Reflections on the Trip to Ukraine

Since we've been home for a little over 2 months, we've had some time to reflect upon things. First, a few things to help those of you traveling to Ukraine to adopt:

1) Bring more DVDs than you think you can possibly watch. There's nothing to do, it's cold outside (except in the summer), and you have to walk everywhere you go. We took over 30 DVDs, 4 kid's DVDs (Finding Nemo, 101 Dalmatians, Dumbo, and 1 other), a season of All in the Family, a season of 24, and 8 Andy Griffith episodes. We could have used more! It would have been very nice to have some more short episodes while we were waiting to go somewhere, in the middle of the day, or while eating.

2) Bring black tennis shoes! I brought white, and that was bad for 2 reasons. First, your shoes get very, very dirty. Second, you stand out like an American! I had black tennis shoes and had planned to bring them, but it got lost in the rush to pack.

3) Bring "nice" sweat suits. No one wears the comfy sweat suits that you see over here (think gray sweats with cuffs and a drawstring waist). The track pants or nylon sweat suits will work. In fact, I bought one while there. The regular sweats do make good pajamas, though!

4) Bring a pair of jeans. I didn't, and John did. I wished I had brought a pair!

5) Bring plenty of prescription medicine. We both ran out, although I rationed the last week and a half so I was OK. Of course, John was there for 3 weeks after me!

6) Bring some safety pins and a sewing kit. I don't sew, so I didn't think I needed to bring this. However, we bought John a suit, and there were no safety pins to purchase anywhere. We finally found some in the apartment.

7) Bring some puzzle and crossword books. I brought plenty to read but no puzzle books. Again, you have so much down time, it's good to have something to do.

8) Bring more cash than you think you'll need. Our agency gave us a range, and we picked the number right in the middle. I wished we had brought the higher end. John came home with $20!! But he did have a credit card, and I could have wired him money.

9) Bring gifts for the people you encounter. Although I went to buy gifts at midnight the night before we left, Wal-Mart closed because of a power outage, and I didn't have anything to give. We're sending some gifts back next week, but it would have been nice to have while we were there.

John keeps insisting that it was so hard to do, and he'll never go back to Ukraine again. I agree it was hard, but having Jason was harder for me! I told John that maybe it's like pregnancy, and you forget all the pain, hardship, and money. But I agree - this was a one-time deal, and we won't be going back.

We're a Family!

February 3, 2006

It's been awhile since I posted, but it's been quite a busy time! Christmas was lots of fun. The big change is that we're calling him Andrew now instead of Victor. He's adjusted and refers to himself as Andrew as well. He will still answer to Victor, but he thinks he's Andrew now, and we like it, too!

Andrew got into the swing of opening Christmas presents with no problem. Unlike most kids, he was eager to put his toys in his room immediately after he got them!

Andrew is going to Miss Suzann's every day now, and he's having a great time. We're working on several things, including:
1) Re-adopting in the state of Georgia
2) Getting all of his vaccinations
3) Treating him for various diseases
4) Getting ESL tutoring and speech therapy

To re-adopt in state of Georgia, we needed lots of documents, but we had almost all of them. We needed a copy of his passport, and we sent that to the Ukrainian Embassy to get him registered. You must register your child within 30 days of returning home, and we sent them the registration on December 24. We just received the passport back yesterday and faxed the lawyer the copies needed to complete the petition to adopt. We're going to meet with the paralegal the week of February 20 to finalize the petition. Hope we get a date soon!

We don't know if Andrew is going to be 5 or 6 years old. We'd like to adjust his age by 1 year so that he's the same age as his classmates. Apparently, it's not always allowed in Georgia, so we'll have to see what happens. Since we don't know what age he's going to be, we weren't able to sign him up for baseball this spring. Hopefully, we'll have everything worked out for the fall season.

We spoke with Cherokee County School District, and they're going to help us with Andrew's speech delay. He has difficulty pronouncing c, g, tr, and other sounds, both in Russian and in English. Before we can get an assessment, however, we have to get ear and eye exams.

About the doctor... Andrew is being treated for exposure to TB. He doesn't have TB but was exposed at some point. So he's taking an antibiotic for 9 MONTHS! John and I also had to be tested since we were in Ukraine for several weeks, but (thank goodness!) neither of us was exposed.

Andrew also has giardia (common parasite in orphanages) and is taking medicine for that. He has several other parasites, but none of those need treatment and will go away on their own. He's scheduled for his vaccinations and eye and ear exams at the end of February. We know that he failed the basic ear exam in 1 ear at his pediatrician's office. She said he had a lot of fluid build-up and needed to see an ENT. As soon as we complete all of those doctor visits, we'll get a speech therapy assessment and go from there.

I'm also working to get an ESOL tutor to help him with English. He's picked up quite a bit, but I'm hoping to get him up to speed even faster. We think it will help avoid frustration. He's SO much better than he was at first, however. He rarely has a pouting fit and is listening pretty good (for a 6 year old!). He's sleeping and eating well, and he and Jason are playing (reasonably) well. We've only had 1 bloody nose, a few pinches, 1 bite, and a kick or 2. Apparently, the fighting rules at the orphanage included anything that worked, but we've taught him not to bite, kick, or pinch. Besides that, Jason is a good bit bigger and a lot more solid than Andrew, so he takes care of himself!

I'm posting a picture of us as a family right around Christmas.

Settling into a Routine

Monday, 12/12/05-Sunday, 12/18/05

Jason went back to school today. Victor is riding with Amy to drop off Jason, and then he goes directly to Suzann’s. Victor wanted to get out of the car by himself just like Jason, so Amy lets him do that. However, on Monday, Victor didn’t want to get out. He was fine and talking until we pulled into the driveway. Then he said he was sick. We think he knew that Jason was sick and got to stay home and wanted to do the same thing himself. Amy made him get out, and he did fine at Miss Suzann’s.

That evening, Amy talked with Victor and told him that he couldn’t do that again. He said he wouldn’t, and it’s amazing how much English he understands now. He’s really starting to speak a few words, too, and can count to 10 in English.

On Sunday, we took a family picture and pictures of the 2 boys for the Christmas cards. We’re still going through the normal adjustments, but things are OK. He loves to watch TV and likes to eat cucumbers, apples, bananas, cantaloupe, carrots, orange juice, and French fries. We’re also getting him to try other things as well.

Sick Boys at Home

Tuesday, 12/6/05-Sunday, 12/11/05

Jason hasn’t been feeling well and has had asthma problems (coughing and throwing up) at night. On Friday, Amy took him to the doctor. While she was there, she got a note from the receptionist that John had called and Victor had a fever at Miss Suzann’s. So Amy packed up Jason and went and got Victor as well. He didn’t have a fever when he got home and appeared fine all afternoon, although he had looked tired and felt warm at Miss Suzann’s.

Birthday Party

Saturday, 12/3/05-Monday, 12/5/05

Saturday is Amy’s 40th Birthday! To celebrate, we’re having Victor’s party. The Silka boys, along with Sam and Jason, attended. We went to Burger King, and the kids enjoyed playing in the play area. Victor loved all his presents, including cars, clothes (particularly liked the blue jeans!), a stuffed horse, and lots of other stuff. Then we went to Dairy Queen and had an airplace ice cream cake. He understood that it was his 6th birthday party, since he wanted Amy to put the #6 candle on the cake.

Victor's First Birthday Cake
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We went to Provinos for Amy’s birthday that night. It was a long day for Victor, and he acted up some at Provinos and on the way home. It’s just an adjustment period, and we expected this. He’ll get mad when he doesn’t get his way, cry, and go limp. He’s learned what time-out is and doesn’t like it!

He and Jason are getting along pretty good, although they’re having their own adjustment issues. Sharing just isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

Going to Miss Suzann's

Tuesday, 11/29/05-Friday, 12/2/05

Victor is going to Miss Suzann’s this week and for a couple of weeks. It will give him a structured environment and one where he’ll be around other kids speaking English. He’s very excited when he gets there and loves to play outside with the other kids.

The TB test was positive, so he had a chest x-ray that was negative. That means he was exposed to TB at some point, although he doesn’t have an active infection. John and I will also need to be tested to make sure we weren’t exposed. The pediatrician said she’s very glad I didn’t take Jason with us!

First Visit to the Doctor

Monday, 11/28/05

John took Victor to the doctor. We don’t have insurance cards yet, so they want to wait to do most of the bloodwork and vaccinations. They did another TB test, and they’ll check it on Wednesday.

First Days at Home

Friday, 11/25/05-Sunday, 11/27/05

John decorated the house with lights today and finished inside and outside in a couple of days. Victor was outside playing and tripped going up the slide steps, busting his lip. It’s very swollen! We replaced his boots with an old pair of Jason’s shoes, which were much better for running and playing.

We went to buy shoes for Victor and bought Jason 2 pairs as well. Victor wears a size 13 and Jason a 13.5 or a 1. We went to eat at Chick-Fil-A. Victor loved the French fries but didn’t care for the breaded chicken. Papa and Gramma stayed until Sunday and then went back to Macon. I’m sure they’re glad to be able to go back home!!

A Very Special Thanksgiving

Thursday, 11/24/05

It’s Thanksgiving, but it’s very different from normal. Natalie and Bill were trying to finish painting and fixing their house for closing in about a week, so they couldn’t come up last night. Natalie and Sam will come up today. Papa was sick last night with some sort of mild stomach virus.

We decided we’d eat Fincher’s BBQ, Brunswick stew, and other stuff for Thanksgiving rather than going out to eat.

We left to go to the airport a little before 10PM. The flights appeared to be on time. We were less than 5 miles from home, and Natalie called. Sam had gotten sick and thrown up on the bed, the wall, everything. He’s in the tub, and she’s going to take him back to Macon so he doesn’t infect everyone else.

We arrived at the airport at a little before 11PM, with the welcome home sign and balloons in tow. Jason was very excited. People kept looking at the sign and smiling, although the airport wasn’t crowded at all. About 20 minutes before they arrived, a lady stopped and looked at the sign. It was Teri Mancuso, and Mark was right behind her with the kids. They were returning from Denver. They didn’t even know we were adopting and wished us the best.

John and Victor arrived right on time. We could see them walking a long way off. Victor had on his red coat, and John had on his one and only pullover black jacket. He may never wear it again! Victor liked the balloons but was shy around Gramma and Papa. He and Jason, along with Papa and John, went to the bathroom. It was very cute!

The boys didn’t go to sleep until about 230AM. Hooray – he’s home!!

Finishing Paperwork in Kiev

Sunday, 11/20/05-Wednesday, 11/23/05

I spoke with John on Sunday. I got to talk to Victor on the phone for the first time as well. He’s very excited about the trip home. He had trouble sleeping on the train and apparently made friends with lots of Ukrainian men, who shared cookies and candy with him.

They’re at the apartment in Vitaly’s complex. Although Vitaly’s wife hasn’t had her baby yet, I told John to get the address so we could send a small gift. I bought a Falcons sleeper for the new baby, along with an updated keychain for Vitaly.

Victor is doing well, although he has trouble sleeping. He and Jason talked to each other on the phone. Victor kept saying he wanted to talk to his “brat.” Jason told Victor, “I can’t understand your language, Victor.”

Victor loves to take baths! He wants to take one all the time. I told John that maybe he hadn’t taken many baths with warm water. He doesn’t have any toys in the tub, so I imagine he’ll REALLY like the baths here.

