the bathrooms where and how to lock the door, and told the train lady (not sure what they are called?) to take care of us. The train was really exciting, for about 20 minutes. Trains are LOUD. I did not get much sleep! So I have gone a full week without a full night's sleep. Two of those nights I only got about an hour of sleep. I am worn out! On our next trip, I am definitely bringing something to help me sleep!
We got off the train, in the hail, at about 5:45AM. Our facilitator was on the same train, and tired too - but man, she's a little ball of energy! Our facilitator and driver are a husband/wife team. They are very nice! We were dropped off at our awesome apartment for a quick nap, and then we were off to meet the social worker and inspector! I am not sure which was which, but we met with one lady first. She asked us if we had children, biological or not, and a few more simple questions about ourselves. She then said that they were very impressed with our decision*, and we were off to the next office. I'm pretty sure this one was the inspector. She did some paperwork (it's never-ending), there was lots of exclaiming over how young we are (our facilitator couldn't stop mentioning it all day!), and then the inspector came with us to the orphanage. We met with the orphanage director, who read us Charlie's file and let us ask questions. We found out his birthday is in August, NOT April, like we thought! Then, FINALLY, we walked through the long hallways to meet our son!
Oh, he is tiny! He has grown and developed a lot in the last year, which our facilitator (Sasha) said no one expected him to do. I said it was because he had a mama praying for him! He's now somewhat sitting on his own, and tries to walk around in the walker. He's grown in length, but he's still far too skinny! He has tiny fingers and ankles! It was so surreal to be holding him - I kept squeezing him all over to make sure he was real. Occasionally, I let Ken hold him too. :) Charlie wasn't too excited about us at first, but he warmed up quickly. He especially liked Ken. He snuggled right in! Charlie is very curious. He watched everything around us, and noticed every time someone walked in or out of the room. It was snacktime while we were there. Charlie watched everyone's snacks come out and his little mouth started going! When his nanny finally came over to get him, his whole face lit up as soon as he saw her and he threw his arms up to her! Last week, they started spoon-feeding him (he is 3, remember) and he did NOT appreciate that! He wanted his bottle! We had such a good time with him. He makes silly faces and copies what we do, so he's a lot of fun!
The inspector observed s for awhile, then left. Our facilitator asked us if we needed time to think about it, or if we were ready to say yes to Charlie. I said YES, and she said "You don't have to answer, I can see it on your face!". She said she had to ask several times to be sure we were sure, and said people would be asking this a lot. A recent action by another family in this region has made them hesitant, and she said we might get this question a lot. But we are sure. We've dreamed and prayed and waited for so long, how can we turn him away?
We did some more paperwork at the notary's office (different than a US notary), and we're waiting for the inspector to do her report stating we are the best family for Charlie. Sasha said, "Of course you are the best family - there is no one else. There is no line for Charlie!" No one wants a little boy like Charlie. But we do! I wish we could just walk out of that orphanage with him, but it will be almost another month before that happens.
Ok, now what you really want - pictures!

 

*They are impressed with our decision not because we are doing anything impressive, but because many people - Ukrainian and American alike- cannot understand why a young couple who already have a perfectly normal, healthy boy would want to adopt. Especially a child with special needs, especially one like Charlie. I usually hear either "You're crazy" or "You're an angel". I am neither. I just love my son. 

