Day 53 - Running Around

Today was our day to start all the official paperwork to begin finalizing things on this side of the world. The judge has granted our adoption, but now we make it official in bureaucratic offices.

First Vital Records Office

 

We started out 9am and went to get the amended birth certificates first. We were very fortunate that both girls were born in this city. We didn't have to travel very far, at all!  One office was almost right around the corner from our apartment! The second office was only about another mile-and-a-half away.  Then we had to go to the Department of Justice to legalize the new birth certificates and then to another office to change/amend the tax identification records.  All this was right here in downtown!

Waiting inside the second Vital Records office

We had a quick 30-minute break for lunch at McDonald's while Tatyana got some other papers together over at the notary office.  Then we stopped at the notary to sign a letter for the passport office.  We were done and back to our apartment by 2:00pm!

This says Notaries in Russian/Cyrillic

I can't tell you what a blessing it was to have such an easy day today.  I have followed other family blogs and heard where they spent hours and hours driving along rough roads and never stopped to eat or take a potty break.  I was expecting a long busy, crazy day and ours was nothing like that.  Maybe this is our reward for toughing it out over the court delays... or spreading things over 3 days... I don't know... but I'll take it!

We'll get the girls early in the morning and head over to the passport office and take them back to the orphanage when we're done.  We'll have to super-bundle them tomorrow since it's going to be really cold.  I'll be digging out a second pair of thermals for myself. We heard that the schools might be closed tomorrow because it will be -20C/-4F for the high temp.  But it doesn't sound like any offices will be closed.

We are learning that you can get a little dehydrated in this super cold, dry weather. And the dry, heated air indoors doesn't help, either. We're feeling some of the effects.  We're used to sweating and drinking lots of water during the summer months at home, but it's hard to think about drinking lots of water when you're bundled up to your nose and your toes are chilly.  So we're trying to remind ourselves to drink plenty of water each day.

We're heading out to have dinner with another adopting family, the Wests, who are here in this city.  It's been nice to meet other families who are sharing similar journeys. It really helps the time to go by easier.

Until tomorrow...
Paka!
C

Day 52 - The Wait Is Over!

So today was the 11th day after our court decision was given!  Yipee!

We went to visit the girls and our facilitator went by the court to pick up our printed courted decree while we were at the orphanage.  So now we have it in writing from the court that the girls are now part of our family!  By getting this document today, we will save 2 hours worth of running and waiting time tomorrow. 

Tomorrow we will begin the next phase of paperwork to get the birth certificates, adoption certificates, and a whole host of other papers to finalize things.  Wednesday we'll take the girls to the passport office to file the passport applications.  It will be busy the next two days.

We're not sure exactly which day we will have our "Gotcha Day."   We joked about singing "I've Got You Babe!" and having it on February 2nd, Groundhog Day, since the daily morning routine began to feel a little like the movie "Groundhog Day."  But in the interest of keeping the girls healthy for the visa medical exams and the trip home, it was recommended that we wait until we are ready to leave for the capital city and the US Embassy appointment.  Also, the weather forecast shows high temperatures in the single digits for the rest of this week.  Very cold!  As much as we want to scoop them up and get them out of there as soon as we can, it seems to be prudent to keep them at the orphanage for a couple of extra days.

We'll let you know as soon as we know something specific.

Now it's off to get a good night sleep and be ready to hit the ground running in the morning!

Nighty, night!
C

Days 51 & 52 - More Fond Farewells

Saturday, January 28th

Today it was very cold outside and we chose to spend the majority of our day hanging out inside. When we awoke, the weather widget said it was -16C/3F outside with a windchill of -24C/-12F.  Too cold for this thin-blooded Texan gal! :)

We finally did venture out only to get some groceries and to return to our apartment. We only have to walk about 3 blocks to the little market, but that was plenty.



Sunday, January 29th

Our last "waiting day"!

As we usually do on Sundays, we readied ourselves and headed to church at Calvary Chapel.  This morning was a little bittersweet as we headed out knowing that this will be our final Sunday morning among these new friends of ours.  We both can honestly say that having a church family, or two, here in this city made a huge difference in the adjustment to staying here for so long.  If we had come here and not been able to have wonderful, personal Christian fellowship for these 8+ weeks, we would probably be a grumpy mess. But, alas, we are not!  All is well!

We will also miss those folks we came to know at K Christian Center as well. Brenda and Willard took us under their wings and connected us with some fantastic people who are serving the orphans and children right here in their communities.  We will miss each of them as well.

I just love how the family of Christ can have such an amazing connection across the miles and across culture.  God adopted each of us, first, into his Kingdom family through Jesus.  Then He brings our hearts together with other believers as we worship Him and serve to those in need.  Sometimes you find friends in places you never expected, simply because you share the same Spirit of God in you.  What an amazing God we serve!