Victor continues to count the days until they leave. He’s having trouble sleeping but is doing pretty good.

On Monday, they went to the American Medical Clinic. Since Victor had a positive reaction to one TB test, they had to take an x-ray of his chest. That was all the way across town. They got there, and the x-ray machine wasn’t working. The nurse said there was a backup in place – right next door from where they had left! So they went back. After a 9-hour ordeal, the chest x-ray was fine, and Victor completed the physical.

John has tried to get a flight out on Tuesday or Wednesday, but he can’t even get standby. He could have gotten all the way to DC if he had booked last week, but he couldn’t get to Atlanta. I told him I’d come and get him, but he can’t even get that now.

On Tuesday, John had his interview at the Embassy. Like me, he was able to go to the front of the line. He said it was nice to hear lots of people speaking English, and I know what he means! He met several people there adopting. One woman was adopting a little girl, and she told John, “I can’t wait to get out of this awful country!” Like us, I’m sure she’s just homesick.

The interview went fine, and they can pick up Victor’s visa at 3PM. They picked it up and headed back to the apartment. Victor had to go to the bathroom on the way back, and the very nice cab driver pulled over for him so he could go on the side of the road. The cab driver also gave Victor a 25-cent piece. Natasha had already paid the driver and gone back to her apartment, so John insisted that the driver take a 10 hryvnia tip ($2). John said he was very nice.

John has also picked up a couple of brand new CDs for almost nothing. Of course, he had to give Natasha some more money for unexpected expenses, so he’s down to his last dollar almost. But he had enough for all the fees and will be home soon.

John took Victor to McDonalds, and he didn’t like the nuggets very much. I can’t say that I blame him! He liked the french fries and the toy, and he ate a couple of bites of John’s burger. They also ate at a cafeteria, where Victor had soup with lemon and sour cream and juice. That was Sunday morning, and Natasha and Sasha both had a beer with their meals!

There’s snow on the ground in Kiev, and John and Victor had a snowball fight. I told John to make sure that Victor saw all the snow he could since we have very little here in Atlanta.

We had been looking for a new bed for Victor for a few days without success. On Monday, Gramma saw an infomercial about Cartersville Outlet. Amy was at work, so Papa called. They have the twin over full metal bunks that Amy likes for $199. That’s a great price. Papa thought they said they were open until 11PM, but they’re really open until 6PM. Amy got home at 5PM, changed clothes, and we left quickly. We were about 15 minutes away when we ran into a huge wreck. It delayed us 8 minutes (Papa counted). We pulled into Cartersville Outlet at 6PM on the nose. They were really closed but let us in! We went in and went towards the bunk beds. They asked if we were the ones who had called earlier, and we said yes. We order a royal blue frame with a full-size mattress. With delivery and tax, it was about $357. They will deliver on Wednesday.

John’s mom left a message on Wednesday before we called John. She was very worried about him. Amy called and talked with her and let her know that everything was fine and they would be home on Thanksgiving night.

Then we made our final call to Kiev. Victor was in the tub when the phone rang, and he jumped out still wet to get to the phone. He’s very excited. He got on the phone and said, “See you tomorrow” as clear as day! He can also say sure, basketball, baseball, and several other words. I can tell that he understands more of what I’m saying now. He also got a chance to talk to Babushka (Gramma) on the phone. John and Victor should arrive at Atlanta airport at 1152PM tomorrow night.

On Wednesday, they also delivered Victor’s new bed. Amy put on the sheets and comforters, and it looks really good. We put pictures on the wall, and it’s almost ready.

We made a welcome home sign to take to the airport. We also bought some balloons to take with us to the airport. What a great Thanksgiving this is going to be!

Back to Kiev with Victor!

Thursday, 11/17/05-Saturday, 11/19/05

John continued seeing Victor, although they wouldn’t let him take Victor to the apartment any longer. They were afraid that John would leave the country with Victor, since he had all the required documents. Natasha had to go back to Kiev on Thursday, and John suggested she stay until Friday in case my documents arrived. The first POA (without the apostille) arrived on Friday.

I’ve been talking with John’s mom and e-mailing his brother and sister to keep them updated. It seems like the plans change every day!

John has been taking the laptop to the orphanage, and he and Victor have watched several movies. Victor said “Nemo” and tried to say “anemone.” He began to repeat some of the movie dialogue. He’s afraid of Cruella Deville in 101 Dalmatians!

Natasha took an overnight train back to Nikopol on Friday night. She convinced the orphanage to allow Victor to leave, and they caught a train to Kiev on Saturday night. John left me an e-mail to let me know. I tried to call him for almost 2 hours before he left for the train, but I couldn’t get a line to Nikopol.

Victor in the Apartment in Nikopol

Victor on the Phone in Kiev

Victor Ready for Bed in Kiev

More Bad News

Wednesday, 11/16/05

I just learned that they need ANOTHER document from me – a POA with an apostille attached. The first POA is on its way of course, and now I have to send it again. I made 2 copies of the POA. Merle is in Washington, DC and unavailable to notarize the documents for me. So I went to Bank of America. I got a money order for $6 to pay for the apostilles, and someone there notarized the POA for me. Then I went to Superior Court to get the apostilles. Their building is way up north on I-85. I had heard horror stories about the trouble people have getting documents apostilled, but they gave me no problems. Then I went to my adoption agency and dropped the documents off with them. They had tried to find a quicker way to get the documents to Ukraine but had no luck. FedEx wanted $650 to put it on the “next flight” but wouldn’t guarantee delivery until AFTER they could guarantee delivery with regular FedEx. The facilitator in Ukraine said to send it regular FedEx

Paperwork Snafu

Tuesday, 11/15/05

Bad news… John was literally dressing Victor to take him from the orphanage when Natasha said they had to leave without Victor. The orphanage director is requiring more documents – from ME! John called me at 7AM and told me to call him back at the apartment. Natasha wants a power of attorney from me in 24 hours. I can’t get documents to Ukraine in 24 hours. The best FedEx can do is 3-4 business days. I got the power of attorney from my adoption coordinator, got Merle to notarize it, and sent it off via FedEx. I noticed later that night that I had printed and not signed my name, but apparently that doesn’t matter.

10-day Waiting Period Ends

Sunday, 11/6/05-Monday, 11/14/05

I tried to recover from jet lag. I get tired very early and wake up much earlier than normal. That’s OK, though. Papa and Gramma stayed until Monday and then left to go for a much-needed trip to Macon.

I went through the huge stacks of mail. I found a late notice from CitiCards, the company we have an interest-free balance transfer with. As far as I can tell, we never received a bill from them, and I searched everywhere. I called them, but it’s John’s card, so they wouldn’t do anything for me. They gave me a number for John to call (collect) from Ukraine. He called (couldn’t make a collect call), and they waived the late fees and reverted to the interest-free balance transfer for about another year. He added me to the card, and I had to call and make a payment by phone.

I went and spoke with Merle about my work schedule. I’m going to be very limited for the next few weeks as I try to get ready for Victor’s return home. He said that was OK. I don’t have class this Tuesday, so that’s not a problem. I went into work a couple of days this week and worked from home to catch up on e-mail and grading. I also printed some of the pictures from our trip and put them in a photo album.

Mama and Daddy returned to Canton on Thursday. We weren’t able to organize the party for this Friday but will take care of it next Friday (maybe). I ordered the trophies on Friday, and they’ll be ready next Wednesday. Papa went home on Sunday since he has to teach, tutor, and go to a doctor’s appointment next week. Gramma stayed so she can stay with Jason on Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, when I have to work.

On Saturday, the 10-day waiting period officially ended, but Natasha couldn’t get any paperwork completed since it was the weekend. On Monday, she got Victor’s passport, birth certificate, and final court decree. They dressed Victor in a bow tie, white dress shirt, and black dress pants for his passport photo (see picture).

Victor Dressed for Passport Photo

John has tickets for next Sunday!

Jason's Last Baseball Game

Saturday, 11/5/05

I woke up at 3AM and 5AM and made myself go back to sleep. I got up with Jason around 7AM. This jet lag thing is much worse now than it was in Ukraine. Jason had a game at 3PM today, his last game of the season. I showed my pictures again, and I taped the entire game for John. We lost the game 13-6, but it was to a team that was a year older than us. The team has gotten MUCH better since the last time I saw them play. Papa got the game ball for helping with the coaching while we were out of the country. I told everyone we would try to do a team party the following Friday.

A Sad Day at Home

Friday, 11/4/05

I went to sleep about 330AM after checking e-mail. I woke up at 715AM. Jason was SO happy to see me when he woke up. I slept in his bed with all of his animal friends. It was a tight fit, but we made it.

I didn’t make Jason go to school today. He had been up so late the night before, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him. Plus, I knew I was going to put Hugo to sleep today and that he would be sad.

I spoke with the vet in the morning. She agreed that there was nothing more to do and that I was making the best decision. We have an appointment at 230PM.

We went to Firehouse Subs for lunch. Then we had to go to John’s school and turn in his benefits information. I showed the pictures to people who were around the office. I also had to turn in my benefits form to KSU.

When we got home, I told Jason that they were going to try one more test on Hugo, but I didn’t think it would work. He wanted to know why Hugo had to die TODAY! He was very upset. Daddy and I went to the vet. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. It was very quick, and Hugo wasn’t in any pain. The people at the vet were so very nice.

Friday night, we went to practice. I showed everyone my pictures of Andrew Victor. Afterwards, we went to eat at Johnnie’s Pizza, and Richard went along. I had serious jet lag and was about to fall over from being so tired. We came back, and I went to sleep with Jason.

Amy Goes Home

Thursday, 11/3/05

Amy woke up about 630AM. Natasha’s phone rang about 655AM and woke her up as well. We had tea and a snack and then arrived in Kiev about 840AM. Sasha was waiting for us, and we took a taxi to the American Embassy. There was a long line when we got there. Amy gave everything except the forms and a pen to Natasha and Sasha for safekeeping. She was about to get in line, and Natasha started pushing her to the front. Apparently, US citizens don’t have to wait! I went inside and showed my passport and was waved through. Then I set off the metal detector – with my gum wrapper and the pen. I went inside, and someone pointed me towards adoptions around the corner. When I got there, I went to the receptionist and said I wanted to fill out the forms for adoption so that I could go home. I showed them the completed I-600A and the health awareness forms, and the consular officer immediately signed off on it. I was there all of 15 minutes!

Then Sasha decided that we should walk to a good café. We had plenty of time since the plane didn’t leave until 150PM. We walked about 2 MILES to a café beyond the apartment where we had most recently stayed in Kiev. Sasha was carrying the duffel bag and suitcase, Amy had the backpack, and Natasha had John’s breathing machine. Natasha brought up the rear, and we had to stop for her a couple of times. Amy stayed in the middle. We ended up at a restaurant not far from the mall. The menu was in ENGLISH! Amy had a ham and cheese omelet and tried to order toasted bread. The waitress said it wasn’t very good, though – too burned. So I had a Coke.

