The Moment We’ve Been Waiting For

I wish we could share pictures from today, but this will need to wait until our court date. But… here’s what’s happened since we last posted. We arrived in Simferopol about 10pm last night. It’s been a while since I mentioned how wonderful my hubby is, but last night he earned a medal of honor by taking my seat which was in the middle between two other people and allowed me to have the aisle seat in the row ahead with Maia. Thank you, Mark! Olga and Vitaly were waiting for us at the airport and it was wonderful to see them!

Sevastopol is a ninety minute drive from there and so we got in around 11:30pm. We are staying in a hotel which has a very nice soft bed. By the time we got to sleep it was after midnight. We were up at 6:30am this morning and on our way at 8:30.

First stop was the State Dept Office. Olga had to present our paperwork and then we headed for the detsky dom (orphanage) accompanied by one of the state employees. There were several caregivers watching for us when we arrived and they were so excited to see Maia. One of the women cried. We met with Marina (the orphanage director) and Olga translated the official history and medical information for Matthew. As I’ve shared before, Marina knew we were coming for Matthew. When she found out that we had an appointment with the SDA, Matthew was told that his parents were coming to adopt him. He has been asking every day since then if this is the day that we would come.

There was a knock on the door and a caregiver peeked her head in. The door opened and there he was! He looked a little hesitant, but Mark said that as soon as they told him who we were, his face lit up. And all of a sudden, he was in my arms! He snuggled right in and then Maia came up and sat on my lap, too. They checked each other out. Matthew was asked if he remembered Maia and he said “yes.” They shared some cheerios and hung out on my lap for a while. We have a cool picture of the two of them that Mark calls “The Hansen Family Department Head Meeting” – I can’t wait to show it to you. They mostly seemed kind of curious about each other. Matthew did take Maia’s computer from her, but she tolerated it without fuss. Good thing we have one for him at home and will bring it on our second trip. As our visit wrapped up, Matthew went to Mark also for a hug and kiss. We also have a good pic of Mark hold Matthew and Maia and they all look pretty happy!

There really are no words to do justice to the emotions in my heart today. God is so good and faithful. Six months ago, He knew that we would be here today with our son. He saw my heart and answered my prayers!

Anyway… after our visit, we headed back to the State Dept to officially file our request to adopt Matthew. Then off to the notary to get some paperwork started. After that, Olga took us to see an apartment for us to stay in. It had everything we needed, but was up 5 flights of stairs – no elevator. We decided that it just wouldn’t work, hauling groceries and carrying Maia up and down several times/day. Olga said she would find other options for us and until then, we would stay in the hotel. In about 10 days, we will be able to move back to the complex that we were in last time. But, there is no availability until then. Got a late lunch, headed back to the notary to sign the prepared documents, and then went to look at another apartment. It is in the center of town – 3 flights of stairs which is still not great, but a little better. The reason we are not staying here at the hotel is because we need a place with a stove and washing machine. The apartment is more expensive, but we won’t have to eat out. We decided to take it and will move in tomorrow. We will have to come back to the hotel for a few nights before moving to the other apartment because this one is already reserved beginning July 2. It’s tourist season here so places are harder to come by and cost more.

After looking at the apartment, we stopped at the supermarket to pick up a couple of things and came back to the hotel. Had sandwiches for dinner and now, it’s time for bed. Been a long day.

Oh, before I forget. Maia did well at the orphanage. She seemed to remember things, but we’re not real sure. She did want to play on the swings outside as we waited. She didn’t seem stressed or disturbed while we were there. But, we only went to the director’s office. We’ll see what things are like tomorrow when we go back for our first actual visit.

Given how little sleep she had last night and how long the day was for her (much time spent waiting, often in the car), she was a trooper. By around 4:30pm, she was ready to be done and it showed. But, we survived and things should be better now that we have a break from some of the logistical things.

So… now we wait for court. There are several holidays coming up which is going to delay things. Olga is anticipating that our court date will be around July 5-7. I was hoping it would be done before then, but it is what it is.

Thanks for all of your prayers today. Our current prayer requests are as follows:

- Court date as soon as possible

- Positive bonding and visits with Matthew

- Maia’s ability to understand and adjust in the upcoming days/months

We love all of you and miss everyone at home! But, it was a GOOD day!!!

Ok, here’s Mark’s version of the above post “Everything went well.” 