Pictures...

Happy Holiday Season!!

We just our first enlarged Thanksgiving in traditional style. We cooked a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, salad and all the fixin's. Over the long weekend we introduced the kids (mainly Dasha because she was more interested than Michael at first) to the art of Italian cookie making. Friday we spent several hours making double batches of cherry cookies and chocolate balls. Dasha was a trooper and worked til the completion (including frosting several hundred tiny little balls!). Saturday we tackled rosettes. Michael got in on the act and I think the kids really enjoyed being a part of the holiday tradition. There were many cookies sampled, but our freezer is filling quickly with cookies to eat as it gets closer to Christmas.

Christmas shopping is well under way. I need to pull everything out and make a list of what I have and what I need to get. Dasha and Nicholas have December birthdays so I have to keep that in mind as well.

We've had many, many ups and downs in the last several months. I have to say this is probably one of the hardest things we've been asked to do (by the Lord), but I constantly see His hand of protection upon us. Just when I think I can't take any more, relief comes. Praise God!!!!

May you all have a blessed holiday season!! Remember, JESUS is the reason for the season!!! Amen!

A Trip To The Dentist

Today we went for dentist appointments. We have waited three months for this and knew it was probably going to be like opening another can of worms. Dasha went first. The hygentist emerged with the report of 13 cavaties!!! I honestly didn't expect nearly that many. Three or four maybe, but not 13!! Michael went next. His report wasn't quite as bad. He has "only" 8 cavaties, however his are deeper than Dasha's. We also have to take Michael back in two weeks to finish his cleaning because his gums were inflamed and they want them to settle down before they complete everything. I walked out with a deck of appointment cards! There will be multiple visits to get all these things taken care of.

All in all things are going well. We are really starting to "gel" as a family. The kids are struggling academically, but that is really not a big surprise to us. I'm sure the curriculum in Ukraine is not the same as it is here in America. It would be silly to assume otherwise. We are currently trying to evaluate exactly what they DO know and what they DON'T know. From there we can move forward. Primo has spent countless hours working with the kids on math. Every night after dinner the dining room becomes a classroom!

I don't know if anyone is still reading this, but I decided to blog just to see if anyone is paying attention!! Not only that, it is our way of remembering the experience too!!

VBS & Drivers Ed.

This was a really busy week! Primo Jr. had drivers ed. every day from 8:30-2:30. Primo dropped him off in the morning and I picked him up in the afternoon. He had his final today and only missed one question, so now he is eligible to do the driving portion. He should be scheduled for his driving time in the next several weeks. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing!

I taught kindergarten Vacation Bible School again this year. I had a great class! I didn't know any of them prior to this week (there are kids from many other churches that attend), but by the end of the week we were all well aquainted. I will miss them! Nicholas was in a class for 3 year olds. It was an exhausting week for him.

Dasha and Michael attended the VBS for the kids from Belarus. They were reluctant the first day, but I think they ended up doing okay. Michael has made friends with one of the older boys and spent Wednesday afternoon swimming with him and his host family. Today he went home with David (a boy that was adopted from the same orphanage as Dasha) to swim and play. He's having a great time! What a change from where he was a few short months ago!!

I hadn't written in awhile, but now you know what we've been up to. Next week should be much less hectic...I hope!!!

Ice Cream Sundaes and Wedding Dresses

The rest of last week ended up being really good. Friday we had invited guests for dinner and I was making lasagna. Dasha and Michael jumped right in and we had a great time in the kitchen together! It was "one of those moments". The Bouchard's joined us for dinner and then the Maddox family brought dessert...ice cream sundaes with every topping imaginable! We had fun creating our own special treats. It was so fun just to sit and fellowship...thank God for good friends!

Saturday was a "lazy day". We stayed home all day and late in the afternoon I finally allowed Dasha to do something she's been asking for....try on my wedding dress! Let me tell ya'll, I hadn't looked at that dress in 18 years. When I unzipped the bag and took the slip out I was overwhelmed by the reality of it all....I USED TO BE SKINNY!!! ;) The dress fit Dasha like it was made for her! So Primo said I had the body of a 14 year old when we got married...I'm not sure how I should take that!! Anyway, Dasha is going to make a beautiful bride (in about 20 years)!

Today we were invited to a friends house for lunch (pizza) and a movie. All four kids went with me. They enjoyed the movies while Rochelle and I caught up on life. (Well, Nic was running around, but I assume you would already know that!) Since the kids love to watch movies, they were in their element. When it came time to leave Dasha was involved in a movie and said she was going to stay there to finish it! Rochelle, being the kind person she is, allowed the kids to bring home FIVE movies to watch! What a blessing!

Because the kids are older they have to take an oath before they can become US citizens. Guess where they have to go to take this oath? CHARLOTTE!! Again! We received our appointment today for July 27th.

Primo will be off for the rest of the week for 4th of July. IBM was generous and gave them a couple extra days. Hopefully we will have some fun family time!

And she's off...!

We're happy to report that Dasha has mastered bike riding! Michael worked with her and now she's lovin' it! And, I have a scratch on my van that will always remind us of the learning process. :( She got rolling on Monday and it was literally 98 degrees out, but she didn't seem to care. She just wanted to ride. Her face was the color of a tomato and her shirt was soaked with sweat. It looks like we're going to have to buy another bike!

The kids are attending a program at church this week. It's called Health Through the Bible and is put on by the Russian ministry for the Chernobyl kids. Each night they focus on a different aspect of health and nutrition...tonight is dentistry!! Last night they learned to wash their hands properly and even had a black light to show where they missed. Monday was about proper nutrition. We are blessed to have a Russian ministry right at our church.

That's the mid-week update on what we've had going on....

Brighter Days

This week was much better than last week. We definitely had some bumps in the road, but nothing earth shattering. We completed the registration and course selection process for Dasha to start at Wakefield High School in August. We haven't decided yet where to place Michael.

The kids had two more English lessons this week. Neither are terribly motivated to spend free time doing their homework. Dasha does well when she tries. Michael is very reluctant. We purchased the Rosetta Stone English software for home schoolers. We are hoping that they will think it's more fun since it's on the computer. There are workbooks, answer sheets and speaking activities. I've heard good things about this program so we thought we'd give it a try. It is so very hard to communicate even the littlest thoughts to the kids so I often just "let it go".

We went to a couple second hand stores this week and got some clothing items. Since Dasha is so small she can wear just about anything and it will look cute. Surprisingly enough, Michael seems to go for the wild, Hawaiian type prints. Works for me!

Dasha's having her first sleepover tonight with Lena Huston. Rhondi and her kids came over to swim and for pizza today. Lena is spending the night here. I remember how much I enjoyed that as a kid.

That's the week in review!

Challenges

This was a rough week. ESL went better on Tuesday. Dasha and Lena had class together and Michael and Vitali had class together. The report was actually that Michael and Vitali were a little silly which was the complete opposite of what had taken place on Friday. At least he participated!

Wednesday Michael got his hair cut. It looks really good.

Dasha and I had a couple days this week that we really didn't get along. This escalated Thursday evening. When it was over we were both crying in each others arms. The language barrier makes these situations even more difficult. I think we BOTH learned a lot this week. Most importantly, I hope she learned that no matter what I love her. I tried to explain that even when I get mad, I still love her. I want her to feel secure in that thought.

Michael woke up with a temperature Friday morning so we stayed home all day except for when we had to run over to the church to pick up Primo Jr. (he was at camp all week). Yesterday (Saturday) we went to BJ's and the grocery store to stock up on supplies. The kids were much better about not throwing everything under the sun in the cart. I appreciated that!

