As promised...

Ok, for those of you who are getting ornery (Linda - lol), here is the long awaited status report.

The holidays here in Ukraine have delayed things a little more than we anticipated. Our plan was to come home after court during the 10 day waiting period. I was going back to work for a couple of weeks and Mark would take Maia to Canada. She was going to stay with Nana and Papa while we came back to get Matthew. It made sense for a couple of reasons. First, I really needed to be at work. My peers have been very gracious in covering for me - especially since I have not even been back for six months following Maia's adoption. One of my co-workers is on leave with health concerns and so staffing is tight. So, it is important to me to be respectful of my employer.
Second, traveling with a toddler is stressful. Because Maia is still developing that attachment and bonding with us, we didn't feel comfortable leaving her for five weeks. But, she loves her Nana and Papa. So, Mark and I felt that the best option would be for Maia to spend the time during our second trip with them. We would only have one child to travel with each trip.
However, things don't always work out the way we planned. As I mentioned above, Ukraine holidays have affected some of the adoption process. We are scheduled for court on July 7. The earliest that we could fly home would be July 9 (assuming we could even get plane tickets). We would have less than a week at home before flying back to Ukraine on July 16. Airfare is running about $2,000/person right now and I wouldn't make anywhere near that in the four days that I would be at home working. Plus, the exhaustion of so much travel in such a short time.
We considered so many different options... both of us going home and coming back, both of us going home and only one of us coming back, one of us going home with Maia and coming back while the other stayed here, one of us going home with Maia and not coming back while the other stayed to bring Matthew home. There were pros and cons with each. After much consideration and prayer, we decided that we would stay here together as a family and come home as family (with our new addition). I am not looking forward to traveling with two toddlers, but we will survive. As always, God's plan is perfect and He has a reason that things are working out this way instead of the way that we planned. I DO think it will be good for Maia that Matthew comes home with all of us together instead of us leaving her and then showing up with him a few weeks later. And it would have been very hard for me to leave him at the orphanage, knowing that he may not have understood that we were coming back.
So, that's where things are at. We will have court on July 7. On July 18, the court decree will come into effect and we will begin the paper chase to apply for/obtain Matthew's new birth certificate and passport. We anticipate that our Gotcha Day will be on July 20 and then we will head for Kyiv to complete the medical exam/Embassy visit to get Matthew's visa so that we can head home somewhere around July 23-25.
I'll share more about our little guy in the next day or two. After court on Thursday, you will get to see pics of him!!
I'm hoping tomorrow will be a nice day and maybe we can do a little exploring.
Oh, and just a "funny" side note... the books that I left here in the apartment on our last trip were on the shelf waiting for me. It's kind of nice because I didn't bring much reading material this time. Yep... God knew that we would be back here!

A couple of pics and Happy 4th of July!

This is the office of the State Department in Sevastopol, where we met with the administrator last week.

Daddy posing for Matthew, he loves taking pictures!

Dinner with new friends, the Allens (on the left), the Mickschls (center), and us on the right

Maia hiding in one of the little cubbies in our room at the hotel.

Today, our nation's celebration of Independence takes on a special meaning for me. Wish we were at home honoring the day, but soon, our son will know a new kind of freedom and I can't wait for him to experience that!

No... I have not forgotten my promise to update you on where things are at with the "process." I'll be posting it soon!

Another move and settled in

We had a nice time last night with the Mickschls and Allens. We had arranged to meet for ice cream, but all of us had the same idea and arrived at McD's earlier than planned to have dinner first. So, we had dinner together and after visiting a while, continued our time together at the Mickschls apartment (right above McDs).  It was a blessing to be able to spend time with others who are sharing a similar journey. This is the second adoption trip to Ukraine in less than a year for each of our families. Our evening ended with prayer and hugs for everyone. I didn't get the chance to say this last night, but thanks to Morgan for keeping Maia entertained!
I think I mentioned that the Mickschls had planned to move into the apartment we stayed in last time when the Allens headed back to Kyiv today. And we were scheduled to move into an apartment in the same quad on Tuesday. The Mickschls called this morning saying that they were very happy in their current location and asking if we would like our "old" apartment. Mark and I talked it over and decided to accept their offer. So, we packed up our things and checked out of the motel. Alex brought us to Sergei and Ludmila's place and we are now settled in. I've got things unpacked and it feels good to know that we will be in one place until we leave for Kyiv. We walked to the street market a few blocks away and I made spaghetti for dinner when we came back.
Maia is sleeping now. She's had a difficult couple of days, today more so. She got to bed late last night and was up way too early this morning. I'm sure the novelty of this traveling has worn off. Today was quite warm and she doesn't seem to do well in the heat, either.
When I blogged yesterday, I know I said I was going to update you on Matthew's adoption status and I'm sorry... I'm going to keep you in suspense one more day. It's getting late and I'm pretty tired. We will visit the orphanage in the morning and I will blog tomorrow afternoon with a progress report.
For today, a couple of prayer requests
- Pray for the Allens. They will arrive in Kyiv Monday morning and begin the Embassy/medical exam process to obtain Anastasia's visa. They hope to be heading home Thursday.
- Pray that Maia will feel more settled and secure now that we are not moving around so much. And that God will continue to prepare her for yet another life changing event when we bring Matthew home with us.
- Pray for bonding and attachment with Matthew. That God is preparing him to be part of our family and readying him for the journey that lies ahead.
- Pray for peace and comfort for Mark and I. There are times when things seem overwhelming. We miss home and long to be there with both of our kiddos.