Then I shook hands with Sasha, who said we needed to come back and get a girl one day! We took a taxi to the airport and arrived about 1130AM. I went to the Lufthansa counter and paid my $200 change fee. I was able to get a seat on the 150PM flight without problems. Then Natasha and I packed up John’s breathing machine into the duffel bag, giving Amy one less bag to carry. I went through the green line since I didn’t have much money to declare. I went through passport control easily, and then my bags went through customs. I found a seat and read my book. I also checked out the duty-free store. If I had any money, I would have bought some souvenirs! I only had $17US. I had given my 40 hryvnia to Natasha to give to John, so I just relaxed.

We boarded the plane about 130PM. When I went to the gate, I picked up a USAToday. It was wonderful to see some English!! The plane ride was quick with no problems. I had a window seat (as requested), with no one sitting next to me. I finished reading “The Tin Collectors” and left it on the plane.

When I arrived in Frankfort, they told me my flight was in Terminal C. I was in Terminal B, so I started walking. When I got to Terminal C, there was a long line of people waiting to go through security. I didn’t know if they would let me in without a boarding pass (they won’t in Atlanta), so I walked a long way to the Lufthansa main desk. They told me to go to the gate and get my boarding pass, so I went back to the long line. After standing there awhile, they told all women to go in a line on the right. There were about 5 women and 100 men. For once, it paid to be a woman! They were doing full body pat-downs, and I guess they were letting a woman examine the other women. I went through a hand-held metal detector and a pat-down without problem. I’m not sure why I had to do that since I had never left the terminal, which I assume is a secure area.

Once I got through the first checkpoint, I was finally in Terminal C. I had to go to Gate C8. Keep in mind, there was no way for me to leave the Terminal… I still found myself in front of another security checkpoint, the same as before. I went through another full-body pat-down and metal detector. At least the line wasn’t as long since some people had stopped at other gates. I went through the second security checkpoint without problem. I sure felt safe in Frankfort’s airport!!

I waited in the airport for a short time, and then we boarded the plane. They didn’t have any window or aisle seats they could give me, but they gave me a seat in the middle 5 seats with no one on either side of me. There were actually only 2 of us on the whole row, and the other person was at the other end of the row. I read awhile, slept maybe an hour, and watched “Bewitched.” We were ahead of schedule and actually landed in Washington, DC after about 8 ½ hours. Woohoo – it was GREAT to be back in the USA!!!

I completed the customs form before we landed. The only thing I had to declare was chocolate (food), worth about $20. I went into the US Citizens line, and it was pretty quick. The customs agent asked why I didn’t bring him any of the chocolate. Then I went and retrieved my baggage and gave it to the customs people for scanning. I only had to carry it a very short distance. Finally, I went through the metal detector, and I was officially in the US. I would have kissed the ground, but I was simply too tired.

I went and got a seat on the (small) plane to Atlanta. I was going to go and get an order or breadsticks at Pizza Hut, but they were out. I had a Dr. Pepper instead. I also bought Jason a Hurricane Katrina and Washington Nationals bracelet/band. That’s the only thing I have to give him!

The flight to Atlanta was quick – about an hour and 16 minutes, rather than the hour and 57 minutes they had promised. I sat next to a man from Stone Mountain, and we discussed travel in Europe compared to the US, football (he went to Auburn for a short time), and various things. I didn’t read any, and he made the flight very nice!

When I got to Atlanta, Daddy was waiting at Baggage Claim. I was SO happy to see him. We got my luggage, walked to my car, and I drove home. It was the first time I had drive in over 3 weeks. We arrived home about 1240AM. Jason had gone to sleep at 11PM, so I’ll see him tomorrow.

I went and checked on Hugo. He has deteriorated rapidly and can no longer use his back or back legs at all. Daddy has to take him out using a sling. He’s really bad, and I knew right away that I’d have to put him to sleep. I had hoped I could wait until John returned, but that would just be selfish. He’s unable to walk and is confined to a small blanket by his food and water. He didn’t even wake up when I arrived home, although he eventually was aware that I was there. He’s been a very good dog, and I can’t make him suffer like this.

Gotcha Day!

Wednesday, 11/2/05

When Amy got out of the shower this morning, Natasha was on the phone and asked if we could be ready for court at 1030AM. We got ready quickly and went to court. We took 1 taxi and waited for everyone else to arrive. The Chief Prosecutor, the orphanage representative, and the Inspector arrived in another taxi with Natasha. In the court, we had a Chief Judge, 2 jurors, a secretary, and the rest of us. John was the only man there. They asked him more question than me. It lasted about an hour and a half, and then we were declared Victor’s parents!

Natasha Signing Paperwork in Court

Amy & John Outside the Courthouse
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We came home and changed clothes and went to a late lunch. Amy had veal and spaghetti, and John had chicken with peppers and onions and spaghetti. Then we went and got a document notarized so Amy could leave and came back to the orphanage. Natasha went and explained to Victor what was going on, and then we visited with him for about 30 minutes.

Amy's Last Visit Before Heading to Kiev

We came back to the apartment and finished packing. Then we went to eat at the restaurant where we ate the first night in Nikopol. Amy wasn’t really hungry and had pancakes with bananas, and Coke to drink. John had pork and fried potatoes. Then we went to the supermarket so John could buy supplies for the next few days while Natasha and Amy were in Kiev. He bought chicken, crab meat, fish sticks, ham, salami, peas, corn, Ramen noodles, bread, Coke, juice, cookies, potato chips, chocolate bars, and bananas.

Amy and Natasha called a taxi about 9PM and arrived at the bus station about 915PM. The train was a little late, but we boarded about 930PM. We had a room for 4 that we shared between the 2 of us. It was very nice, almost as nice as the room for 2 that we had on the way to Nikopol. Amy read some of “The Tin Collectors” and Natasha went right to sleep. Amy went to sleep about midnight.

A Gift for the Orphanage & Another Market Trip

Tuesday, 11/1/05

We picked up Victor at the orphanage at 10AM. A lady from the orphanage went with us, and we bought a Kodak digital camera and accessories as our gift to the orphanage. It was about $360. At the electronics store, Amy noticed a sign for another Internet café. Since the store was very nice, we decided to try it after lunch.

Then we went to the market. We bought Victor a scarf, shoes (boots), hat, and pajamas. We bought John a hat and then looked for a sports coat for him. We couldn’t find one, so we just bought him a black pinstripe suit instead. It was 300 hryvnia ($60). So we left the apartment with about 2100 hrynvia, and we came home with very little.

For lunch, we went to The Penguin. Amy had veal with gravy and rice, and John had chicken and fried potatoes. After lunch, we called the Embassy to see what documents Amy would need to bring on Thursday. They were very nice and said that I could sign the paperwork and would not need a power of attorney. They said they’d make an appointment for me if I could not make their scheduled hours of operation.

Then we went to the new Internet café. It was wonderful! The connection was fast, it was modern and clean, and they were able to download and upload stuff from the USB drive. John sent some pictures of Victor home and to a few people, and he downloaded some rotisserie stuff and some stuff from Walden. For about 2 ½ hours, we paid 16 hryvnia – really cheap!

Then we went to the supermarket. We wanted to find some safety pins so that Amy could pin up John’s suit pants for court. Obviously, they’re too long, and Amy can’t sew (nor does she have any sewing supplies). We had no luck at the supermarket, at the outdoor market, or even at the baby clothes store. So we gave up.

We went to visit Victor in the afternoon. The Italian couple was there, and they continued to give him lots of juice, chocolate, etc. Even when we say no, they continue to give him stuff. Natasha says that they shouldn’t be bringing soda or chocolate to the orphanage. She said that American couples are usually very good about following the food rules at the orphanages.

After visiting Victor, we came back, and Amy looked through the documents for the Embassy, completing the appropriate ones (with Natasha’s help). For supper, Amy ate Chicken Kiev and boiled potatoes, and John had chicken with onions and fried potatoes.

We came back to the apartment, and Natasha went straight to bed since she had a migraine. John and Amy searched the apartment and found some safety pins. We’ll put them back when we complete the court hearing. Amy packed and got all the Embassy documents completed. Then Amy pinned John’s pants. They don’t look half bad! Amy feels like MacGyver!

Halloween in Ukraine

Monday, 10/31/05

It’s Halloween, but nobody here celebrates like we do. Amy and Natasha went to the doctor for a final visit. We were supposed to get up at 745AM, but John set the clock for 715AM instead. Amy woke Natasha up before she noticed the time. We went to the doctor, who said that Amy can eat veal or beef and chicken, but no pork, pizza, tomatoes, fried foods, etc. She can drink apple juice and diluted cherry juice and can have cheese. She should visit her doctor when she returns home.

We went to visit Victor at 10AM. He was cold and wanted to come inside quickly. We put “Spirit” in the VCR, and it was a big hit. Diana came in after a short time outside.

At noon, we came home and then decided to go to the Internet café and get information on how to contact Lufthansa to change Amy’s tickets. The Internet was down, so we came back to the apartment and rested. Natasha arrived about 130PM. The judge moved the court date up to Wednesday at 2PM – woohoo! We have to meet with the Inspector at 4PM.

We went to eat at a café where John and Natasha hadn’t been yet. It was OK but probably the worst we’ve had here. Amy had chicken and mashed potatoes with apple juice and hot tea. John had beef and fried potatoes with Pepsi. After lunch, we stopped by the Internet café and found the number for Lufthansa (after some searching – they really should work on their user interface). John also quickly checked his basketball rotisserie stuff so he can turn in his final cuts by tomorrow.

Then we took a taxi and went to meet the Inspector. She was so very nice. She asked why we wanted to adopt, how we thought Victor would fit into our family, and why we decided to come to Ukraine. She was very complimentary of our deciding to adopt and said she was glad Victor would have a family. She reminded us that we should make sure to submit annual reports as required by Ukraine law. She also wanted to make sure that we knew that Victor would retain Ukrainian citizenship until he was 18 years old. The meeting went really well.

Then we went to the international calling center, and Amy called Lufthansa. It was very easy to change the tickets. She will take the same flight on Thursday instead of on Monday as scheduled. They said to pay the $200 fee at the airport when I get there. I should arrive in Atlanta at 1152PM after a stop in Frankfort and Washington, DC.

We needed several things at the supermarket, so we stopped there on the way back to the apartment. Then we visited Victor for about an hour at the orphanage and came back to the apartment.

After returning, we walked to the café where John and Natasha ate last night. Amy had BBQ veal and pasta, and John had kiwi chicken and pasta, with a Blue Lagoon and water to drink. Amy had hot tea with honey and water to drink. The guitar player even came out for a short time. John played FreeCell and watched the Simpsons when we returned, and Amy won 2 games of gin rummy.

Jason called, and he wore pajamas to school today. Papa said that Hugo isn’t doing very well and that he couldn’t walk at all yesterday. He said he’s walking a little better today, and we’ll just see how he does. We told them that Amy will arrive home on Thursday night, and Papa plans to pick her up at the airport. Jason plans to go trick-or-treating as a Razorback (baseball All-Star team name) tonight and said he would save 10 pieces of candy for Mama and some for Daddy and Victor, too. I said I’d get in the bed with him Thursday night when I got home and would be there when he got up on Friday. John and I watched “The Last Samurai,” put in “All in the Family,” and went to bed. Boy, these episodes of “All in the Family” and “Andy Griffith” sure are getting old!