Today (Sunday) we had the pleasure of meeting with Constantine Petrov who leads the Russian ministry at our church. We wanted to be able to express to the kids our expectations and have them hear the experiences of someone who has walked in their shoes (so to speak). Constantine and his family moved to America almost 10 years ago. He talked to the kids for FOUR hours!!!!! It was great. He talked to them from a Biblical sense and shared that without Christ we can do nothing. So true! The kids were attentive and spoke openly asking questions and responding. Both seemed to have a more positive outlook when we left. It was time well spent!

I think we all grew a little this week!


(Note: I started typing this post before midnight, but ran over. My brain still thinks it's Sunday so forgive the discrepancy in days/dates)

General Update

The kids had their first ESL class on Friday (we had to change the day). Dasha flew through the lesson with flying colors. Michael, however, withdrew and would not speak or make eye contact. This is not the first time this has happened, but we're still trying to figure out what triggers it. So far we have not seen a specific pattern. In this case I was wondering if he felt uncomfortable because Dasha was doing so much better than him. The point is that she had English lessons in Ukraine and he didn't. We realize that, but maybe he doesn't think we do? I spoke later with the tutor and we've decided to separate Dasha and Michael for the next lesson to see if he does better. Not only that, Rhondi's children need ESL also and we are considering letting the girls go together and having the boys go together. The next lesson is tomorrow.

We had a nice visit with Dick Hilliard and his grandson last night. Dick was the Raleigh coordinator for the hosting program in 2005 when Dasha came. He has remained a tremendous support to us and a good friend. He considers all these kids his grandchildren! He has 4 adopted grandchildren from Ukraine and Andry was with him last night. He has been in the US for about 3 years. He's 17 now. He and Dasha talked for awhile, but Michael slipped back upstairs soon after meeting them. It didn't seem to matter that he had someone else that could speak Russian. I enjoyed hearing Andry speak because he has a really cool accent!! I bet the girls love it!! I hugged him when he got here and when they left. He said that American's like to hug. He commented that he doesn't mind hugging the girls!!! No doubt!

Primo Jr. left this morning for camp with his youth group. He will be back on Friday. Primo Sr. went back to work today so I guess it's another transitional day. One step closer to "normal".

Fun at FRANKIES

Yesterday we took the kids to Frankies for something to do. Primo Jr. didn't want to go. I wish he had joined us. Sharing his room with Michael is very difficult. Michael is the same age in years, but definitely not in maturity. Nights are funky around here. People are up wandering in the middle of the night, music playing, tv's on...weird! All the while Primo Jr. has exams this week. I think part of it is that he's tired. Today we are planning to go back to the pool.

Here are some pictures from Frankies...

Grandma's Gone Home...Boredom Sets In

Primo left early yesterday (Sunday) morning to drive his mom and Charlie (her dog) back to New York. The four kids and I went to church service and had lunch at home. It was raining off and on and at times very hard. We watched Miss Congeniality and Titanic. Primo called around 7:30pm to say that he had arrived safely at his mom's house.

Today I got up and planted some flowers in the front landscape. Dasha was getting up just about the time I was heading out, but gardening is not something that interests her. She sat inside for a while cross-stitching then she watched some TV. Michael has been snacking most of the day...? boredom? I haven't been able to get too involved with things today for some reason. I didn't sleep well last night. Dasha leaves her music on all night and I woke in the night to find that Michael had apparently been up to use the bathroom and left the light on. At some point the TV in the boys' room was also turned on. I don't even want to see our electric bill this month. We need to have a lesson in turning things off when not in use!!

Primo should be home around supper time tonight, but his flight out of Syracuse was delayed and he just called that his connecting flight is also delayed. When he called I told him that after just one day my eyes have been opened to something that he already said. We have to find something for these kids to do this summer besides just a few hours of ESL! I was concerned about the money, but now I'm concerned about my sanity!! (LOL) They love the pool, but an adult (me) has to be with them and I can't spend every day at the pool.

Any suggestions???

Fun at the Pool

Yesterday was a fun day at the pool. Primo Jr. has exams so he got home from school at noon. We got ready and the four kids and I went to the pool. Primo has a friend in the neighborhood that wants to be friends with Dasha. She was at the pool too.
When we got home we hung out watching TV and napping. Primo Jr. fell asleep on the couch and his sister took that opportunity to paint his toenails pink!!! LOL It was hysterical! Unfortunately his cell phone rang before they were dry and he got some on the carpet :(

Michael refused to sit with us at dinner which was making us mad, but he later came down with a piece of paper that said "headache". He apparently didn't feel good which was probably a result of too much sun. Primo gave him some Advil and he went upstairs to bed. In instances like that the language barrier is difficult.

Enjoy the pictures...

Productive Days...with a lesson in "No"

The last couple of days have been busy ones, but also productive. Wednesday we went and applied for social security numbers for the kids. It didn't take too long and was an important thing to get done. Then we took the kids to a Russian market, but it was closed. We told them that we would try again on Thursday. We had a quick bite to eat at McDonald's and then came back home. Michael has found "Lego-land" upstairs and has been hiding out up there building stuff. He does a great job. Primo Jr. and Dasha have been hanging out a lot. What 15 year old boy wouldn't want to hang out with a drop dead gorgeous girl...even if she IS his sister!!!!

Yesterday (Thursday) was really busy. We went to Michael's base school and picked up the registration papers. We also got a form to request a transfer (which has to be submitted by 6/1!). We want him to go to the year round school that Primo Jr. attended. Then we went to the church and picked up the donation bin that had been in the Welcome Center. There were many wonderful things...Bibles for each of the kids, a Russian/English dictionary, a backpack, journal, art set, gift cards, pillow protectors, sheets and a laundry basket. What a blessing!! From there we went to the high school to get the papers to enroll Dasha. We found out that because she is an ESL student she will be on the main campus with Primo Jr. next year (because of overcrowding they are putting this coming 9th graders at a satellite location). She was very excited and loved the school campus!

At 1pm we met with the English tutor at her home. She is great and the kids took right to her!! (Primo had talked to them alittle and they were both uncomfortable with a male tutor.) She does this for a living and has every resource known to man! Books, workbooks, games, visual aids, audio....you name it, she's got it! She played a couple games with the kids and they were very receptive. We are going to start classes next week on Thursday. We are going to slide into a time slot that is just opening up. It will be on Tuesday and Thursday for 1 hour with homework. She will tailor the work to their individual level since Dasha knows more English than Michael at this point. It was a very positive meeting and I can't wait for them to get started!!

From there we went to the Wake County school's main office to submit the transfer request for Michael. I handed it to the woman at the counter and she asked where the kids were coming from. When I responded "Ukraine" she said, "Are you part of that group from Wake Forest?"...I said, "Are you Mrs. Miller?!!".....Yes! I had talked to her AT LENGTH before we went to Ukraine because I wanted the heads-up on what I could expect from the school's program. She grabbed the four of us and took us immediately to her office. She is SO nice! Then she insisted that we meet her supervisor because she's been telling him about us for weeks! She wanted to meet with our whole group once everyone is back in the country (there are still a couple families in process). She had our transfer form in her hand when we left and I told her not to lose it to which she replied..."I'm gonna hand carry it upstairs myself!". I think she will put in a good word for us with the powers that be. We should hear in 7-10 days if the transfer has been granted.

