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.