To the Market with Victor

Sunday, 10/30/05

We picked Victor up from the orphanage about 10AM and went into town to the market. From the market, we bought him pants, t-shirts, underwear, gloves, a shirt, and a couple of puzzles. We went to the other market, but most of it was closed. We also went to the supermarket, but they didn’t have anything in his size. We found a children’s department store and went there. It was mostly for babies, but we bought him a pair of pants, a shirt, a nice jacket, 2 books, and a ball. We spent about 169 hryvnia at the department store and about 80 hryvnia at the market. We still have to buy him shoes, a hat, a scarf, and pajamas. We’ll go to the other market on Tuesday. We had about 20 minutes left in the morning, so we watched a video with Victor and then came back to the apartment.

Amy and Victor in Nikopol

Amy read some, and John played FreeCell. Then we had chicken, potatoes, and carrots with bread for lunch. John took a nap, and Amy watched some TV, read, and worked on the journal.

We visited Victor in the orphanage at 4PM. We started outside, but Victor got cold and wanted to go in. Diana was in the room with us, along with her Papa and Mama. Victor was very good. Victor was interested in Diana’s toys and parents, and Diana was interested in Victor’s toys and us – typical kids!

For supper, Amy had cereal, shredded carrots, bread, and tea with an oatmeal cookie. John and Natasha went to a really good restaurant, and John had chicken with peppers and onions and pasta. The restaurant was decorated with pumpkins and spider webs for Halloween, and they had a guitar player. He played “Hotel California.”

Jason and Grandma called, since Papa went to the vet to get Hugo. Jason is excited about Halloween and reported – many times – that he can now blow bubbles with his gum. It appears that his friend, Alex taught him how to blow the bubbles. After we got off the phone, we put in “The Manchurian Candidate” (old version). Amy slept through most of it. We thought the new version was much better. Then we put in “All in the Family” and went to sleep.

Another Weekend in Nikopol

Saturday, 10/29/05

We got up today about 915AM and went to the orphanage. They sent us outside first, but it was VERY cold and windy. Then we went inside and played in a new room. Victor was very good today, but boy, is he active! About 1145AM, we went outside and braved the cold for 15 minutes. For lunch, Amy had chicken and cereal with white bread. We were out of water, so John ran to the supermarket and got water, crackers, bread, and a few other things. John had sandwiches for lunch with chips.

After lunch, we read and played a little FreeCell, then took a short nap. At 4PM, we went back to the orphanage. We went outside even though it was still cold. Victor was very good. About 530PM, we went inside, and they put us in the room with an Italian couple adopting a little girl, Diana (pronounced dee-AN-a). We found out that Diana is 6 years old and will turn 7 in April. She’s smaller than Victor, though. We drew Victor’s feet so that we can buy him shoes tomorrow. We left at 6PM, and Victor waved bye-bye in the window.

Victor and Diana and Diana's New Italian Family

We came home and played some FreeCell and read. At about 730PM, Amy ate chicken, potatoes, and carrots with white bread and crackers. John and Natasha went out to eat. Jason called, and Hugo is still sick at the vet. They lost their game 18-3, but Jason made 3 good plays at second base and was 2-for-2. We watched “The Manchurian Candidate” (new) and went to sleep about 1AM. We moved the clocks back one hour for the beginning of daylight savings time.

We Have a Court Date!

Friday, 10/28/05

I got up about 715AM. At 845AM, Natasha and I left, while John continued to sleep. We went to the train station first and picked up the letter from the Director – it’s what we’ve been waiting for! Then we went to the doctor, who sent us back to the pharmacy, who sent us back to the doctor. Apparently, I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic. With medicine and testing, it was another 200 hr ($40). Natasha dropped me off at the Internet café and went to meet with the judge and to the pharmacy. I came back to the apartment and played some FreeCell. John is still sleeping, lucky dog!

Natasha came in about 11AM, and John and I had to sign some papers. It turns out that Amy had dysentery, but it looks like she’s on the road to recovery. Natasha is ready for her to get home, since Amy is “her responsibility” and she’s very worried about her.

Natasha still hadn’t met with the judge yet, but she was able to meet with her about noon and arrived back at the apartment at about 1PM. She wasn’t happy to tell us that our court date is set for next Thursday. We were all hoping for sooner. She’s going to meet with the judge again on Monday and try to get the date moved up.

John had ham and salami sandwiches and potato chips for lunch. Amy (still on a bland diet) had rice, potato, and carrot soup, along with a piece of white bread and some crackers. After lunch, we read and played a little FreeCell, then went to the Internet café. We both got a computer that worked! Amy’s mailbox was over 98% full, but she was able to clear off about 20 megs of stuff. John got to read about the White Sox and was even able to send some mail from his Cherokee account. He told the people at his school that he wouldn’t be back at work until after the Thanksgiving break.

We went to visit Victor at 4PM. He was very shy at first – hadn’t seen Amy in almost a week. We were put into a very small bedroom to play. He got bored quickly and got a little wild. He was throwing sheets and pillows everywhere, kept running out of the room, turning the lights on and off, etc. Then he had a temper tantrum and would fake cry (cutting his eyes at us), laugh, and generally behave badly. The male doctor even came and helped calm him down. We’re sure going to have to work on discipline and listening to us as parents (not playmates!) when we get home. The longer we’re here, the harder it’s going to be, but we’ll deal with it. He was really good when we left – John said Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! He waved bye-bye from the window.

We arrived at the apartment at the same time as Natasha. She had been to the supermarket to get Amy’s bland supper. Amy finished reading “The Night Spider” while John played FreeCell. Then Amy played a little FreeCell with the real cards. About 730PM, Amy’s supper was ready – cooked, shredded carrots, barley-type cereal, and boiled chicken, with a piece of white bread and green tea and water to drink. I snuck 2 oatmeal cookies, though, while John and Natasha went to eat!

Amy & Natasha Outside the Apartment Door

John and Natasha found a new café to eat, and it even listed the drinks in English. John had a melon ball. After dinner, Jason called, and we gave them the news about the court date. Hugo is having major problems with diarrhea and hasn’t been able to come home from the vet where he had testing a few days ago. We’re not sure what we’ll have to do with him once we return. We don’t know if it’s a good idea to put him outside, which is where he’d have to go if he’s unable to walk outside and go to the bathroom. We’ll discuss everything with Dr. Marks, his vet, after we return. After talking with Jason, we watched “Waterworld” and then went to bed about 1AM.

No Visits to the Orphanage for Anyone Today

Thursday, 10/27/05

I woke up about 715AM and went to the hospital. Because of my hives, I don’t have to get any more antibiotic injections – woohoo! But wait a minute… I still had to have TWO injections because of the reaction. My poor butt! After coming home, I dozed off and on. At 1030AM, John returned from the orphanage. They don’t want him or Natasha coming back over to visit until they determine what sort of infection I’ve had. Natasha spoke with the doctor, and they should know tomorrow around 11AM. Then hopefully, John will be able to return and visit Victor tomorrow afternoon.

It was good for John to have a day or so off. He rested and dozed all day, playing FreeCell and watching “All in the Family” or “Andy Griffith.” We should have brought more DVDs that can be watched over and over… For lunch, we had mashed potatoes and boiled chicken, along with bread. Amy even got to have a piece of cheese!

Natasha heard from Sasha, and the Director wants to see him regarding our petition to adopt. She’s not sure why. About 6PM, she heard that everything was OK, so we’re set to go! The letter will arrive by train tomorrow morning, and she’ll go to the judge and setup a court date. Yippee!

About 630PM, a lady came in and cleaned the apartment. She changed the sheets, vacuumed, and cleaned the bathrooms. I’m glad, since I want all of my germs out of here! She also suggested that Natasha give me vodka so that I would feel better. She apparently lives there, since she went and found some vodka and left it out before she finished. Natasha put it back up when she left! Can you imagine – vodka for a stomach virus??

Natasha made me soup for dinner – rice, potatoes, and carrots, along with white bread, and a few crackers and TWO pieces of cheese. Then she and John went to dinner at The Penguin and to the supermarket. John had beef and vegetables to eat, along with a beer. I also had an oatmeal cookie, which I think is OK to eat. I think my stomach is fine now, and I feel much better. Probably just knowing I don’t have to get any more antibiotic injections has made me well! I should be eating regularly in a couple of days – hopefully just in time to go home and see Jason. Maybe I’ll be home early next week, with John and Victor about 2 weeks behind.

John and I played gin rummy for a change before going to bed. We haven’t done that in a long time, and it was fun. Went to sleep about 230AM.

Waiting to Receive Paperwork from the NAC

Wednesday, 10/26/05

Amy woke up at 715AM, this time with no stomach ache. She ate a few crackers and drank some water. Then she took a shower, and she and Natasha left for the hospital about 8AM. The doctor examined me and said I looked much better. Then the nurse came in and gave me an injection (in the butt). It HURT! But I feel much better. The doctor asked why I was adopting a boy and not a girl. I explained that I had a son, and he wanted a brother. She said son wants a brother, Papa wants a brother, but what about Mama? I said I would have liked to have a girl too, but that boys were lots of fun.

We came back to the apartment about 915AM. The whole hospital, ambulance ride, doctors, nurses, and all the medicine cost about $72! Amazing… John went to the orphanage this morning and took Victor some cereal. He wanted to share it with all the kids outside. John said he did really good again this morning. When the other kids come up and try to hold John’s hand, Victor becomes a little more interested in John, almost like John is HIS. John is starting to learn some of the kids’ names now. Amy isn’t allowed to go back to the orphanage until they determine what sort of infection she had. She ate the other half of the baked apple and some more crackers, along with more water.

While John went to the orphanage, Amy read some and dozed a little bit. She’s still very tired from the stomach infection. Sometime while Amy slept, Natasha went to the supermarket. She also found a jacket for Victor at the market for 25 hryvnia (about $5). It’s for 7-8 year olds, but as she pointed out, Victor is pretty tall for his age. She said it looked warm, and I think we’ll buy it for him. We will have to buy him clothes, since he’s not allowed to take anything with him from the orphanage.

When John returned, he made a couple of ham sandwiches on white bread and on Ritz crackers, along with paprika (barbeque) potato chips. Natasha arrived shortly thereafter and began cooking lunch for herself and Amy. Meanwhile, Amy ate most of a banana, and John finished it off. Amy kept reading and rested a bit. Natasha made boiled chicken and mashed potatoes, and Amy had a piece of white bread as well. Natasha said if I feel better this weekend, we’ll go and buy Victor some clothes. She also said that the NAC Director should sign our petition tomorrow. So that should get things moving! John took a nap before he went back to the orphanage.

Victor was good again in the afternoon. Amy rested at home and read a little bit of “The Night Watcher” by John Luntz. She should finish it tonight. At about 730PM, Amy and Natasha went to the hospital so Amy could get another antibiotic injection. It hurts!

When we returned, John and Natasha went to eat supper and to the supermarket. Amy had rice and a baked apple for supper, along with a piece of white bread. We have to return to the hospital at 730AM tomorrow.

Jason called and is excited because he’s going to play golf with Papa today. He got another star at school. The vet didn’t find any bulging discs in Hugo’s back, so we’re not sure if that’s good news or not. Papa will pick up Hugo on Thursday and get more information.

John played FreeCell and I read a little (I finished “The Night Watcher” and started “The Night Spider”). Then we watched “Saw.” Last night and tonight, I’ve had trouble going to sleep. At about midnight, my arms began to itch, and I asked John to turn on the lights. I had hives, obviously an allergic reaction to something I’m taking. I slept fitfully and not very much. I kept jabbing John because he was snoring.