Then, as promised, we took the kids back to the Russian market. It's very small. Dasha got some snacks and four containers of what is the equivelant of Ramen noodles. They wanted salami from the deli case. Dasha looked around at the food items, but Michael was fixated on the videos. He kept bringing various ones to us...some were for purchase, some were for rent and many were rated "R"!! We told him "no"..."no"..."no"..."no", but he kept going back and getting more. Primo told him that we have movies at home (many of the ones he picked were in English). We stood our ground and he wasn't happy. He didn't speak on the ride home and went immediately to his room. I went up to see what he was doing and he had his head under his pillow. Oh well! We have been buying things like crazy because they have needs, but they have to learn that they aren't going to get everything they WANT. There IS a difference! He got over it fairly quickly and wanted to go with me to Target later on. He had gotten a pack of gum around 12:30 and by 6:30 the whole thing was gone. I had a piece of gum in my mouth at Target and he wanted a piece. I said "no" and reminded him that he ate a whole pack. We walked around the store with him saying "gum" and me saying "no". I won that round!! :)

Sorry this is so long! We've been busy!

Just pics...

Okay here are some of the pictures we've taken since getting home.

The expanded Sabatini family


Parents to three teens and counting!


Grandma Sabatini adds two more to her list


Dasha likes her room


and so does Michael


Brother teaches sister to ride (sweet moment)


After some light shopping



The snack pack needs to recharge



Yeah of course our homework is done


Dasha invades the boys room

SETTLING IN!

Okay, so we haven't gotten around to posting pictures yet. I'm sorry!!! I can give you the written update and ask Primo again about putting some pictures up.

Sunday we made it to church for service and the kids were able to meet a couple people. It was "light" because of the holiday. We went to Golden Corral for lunch in hopes that the kids would find something they liked to eat (it's a buffet). Michael did pretty good, but Dasha primarily ate potato salad and ice cream. She has eaten very little since arriving. When we got home we mostly hung out. Dasha fell asleep around 3:30pm and slept til Monday morning. Michael rode Primo Jr's bike in the circle while Nic shadowed him on his. It was very cute, but it was very hot out. I was hesitant to let Michael out of my sight since he doesn't know where he is and he can't ask for directions. I stayed out as long as I could, but we just had to go in. Primo Jr. hung out downstairs all day. It was awesome having the WHOLE family together. Grandma Sabatini made chicken parmesan for dinner which was nothing less than wonderful!

Yesterday (Monday) we all went to the mall. We had some money that had been donated to us and the kids still need some basics...Michael > Dasha. We breezed through that money and then some. Michael's "treat" was a bicycle of his very own. We thought that would be a great bonding tool for him and Primo Jr.. We weren't sure if Dasha would want one and when I asked her she wrinkled her nose. I found out later why....she's never ridden a bike! Another Kodak moment was Michael holding her as she tried to balance the bike. So sweet!

Today Primo Jr. had school so everyone was up early (not by design!). He mentioned yesterday that he didn't want to go to school. I think he's been enjoying being around his new brother and sister. We had an ESL tutor come over this morning for a consultation. I have to admit that it was a little awkward. Dasha was quiet and kept sinking down in her chair. Michael completely shut down. He wouldn't speak at all and had a very serious/sad look on his face. As soon as the tutor left, he was his normal happy self. We set up a 1 hour lesson for Thursday, so we'll see how it goes. The teacher is a man and I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not. I only recall seeing female workers at the orphanage (with the exception of the director which probably has limited contact with the kids). Primo talked to Michael after the tutor left and hopefully he will be more "open" on Thursday.

All in all I think things are going well. We are going to work on getting social security numbers for the kids, enrolling them in school for the fall and all the other fun stuff that needs to be done. Primo is leaving either Saturday or Sunday to drive his mom back to New York. He will fly back to Raleigh on Monday. She will be very much missed and I would like to thank her from the bottom of my heart for all that she has done for us. It was no small task and she did an amazing job! Thank you!

All Under One Roof

Primo, Michael and Dasha arrived safely last night around 7pm. Michael and Dasha seemed no worse for wear, but Primo was dragging. Dasha apparently slept on the plane and Michael was too excited to notice his exhaustion. Rhondi, Lena and Vitali were on the same flight so we were able to welcome them home as well.

When we got home everyone piled out of the van (they just kept coming and coming!) and before I even got in the door Dasha was gone. She RAN upstairs to see her new room! She seems to be pleased. We showed Michael his room and he was also happy. The first thing that Dasha noticed was that the boys have a TV and computer in their room, but that's there from the previous tenant (Primo Jr). Michael immediately challenged Primo Jr. to a game of chess which Primo showed no mercy. Then Michael asked Primo Jr. to go outside and kick the soccer ball in the circle. They both came in drenched in sweat. Then they showered and hit the playstation. Dasha went to her room and was listening to music and trying to sleep. I told Primo Jr. he was in charge of getting their lights out by 11pm. It was GREAT to see the boys interacting so much, so fast.

Primo and I are sleeping on the pullout downstairs while RoseAnn is here. Nic had been sleeping with me since I got home. Last night he slept on the loveseat. I don't think he'll go back upstairs until we do. Dasha came down this morning at 6:00 already dressed and made up. She's such a beautiful girl. The boys are still sleeping at the time that I'm posting, but I thought some of you might be anxious for an update. Pictures to follow.....

Passports..check..Medicals..check..Visas..check

It looks like all the documentation has been completed. The visas for the kids were actually issued yesterday afternoon (Thursday). So as it turned out, the fingerprint sprint was not necessary, but provided a little peace of mind "just in case". Not only that, now it's done for next time.

Primo called a couple minutes ago from the airport in Kiev. It's early morning there and they are waiting for their 6:45am flight. Rhondi and her two kids are on the same flight back. I asked if he had any problems getting through security with the kids and he said they just wanted to see the court decree. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing the whole way.

The next post will be once the kids are home!! Sunday is Primo and my 18th anniversary...this will definitely be a memorable one!

Heading Home

I talked to Primo earlier today. He picked Dasha up this morning and she was able to bring an entire large suitcase full of her belongings! She didn't realize that Primo was coming in the morning to get her (she thought it wouldn't be until evening since that's when he usually arrived), so I hope she wasn't waiting until the last minute to say good-bye to some of her friends. He didn't mention anything about Natasha. Then they went to Molachansk and he delivered the bag of balls. I think the kids will enjoy them! Michael was turned over to Primo with only the clothes he was wearing...which Primo had him remove and leave there! He brought fresh clothes for the trip. He said he was wearing the same thing we had seen him in every other time. What a HUGE difference between orphanages.

From there they went to Zaporizhzhia to do the passports. Apparently Rhondi had been there earlier and the officials were exhausted from all the work (ha, ha) and just didn't know if they'd be able to get it done. Primo said Victor asked him to leave the room and when Victor emerged, the passports were going to be done. Let's just say it required an "expedited processing fee"! Then Primo talked to Yulia about the medical exams that need to be done in Kiev and it looked as though they would not be done in time for Primo to make his appointment at the Embassy. It was stated that "for an additional charge of $50" it could be done. Primo told Yulia to "make it happen"!! I got the confirmation in the mail that my fingerprints have been processed and I'm good until 8/18/08, but as of Monday Primo's had not been received. (The fingerprint cards that he did at the Embassy in Kiev had to be sent Federal Express to the processing center in Nebraska.) We are praying for no more delays!!

When I last spoke to Primo he and the kids were on the train to Kiev. He'll spend a couple nights there and hopefully be in the air heading west on Saturday.

My last night in Berdyansk!