SDA appointment and exploring Kyiv

Last night I did not sleep much at all. I woke up at 2 am and didn't really get more sleep until around 6am. So when Niko called this morning and said he was almost here, I was far from ready! I wasn't even dressed! So, in the rush, I forgot several important things, like my camera!
Niko had some papers to pick up, and then we went to our appointment. The SDA building is near beautiful St. Sophia Cathedral, which was founded in 1037! It is in the old part of town, and we were surrounded by gorgeous buildings and churches. The SDA, of course, is in a random side door, with a teeny waiting area at the bottom of the stairs. It looks a little shady, until you go upstairs for your appointment. Our psychologist/social worker was a very sweet young woman. She took a long time to find Charlie's file and had to look in several books. In the meantime, our facilitator started arguing with another lady, and I was getting nervous! Eventually he looked at us and said, "Not about you!" and I could relax. When we got Charlie's profile, there were three younger photos of him! Oh, he's so cute! Of course, I had forgotten my camera AND replacement photos (sometimes they let you take the baby photos if you give them new ones), but one of the photos was shoved under my coat. Literally. So we have an adorable pic of Charlie, I think he is about 2yrs in it.
After we officially accepted the referral, Niko told us to go shop while he did paperwork. There's a bunch of little street shops set up near the SDA building, with lots of great souvenirs. We picked up a bunch of things, and then I was freezing, so we headed back to the car. Our facilitator, S, told us Niko had left to go make copies. Oooookay! S saw how cold I was and took us for tea. We said we didn't want anything, but he ordered us something anyway - they were like crepes, with chocolate and nuts. We were there for awhile and then went to buy train tickets. By the time we were done, it was 1pm and our friends were waiting for us at our apartment. We took them out to lunch and had a blast! They helped us find what food to eat in the cafe and then we walked down the Main Street to the Dnipro River. HERE are a bunch of photos of some things we saw today. The picture of the river is the view we saw. It was much better in person, of course. If you are coming to Kyiv, you need to find your way to Independence Square! It's beautiful. If you turn right out of Friday's, you will hit the main street. Turn right onto main street and if you walk about 20 minutes, you will hit the river. Look for the grey rainbow and head towards it! You will pass the Parliament buildings on your left, too. Unfortunately, we didn't have our camera, but our friends took lots of pictures so I will put them up when I get them!
Our next step is to pick up our paperwork tomorrow after 4p, and then our train leaves around 7p. On Friday morning, we will FINALLY meet Charlie!
I have to share something that may shock you: I really like the food here! I know, it's surprising! For those of you who don't know, I don't like a lot of foods - pizza, tomatoes, mushrooms, spices, peppers, a lot of veggies, sour cream - a lot of these things are common here! I choose my foods carefully, but the ones I have had are really good! Everything has a stronger flavor than in the US - things like cheese and bread are tastier. Mmm, and the chocolate, of course!

We're here!

We finally made it to Kyiv last night. We spent nearly 30 hours travelling, including a 10 hour layover in Munich. I don't know ANY German, but luckily everyone spoke English!

Our flight arrived at about 10:45pm, then we took a shuttle to the airport. We stood in a line for passport control for a loooong time before the workers even got there. After we were through, we found our driver, Nico. He's a pretty neat guy! He took us to a store that was still open (it was about midnight) so we could change money and get food and water. He actually did some of the shopping for us, grabbing things off of shelves and saying, "You need bread I think. Here is butter!" Lol. We finally got to our apartment around 1 AM and were able to Skype with Brennan (and my parents!) right before his bedtime. He really wasn't sure what to think! He'd been watching a Youtube video (Veggietales!) and suddenly Mama and Daddy were there! He did sign mama/daddy at one point, but mostly he was weirded out.

Today we are relaxing and exploring. Tomorrow morning we have our SDA appointment, and then meet some missionary friends for a late lunch. Thursday afternoon we will pick up our paperwork and take an overnight train to Nikolaiv and meet Charlie!

Here are some specific prayer requests:
- Safe, smooth travelling
- A quick, smooth adoption process - no snags or paperwork issues!
- That we have court on or before Friday, the 25th. This is entirely possible, but not guaranteed. It's really important for the timeline we want - one that will best allow my sister to accompany me back to Ukraine, AND allow me to be with Charlie on his birthday!
- That the 10-day wait will be waived. This is NOT at all likely, and is almost impossible. But, I figured I can always ask God - won't get it if I don't ask. :)

Waiting in Munich - this is how empty it was for most of the day!

Tired :)

Our bedroom

Another bedroom view

Bathroom - the washing machine is to the right

Kitchen - the door in the back leads to a small enclosed porch

Another kitchen view

View from our porch

Chocolate! 11.87 = $1.50 USD

Cereal/Muesli

M=M, Ю = yoo, C = s, Л*= L, И = ee.

Myoosli. Now you know some Russian!

*(same letter as on the box, both are used)

We're leaving soon!

We got our travel date! We were told yesterday that our SDA appt was on the 18th. I was okay with that, but disappointed it was on a Friday (that means we'd have to wait until Monday to pick up our referral and wouldn't meet Charlie until Tuesday). This morning we found out that our appointment is actually the 16th! So we will be leaving on the 13th, which is so close! I have a week and a half to get ready! There's so much to do! I am so excited. In just a couple of weeks we'll finally be holding our little boy! Who is REAL, by the way. Ok, he's been real the whole time - but now that we actually have a date that we are going to meet him - Wow! It's actually happening! We've been looking at his little face for months and we're finally going to get to hold him! Luckily, time is flying by!