A Visit to the Hospital

Tuesday, 10/25/05

Amy woke up at 6AM. Her mouth was very dry, and her stomach hurt. At 10AM, John left for the orphanage. At about 11AM, Natasha called the doctor, who arrived in an ambulance. Two women came into the apartment and asked me questions. After talking with me, they decided I needed to go to the hospital. So I rode in the ambulance to the hospital. This isn’t your typical ambulance. It’s more like a rickety big taxi. I sat in one of the seats, and Natasha went with me. John stayed at the apartment. The “ambulance” ride cost 10 hyrvnia (about $2).

When I arrived, I spoke with the doctor, who did a few tests. She was very worried because I was so dry (dehydrated). She’s right. I woke up with a very dry mouth and chapped lips. I’m not even able to keep water down at this point. They gave Natasha a list of items to buy, and she went to the pharmacy and got them. They said I might have to stay overnight, but we’d see how I felt after getting rehydrated. It’s interesting that you have to go and get drugs and then return to the hospital. At least I know that I had new needles!

Meanwhile, they took me back to a small room with 1 bed in it. A nurse there began to take blood and gave me an IV of saline water (I guess!). Then Natasha came back with all the drugs and gave them to the nurse. They gave me almost 1 bag of saline water and then my vein quit. So they told me to go to the bathroom before I had the next 2 bottles. Then I came back, and they gave me more IVs. I dozed off and on. The last IV was some sort of medication, and they kept asking how I felt – dizzy, nauseous, anything. I felt fine. After that, they let me go to the bathroom again, and then they made me rest for about 15 minutes and drink a little water before leaving.

Natasha called a cab, and we went to the orphanage, where she got the key from John. I stayed in the car. Then we came inside, and she told me to lie down and rest and not get up very much at all. She’s going to cook me supper.

A little after 6PM, John got back from the orphanage. He said that this was probably the best day yet. Victor listened pretty good. There was another family there from Italy (he thinks), and they shared the inside room with John and Victor. Victor kept wanting to play with the little girl’s toys, and although John tried to keep them apart, it didn’t work very well. John took a truck puzzle that Victor really liked. We picked it up at the market yesterday.

For supper, Natasha cooked me rice (no seasoning), crackers like Ritz, green tea with 1 lump of sugar, and water made from the rice. I also had ½ baked apple. I was kind of hungry and went back for more Ritz crackers. It’s been almost 48 hours since I’ve eaten anything beyond a piece of toast last night that didn’t stay down very long. Hopefully, I’m on the road to recovery. We have to go back to the hospital tomorrow morning.

John and Natasha went to eat at The Penguin for supper. John had grilled pork and rice with vegetables, and a beer to drink. Amy stayed home and caught up on the journal. She doesn’t want to wait more than a day to keep up with it because she’s afraid she’ll forget what happened and when.

After they got home, it was about 830PM, so we waited for Jason to call. He wanted to go and play golf again later this afternoon, but Papa said it was too cold. It was in the upper 50s there today. We were actually warmer than them on Monday.

Since we have to leave for the hospital tomorrow morning at 815AM, we decided not to watch a movie. John played some FreeCell, and Amy read some of “The Night Watcher,” by John Lutz. She finished reading “Special Operations” by W.E.B. Griffin a day or 2 ago.

Neither of us could go to sleep very quickly. We both went to sleep around 1AM.had

Sick in Ukraine

Monday, 10/24/05

Amy couldn’t go to the orphanage today. She has a stomach virus, a reaction to something she ate, or a reaction to the water (which she isn’t drinking!). It’s hard to keep the water out of your body when you take a shower, though, and when you wash dishes in it. John went the orphanage at 10AM, and Victor really tested him. John took away the calculator watch at 1 point. There was another boy there whose grandmother was visiting, and she brought cookies, candy, and soda for him. He kept sharing the cookies and candy with Victor, even when John told Victor no. When we get home, we’re going to have to work on the discipline. John told the orphanage workers that Amy had a hurt stomach, and Natasha went over and spoke with them as well. I hope they’re OK that I didn’t come today.

John & Natasha went to the café on the other side of town today, near the first market we saw. John had Chicken Kiev. On the way home, he stopped at the market and bought candy and a toy police car for Victor. He also stopped at the Internet café and paid some bills electronically. He got the same yucky computer as before, so the connection was kind of slow, but it got the job done.

John went back to the orphanage at about 4PM. Victor was much better in the afternoon. All the kids wanted to play with the toys in the bag, and John let Victor pick out a toy to give to the children. Victor had on a hat of leaves (see picture) and was very cute. He went all the way outside the fence again when John said good-bye.

Victor and a Hat of Leaves
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While John and Natasha went to eat, Amy finished watching “Fahrenheit 9/11.” Then Jason called, and we all talked awhile. After that, John and Amy watched “Matchstick Man” although Amy fell asleep 1 hour into it.

Weekend in Nikopol

Sunday, 10/23/05

We went to the orphanage this morning and stayed outside to play. Victor was pretty good. Then we went to The Penguin and had chicken and fried potatoes to eat. John drank Coke, and Amy had iced tea. We tried to go to the Internet café both before and after lunch, but it was just too crowded. We went to the market on the other side of town and bought some candy, some colored pencils for Victor with a sharpener, and some more bouncy balls.

In the afternoon, we played outside with 2 boys who will be adopted by a couple from Italy. They’re 8 year old twins – Andre and Paolo. The mom-to-be speaks a little bit of English, so we were able to communicate with her. Victor walked all the way just outside the gate to tell us bye-bye.

Victor and Friends

We came back and ate ham sandwiches and paprika flavored chips and drank cherry juice and raspberry juice. Amy’s stomach started hurting about 7PM and got much worse as the night went on. We watched “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.” Then John put in “Fahrenheit 9/11” but Amy only made it through part of the movie.

It was a long, long night for Amy. She took an anti-spasmodic and an anti-nausea pill, but she slept fitfully and ached all over.

More Visits with Victor

Saturday, 10/22/05

Amy woke up about 835AM. John woke up about 920AM. We went to the orphanage at 10AM. We brought a banana and the new magazine. We played inside for about 45 minutes, then went outside. Just before going out, we measured Victor – or rather, the doctor measured him. He is 114 cm (almost 45”) tall and weighs 21.8 kg (about 48 pounds). He took his shoes off for the height but not the weight, so the weight is actually a little less. That makes him a little bit shorter than Jason and a few pounds lighter.

Victor doesn’t want to listen to us and is testing boundaries. It’s really hard to let him know that he can’t do something and give him penalties if he disobeys. We take away toys, or we tell him that we’re going bye-bye. He’s just being a normal 5 year old! He sees us more as playmates than as parents. He’s very good with his caregivers, however, and listens to them immediately.

Victor with the Orphanage Doctor

We went inside about 1130AM, and the male doctor got the VCR to work (see picture with Victor). He put “Spirit” in, and the rest of the visit went great – at least until we got ready to leave. Victor didn’t want us to turn off the TV, but we told him he had to eat, and he was OK. We went home and ate ham sandwiches and potato sticks and drank cherry and blackberry juice. Then we took a nap until it was time to go back to the orphanage at 4PM.

We played with Victor outside this afternoon. He was much better when he was around the other kids.

For supper, we had ham and salami sandwiches with chips. Then Jason called. They won their game against Ben’s team, 13-9. Jason was 3-for-3 with 2 triples and a hard-hit single. He also made 3 force outs at second base.

Then we watched “15 Minutes.” After that, Amy washed clothes in the bathtub with dishwashing liquid. After rinsing and squeezing the water out, we hung them to dry. Not the most efficient way to wash, and they’re probably not very clean, but that’s OK. We don’t have a working washing machine in this apartment. However, since it’s well-heated, the clothes dry more quickly than in Kiev. Then we watched “Collateral” and went to bed close to 1AM.

Still in Region

Friday, 10/21/05

Amy woke up about 8AM and took a shower, had some cherry juice and bread, and worked on the journal. John got up about 9AM. We got the toy bag together, a banana, and went to the orphanage. Victor wasn’t available (we’re not sure why) until about 1045AM. Then we played in the room with the toys. At a little before noon, he ran down the hall (John caught him), and one of the caregivers came to the room. We thought it was time to go, but she went and got him a hat and coat, and we went outside. We left about 1230PM.

We took a taxi and went to eat at a different café for lunch. Amy had Chicken Kiev with fried potatoes, and John had garlic ribs and rice. It was very good.

We stopped by the Internet café, but there were no computers available, so we went back to the apartment. We read, played a few computer games, and took a quick nap. Then we went back to the orphanage at 4PM. Natasha went with us to see what times we could visit on the weekend days. We’ll keep the same schedule, although we will have to knock on the door and wait since only 1 doctor will be at the orphanage for all the children. We played outside this time, but with gloves and a hat (for Amy), it wasn’t too bad. Victor showed all his toys to several of the kids who stopped by. The little boy inside (about 3-4 years old) got a kick out of watching us play with Victor. We’ve seen him inside several times wandering around, and his name is Dyet or something like that. He’s very cute!

We came back to the apartment and went to eat at a different pizza place. It was very crowded, so we decided to go to the supermarket first. We got food for the weekend, since Natasha is going to go home and visit her daughter. We got ham and bread, along with chips, bananas, juice, and snacks. We also got a magazine for Victor since he enjoyed looking through Natasha’s the other day.

We brought the food home and decided to just go to the Penguin to eat instead. We didn’t want to walk all the way to the pizza place and find it too crowded. The Penguin was also crowded, but they put us in a back (non-smoky!) room. Amy had pork cutlet with a green salad (cheese, tomatoes, red and orange peppers, black olives in an olive oil sauce), and John had chicken and fried potatoes.

We came back to the apartment, and Amy read a bit while John played games on the computer. At 9PM, John watched the Simpsons (in Russian, of course), and we waited for Jason to call from home. Natasha left to catch a bus to her home town. Jason called about 940PM, and he really wanted to talk to Mama tonight, so we talked for awhile. I told Papa and Gramma that I hoped to be home in a week-10 days.

John and I watched “The Butterfly Effect” after getting off the phone. Amy went to sleep about 1245AM, which is the latest she’s been up, with the exception of being on the bus and being awake almost all night.

Working on Paperwork in Region

Thursday, 10/20/05

At 7:15 am, the phone rang, and Amy went to answer it. The person spoke Russian, so I woke Natasha up. When I came back to put on my sweat pants, my foot scraped a really sharp point on the edge of the bed and started bleeding. So I went ahead and got up and cleaned it with a wet wipe. Hopefully, it won’t get infected or anything. I did find the cards when I was looking for band-aids. Fortunately, John brought some band-aids (3) since I can’t seem to find any.

Victor with his Cellphone
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Then I played pinball on the computer. At 10AM, we went to see Victor and played and had a good time. We took him crackers for a snack, and Natasha also brought a banana for him. She had stopped by the supermarket. She picked up a magazine as well, and he liked looking at all the pictures. Once again, at noon, he got mad and sad. But he waved bye-bye to us at the window.