Was up at 5:30 this morning. It starts to get light here between 4:00 and 4:30. Victor picked me up at 7:00 and off we went to the Dept. of Vital Statistics in Zaporozhye. It takes about 2 1/2 hours and it's very exciting. Once we got there it took another 2 1/2 hours to get whatever we needed to get. Apparently the mother's name for Dasha's record was misspelled so they had to call the big cheese in. This place still amazes me. They only care about things being correct when it comes to an adoption. Once that was settled it was off to Berdyansk to get the birth certificates changed. Victor sweet talked the woman into doing them even after hours, but they needed a stamp and the stamp person was gone. So we're suppose to get them at 8:50 tomorrow morning.

With the certificates in hand we'll go to get Dasha and I'll hand over donation number one. Then it's off to pickup Michael and hand over donation number two. At that point, I'll weigh just about nothing. :) We continue on to Zaporozhye where our papers are stamped some more and we get the passports. Victor will put us on the overnight (no sleep) train for Kiev. Yulia will meet us bright and early, 6:00 am!!! Then medicals, visas, and a short plane ride home.

I walked up to one of the kiosks tonight and asked the woman how much for the balls. She asked which one. I said "All of them". You should have seen her face. She looked so confused. Who buys six balls at once!!! Don't know how long they'll last, but at least the kids at Molochansk will have a little bit of fun.

I'll get to see Natasha one last time tomorrow. I'm sure it will be emotional, but it's only a see you soon not goodbye.

Thanks for all the comments! This will be the last post (please God!) from Ukraine.

God Bless, Y'all.

The End is near!!!

Around noon today there was a knock at my door. Who could it be? Well will ya look at that! It's my long lost facilitator Victor. This must be a sign that the end is near. He told me that he needed to go to court at 1:00 so that he could supervise the corrections to our court documents that needed to be made by the judge. He was then going to need to make six copies and use the Ukrainian binding machine. In English, that translates to sewing the documents together with a needle and thread. We are making the trip to Zaporozhye tomorrow at 7:00 and then on Wednesday we'll pick up the kids and begin the trek home!!!

I told Victor that I wanted to spend some time with Natasha today, so he called the Director and set things up. I hitched a ride to the boarding school with my good friends Victor and Janet Benson around 2:20. Of course, neither Dasha nor Natasha were out waiting for me. Dasha had a look on her face from the get go and went back into the school. We waited for about 10 minutes and then I told Natasha that I wanted to go. So off we went on a walk around the school. I asked her if she still wanted to be adopted by us and she said yes. We talked for awhile, stopped for an ice cream and soda, and were just being silly. She and I seem to relate much better than Dasha and I have.

When we returned to the school grounds, Dasha was out at the ping pong table with the other kids. So we went over to the table to hang out. Over the past ten days, Dasha has had quite an attitude problem. There didn't seem to be a change it that today. She really didn't try to associate with me. Toward the end of my visit, Nastiya, Dasha and I went to sit on the bench in the front of the school. Dasha didn't say two words to me and when I left all I got was a bye. I believe that tomorrow, Victor is going to help me communicate with Dasha about her behavior. That should be fun, huh?

It will be good to see Michael on Wednesday. I'm sure he'll be overwhelmed with the things at home. This will also be his first time in a plane!

By the time this posts, I will have completed my ten day wait. Congratulations Mrs. Sabatini, you are now mom to four children. Gas up the minivan woman!

Well it's off to bed so that I can be ready for that three hour drive. Woo! I am SO ready to go home.

On The Road Again

I left for Charlotte alittle after 9am this morning. I wanted to allow time for traffic and/or missed turns. I drove directly to The Department of Homeland Security. I was about an hour early so I went and grabbed a sandwich. I got back about 10 minutes before my 1pm appointment. I went to the security officer and showed him my email confirmation that I had a 1:00 appointment for fingerprints and I was supposed to report to "Room 191". They have a security check point like in an airport. He said, "You need fingerprints?" and I said, "Yes.". He told me I had to go to their other location (which I knew I would have to, but I now I didn't understand why I was here in the first place). He gave me a hand drawn map and sent me packin'. I got to the other building a few miles away and explained what I was there for and the woman recognized my name from the add on appointments for the day. She gave me a form to fill out and instructed me to turn it in at the desk across the room. I was then issued a number and began the waiting process. Not too long later a man called across the room, "Mrs. Sabatini?". I thought, "Cool. That was quick!". Unfortunately, it was too quick. What he needed to tell me was that I had to go to the Department of Homeland Security to pay for the fingerprints. I told him I had just been there and they sent me to them. Aaarrgghh! He wrote a note and I headed back to the other office. When I walked in I told the security officer that I needed to be there!! On the other side of the security check point stood a woman who turned out to be the one who had scheduled my appointment. She was hateful. She barked a few things at me (probably mad thinking that I had gone directly to the other location) and then snapped at the security guard saying, "Well, are you going to process her??!!!" So I put my purse on the conveyer and walked through the metal detector. She took the payment and went to the back to get me a reciept. While she was gone I had a lovely conversation with one of the other security guards. She came back and sent me back to the other building. I have to tell you that it was all I could do not to mouth off to her, but I decided to say a prayer for her instead. Did I mention that she wasn't nice?!!

So, I went back to the other building and they took me right back. I had the prints done and was in the car again for the long ride home. I made it home safely and the mission was accomplished. I guess you would call that a success in spite of a few bumps in the road.

Hopefully there will be no more last minute surprises. I'M TIRED!!

Sharon

Just some thoughts...

In response to some of the comments to my bus trip, there weren't any chickens on the bus. I believe the bus is privately owned. It's kept pretty clean, just not very comfortable. The seats recline, but if you recline them all the way, your head is in the lap of the person behind you. It makes it difficult to get out of your seat. If all goes well, the kids and I should be on an early morning flight back to the US on the 26th. Today is day 7 of my 10 day wait. On the 11th day, Victor will be able to have the birth certificates and passports done. They will officially be ours on the 22nd.

I spent yesterday afternoon with Dasha, Natasha and some of their friends. Natasha was in some sewing class so we waited for her. I brought a large bag of peanut M&Ms. I figured the way to a woman's heart is through CHOCOLATE. :) The bag lasted less than 10 minutes. After that we walked down to the sea. Some of the guys decided to go for a swim. The water was still pretty cold. Dasha still won't try to speak to me in English. She asked one of the boys who knows some English to ask me a few questions. I then slapped her with some reality when I told her in just over seven days she would be going to a country where they speak only English.

Today Sharon will drive to Charlotte to get her fingerprints redone. Since nothing has gone as expected, this is a precautionary measure. Our appointment at the embassy should be on the 24th and we should get the visas for the kids either on the 24th or 25th. Please note the use of the word "should". If something happens that causes a delay on getting the visas, Sharon's fingerprints will expire and I will be stuck here for another week to ten days. Therefore, to be sure that we get the visas in time, I've asked Sharon to make the trip for fingerprinting. At least when she goes to the US CIS office they'll speak English! I'm also looking at this as step one in our adoption of Natasha.

Not sure what the girls and I will do today. I keep wondering how Michael is doing and if he's getting excited. After our court date, Victor was talking to the Molochansk inspector and lawyer about the possibility of getting a group from Molochansk to travel to the US. They were pretty positive on the idea. Hopefully, we'll be able to do this if not through our church then maybe through some of the churches in our area. Many of these kids don't belong in this orphanage. Others have some disabilities, but they don't deserve to be forgotten either. That what I consider Molochansk to be, a place to go to be forgotten. Forgotten by orphanages who sent them there and forgotten by their own country. Our prison system has more than some of the Molochansk type orphanages have. Hopefully the Lord will allow Sharon and I to be advocates for these kids and find them families in which the will no longer be forgotten. I don't think you can go to such an orphanage and not be changed.