Moved and back on-line

It's Saturday at 3pm here. We visited Matthew this morning. He was not as sad as yesterday, although we got to see a little bit of a stubborn streak. Before Maia gets a treat, she has to drink some water or milk. In being fair, we demonstrated to Matthew that he needed to do the same. He stuck his lower lip out (yes, mom - probably similar to the way I used to act when I was younger) and refused. Eventually, he realized that we weren't giving in and decided he could drink some water. We didn't see any excessive temper or anything like that which is positive. We saw the Mickschls for a few minutes - their daughter Mackenzie is absolutely precious! Their older daughter Morgan who accompanied them on the trip is beautiful as well!
Came back to the apartment and finished packing things up. We had planned on walking down to McD's for lunch and to see the Mickschls apartment before Vitaly picked us up at 1:30pm. Our landlady arrived at 12:15pm and demanded requested that we move out immediately. So, we brought our luggage downstairs and waited for Vitaly.
We're back at the hotel we stayed in for the first two nights. We've moved to a different suite where we have the main room and a small bedroom for Maia. It is a very nice place - about 600uah/night or $75/night which is more expensive than we had planned, but we are comfortable. No microwave or stove, but there is a refrigerator and we will be fine until we move to our apartment. That is planned for Tuesday.
Tonight, we are going to meet the Mickschls and Allens at McD's for a treat. The Allens will leave for Kyiv with their daughter Anastasia tomorrow evening. If you would include them in your prayers as they complete the final leg of their journey, we would appreciate it and I know they would, too.
Tomorrow, we plan on a lazy day. We won't visit the orphanage so that the drivers can have a day off. I think there is a small playgrouind next to the hotel so Maia and I may check that out. Perhaps I can catch up on emails and the blogs I follow. I don't have quite as much time as last trip since a certain three year old is keeping me more busy - lol!
I'll blog either later today or tomorrow about where things are at with the adoption process. Our schedule and plans have changed from what we anticipated when we left home. But, God is in control and walking with us each step of the way.

Daily news

Thursday, we were able to visit Matthew in the morning. It’s nice to do that and have the rest of the day to relax. Last night, we met the Allens and the Mickschls for dinner at a nearby café. It was a short walk and the weather was perfect. We ate at this café on our last trip and they had a meat soup with lemon that was wonderful. That was what I had. Mark had a pork chop which he said was very good and Maia had a plain omelette (read, egg only) and some French fries. She also had some dark bread which Mark Mickschl was kind enough to share.


We lost our internet this morning (not quite sure why) so I am typing this up in anticipation of heading to Mickey D’s later for their wi-fi and perhaps some ice cream. The washing machine part arrived, but the repairman wasn’t able to fix it (again… not sure why) so the landlady took our laundry home to wash. Very nice of her considering that we have to leave this apartment tomorrow. It is reserved for someone else. We knew that when we moved in, but our options were this for short term or staying at the hotel. It’s been nice to have the kitchen here.

Maia and I walked to the nearby park before lunch. There are kiddie rides, toys, and refreshments to purchase. We just went to the free play area where Maia was very happy on the swing and jungle gym. On our way back to the apartment, we stopped at a bakery we had noticed the other day. I picked up a few cookies that looked like giant meringues. We had them for dessert after tacos. They were even better than meringue cookies. They were like that on the outside, but the inside was like angel food cake. One was coconut and the other was a maple nut flavor – oh, my goodness – I think they are my new favorite food here!

Visited the orphanage this afternoon. As soon as Maia saw Matthew, she said “There he is” in that very happy way of hers. It was so sweet! Our boy wasn’t having a good day today. He was sitting on a bench looking very sad when we arrived. One of the caregivers was talking with him, not sure if he was in trouble or what. But, he was pretty subdued. We brought bubbles for the kids. Matthew spilled most of his and was upset when we wouldn’t let him have Maia’s. Matthew likes to dig around in the bag that I bring with and we have started putting it where he can’t reach it. Today, he was trying to get at it and kept repeating something over and over – wish we knew what he was trying to say. He just wasn’t his usual happy, exuberant self. When our visit was over, we took Matthew back to his groupa and he went without saying good-bye. I walked up to where he was and picked him up and just held him close, told him that I love him in Russian and kissed him. He smiled a sad, little smile and oh, those sad eyes. Mark kissed him good-bye and I held him for a while longer, trying to tell him that we would be back tomorrow. My heart was so heavy and the tears were flowing as we left. Would you pray that God would just begin the healing process in that precious heart?