We walked to a new restaurant on the other side of town. Amy had ribs with bacon and cheese inside, and John had steak with onions. We both had mashed potatoes and bread. After lunch, Natasha had some stuff she had to do, so John and I walked to the market. We bought gloves for both of us, a hat for Amy, a belt for John, and toys for Victor: a kaleidoscope, a magna-doodle, a watch with calculator, a Spider-Man keyboard, a play cellphone, and a notepad. We also bought a couple of candy bars and a Star Wars plastic bag to put it all in. We spent about $20 total. On the way back home, we heard a horn blow and our names. Natasha needed us to sign some paperwork, which we did.

Then we came back to the apartment and rested. At 4PM, we got ready to go to the orphanage. On the way there, we ran into Natasha again, who had more paperwork for us to sign. She has to travel to Zaphorizhya (big city where we arrived by train) to do some things and won’t be back until late. Victor was eating a snack, so he was a few minutes late. He really liked the new toys, especially the Magna-Doodle (which is cracked) and the cellphone. We held out some of the toys for later. He likes to turn off the lights and turn on the flashlight and cellphone (which has a small red light on it). He also likes for John to pick him up and show him the mirror. At 6PM, we got ready to leave, and he wasn’t very happy. He said he was staying with “Poppy” and held on tight to John. He wouldn’t let Amy even give him a hug. But John collected the toys and got him to come out. Right before leaving, Amy gave him a hug, and then he waved bye-bye at the window.

We came home and decided to eat. Natasha had bought ham, bread, cheese, and salami. We couldn’t find any knives! We finally found some in a drawer in the living room. John cut the ham, and Amy cut the cheese (ha ha)! We ate our remaining potato chips and some chocolate as well, along with cherry and peach juice. We watched an episode of “Andy Griffith” while we ate.

Then we watched “John Q.” It was pretty good. By then, it was almost time for Jason to call, so Amy read and John played FreeCell on the computer. We talked to Jason for a few minutes, and then Natasha called. She was downstairs and was locked out. John couldn’t figure out how to open the door, and finally, a neighbor helped out.

Natasha sent our petition to adopt to Sasha via overnight train, who will take it to the NAC in Kiev. After they approve it, we can have our court date. Natasha said it usually takes a couple of days. She also talked to the judge, and there will be a mandatory 10 day wait after court. Natasha said one of us could go home after that as long as we completed a power of attorney, and Amy said she would be going home.

We got ready for bed and turned on “Andy Griffith.” Amy went to sleep about 1145PM and John about 1230AM.

Visiting with Victor

Wednesday, 10/19/05

Amy woke up about 630AM. It was dark, and she was able to go back to sleep until about 8AM. After showering and having a light breakfast, we went to meet with the Director. We told her we wanted to adopt Victor, and she said that he thought we were very kind and attentive, and he wanted to go home with us. Then he came in for a bit and said hello. We were going to watch a video of a performance he had, but they couldn’t get it to work. Victor was very shy during all of this. I guess going to the Director’s office is like going to the principal’s office at school. He did enjoy putting on Amy’s ring and watch, and I promised to bring them back to him later today.

Natasha is going to take him for a medical exam at a nearby clinic. We must have that completed for the NAC and for the court. We think this is his first ride in a car! We’ll visit him later in the day. We went back to the apartment to wait to hear from Natasha. She called about 11AM and said we could come back. We played for awhile (inside!), and Victor really liked Amy’s sunglasses and watch. We’ll look for more “toys” in the apartment.

We ate lunch (as usual) at The Penguin. Amy had a ham sandwich – kind of. It was an open-faced ham and cheese with grilled tomato on half of a croissant-like bread. She also had fried potatoes and Lipton tea. John had grilled chicken and rice with vegetables.

We came back to the apartment and rested and then went to the orphanage again (see picture) at 4PM. We played inside again. We took some Froot Loops, which Victor really liked. We also took back the flashlight, which was a big hit. He got a little bored after almost 2 hours inside, but he did pretty good. He didn’t want us to leave (or was it the flashlight?). We had to drag him out of the room and push him back in the door. Amy kept saying, “Nee plach, nee plach” (don’t cry, don’t cry). There was a man outside, and he kept saying the same thing. Victor ran to the window and waved bye-bye, so he appeared OK.



The Orphanage Romashka ---->


We went to eat pizza again tonight at the same place. It was cold outside and a good distance away, so we took a taxi. We both had the same kinds of pizza as before, along with ice cream and fruit for dessert. John drank Ukrainian beer, and Amy had cherry juice.

We stopped at the Internet café, and Amy worked on e-mail for about an hour. John kept losing his Internet connection but was able to find out the White Sox are going to the World Series. We also learned that there’s a Category 5 hurricane headed towards Florida – Wilma. It’s supposedly the most powerful on record. We didn’t get any news of that here yet.

Jason called about 945PM. Amy hadn’t even gone to sleep yet, although it was close. We’re settling into a routine here and are just ready to come home now. Jason talked for a few minutes and then wanted to leave and go to the golf driving range with Papa. He’s doing really good while we’re gone. After trying to figure out the USA Today crossword from last week, Amy and John went to bed.

In Nikopol

Tuesday, 10/18/05

Amy woke up about 6:50 am. After laying in bed awhile, she took a shower and got everything packed up. She also worked on the journal. Then we checked out of the hotel and headed to the new apartment.

John in the Kitchen

It’s right across the street from the orphanage (see pictures). It has a kitchen, bathroom, living room with pull-out king size bed, and small bedroom. It’s not as nice as the other apartments we’ve stayed in, but it is warm and has an updated bathroom with plenty of hot water! These are the important things.



Amy in the Living/Bedroom
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We went to the orphanage at 11AM, but they told us to come back at noon. So we went to eat at The Penguin again. Amy had steak and potatoes with sour cream and parsley. John had fish with rice. We both had Lipton tea.

At noon, we went back to the orphanage, and Natasha went to do some work. We played with Victor, and he had a great time coloring in the dinosaur book this time. At a little before 1PM, Natasha came back and got us. We had to go and try to find a notary. We went to the next town over and drove all around. We finally found a notary that could do the job, but they were closed until 2PM. About 230PM, we were able to get in and get our petition to adopt notarized.

We went back to the apartment and then to the orphanage about 4PM. It was VERY cold outside and windy. Victor enjoyed picking walnuts from the ground, cracking them, and sharing with us. We played with the balls, with a coin that John had, on the seesaw, and Victor looked at the family pictures. He no longer says “nyet” when we show pictures of Jason and say, “Jason tvoy brat,” which means “Jason is your brother.” We even practiced some of our Russian phrases. Some of them he understand; others he said, “Huh??”

At 6PM, Natasha came back, and we left the orphanage. No tears for Victor this time! We went to eat at a restaurant in town. I ordered spaghetti with cheese and tomato sauce and meatballs, and John ordered beef with vegetables. I ordered blueberry juice to drink, and he ordered a Black Russian. They weren’t sure what they was, but they made him a shot of vodka and a shot of Kahlua and brought it out. He drank it and then had some water. They were out of vegetables, so he ordered fried potatoes with onions instead. Natasha had a banana shake and pancakes. We were the only ones in what appeared to be a very ritzy restaurant, complete with subdued lighting, a dance floor, cloth napkins, etc. The prices were still very cheap, though. When our food arrived, we were in for a surprise. Amy had a pork cutlet with corn, English peas, carrots, beets, and cabbage. John had beef with the same sides (no potatoes). Later, Amy’s spaghetti came out with melted cheese on it (no tomato sauce). They did bring out some cold sauce early in the meal – not sure if that was the tomato sauce or not! All in all, it was very good, although not what we had ordered. John’s potatoes came out (without onions) and were very good. Natasha complained vehemently to the Administrator! When we left, she went back upstairs twice to complain again. But the food was very good.

Then we went to the supermarket to get some supplies for the morning. We got bananas, peach juice, cherry juice, cereal, and some snacks. As we were leaving, we found clothes! We found a sweater for John and a lined, nylon sweat suit for Amy. Together they cost about $23.

Then we went to the Internet café, and we answered a few e-mail messages. I left the number for Daddy to call, and they called about 9:45 pm. Not much news to report, but we talked for about 30 minutes or so. Then we went to bed about 11PM.

We Found Him!!

Monday, 10/17/05

Amy woke up about 5:55 am. Our train is supposed to arrive sometime after 6AM. She woke up John, who went to check out bathroom on the train. He said it was OK, so Amy went, too. Your aim and your grip on the handles better be good since the train is jostling all around!

After waiting a short time in the train station at Zaporizhya (sp?), we took a taxi ride to the region where we’ll meet Viktor. It took us a little over an hour. We checked into our hotel. It’s very nice, with a bedroom (twin beds), living room, bath, and refrigerator. It’s just COLD, and we can’t get the heat to work.

The Hotel Nikopol

About an hour later, it was time to meet the Director of the Ministry for Science and Education. We walked about a half mile from the hotel to his office. He was busy, so we had to wait about 20 minutes. He came in and was very, very nice. He showed us pictures of 2 couples from the US who had adopted little boys from the region. One was from California, and we’re not sure about the other. After a short time, he gave us approval to go to the orphanage. We didn’t even have to answer any questions from him; he just talked to Natasha.

The orphanage is very nice! It has a playground with good equipment and is obviously very well maintained. We met with the Director, and she said that the children were on “holiday” right now, doing some sort of performance. We will come back at 1230PM.

We went to lunch at “The Penguin.” I’m not sure if that’s the real name, but that’s what the US couples in the pictures we saw called it. We both had grilled chicken – John with rice and vegetables, and Amy with fried potatoes. John drank Coke, and Amy cherry juice and bottle water (no gas!).

We went back to the orphanage at 1230PM. The Director gave us a little bit of history. Viktor’s mother brought him to the orphanage in June 2000. She said she could not take care of him because of social reasons – no money to feed him, no healthcare, etc. She visited him once in the first year and none since. After a time, they began to look for her to see if they would terminate her parental rights, but they could not find her. In June 2004, they held court and terminated her parental rights. She did not attend court.

He has a younger sister who was adopted by another family. He has an older sister who lives with her father (not Viktor’s father). He has an older brother who lives with his mother. He has no contact with any of his siblings and has never met any of them.

The Director said that the psychologist had met with Viktor regularly. He has speech delays and psychosocial delays (which all kids in orphanages have). The psychologist says he wants to be part of a family. The doctor came in and reported on his health. He just had a check-up Saturday a week ago, and everything was good, with the exceptions noted. He also tested positive for TB, although his chest x-ray is negative. They don’t have any information on his birth – number of weeks when born, size, etc., since he came to the orphanage later. They said he was very active, kind to other children, and interested in sports. They also said he was learning letters and sounds and having some difficulty due to his speech delay.

The Director then asked if we had questions. They were very thorough, and we didn’t have any. The Director asked if we would like to meet the child now, and Amy said, “Yes, please.” They said they would tell Viktor that he had visitors who wanted to play with him, to try to keep the pressure off of him. He walked in the door and was very cute. He had a little half-smile on his face and cut his eyes at us but was a little shy. Then the Director told him to come over and take my hand, which he did. He put his hand on top of mine, and I put my other hand on top of his. Then he did the same with John. He wouldn’t let go of John’s hand!