Sharon, I love you and miss you. Have a burger for me and get one ready for when we step foot on NC soil. God my mouth is watering at just the thought of that.

Wow!

Well I'm back in Berdyansk! From 4 pm Tuesday to 7 am Thursday, I've been on the road. I was on a bus 28 of the total 39 hours I was out of town. It's cheap, but very very (did I mention very?) long. The last real meal I had was on Tuesday morning and this morning's breakfast I only kinda remember since it was gone just as soon as the plate hit the table.

So today is gonna be boring compared to the last two. I'll go visit the girls today around 2 pm. My mind is close to mush, so I'll need to catch up on the sleep I missed.

God Bless America!!

Well, I made it home late last night (early this morning) after almost 23 hours of traveling. That trip really stinks! And to top it off I found out about the fingerprints when I got home (see yesterday's post). I made a couple phone calls today and sent an email to the USCIS office in Charlotte, but haven't gotten a response yet. The thought of driving 3 hours to Charlotte is not appealing to me, but I don't know that I have a choice. It's not like I had my hands amputated and replaced with others that would have different fingerprints. I can understand them running another check to update the status, but the need for new prints baffles me.

Nic was very excited this morning when he realized that I was really home and he was not just dreaming when I went in to see him last night. However, we are only 13 hours in and he already isn't listening! It's good to be home! (ha, ha) Primo Jr. has been updating me on things that have gone on at school and I think he's pretty happy to have mom home too. He even told me tonight that he loves me....a belated Mother's Day gift!! :)

Today was mostly a "recovery" day, but I will have to get caught up on things that need my attention (like the stack of mail). This weekend I am planning to be in Greensboro with Primo Jr. at the State Cup Finals.

That's the update from this side of the ocean. Primo is on the bus back to Berdyansk and will probably post once he gets back. Thanks to you all for your kind words of support, prayers and help at home while I was gone!

Sharon

Days 4 & 5

I went to the orphanage by myself on Tuesday to see the girls. They were both there!!! However, shortly after I arrived, I received a phone call. The fingerprints we had taken when we started this process are due to expire on the 24th and 25th. I was to take the overnight bus from Berdyansk to Kiev so that I could go to the US Embassy to have my fingerprints redone. I had to go back to the hotel, gather all my stuff and leave in less than 30 minutes. I boarded the bus at 5 pm Tuesday and arrived in Kiev at 7:15 Wednesday morning. Tonight I'm making the return trip. It may not be the most pleasant mode of transportation, but it's cheap. It cost $24 which is much cheaper than the train. In addition, the train doesn't go into Berdyansk so you have to take an expensive 2 1/2 hour taxi ride from Zaporizhye to Berdyansk.

I can't say that this has been a smooth adoption process. I know others have had issues, but it seems every time we think nothing else can go wrong, it does. This morning I was told that Sharon will also need to get her fingerprints redone. That will mean that she has to travel to Charlotte. I'll hopefully find out more about this when I go to the embassy this afternoon.

I love Natasha, but right now I'm having a hard time knowing that we have to go through this entire process again in less than a year. The reason I'm travelling back today is solely for her. For what time I had to spend with them yesterday, she pretty much stayed by my side. Dasha had another attitude flare-up, but I think some of that comes from her desire to leave NOW.

Well, I'm going to get a little something to eat and perhaps sleep before I have to go to the embassy.

Day 3 and counting (Updated)

Not much happened yesterday. When I asked Dasha on Saturday if she wanted to see me on Sunday, she shrugged her shoulders and didn't seem too enthused. So I decided not to go to the orphanage on Sunday morning with the Benson family. Instead I went to the markets with Rhondi and her two children. Last night all of the American parents got together for dinner. That's when I found out that Dasha ran out to the taxi the Benson's were in and was looking for me. I guess this is lesson number one. If you say I don't care, don't expect something to happen. We'll see what her response is today when I go to see her today.

Sharon had her appointment at the US Embassy today. She said that it was nice to see Americans again. Everything went well and the papers are now waiting for me to sign. Sharon's very anxious to return to the US.

My new room, back up on the 11th floor, is 1000% better than what I was staying in. I'm actually able to use the wireless connection in the room!!! Whooo! I've only got the room for another 4 days, but it's better than were I was. Taking a real shower today was SWEET!

I'll update this posting later tonight with any updates from the day.

==== Update ====

Well I went to the orphanage with Rhondi at 3 pm and neither Dasha nor Natasha were around. It seemed that the staff didn't know where they were either. I sat with the Director for about an hour. I was then let into the library where after another 10 minutes Dasha appeared. We went out to the volleyball court and started playing. Natasha showed up a few minutes later, gave me a hug and went to change her clothes. When she came back out she hugged me again and started playing with us. Then one of Dasha's "friends", a boy, said something to her and off she went. By the time she came back it was time for me to leave. I got the pouty face and I tried to explain to her that I waited over an hour and then she left for at least 20 minutes. I asked Rhondi's daughter to translate for me that if she wanted me to come up to see her she had better be there.

Sharon and I both agree that this girl is going to have quite a surprise in store for her when we get to America.

So, I'm on for a visit tomorrow. Let's see who's waiting for dad to show....

Closing in on day 1 of 10

Well, the first day of my ten day wait is drawing to a close. I woke up at 5:30 this morning. The room gets pretty bright in the morning. The water in the hotel was out temporarily. Apparently they have an alternative water source for the hotel, so why the city was without water the hotel wasn't. That was good, but the cold water was rather brown.

Showering was interesting this morning. The floor in the bathroom doesn't slant toward that hole in the floor. Well I got clean and that's probably more than most people here could say today.

I spoke with Sharon at breakfast. She had arrived at the Sense office, but she was the only one there. She was somewhat hungry as her last meal was lunch after our court date. She had to hang out at the office until noon. The a driver came to take her to her apartment. She got some food at a small grocery store and stayed in all day. When I spoke to her tonight, she said she was very bored. She's watched two movies and three episodes of The Closer. She's thinking that she'll have to venture out tomorrow to save her sanity.

I too was bored today. I walked to the market to browse for a bit. I then stopped at the grocery store and got some lunch. I was about to head out for another walk when I met up with the Bensons. They were going to go to the orphanage, so I asked if I could tag along. As we were approaching the school, I saw Dasha and two friends walking down the street. I didn't think I'd get to see her, but she returned before we left.

All eight of us then headed for the zoo. Victor bought some dried fish for his daughters and I bought Dasha six Granny Smith apples. Two of them disappeared before we could make it to the hotel. The rest she ate while we were in the Benson's room. Oh and she had a couple of fish too. Victor got some tape of the peel and eat fish.

I'm posting some pictures of Dasha and Victor (our facilitator) eating the dried fish and the aftermath.

Well we see what new adventure tomorrow brings...

Here comes the judge....

For those who know where that comes from you're at least as old as I am.

We had court today at 11:30. I got to field most of the questions from the judge. How did we meet the kids, why do we want them, can we afford them and of course my name, rank and serial number. When we finished answering the questions, they asked the kids to come in one at a time. They were asked to give their names and ages. Dasha gave her full name and age. They asked her if she wanted to be part of our family and if she agreed with the adoption....she said "YES". Then her brother came in. When they asked him his name, he said "Michael". We all laughed. That's apparently his letting everyone know that he definitely agrees with the adoption. So he then gave his current name and age and agreed with the adoption. We were then asked to step outside while the judge was making her decision. Thirty seconds later we were going back in...the adoption was a go!!!

