Ready to be on our way!

It's 7pm here. The kids are both asleep (amazingly!). We had taken them out for lunch at the food court in the underground mall, had gelatto which was wonderful, and then went for a long walk. So, they were tired out. But obviously they knew something was different because there were lots of hysterics - especially from Maia tonight. I've got a little bit of packing yet to finish up, but hope to be in bed soon. Igor will be picking us up to take us to the airport at 3:30am so it will be a short night!!
Please pray for safe and peaceful travels for us (and the kids especially) tomorrow. We have a 5 hour layover in Amsterdam and we are hoping to catch an earlier flight. If you would pray that this would be possible, we would be very grateful!
We'll let you know when we are home.

Really???

Oh, I have to leave you with one funny! Check out the sign that is right inside the door of our apartment.

Thankful Thursday - day 2 in Kyiv

It was a good day! Matthew is feeling better - no vomiting which Mark was very thankful for. Yesterday, he had lifted Matthew up and was holding him above him when one of the incidents occurred. Yep - right down his front. There have been a couple times where he (Matthew) looked a little queasy, but short-lived. He's still not eating well at all. But, he continues to drink plenty of fluids so that is what's important.

We had a very lazy morning. Igor picked us up at 1pm for our Embassy appointment. We had our brief interview at 2pm. It was much less intense this time. Lasted just a few minutes, then we waited another 10 minutes and heard the words "Congratulations on a successful adoption!" as Matthew's passport with VISA were returned to us. YAY!!

We met the Mickschls there and afterwards, went out for a celebration lunch at Friday's with Igor, Olga, and Vlad. Again, another bittersweet moment. We said our good-byes to Hansina, Morgan, and Makenzie - they will be leaving early tomorrow morning. Please pray for their safe travels home to California. It was such a blessing to share this journey with them! We may/may not see Olga again on Saturday morning so we also said our good-byes to her. She has been wonderful throughout this process and deserves so much thanks for helping us to adopt the two precious treasures who are sound asleep as I type.

Well... here they aren't so sound asleep. Can you see the foot sticking out from under the covers? 

It's hard to believe that I may not see all of these wonderful friends again here on earth. But, our hearts are connected in a unique and eternal way. This is outside the registry office where we got the kid's birth certificates. Alex is on the left, Hansina, and Vitaly is on Mark's right.

My thankful Thursday list could go on and on today, but it is late and I'm ready to get some sleep. So, I will leave it at that.

Matthew

I told Melanie I wanted to do a short blog.

Matthew is doing better

Mark

Back in Kyiv and Matthew's having a tough time

We left Sevastopol at 3:45am this morning, it was a SHORT night! Vitaly drove us to Simferopol for our flight back to Kyiv. Alex drove Hansina, Morgan, and Mackenzie - as well as Olga. Leaving Sevastopol was very sad for me. I wasn't expecting that and I don't remember feeling that way on our last trip. But, this time my heart knows that I won't be coming back again. Sevastopol is my children's birthplace and when we arrived last month, I felt like a part of me was home. Don't get me wrong - I am much too spoiled to live here, but the time that we have spent in Sevastopol has been precious! The tears came again at the airport saying good-bye to Vitaly (I think he even shed a few) - he has been a good friend as well as driver for us.

We had a short flight to Kyiv - just over an hour. After arriving, we immediately headed to the Embassy to begin our paperwork to obtain Matthew's VISA. Following that, we went to the immigrant clinic for Matthew's medical exam. Then, Igor brought us to our apartment. The afternoon was spent trying to keep cool and get some water and a few groceries. We're all pretty wiped out from the long day.

Which brings me to Matthew. He is having a difficult time. Vomited twice, once at his medical exam and then, just as we arrived at the apartment. Poor Mark got the worst of that one. Pretty sure it is anxiety and fear. He would not eat any lunch.  Matthew is very sad at times and also is definitely testing boundaries. His transition may be more difficult than Maia's was. I think one thing that makes it harder for him is that he is quite verbal. So, it is very frustrating for him when he talks to us and we have no clue what he is saying... well, except for peeska (pee). But, he is already saying a few English words and I'm sure he will pick things up quickly. Maia wasn't verbal when we brought her home so she may have experienced less frustration.

In any case, would you please pray for our sweet boy? Pray that the vomiting is truly just nerves and nothing else. Pray that God will give Matthew peace and reassurance that he is safe and treasured in his forever family.

Yes... I know I have not shared about Gotcha Day and I will do that either tomorrow or Friday. But, I just wanted to give you a quick update and now I'm headed for bed.

Gotcha Day!!

I'm backdating this post so it actually ends up in the right order of things here on the blog. We started Tuesday off and running again. Back to Balaclava to pick up the birth certificates. It only took a few minutes, but was a sweet moment to hold that certificate listing our names as parents of Matthew Dmitriy Hansen!!

Then, to the notary to sign paperwork for the passport application and to the bank to drop off more paperwork. We had a little bit of a break so were able to go back to the apartment for lunch. Back to the bank in the afternoon to close the bank account. Morgan was such a blessing for us during all of this running. She generously came to our apartment and stayed with Maia! It would have been a long day for our girl spent in the hot car so we can't thank her enough for this gift!


We stopped to pick up the girls and then headed to the orphanage for the BIG moment! Matthew was waiting in his groupa for us. I helped him dress in his new clothes and then began our good-byes. 

Handsome boy - he LOVES his shades!

 

I could just see how much this caregiver loves our little boy and how bittersweet it was for her to see him leave. We shared tears together and I hope that she knows how treasured he will be in our family.

We said good-bye and thank you to Angelina, the orphanage director and Matthew walked out the door - an orphan no more!!!

Went to pick up his passport and then back to the apartment for our first night as a family of four. Things were kind of hectic, but Maia thought it was pretty neat to have Matthew with us. Mark gave him a bath, we had a quick dinner, put the kids to bed, finished packing for our early morning, and headed for bed ourselves.
God's hand was evident throughout the day as we encountered computer issues and other potential delays. But, He favored us by getting everything accomplished that was necessary for us to finish in Sevastopol on schedule! He is so good!

WE GOT HIM

We picked him up @ 4pm. It is 10pm now & we have a car coming @ 4am. We will blog more in a day or two

mark