Diana and Nate with Lee and Carrie

Vika and Pastor Victor, Vieta and Nika with Lee and Carrie

After church we shared lunch with Nate & Diana, Max, and Nathan & Amber.  Good food, good friends, and good times!  Max, who is 15yrs old, had a great time trying to teach Lee how to pronounce the Cyrillic letters and was coaching him to read Russian phonetically.  I think Lee's Texas/American accent was causing him some trouble and was giving Max a good chuckle!

Lee and Max (the new Russian tutor)

Tomorrow morning we will stop by the court building to get the official court decree for our adoptions.  Then we will head to the orphanage for our last "official" visit. Unfortunately, we cannot start the rest of the paperwork until Tuesday morning.  So the plan is to start early on Tuesday to run around and complete as much as we can in one full day.  As far as we know, we don't have to travel to any other cities or towns so it should not be too hard to accomplish. If all goes well, we'll be able to sign them out of the orphanage on Wednesday.

We will still have to wait a few days for their passports to be made before we can complete their US immigration visas. After that, we'll head home!  For those who are wondering, the best we can estimate right now is that we will be in Austin sometime around February 9th.

So now we go to bed to complete this last "waiting" day!!! Slava Bogu! (Praise God!)

Day 50 - A Couple of Goodbyes

Friday, January 27th

We arrived at the orphanage again this morning. Papa and Little A were already visiting in the little entry way. It's been so good to see them together!  We asked if we could take their picture together and Papa said that we could.  We promised to have the pictures printed and to bring them with us on Monday.  We learned that Papa was leaving on a train this weekend and wouldn't be there, but we said we would leave the pictures with the nannies to give him when he returned.

So here they are!  Can't you see what a proud Papa he is?!

Papa and Little A

Lindsay was in a much better mood throughout our visit.  She still seemed hungry and was looking for the banana, but we were able to play for a while before she insisted on the snack. When it was lunch time, Lee had taken Lindsay back to the groupa room.  And Lindsay was OK with it as long as Lee stayed in the room. When he kissed her head and turned to leave, she turned and started grabbing for him. She didn't want him to leave.  This is a big deal since she is always VERY interested in lunch and would be completely happy to sit at the table and wave "bye" as she's waiting for the food to be served.

Lindsay - who doesn't slow down for pictures

So he left the room and I walked Shawna into the room, next.  Luda and I got her to sit in a chair at the little table as the other nannies readied the lunch bowls. Lindsay was still refusing to sit at the table, even though she was hungry. I tried to get her to sit in the chair, but then she turned and grabbed my shirt and pulled me to her. She didn't want me to go, either.

It was hard to leave and she obviously didn't want us to go.  Luda told us that she knows we are Mama and Papa and she doesn't want us to leave.  Soon enough, little lady, we'll all leave there together!  It's actually a bit of a good sign that she has begun to show some preference for us and a want for us to stay with her.  There is still a long, long way to go, but it's nice to see these small beginnings of an attachment starting to form.

Poor Shawna has the reddest little cheeks this week.  They've been dry and pink most for the last few weeks, but more so this week as the weather is much colder and drier.  Ive been putting some lotion on them, but I can't wait to get home and use the good stuff on those little cheeks. My two favorite treatments are Aveeno and Eucerin branded lotions.

Today was our last day to ride with Kirill.  He has recently applied for a job as a software tester and he starts this new job on Monday. He's really excited about it!  So we said our farewells this afternoon as he brought us back to our apartment. He's really a nice guy and his English is pretty good.  We'll definitely miss him as one of our new-found friends.

But the timing couldn't have been better.  Isn't God good that way?  Next week we will do all the paperwork to finalize the adoption, get passports and such.  We'll have to spend this time with our facilitator running around town getting it all done. And then we'll get the girls out on Wednesday.  So we'll be done with the daily drives to the orphanage anyway!  God's timing is perfect!  Kirill finished one job just in time to start another!

We went this evening and had the photos printed for Papa and I can hardly wait for him to see them!  I just wish I could see his face... but it's likely that today was our last day to see him. Oh, how I will pray for him and Little A, and the rest of their family.

Just two more "waiting days"!

Paka, paka!
C

A Few More Pictures

Here are a few more pictures that I didn't get to insert into earlier posts.

There is a gas station that we pass everyday on our way to the orphanage. It's called AeroMarket and the station looks like an airplane! The nose of the plane is where the attendants are and the rear of the plane is a little storage area, I think. Then there is a little supermarket store behind it. This is so unusual, but fun!

We'd been wanting to get a picture of this place, so Lee took the opportunity when we had to make a pit stop for gas.