Tomorrow begins day one of my ten day wait. The kids went back to their respective orphanages. Sharon and Victor, our facilitator, are currently on the train to Kiev. Sharon will go to the US Embassy on Monday to sign and hand in the necessary papers and then will leave for home on Tuesday. I can't tell you how happy she is to be going home. I'm left here with two other American families so I'm not totally alone. I downgraded rooms from a double to a single. Our original room was okay, but now that I'm in my new room the old one looks like a suite at the Hilton. I've just been informed that there is some problem with the water in the city and it will be out for at least 24 hours!!!! I guess I really am camping now!

Well I'll see what tomorrow brings....

COURT

We are finally going to court this morning (Friday) at 11:30am. We got the approval yesterday afternoon. I would have posted last night, but the internet cafe was closed by the time we finished dinner. We have been enjoying the company of Victor and Janet Benson from Wisconsin. We had met them in Virginia in 2005 when the kids first visited. They arrived in Berdyansk a couple days ago. They are adopting three girls.

So, to bring you up to date on the last couple of days on Wednesday we picked Dasha up in the morning since it was a holiday and she didn't have classes. We were planning to take Natasha too, but she had gone somewhere with another friend. We took Dasha to a small zoo that is not too far from the hotel. It was fun. Then we walked back to the hotel and she said she was hungry, but didn't feel like going anywhere, so we got Primo and Victor to go get food while Dasha and I went up to the room. When they got back they had not only brought lunch, but a bag of dried fish. YUK. These are the sorriest looking things to look at and they think they are the best thing since sliced bread. We will post pictures soon because you have to see it to believe it! Dasha and Victor were snapping heads off and ripping skin while Primo and I shot video and snapped pictures. Be glad it's not smell-o-vision!!! Dasha took what was left to the orphanage to share with her friends.

Yesterday we didn't go to the orphanage until about 4pm. It was nice out so we just hung out in the yard with the kids. I'm still recovering from my volleyball bruises (on my wrist), so I didn't partake in any activities. Papa played some soccer with the kids.

So after court at 11:30 this morning I will have a short time to gather my things and then Victor and I will head to the train station. We will take the overnight train back to Kiev and I will spend a few days there. Monday I will go to the US Embassy to sign some documents and then I will give Power of Attorney to Victor to sign on my behalf things that will need to be done after the 10 day waiting period. (For those that don't know, there is a mandatory 10 day waiting period after the court date before the adoption is finalized.) I fly out of Kiev on Tuesday and will be home late Tuesday night. Because of the time difference (7 hours), I will live that day twice! I'll be chasing the sun all day!

I talked to Nicholas and Primo Jr. last night and I think they are happy mom is coming home!! I KNOW grandma's happy!!! :) Primo will continue to blog the events on this side of the ocean.

See ya'll soon!!!!!

Defying all logic....Ukraine

It's completely beyond our comprehension how this place works. It does make one appreciate what he has. Couples that submitted their paperwork to the SDA one day prior to ours got their approvals and have gone to court. One couple that submitted on the same day as we did got a miracle Tuesday approval and court on the same day. We are left hoping for approval from the SDA on Thursday. What's the reason for all this? None. From what we can tell it just depends on how they feel that day. The few extra days wouldn't have been an issue if it were applied across the board and if we hadn't booked round trip tickets, which by the way I'd advised against doing. Our facilitator has now gotten reservations for all of us on KLM flights (Northwest) at a nice $824 a seat. So they great Delta tickets end up being an expensive one-way ticket.

We went to the orphanage this afternoon and played volleyball with the kids and then watched a basketball game. Tomorrow we're taking the girls to a zoo here in town after that I'm not sure what we'll be doing.

Delays

I'm sorry to post that we did not get our approval for court today. This means that I will not make my return flight on Thursday. Usually this approval is only granted from the SDA on Monday, Wednesday or Friday. Wednesday is a Ukraine holiday and the SDA is closed. It's a long shot that they would grant permission on Thursday in light of the holiday. It is more likely going to be Friday which means we can't go to court until Monday. This would put my return flight possibly Wednesday. We were not happy about this!! I will have to buy a completely new plane ticket because Delta cannot accommodate changes for several weeks out.

For those of you at home that are able to help out with Nicholas, we would appreciate it. It kills me every time I talk to him. He's just so young and it's hard for him to understand why mom and dad have been gone for so long. Primo Jr. is obviously older and able to understand more, but I miss him just the same. Because of the change of flights I will miss Primo's soccer tournament this weekend. I was really looking forward to watching him play and being there for him. He may say he doesn't care, but I think deep down it matters (at least I hope it does!!).

Today we went to the Notary and got the petition for passports for the kids. Victor spoke with the Judge and told her that we need to reschedule the hearing. She seems flexible, but that's because she doesn't get paid until we hold court! Tomorrow we will go to the orphanage to see Dasha. We probably won't see Michael again until court. I miss him, but it's costly to take a taxi back and forth from Molachansk (close to $50 every time).

So, the news today was not the best, but soon we will look back and think, "it wasn't that bad"...or at least I hope we will!!!

Love ya!!

Two Day Update

Hello everyone! I didn't post yesterday (Saturday) because we really just hung out most of the day. Primo and I went to the open market again and bought some more clothes for Michael. We didn't see any of the kids. I have to tell you that I missed Michael so much! I kept replaying some of the "conversations" we had and some of the things we had done with him. I can't wait until he's ours full time! (You can remind me of that in six months!) :)

Today (Sunday) we had breakfast with Rhondi and Bob. (We actually had dinner with them last night too). We had planned to get Dasha and Natasha and continue the search for a dress for Natasha. Rhondi and Bob decided to join us. We picked the girls up after breakfast and went to the market. We walked the entire thing and finally settled on something. She is very modest and doesn't like anything too short or too low cut. Primo says she's "daddy's girl". After we settled on the dress she of course needed shoes to match....right Aunt Deb??!! We set out to find the perfect pair and Victor decided that one of the first pairs we saw would do the job. I think he had had enough of shopping! The girls are amazingly picky all things considered.

We had a late lunch at a cafe down the street from the hotel and then drove the girls back to the orphanage. Many of you have asked how Natasha is holding up under the circumstances. She is doing very well and understands that she has not been registered long enough to be adopted. She knows that she has to wait, but I think it will be difficult for her when the time actually arrives for Dasha to leave. We also found out today that Natasha's brother is only 17....not 19 like we thought. He graduated in the same class as the girl that Rhondi and Bob are adopting. If anyone of you is looking for a son, he may be your boy!!! I actually have found enough children for all of you!!!

Tonight should be a quiet evening. I'm actually reading a book!! I haven't read a book in years!! Hopefully tomorrow we will get our approval to go to court. I know we have to meet with the notary at 1pm. I'll let you know what we find out!

Fun and Games

Yesterday (Thursday) we walked down to the arcade and played some games to kill time. Then we went to the market to get some more snacks. These kids are eating us out of house and hotel! I bought some chips (for me) and when I went to get them, they were gone! So when we shopped yesterday I told Michael, "MY chips....DON'T eat my chips!!" Then he would say, "Don't eat my chips!"...like a parrot! It was very funny! We also taught him to say "Wassup Homey?" He's eager to learn. Dasha pretty much spent the afternoon watching TV and fell asleep again fairly early.

