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