Side view...

Front view...

Our driver, Kirill. A great guy!

Here is a picture of the "Little Pink House" in the snow.

This was taken from our apartment window on Monday when it was snowing heavily outside.

Monday, Jan 23rd - A view from our apartment window

Here is a picture from the guys who were practicing American football inside the gym. Usually we see guys playing indoor soccer, but this was a first to see football (with shoulder pads and helmets) in here. And yes, they were tackling on this hardwood gym floor. Ouch!

American football practice

And this is one of our favorite little restaurants that serves traditional Ukrainian foods. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is nice.

Ouside - No smoking in the right hut, smoking in the left hut.

Inside decor.

This place has the best borshcht soup! And the service was outstanding!

Just counting down the days to "Gotcha Day"...

Day 48 - Winter is officially here!

Thursday, January 25th

It was sunny and beautiful again today. Thank heaven!  I love living in Texas because I love the sunshine.  It's still nippy outside, and our driver told us that it got down to about -15C/5F last night.  When we headed out this morning, it was already up to -10C/14F.  Brrrr!  That was about the high temperature for today.

We are now down to 3 "waiting" days!  Oh, it's now beginning to pass quickly. We are trying to squeeze in our last bit of shopping and visits with friends before we leave.

In the car, on the way!

Our visit today started off well.  Lindsay saw Lee peeking through the door when we arrived and she began smiling really big and laughing!  Shawna greeted us with her giggles.  Lindsay seemed very hungry this morning as she immediately began rummaging through the toy bag looking for the banana halves.  I don't know if it's the colder weather that might be making her hungrier than usual. We went ahead and let them have their snack right away.

It wasn't long before Papa came in again to visit Little A!  It's been nice to share our little visiting room with them this week. I hope we can get a picture of them, but we'll have to ask permission, first.

"Jumping" with a little help :)

She really likes this rattle.

Lindsay did well for a while until she spotted the little bag of crackers I had on my purse.  Boy did she have lock-on!  She wasn't going to rest until she had that cracker.  It is sad that she seems so hungry or obsessed about food.  We gave her the cracker a bite at a time so she wouldn't try to eat it all in one bite.  She settled down and played for a while, until the nannies left with the dishes to get lunch from the kitchen.  Then she was almost inconsolable.  Poor girl...

She also seemed to be overstimulated and refused to be held or consoled.  Being unable to let her just sit on the floor and to give her some space, makes it hard. I think she was just tired of being held. She was tired of  us picking her up off the bare floor.  She was hungry.  She'd had enough.  I can certainly understand!  But when the nannies tried to take her back to the room so she could regroup, she cried even harder.  I think she knew it wasn't quite time for us to go, either.

I'm looking forward to the day next week that we can let her get down, move around, spread her wings and explore.  We can play and have room to move around freely.

Daddy playing a computer game.

Since it was about 7F tonight, Lee decided to try the "throw the hot water outside and watch it freeze in mid-air" experiment. It mostly worked. I think a little bit may have hit the ground, but not much!

Off to stay warm!
Paka, paka!

Day 47 - A Sunny, Cold Day

Wednesday, January 25th

Our days sometimes seem rather repetitive and routine. But we know that routine will change soon enough!  Only 4 more "waiting days" before the paper chase begins again.

We awoke to a fantastically beautiful sunny day!  This was the first sunny day we've had in some time, so we were happy to have it. There is still snow everywhere, but most of the roads are clear. There wasn't as much traffic out and our driver said that probably most cars wouldn't start today because of the cold.  Even his car had trouble starting, but he managed to get it going!

Our visit with Shawna and Lindsay was a good one again today.  Our new friend, Papa, came to see his son again this morning.  It really warms my heart to see him and his son together.  He was trying to get Little A (his son) to say "Mama."  He would look at his dad and smile that sweet, sparkly smile and then he would make a little attempt to say it.  Oh, it was sweet!

It was really hard not to laugh when Little A manages to take off his shoe. Papa would go to put it back on and Little A would bust out laughing and pull his foot back.  I don't know if Papa was accidentally tickling is foot, or if Little A was making a game of it.  Maybe a little of both.... but, OH, was it ever hard not to bust out laughing myself.  Papa was trying to be firm with him to let him put the shoe back on, but that little sparkly smile was hard to resist!  I really had to hold back and not look so that I didn't "encourage" the game, and so Papa could get that shoe back on him.  Too funny!

After we left, we headed back to town and our driver helped us get some souvenir items to take home with us.  There were three beautiful buildings right around the square.

Church at the Park

Main Orthodox Church for this City/Region

Monsatery in Downtown

Then we spent the evening having a nice dinner out with some friends before we leave town later next week.