Today we went back to the arcade for a short time for something to do. We also stopped at a bookstore and Dasha and Michael got a couple books. We made our way back to the room and hung out until Victor came. Then the kids packed up and got ready to return to their respective orphanages. We took Dasha back first so there would be more room in the car for the long and bumpy ride to Molachansk. Michael and I sat with our arms intertwined the whole way there. When we arrived the kids swarmed the car again, but my focus was only on one child....mine. It was really hard to have to leave him there. I hugged him, told him I loved him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He hugged me back and said "I love you". Then I walked around the car in the opposite direction that he did and met him on the other side and stole one more hug before we left. I know he has friends there that he is going to want to say good-bye to, but I wish he could have stayed with us. We will see Dasha and Natasha on Sunday.

The latest adoption news is that it's possible that we will have the approval on Monday for us to go to court. It wasn't looking good for awhile, but two other families have already received approval and their documents were only turned in one day before ours. If we get the approval, we will have court on Tuesday. If this happens, I will make my original return flight on Thursday. There are a lot of "if's", but we are hopeful!

I guess that gets you caught up on the latest.

Bonding

Yesterday (Wednesday) we walked down by the sea and took a ride out to the peninsula. For those of you who have posted that you want pictures, rest assured that we are taking many. "My friend Ed" asked how old the kids are...Michael is 15 and Dasha is 14. We mostly hung out in the room yesterday afternoon and evening. Dasha fell asleep around 7pm and slept all night! The boys went to their room around 10pm and were up until 1am.

Our facilitator, Victor, had to go to Danesk to complete another adoption so we are on our own today. We are letting the kids play on the internet for awhile and then we will go pick up our laundry!!! Praise the Lord!! After that we are planning to go back to the boardwalk area and play some games in the arcade. Beyond that I'm not sure what we will do.

We will have to return the kids to their orphanages tomorrow. Dasha is in town so we can see her at a moments notice, but Michael is about 1 1/2 hours away so we probably won't see him again until court. We are praying that we will get the approval to go to court on Monday so we can have court on Tuesday. If that happens, I can hopefully leave on May 11th. If we don't get approval, then it will be later.

All in all things are going well. Dasha's a lot like mom and likes her naps. Michael seems to be like papa in that he likes the computers and staying up late. A nice mix! We are anxious to see how Primo Jr. and Nicholas respond to their new siblings.

Enjoy the pictures!!

Shopping, shopping and shopping

Our facilitator got a really bad headache this morning and didn't end up joining us until 5:00 pm. So we went to plan B...shopping in the open market. The weather looked promising this morning so we decided to go and do some shopping for the kids. We especially wanted to get something for Michael as we believe he'll come out of his orphanage with the clothes on his back or less. The Molachansk orphanage is one of those orphanages that does not get alot of money or attention. We found a good amount of items so that he will at least be dressed for when we do come home.

Once we were through with the open market, we went to the grocery to pick up some snacks and drinks for our hotel rooms. Apparently the kids really like snacks as items were flying into our cart. We followed that up with some more intense UNO and then off to dinner with Victor. After playing another card game, we watched a movie. Michael fell asleep next to mom. We had to wake him so that he'd go into his own bed (I draw the line at carrying the kids to bed at 5 years old).

Not sure what tomorrow will bring. It looks like the weather won't be too bad. Maybe we'll actually get to go down by the sea.

The Reunion

So this morning we had breakfast at 9am with Victor and then took our laundry to be done. We are without clothes until the 3rd because they will be closed for the holidays. I guess we will become one of the natives and where our clothes day after day. After dropping off the laundry we went and picked up Dasha and headed for Molachansk to get Michael. It rained today, so the trip was even less enjoyable!

We walked into the lobby of the orphanage and Michael was standing there. He wasn't expecting us to bring Dasha with us. The reunion was surprisingly uneventful. I think it was a little awkward for them. We traveled back as sardines in a can since it was a compact size car with 6 adults. When we got back we had lunch and both kids ate well. We decided to play a few rounds of UNO since it was raining outside. That was an ice breaker and Primo was acting stupid because he was winning. It annoyed me, but the others found it comical!!!

Michael and Primo have been playing games on the computer and Dasha and I stayed in the room 1/2 watching a movie. Now I think we are going to grab some dessert and hang out. The kids have been given permission to stay with us until Friday so we have gotten a second room. Like this isn't expensive enough, but it's worth it to be able to spend time with them!!!

I guess that's all for today. Tomorrow we hope to walk to the sea if the weather is good.

The Latest

Okay, this will be quick. We were able to get Dasha and Natasha today!! We took them shopping at the outdoor market and Dasha found a couple things. Natasha is looking for a dress to wear to their end of year party at school. We will look again another day.

Tomorrow we are planning to pick Dasha up in the morning and go to Molachansk to pick up Rodion (Michael) to bring him to Berdyansk for the holidays!! We are hoping to get the reunion on video!! I can't wait to see their reaction to one another!

It should be an early evening for us today. I just wanted to give you a quick update before settling in for a relaxing evening. Ahhh.....

So another day and another paper issue. We walked around town today while Victor took another lovely trip to Tokmak to get more information for Rodion's medical report. So our plans to see Dasha fell through.

Ukraine's holidays are coming up, May 1st, 2nd and 9th. They decided to make April 30th a holiday so they worked today. The holidays are going to mess with our original plans, but what hasn't?

We are hoping to see both kids over the holidays, but we'll see. Tomorrow's plan is to get Dasha and go walking throughout Berdyansk. That will be nice. I'd really wish we could get Rodion here too.

Hopefully, we'll have a glowing post after spending Sunday with Dasha!!!

Exhausted

Thanks to those of you who posted! Sorry I didn't write last night. We have been running around NON-STOP for the passed two days. It's difficult because Rodion is 1 1/2 hours from Berdyansk.

So, I will first let you in on something we found out earlier in our process. We were told that Rodion was mildly mentally retarded. I didn't want to share that because history has shown that these children are "labeled" for unknown reasons, so I wanted to wait and see for myself what he was like. I'm SO HAPPY to report that he is amazing! There is NOTHING wrong with him (that isn't wrong with 99% of all teenagers in America!!). We were nervous about meeting him....what would we say?! When we arrived they told us he was in the infirmary because he was having an allergic reaction or something. Primo and I along with several "officials" went to where he was. He had no idea we were coming. I admit that it was a case of love at first sight for me. He looks very much like Dasha and shares many of the same mannerisms. We had a very relaxed steady flow of conversation with him. He was glowing. He shared with us that he had heard last summer that Dasha was being adopted by an American family. He has not seen her in seven years and misses her very much. Our facilitator, Victor, asked Primo and me if we wanted to go outside to discuss whether we wanted to adopt him. We said, "No, I think we've already decided!". So Victor asked Rodion if he wanted to be adopted by us and he said, "Yes, very much!!!" As we left he shook Primo's hand and I of course went in for the hug!! :)

Victor spent the next 3-4 hours gathering paperwork at the orphanage. Let me explain something to you about this place. The Molachansk orphanage is in a small village and is surrounded by pasture. Cars are scarcely seen. Most ride old time bikes or walk. It's a step back in time. Primo said that if there were ever a picture of utter despair, that would be it. The orphanage had no running water when we were there. The kids swarmed us like we were celebrities. They ran to us as if it were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Talk about heart breaking. Most had shoes that were barely holding together. They commented that this place was their world. They don't know anything outside the walls of the orphanage and beyond the pastures. They asked how far away America is....is it nice? They fought over the few pieces of gum we had in our pockets. One girl wrote a note to me that said she had no parents and no family. Someone looked over her shoulder and said, "You have a brother and grandmother..."and she replied, "but they don't love me." You can't in your wildest immagination picture what we witnessed there. Horrendous. We literally drove out into a field to get a signature from the doctor.