Tomorrow, we will visit Matthew again in the morning. We have to be back at the apartment at noon. Our landlady will be bringing our laundry back and we will move back to the hotel for a few days. Early next week, we will move to the complex where we stayed for Maia’s adoption. The Mickschls will be staying in the apartment we had last time and we will stay across the courtyard from them. The frequent moving isn’t so much fun, but this is peak tourist season here so availability is limited and we are thankful that we have had nice places to stay.

I better stop and get dinner ready. More soon!

Thursday June 30

We went to see Matthew this morning at 10am. It was a good visit. Maia told Matthew no when Melanie was getting a snack ready. she said no and pushed his arm away. Matthew loves to climb on their version of a jungle gym.
Tonight we will meet with two other familys who are here from the US. to have a nice dinner.We should have some pictures of that in the next few days.

Appointment update and a little reality

We had a lazy morning again. Got ready for our state department appointment after lunch. Vitaly picked us up and we headed to the office. We met up with Olga and the Mickschls there. We haven't seen them since Kyiv so it was nice to visit for a little while before our meeting. I looked back at our blog to see what I wrote about this appointment last time. I had commented about it being a very somber and serious meeting, lasting about 45 minutes. I remember feeling closely scrutinized about our motives for adopting Maia.
While I wasn't nervous about today, I was anticipating a similar experience. The meeting was held in the office of the administrator of the state department. There was another state department employee there as well as Angelina (the orphanage director), Olga, Mark and me (and Maia, of course). At the last meeting, there was also a social worker present. She was not there today - she's on maternity leave after adopting a beautiful little girl from M&M's orphanage - we did see her on our first day here. Anyway... Marina presented the information about Matthew to the administrator. She then spoke on our behalf and told how we had adopted Maia six months ago, speaking about how much progress she has made in the time since she has been home with us. The administrator asked if we were fully informed about Matthew's medical diagnosis. He asked why we specifically wanted to adopt Matthew, if we owned our own home, and if Mark was unemployed. When we explained that this was a intentional choice so that he could be home with Maia and now Matthew until they started school while I work, the administrator seemed satisfied with that. I think Olga is quite persuasive in her discusions about where I work and the importance of that in caring for the kids. Olga was translating for us and she started to say, "It is our regret...." Mark and I both just froze. We didn't look at each other, but were prepared for the worst. I was trying to read Olga's face and it was without expression. She continued saying "that no one in our country will adopt [Matthew] so we will support your adoption." Whew! That was a nervewracking moment. We asked her to give the administrator our thanks and explained that we would have been very happy if a family in Ukraine had adopted him because that was what is most important to us. But, we are grateful for the opportunity to be his family. Whole appointment lasted about 15 minutes.
Visited the orphanage later in the day. Matthew came running to us, I was closest so I got the first hug but then it was all about "papa." Mark is teaching him "daddy" and within just a few times, Matthew was repeating it back. He is so much different than Maia. He's really quite loud and tries so hard to communicate with us, we can see it is frustrating to him when he can't get his point across. We can see that there is a long road ahead teaching him about appropriate social behavior. I suppose some of it is just personality difference given that they were in the same groupa. He was so sad when we left this afternoon. It is hard to see that. He must wonder why Maia gets to go with us and he doesn't.
Olga put our paperwork (along with the Mickschl's paperwork) on the night train to Kyiv. This is our approval from the state department to adopt. It will go the SDA for processing and gives us permission to go to court. At this point, we still don't know when our court date will be.
Tomorrow, we will go the orphanage in the morning. The washing machine repairman is coming in the afternoon which will be good because I need to do some laundry. Tomorrow night, we are planning to have dinner with the Mickschls and the Allans. Olga, Vitaly, and Alex will accompany us. The Allans' court decree comes into effect on Friday so they will be able to pick up their daughter Friday evening if all the paperwork is completed. They will head back to Kyiv for the Embassy appts.
Today, I am reminded that I am sooo imperfect. This is an emotional journey. I have to look to God for strength and direction instead of just shutting down and becoming upset. I am very thankful that my sweet hubby tolerates some of my less than admirable moments.

Prayer requests for today include:
- Maia. I can tell she's feeling a little punky today. Nothing specific, no fever, cough. Perhaps just overly tired, but please pray that she will stay healthy and feel better tomorrow.
- Ongoing prayer request for the earliest possible court date.
- Strength for Mark and me in the journey that lies ahead. There are moments when it does seem a bit overwhelming. We had the same feelings last time and it does not change our desire to bring Matthew home. But, we know that it will not be an easy road.
- Continued bonding/attachment with our newly formed family.