Submitted!

Today we were submitted! That means the countdown has begun, and we could be travelling in as little as 4 weeks! That's best case scenario, but it's what I am hoping for! It could really be anywhere from 3-8 weeks; you just never know with Ukraine. I can't believe we are so close!


We also finally decided on a name*, so I will finally share!

It is...



Charles Gabriel! We will call him Charlie.

And I got great news! Sweet little Masha has a family! I was so happy I almost cried. I have thought of her as "my" Masha and I am so happy she'll have a mama.





*Name subject to change at any given moment, and then perhaps back again, based on reason or whim.

This might be our week!

I meant to update earlier, but I have been too sick to do much of anything. Except sleep. And whine. plenty of whining. Anyway...
We should be submitted on Thursday, but there's no guarantees! Last Thursday morning I got the news that we hadn't been submitted, but I was expecting it, so I was only a little disappointed. This week *should* be our week, and we should be travelling in 5-7 weeks! I've heard legends of families travelling 3-4 weeks after submission, and I am hoping that is us! We started this process in August, so we have been waiting for quite awhile!

Recently, I learned of a sweet little girl, Masha, in Ukraine who was about to be transferred to an institution - a bad one, where adoptions were iffy (no one had adopted from there before). She needed a paper-ready family immediately. I thought we could add her to our "tab". I got Ken on board, I quickly thought of ways it would work. She is the sweetest little thing, and I could really see her as our daughter. Then I found out our agency has a policy of not allowing adoptions of two unrelated children at the same time. That is ridiculous! I was mad for days. I couldn't believe we couldn't save Masha becuase of a (ridiculous) policy. But, hopefully it is for the best. Masha now has $17000 in her grant, and no family has stepped forward. Yet. I pray they will soon.


Another little boy in Littlekid's orphanage passed away in November, and we found out about it this week. He was only one. He had down syndrome and a heart condition, just like Littlekid. His heart wasn't fixed (like Littlekid) and he died. It makes it seem more urgent that we get to Littlekid! It seems that kids in this orphanage are NOT given life-saving surgeries, even though other kids with special needs do (sometimes - although, these surgeries are usually from a Swiss missionary group that works in Littlekid's orphanage). These are just observations from other adoptive parents, of course. It makes me angry that my son's heart and lungs have been needlessly suffering damage for the last four years, because he's not worth anything to them. Well, he's worth an awful lot to me! I just want to get him out of there!

I'm wiped out now, so (insert fanfare here) check out my new website http://www.thislittlelightproject.blogspot.com/. It's awesome.

I can't wait to hold my little boy!

Our dossier is on its way!


I dropped it it off last night a few minutes before the store closed. So far, it's gone...a few miles. Lol! It's supposed to arrive on Tuesday though! I thought once I sent it off, I would be done. But this morning I received an email saying that effective immediately, we needed to wire $500 to our facilitators at the same time we sent our dossier! So, tomorrow morning we're off to the bank. There's been a flurry of changes in Ukraine's adoption process, and I am hoping and praying that there will be NO MORE changes until after we are safely submitted!

A lot of work and stress went into that pile of paper, especially in the last few weeks. Some documents had to be redone 3 or 4 times, including a last-minute homestudy rewrite. We very nearly didn't get the redone homestudy in time, but our social worker "happened" to find an extra signature sheet. It was an intense day - I was waiting for an email from the SW telling me if I could come get our homestudy, or if we'd have to wait several more days. Brennan and I had to leave in the afternoon, and I still hadn't gotten the email before we left. At 4p I couldn't stand it anymore and I called Ken and had him check my email - and our homestudy was done! We left our friend's house and had the homestudy in hand 30 minutes later! I couldn't believe how everything came together at the last minute. I shouldn't have wasted so much time worrying about it :).

It's nervewracking and relieving to have the dossier gone. Now all I can do is wait *patiently* until we are submitted. Hopefully, prayerfully, it won't be long until I am holding my little boy!