Our First Visit with Victor --->





Then he went and put on his coat and hat to get ready to go outside. He also brought back an Army tank, which he gave to John. When we got outside, Amy showed him several cars that Jason had packed for him. They were a big hit. He was running around and talking constantly. After awhile, I asked Natasha if she had any trouble understanding him or if he was speaking clearly. She said he was fine. We decided we would like to adopt him. John took some pictures, including an mpeg video. He showed it to Viktor, who turned around (a little scared) to see who was talking. He loved seeing himself and us on the digital camera. We also played with the bouncy balls, which were a bit hit, too. After about an hour, we left and will come back at 4PM.

Natasha had to get some items notarized to get the ball rolling on the adoption, so we rode around in the taxi for a little while. Then we changed clothes and went back to the orphanage. Viktor ran up and gave us both a hug when we arrived. It started raining while we were outside, so they allowed us to come inside and play. Viktor played with cars, Army men, and colored in the Russian word coloring book I brought. The biggest hit was probably the digital camera, which he put around his neck and said, “Viktor Papa!” Later, there were a few kids outside, and he went and knocked on the window. He made us come over and wave to all the kids, and he was pointing to us. I think he was bragging!

He asked Natasha if he was going to Italy. Apparently, another child had been adopted by a couple from Italy. She said no, he was going to America. He said, OK, America! As it got to be time to leave, he got very sad. He told Natasha he wanted to go to America tonight! We do, too, but obviously can’t do that. His little lip was quivering, but he just had a few tears running down his face.

After we left, we went to eat pizza. Amy had ham, bacon, and tomato pizza, and John had pepperoni (salami), tomato, onions, and other stuff. John drank a dark Ukrainian beer, and Amy had cherry juice. Natasha had pizza and tea. The pizzas were about the size of a personal pan pizza. Our total bill was less than $10! It was raining and cold when we came out, but it was a short walk to the hotel. Amy wanted to call home, so we took a taxi from the hotel to the Central Post Office, the only place in town where you can call America. We paid 7 hryvnia and talked for 2-3 minutes, giving Amy’s parents the number of the hotel. After we returned, Natasha got them to give us a space heater for the room. It keeps the bedroom warm, but the living room is still pretty cool. The thermometer when we first arrived said 18 C, so I felt like I was in my office, which is almost always cold. Amy fell asleep before Jason could call but woke up and talked to him about 9:45 pm. We updated them on what was happening. We sure hope to be home soon! We talked about 45 minutes. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the Internet café and give them the number for our apartment that we’ll be moving into.

We went to bed about 11PM and turned on an episode of “Andy Griffith.” I sure am glad we have the laptop!

Ready to Travel to Nikopol

Sunday, 10/16/05

Amy woke up about 8:05 am. It looks like she may have found her time zone, since she goes to sleep early and wakes up early (without an alarm clock)! Or maybe, she’s just so exhausted that she goes to sleep whenever she can. After a banana for breakfast, she read the rest of “Men in Blue.” About 9AM, Natasha called and said it was very cold and looked like rain. So we canceled our sightseeing tour of Kiev. That was OK, since we were tired and could rest a bit.

For lunch, we had Chicken Kiev and rice. John made sandwiches with the rest of the ham and bread, which we plan to eat before the train ride. Natasha called and said the train would leave at 8:27 pm, and she would pick us up at 7:15 or 7:30. We watched a little bit more of “24.” Then John went to the Internet café. He paid a few bills online. On the way back, he stopped at a different supermarket. He got a nice shopping bag, Pepsi, potato chips (paprika and chicken flavor), and most importantly – toilet paper, paper towels, and Kleenex. It was about $10 all together. The toilet paper isn’t as good as what we have, but at least we know we have another option if we run out – which is likely.

Before we left for the train, we watched the next-to-the-last episode of “24.” 23 down, 1 to go!

Natasha booked us a first-class cabin for 2. It was very nice – 2 roomy beds and plenty of storage space. She went to her cabin, and we watched the last episode of “24.” There was no electricity, but the laptop had plenty of juice to get through the episode. The laptop has been a lifesaver!! Anyone planning to go to Ukraine to adopt – TAKE A LAPTOP OR DVD PLAYER WITH YOU!

Since we finished “24,” I guess we’ll have to move on to something else now… I thought I had brought cards but can’t find them. Thank goodness we have the computer with a couple of games on it!

On the train, Amy went to sleep about 11PM and John shortly thereafter. With all the noise of the train, it covered up most of John’s snoring! Since we didn’t have an electrical outlet, he couldn’t use his CPAP machine, which keeps him from snoring.

John Outside the Train in Kiev

John In the Train

Amy In the Train

Washing Clothes...Then on the Town in Kiev

Saturday, 10/15/05

The washing machine is so small. We started with a load of darks. It took about 7-8 hours to go through the cycle! Meanwhile, we watched an episode of “24,” and as usual, Amy fell asleep. John hung up the load of clothes and started the next load – whites. Then he went to bed about 3AM.

Amy woke up at 5:50 am and checked on the clothes. They were still going through the cycle! Finally, they stopped about 630AM, and John hung them up. Then Amy got the next load going. She also read several chapters of “Men in Blue” and watched the part of the “24” episode she had missed and 1 more.

After hanging up the next load of clothes, Amy had an orange and a ham sandwich with lemon iced tea. She kept moving the clothes around to try to get them dry. We have them hanging everything – on the hot water pipes, on the upright fan, on the heater (which isn’t usually on). John even rigged a clothes line inside using the cord from the iron and clothes pins that were here. We have stuff everywhere!

John got up around 11AM. For lunch, Amy had rice with carrots, a banana, and Lipton iced tea.

We hung around the apartment in shorts and t-shirts (Amy had no dry pants!) and watched “24,” read a bit, and generally rested. Natasha called around 3PM and will be here about 5PM.

A little after 5PM, Natasha arrived. We went downstairs and met her nephew and sister. Her nephew, Pasha (Paul) is 18 next month and speaks English very well. We took a taxi after we found one almost big enough – John in the front and the 4 of us in the back. We planned to go to a Ukrainian restaurant, but it was very crowded. So we walked downtown, and Pasha gave us some history. We were walking where the Orange Revolution took place. The buildings are huge and imposing. Pasha said that’s the way the Soviets wanted them to be. He is attending university and studying economics and business. He said the university closed during the Orange Revolution, since all the students were on the streets. He said he was there, too. We went to another Ukrainian restaurant, a buffet style. Amy had smoked sausage, fried potatoes, lettuce and cucumbers, sliced carrots in a vinegar type sauce wrapped in something (??), bread, borscht (vegetable soup), and (real) cherry juice. It was very tasty. John had lemon-pepper style chicken on a skewer with peppers, rice, bread (with mushrooms, looked awful), a small salad, dark Ukrainian beer (large!), some of Amy’s smoked sausage, and most of the borscht, along with a BonAqua water (no gas!). I think our total together was about $8 or so! It was all very good, with the exception of John’s mushroom bread.

When we got outside, it was raining and much colder. We quickly went to Independence Square, saw a globe that represents Ukraine’s friendship with the countries of the world, took some pictures, and went into an underground mall. Then we took the subway back towards our apartment. What an experience - it was PACKED! Then we walked home about 8PM. If the weather is good, we plan to go visit some churches tomorrow while Natasha gets our train tickets. Her sister and nephew will take us. Otherwise, we will rest around the apartment.

Independence Square with Natasha and her Family

In the Taxi with Natasha's Sister and Nephew

We decided to watch another episode of “24,” and of course, Amy fell asleep. About 10:15 pm, Jason called! Although his team lost to the Twins 9-0, Jason was 1-for-2 and made several good plays at shortstop. Papa said on one play, he went to his left on a hard-hit ground ball and threw a strike to first to get out one of their big and fast boys. After the game, the coach came over and said, “Where is that shortstop? He played a great game!”

After talking on the phone, we switched the clothes around again, trying to get them to dry. Then Amy watched the part of “24” she had missed. John wanted to watch another episode, but Amy said she wouldn’t make it. John went ahead, and Amy went to sleep about midnight. John went to sleep about 1:30 am.

NAC Referral #2

Friday, 10/14/05

Amy woke up at 2:45 am and couldn’t go back to sleep. So she worked on the adoption journal on the laptop. It’s hard to get on a regular sleeping cycle, since we’ve moved over 7 time zones and taken an overnight flight and 2 overnight bus rides. Once we get in the region, it should be better.

After reading for a bit, Amy went back to sleep at 4:20 am and then got up for good about 6:30 am. Natasha called later in the morning, and our appointment has changed to 1130AM. We decided to walk by the mall across the street before going to the appointment. It looks really upscale, but we’ll check it out after our appointment.

At the NAC, we went into the back waiting area very quickly. Natasha went in and talked with the psychologist. The boy (Viktor or Victor, not sure) has 2 sisters and 1 brother. All have already been adopted. The girl was born in 1986, the older brother in 1990, and the younger girl in 2002. So he’s good to go. We come back at 330PM to get the permission letter.

We went to lunch at a bar around the corner, where we’ve already been before. Natasha wanted us to try some Ukrainian dishes. Amy had a potato pancake with veal inside. John had beefsteak with onions and Hungarian rice. Natasha got Amy to try “lemon juice,” which is a slightly tart lemonade. Everything was very good!

We decided to go to the Internet café at the hotel across the street. It’s a very ritzy place, and Natasha said it might be expensive. Amy was on for 45 minutes and John for 30 minutes. We paid about $8. We were very glad to pay the cost, though, since we were able to use the USB drive to send a message to Natalie, giving Mama and Daddy a few messages. We were also able to print the confirmation from the Embassy that says they received our INS cable. Amy deleted about 10 megs of e-mail from her KSU account and answered student questions as needed. She hadn’t checked e-mail since she left the U.S.

Then we went to the mall. They had Swatch and lots of other brand name stores. We went into a toy store and saw books, puzzles, and even a model battleship. Everything was priced about the same as in the US. We didn’t buy anything.

We went back to the NAC at 330PM and quickly got our appointment letter. Then we stopped by the other Internet café to check e-mail again. For 15 minutes, it was about $.20! We’ll be coming back here if needed. It’s really a place for boys playing video games, but it was pretty nice. Not as nice as the $8 per hour place, but it’s 8 times cheaper. Natalie got the e-mail we sent and gave Daddy some of the information. We will call them tonight.

Natasha came by the apartment, and she collected almost all of the rest of our money. She says she will pay for “everything” from here on out, including the trip back to Kiev and associated costs. We’re still doing OK on money and don’t anticipate any problems. She and John went to the supermarket. They got tea (with lemon) for Amy, ham, bread, Chicken Kiev, rice with carrots, detergent, and other stuff. We began washing all our clothes. Ever try to read washing machine instructions in Ukrainian?

Natasha planned to return at 9PM to go to an international calling center. She arrived a little early, and we left. We got to the calling center at 9PM, and we said it was a little early. So John and I went to McDonalds while she waited. We ate 3 hamburgers, 2 fries, and 2 Lipton Peach Iced Teas. It was about $6.

Then we called Jason and gave him our apartment phone number. We paid about $6 for 10 minutes. Daddy has a Ukraine calling plan through our telephone provider, and it is $0.29 per minute with a $3.95 per month fee. We thought that was really reasonable. They’ll call us back later. Then we went back to the apartment.

Back in Kiev

Thursday, 10/13/05

Amy dozed again while “24” was on, and we set the alarm for 1AM. We got up and got ready. We’ll be glad to leave this room. The bus arrived at 2AM, and off we went. Amy’s back started hurting immediately – really her whole right side. A hydrocodone tablet that the doctor in Canton had given her helped, but she still didn’t sleep very much at all. Natasha and John both dozed for most of the trip.