Okay, so Rodion wrote his letter requesting to be adopted. He has changed his name to Michael David Sabatini (Sorry Sheila, I know you aren't going to like that!).

Today we ran the paper chase all day. It was critical that our documents be completed and sent to Kiev in order to get permission to go to court. Ukraine has holidays next week and government offices will be closed. We finished the papers in Berdyansk around 5pm and took off for Tokmak to get Rodion's paperwork. We checked at the bus station in Berdyansk to see what time the bus would be in Tokmak. We literally out ran the bus in order to get the documents and meet the bus to get them to Kiev. We did it with time to spare!!!

Another exhausting day!!! Tomorrow we get to sleep in!!! Yeah!! There is more paperwork to be done, but not as bad as the last two days....I hope! We should be able to get Dasha tomorrow since she won't have classes. We didn't see either children today.

I'm sure I've forgotten many many things, but hopefully we'll be able to sit down and recount these stories when we get back. For now I'm hoping to get some rest. Oh! If you're wondering, Dasha didn't end up going to see Rodion (Michael) with us because she had to finish her medical report here. I will let you know how their reunion goes when it happens. I'm sure that will be difficult to put into words.

That's all for now....more to come!

This is what we worked so hard for!!

Ok....I have awesome news, but first things first. We traveled by train to Zaphorizhia (?sp) and then took a 3 hour van ride to Berdyansk. I slept about 20 minutes and Primo slept about an hour. Just when we were getting caught up on sleep!!

So here's the adoption news. We stopped in Tokmak on the way through and dropped off our documents to the inspector requesting permission to visit Rodion. We will follow up on that tomorrow. After arriving in Berydansk our facilitator, Victor, started the paperwork race while we checked into our hotel and had some lunch. We met up with him in the afternoon to sign a couple documents and then got permission to see Dasha. We went to the orphanage and met with the director, Galina, and she called for Dasha. She is just as beautiful...no, more beautiful than when I saw her in October. She was asked if she would like to be adopted by us and she said "Yes, of course!!" They asked what she wanted her new name to be and for those of you who know me best, I didn't want her to change her name. She wants to keep Daria and we chose Marie (my middle name)...so she will be Daria Marie Sabatini.

We found out that she has been in the orphanage since August 1997. I asked her if she remembered her brother and she said she just remembers having fun with him. The director offered to let Dasha come with us to see Rodion tomorrow and she was very excited!! It will be so neat to get to see them reunite! You're gonna want to read the next post!!

We will meet our driver tomorrow morning at 8:15 to take care of a couple documents and get Dasha. The trip to see Rodion is a couple of hours. It will be a long day, but it promises to be an exciting day too. Time to get some rest, but I was anxious for you to hear the latest!!

Limbo

After I posted yesterday we went back to the apartment and fell asleep. I woke up when the phone rang. It was an invitation to join another family from Raleigh and Sharon (from Sense) for dinner. We had a nice time visiting and then went to an underground mall. It's really weird because on the surface in Kiev everything is really really old and run down looking, but inside many things have been renovated and are very modern. We got back to the room around 8pm and watched another movie. We went to bed around 11pm and slept all night...yeah!!

We got up this morning and packed. We will catch the train to Berdyansk tonight and will hopefully see Dasha tomorrow!! We met Romy who is from Chesapeake, VA and is in her 10 wait period. She has her adoptive daughter with her because the biological mom was causing problems for them in the region so they felt it best she be removed. The bio-mom is apparently "nuts" and has severely abused this child both physically and emotionally. She's in the other room as I write this. I'm so glad she's been rescued! They are going to travel to Berdyansk with us just for something to do.

We will be leaving here soon to get lunch and maybe just do alittle walking and/or shopping. I love reading your comments so keep them coming. It helps me to feel connected. I will be more than ready to be back on American soil by the end of this!!

Love ya'll!!

The Ball Is Rolling

I'm sure you are anxious to hear what's been going on since I last posted. This is the first time I have access to the internet. Let me get you caught up. We left RDU at 1:50pm on Friday. It was smooth sailing to JFK until the pilot made an announcement that because of air traffic we would need to circle for about 25 minutes. This delay caused us to miss our international flight!! We had questioned the minimal layover time at the time of booking, but were assured that there would be enough time. We went to the Delta reticketing counter and all I kept hearing was "there are no more flights"...."the next flight isn't until 4/22". Overwhelmed with emotion, the tears began to fall from my eyes. After 16 months there is NO WAY we can miss our appointment! After quite some time on the phone the clerk gave us an alternate travel option. She was booking us on a flight to Frankfurt, Germany with a connecting flight to Kiev. We'll take it!! We wondered where our luggage might be, but when we arrived in Kiev it was already there waiting for us. It apparently made the connection that we missed. We were met by Yulia, our project manager, and she took us to our apartment (which is quite nice). Yuri, the office manager for SRC, was waiting for us at the apartment. We took care of some business and the went to the grocery store and out for a pizza.

Yesterday (Sunday) we slept in late (2pm!) and then went walking. We had a nice dinner "at home" and watched two movies before I decided to go to bed. I slept for a couple of hours and then was wide awake! Primo had yet to sleep. So he layed down and slept for a little while and I read a magazine. Then we were both up! It was 4am and we were watching our third movie of the night. Finally I fell asleep and when it was time to get up I didn't want to! It's gonna take awhile to get my body clock straight!

This morning we had our appointment with the psychologist at the SDA. It was quick and very relaxed. Yulia said our appointment was the fastest one of all! I was impressed by how very nice everyone was. We will be issued two referrals which grant permission for us to go to Berdyansk to see Dasha and to Molachansk to meet Rodion. The referrals will be obtained tomorrow and we will take the train to Berdyansk. We were also given good news about Natasha. Most of you know that she is not currently available for adoption and we were hoping that paperwork had been submitted. We were told that she would be available for adoption on January 15, 2008!!!!! This is great news!!! We are very happy about this!

That's all for now! More to come.......

The Last Night At Home

This week has been busy making sure all of our "t"s are crossed and "i"s are dotted. The hardest part is going to be leaving the kids. Nic and I spend all day every day together and it is going to be difficult not seeing him for 3 weeks. While Primo Jr. is obviously older and understands more, I will definitely miss him!!! I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from friends. So many people have reached out to offer their time and money to make this transition as smooth as possible. We are truly blessed.

Suitcases are packed and we leave the house tomorrow morning at 11:00am. We fly from Raleigh-Durham to JFK and then on to Kiev. We only have a very short time in JFK to make our international flight. Please pray that we aren't late getting in. The flight from JFK to Kiev is 9 hours and 40 minutes...yuk! I just hope I can sleep though most of it.

This is an exciting time...come with us and watch it all unfold! Stay tuned....

The First Big Step

One week and counting! Primo flew to NY yesterday to get his mom. They drove back to North Carolina today along with RoseAnn's dog, Charlie. She will be spending the next 5-6 weeks here. Nicholas was a chatter box as he reaquainted himself with grammy. He was anxious to show her all his toys and to have a story read. I think they are going to have a wonderful time together! The next week is going to fly by with last minute details that need to be addressed. It's unbelievable how many things have to be considered when traveling for such a long period of time. Bills will still need to be paid, soccer games to be played, family birthday's to celebrate, Mother's Day on the horizon, end of year preschool programs, medical authorizations for treatment should something happen to one of the boys in our absence....on and on and I'm sure we are forgetting some very key factors. We will be leaving next Friday, April 20th on the trip that will surely change our lives forever! I can hardly wait!! More to come......