So close I can taste it

We're almost there. We have almost all the paperwork done; we even have our "golden ticket" (immigration)! We would have had everything done, but things keep needing to be redone. I planned for this, I scheduled time for delays. I just did not schedule for all the delays to be at the last minute!! I almost lost it the other day when I received an email that sad, "I'm sorry, but x, y, and z need to be redone." Brennan and I spent an hour in the doctor's office a few days ago, waiting for documents to be redone. I didn't have any toys or food with me, but B still did great! Now, that same document needs to be redone. Again. This time I am going to drop it off with an envelope and say, get this done and in the mail by Tuesday. And hopefully that will be that.
There's another document we need to redo because Ukraine changed how they want it done, but that one only needs to be notarized. We're waiting on our revised homestudy to come in the mail, and then I should be able to get everything apostilled by the end of next week! Once we get our apostilles approved, then we will be sending our dossier overseas!
One of the things that has been slowing us down is that we need to scan everything and send it to one of our Ukranian team members for approval. She often takes two days to get back to us, so if a document needs to be redone, it takes two days to find that out, a day or two to get it redone, and then another two days to find out if it's approved. So that really can hold up our process. All of our apostilles had better be approved, because they are $5 a piece! We are set to be submitted on Februrary 10, as long as we can get our paperwork over there in time. This is the first date that we can be submitted after Ukraine reopens after its winter break. I'm REALLY hoping that we will be submitted that day. It would mean a travel date somewhere around the end of March!

Our fingerprints are done! We did them one week early. I don't know if that will really affect our waiting time, but they are DONE. If I didn't hate calling people so much, I would have already called to find out where our case stands. My goal is to call on Monday. :)  We are chasing down our last few documents and then we will be ready! I'm really hoping to get everything over to Ukraine ASAP so we can be one of the first families submitted. I feel kind of like I am racing against other families. I'm VERY happy for every family who gets submitted, gets their SDA appt, etc. but it's a weird kind of feeling, hoping they get submitted but also wanting it to be MY turn! If that makes any sense.

It's crazy to think that we could be meeting our son in just three months! It seems so far away, and yet so close. I have to start getting the boys' room ready! He already has boxes of clothes waiting for him! What he doesn't have is a NAME. We like Joshua and Charlie, and we can't pick one! They are equally good, and they have the same amount of pros and cons! I had pretty much settled on Charlie, but now I am back to Joshua. It means "Jehovah saves" - how can I NOT name him that? BUT, I don't want him to be "Josh". Sigh. We may not decide until we meet him! I told Ken this means we need to get more children, so we can use all the names we like :).

A few updates

My estimate of mailing our dossier on Jan. 1 was waaaay off. At this point, we won't even have our fingerprints done until Dec. 30th!! Then it's usually a few weeks until we get our immigration approval, and we can't send our dossier until we get that. On top of that, Ken needs to redo his employment letter, but he's not going back to work until after Christmas; I still haven't gotten my letter yet but it should be here after Christmas. I put dossier paperwork aside while I worked on our fundraiser, and the entire week afterwards I was ex.haus.ted. I think I was probably fighting off the flu or a cold, because both were barreling through work. But I couldn't DO ANYTHING. The Saturday after our fundraiser, I took two naps, and I hate naps! This week was better, but I am still pretty tired, mostly due to not sleeping more than 5-6 hours a night. Yuck. All this to say, I suddenly realized I was behind on paperwork! But I am catching up, and it will help that Ken is off of work all week. AND, I quit my job. I am now a stay-at-home mom full time! It was very hard to leave work, but I'm going to try and go back once a month and be the "craft lady". It's hard to leave direct care, because you get involved in your clients lives, of course. I've known all the residents for two years, when everyone moved in, and I will miss them and my wonderful coworkers! They sent me off with rice crispie treats and sang a song to me!

December 16th was supposed to be the date of the 2nd vote in Ukraine, but it got moved to next week sometime. That's good because it allowed time for a few more kids to get out of the country, but on some level I just want to KNOW what's going to happen. Even if Ukraine does close (and obviously we hope it won't!) we will still stay committed to LittleKid. Ukraine will most likely reopen in a few months, and then we can go get him. It would be really bad for him to wait that long, though, because of his pulmonary hypertension. His lungs and heart are damaged more and more as time goes on, and I hate to think of the ridiculously pointless suffering he would go through due to politics. Hopefully, the vote won't go through, and Littlekid will be in our arms soon.