About an hour outside of Kiev, the heat kicked in on the bus, and it became very hot. It had been very comfortable before then. Amy stripped down to her t-shirt and rolled up her sweatpants, but it was still hot. We arrived in Kiev at 7AM. Sasha was picking us up, and Natasha said to go to McDonalds and eat and drink if we wanted to. Amy’s stomach hasn’t adjusted to eating here, but we went to McDonalds. We’re so excited to go to a familiar place! When we’re at home, we probably go to McDonalds 2-3 times a year, even with a small child. But here in Ukraine, the workers at McDonalds understand English, so John ordered 3 hamburgers, 1 order of fries, and 2 Lipton Peach Iced Teas. Amy was really glad to see the iced tea!! Amy scraped the onions off the burger, and we finished eating. Then we took some coffee to Natasha and got in a taxi.

We drove to our new apartment, which is a few minutes walk from the NAC in the center of the city. After walking up 5 flights of steps, we arrived. It’s very nice, even nicer than our previous apartment. It even has a microwave and satellite TV (which we can’t figure out how to work). It only has 1 bathroom, but it’s very nice.

We both took HOT showers. In fact, it got too hot for both of us, even better than home. Natasha said to rest but not too much, since she might call for us any time with about 15 minutes notice. John went to sleep in one of the bedrooms, and Amy stayed on the very uncomfortable “couch,” since she was afraid the phone would ring and we wouldn’t hear it.

View From Our Balcony

The First Bedroom

The Second Bedroom

The Bathroom

The Living Room

She read a magazine then fell asleep. About 10:30 am, she went to bed. About 1PM, Natasha called. We have an appointment at 3PM today! She’ll be by to pick us up at about 230PM. We got ready by 2PM, and the doorbell rang. Natasha was cold and had come on up to the apartment. We left about 215PM. It’s about a 15 minute easy walk to the NAC. Natasha showed us 2 Internet cafes on the way and pointed out the mall across the street from our apartment.

We went up the 4 flights of steps at the NAC again, and then walked into the waiting area, which was jam packed. We’re getting used to visiting this place! After about 15 minutes, we got seats. Sometime after 3PM, we went into the same room as before. It seems that Natasha is really able to get us into the office quickly, while many others wait and wait. We saw a different psychologist than before, who basically left and let us look through the books. We found the boy who was our second choice and pulled his profile. Then we found another boy with a February 1998 birthdate that looks very good. They called the Director of his orphanage, and he’s doing very well and is at boarding school. Finally, the social worker (same one as before) found a profile of a boy born 12/5/1999. His sister was already adopted by a couple from Italy. They couldn’t talk to the Director of the orphanage, who was in a meeting. So we will get more information and then return tomorrow and select one of the three boys. Our appointment is at 11AM, and we just need to briefly speak with the psychologist.

Natasha took us to dinner – Chinese food! It’s the first Chinese restaurant we’ve ever seen that doesn’t have Chinese people running it. The people in Ukraine are very homogeneous. You just don’t see the diversity you see in the states. Amy had sweet and sour pork with rice to eat, and John had chicken with vegetables and lo mein. We also split a bread and meat dish, something like a pot sticker with bread on the outside instead of a noodle. We both had Nestea (lemon flavored) to drink. Our bill was 43,50 hryvnia (about $8).

After we ate, Natasha took us to exchange money and tried to find an international calling station. The one we tried was closed, and she was very tired. She asked if we could wait until tomorrow, and we said yes. We went back to the apartment and watched an episode of “24.” As usual, Amy was very tired but made it through the end of the show before falling asleep about 7PM. We planned to go to the Internet café and maybe the mall about 930PM.

Amy woke up at 11PM, and we decided to wait until tomorrow to go to the Internet café and the mall. There were very few people on the streets, and we were still tired. We ate a small snack and watched another episode of “24.” We’ve now watched 10 of the 24 episodes. Then we went to sleep.

In Region - Didn't Work Out

Wednesday, 10/12/05

We arrived in the region at 4AM. The bus was right on time. Natasha found us a cab, and we went to a motel – maybe the only one in town. We got a “suite.” We have 2 rooms, one with a couch and a small TV, and the other with 2 twin beds and a bath. John’s bed is broken, so he moved the mattress on the floor. We slept until about 10AM. Then Natasha went to visit the orphanage to meet with the Director and get permission to visit the boy.

The bathroom here is interesting. The toilet is fine, but there’s a big glass window off to the side. We’re on the second floor, and you can clearly see lots of people walking around below. There’s no way to be modest. There’s really no way to get in the shower without flashing everyone – unless you bathe in your clothes! It turned out not to matter, however, since I tried to get hot water, to no avail. Natasha had said we had to let the water run for a few minutes, but it didn’t work. About 30 minutes after trying to get hot water, Amy finally wet her hair with cold water and cleaned up with a wet wipe. John wet his hair in the sink. Add deodorant, and voila! You’re clean!

For lunch, we had Chicken Kiev (John) and chicken fried chicken (Amy) with French fries at the restaurant in the hotel. It was very good. Natasha had liver and onions. The total bill was 53 hryvnia (just over $10). What a bargain! Our appointment to visit the orphanage is at 230PM.

We arrived at the orphanage at 230PM. The Director began speaking to Natasha, and we could tell the news wasn’t good. Apparently, the boy has been visited by relatives, including a grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousins. They came in December 2004 and January 2005. He speaks of them often and is awaiting their return. However, the neither the grandmother nor any of the relatives would agree to sign a letter indicating that they intend to take him.

The Director did not know if he would want to meet with us. She went and spoke with him, and he said he didn’t want to meet with us. So we didn’t meet with him and returned to the hotel. We really feel bad for the little boy. How can a 7-year-old make such an important decision? It’s pretty obvious that the relatives will not come back for him. It’s really sad.

We went back to the hotel and wrote a letter to the NAC requesting a second appointment and explaining what happened. We will return to Kiev tomorrow – leaving on a bus at 2AM and arriving at 7AM. We don’t have an appointment for Thursday but hope to be able to get in anyway, or at least by Friday.

We came back to the hotel room and watched a couple of episodes of “24.” Amy fell asleep (as usual). Then we went to supper. John and I switched dinners, and it was very good again (and very cheap). Then we went back to the room and watched another episode of “24.” At a little after 9:30 pm, we went to the international calling center to call home, since it was 2:30 pm there and Jason was home. It cost 30 hryvnia for 10 minutes – it’s cheaper at night. Jason talked to me a little while and said he had gotten a star every day at school since I’d been gone. I told him I would owe him a lot of money and surprises when we got home. He wanted to speak to Daddy. He said he wanted to watch “The Three Stooges” on TV but Papa wouldn’t let him. John told him where the videotapes might be and for Papa to look for them. Amy told Papa how to find Momentum Telecom and see if they have a Ukraine plan. We also told them what happened and that we’d be starting over tomorrow in Kiev.

We also learned that our dog, Hugo, isn’t doing very good. He was having back and leg problems when we left and was supposed to go see a specialist when we returned. If it’s a slipped disk, surgery is a very good option, even for a dog as old as him (14 next January). Amy told her parents to get him the surgery if the doctor recommends it. We sure hope he’s going to get better. He’s almost 14 years old, and that’s really old for a dog his size.

We went back to the hotel room and watched some more “24.” I think John is more addicted to it than Amy now! We also wrote another note to the NAC, explaining in more detail what happened at the orphanage. Hopefully another family will not travel to meet this child with the same outcome. We feel really bad for the boy since he will probably not be adopted by his relatives. Although the NAC had spoken with someone at the orphanage before we traveled, they didn’t tell us that the boy had been visited by his relatives.

Permission to Visit

Tuesday, 10/11/05

We slept in a little bit today then had some lunch. We ate leftovers from yesterday. Our appointment at the NAC was changed and is now a little earlier. Around 2PM, we went outside and took some pictures of the apartment. We hate to leave it since it’s so nice. When Natasha arrived, she collected money from us for our in-country fee. We were happy to be rid of some of the cash we were carrying around our neck! Natasha said we would take a bus ride to the region since it wasn’t very far. It leaves at 1045PM and arrives at 4AM.

We went to the NAC and signed the paperwork that gives us permission to visit the boy. The man at the NAC said our last name perfectly, much better than we do ourselves. We took a taxi back to the apartment. The taxi ride, which is fairly long, only cost 28 hryvnia (about $5+). Tipping isn’t customary, or if you do tip, it’s just a very small amount.

We didn’t have much time, so we couldn’t really go to the supermarket or McDonalds. Instead, we decided to just make do with what we had on hand. We put “24” on and laid on the couches. John ate some crackers, candy bars, and such for dinner, and Amy just slept. At 915PM, Vitaly arrived to take us to the bus station.

Amy & Vitaly Outside the Apartment

Before leaving, we decided to use the bathroom, since the bus doesn’t have one. We got to experience the squat toilets at the bus station! They weren’t as bad as advertised, although I wouldn’t like to have to use them all the time. The bus left pretty much on time, and our trip to the region began.

NAC Appointment #1

Monday, 10/10/05

Since our appointment is at 11AM, we planned to get up at 9AM and be ready by 930AM. Well, the phone rang at 8:50AM. It was our translator, Natasha, and she had questions for us. She asked us about what age and type of child we wanted. Amy talked with her and told her we wanted a boy 4-7 years old and would take a sibling pair. Then she said we needed to be at the NAC at 10AM! She said that Vitaly would be here to pick us up in 10-15 minutes. While talking with her, Amy heard this funny noise, and someone kept trying to beep into the phone. Finally, she figured out it was the doorbell. Vitaly was there ready to go. John was still asleep, and neither of us had a shower or were close to ready. I told Vitaly to give us 15-20 minutes, then ran and yelled for John to get ready. Amy washed her hair, and John took a quick shower. We were ready in 15 minutes, and Vitaly returned in just less than 15 minutes. Amy told him to come in and that we needed 2 more minutes. We got ready, and off we went.

Vitaly is an interesting driver. He might cut over 5-6 lanes of traffic to gain an extra minute or 2. But it seems like everyone else does the same thing. He told us some history of Kiev and a little bit about himself.

At about 9:50AM, we arrived near the NAC. About 5-10 minutes later, Natasha, our translator, came to get us. Vitaly left, and we talked with Natasha. She apologized for the confusion and introduced herself. Then off we went! The NAC was just a short block or 2 from where we had parked.

National Adoption Center
We went into the NAC and sat down in chairs on the bottom floor. Natasha looked at some paperwork on the bulletin board and then left us. She made a few phone calls. Everyone here has cell phones! We went upstairs at about 11AM or so and waited in another room. Natasha went into several doors to get everything arranged. There was another couple before us, and one arrived shortly after us with a young teenaged daughter. The couple before us was called back. The one after us was talking to their coordinator or someone on the phone. Apparently, they were only approved on their home study for 1 child but wanted two. Their representative was meeting with the Director of the NAC. She finally came out and said that they could not adopt the 2 children; the Director was not satisfied since they homestudy said only 1 child. The man was pretty mad and let it show. He reminded us of an angry American.

Then we were called back very quickly, about 11:15AM. Natasha had hugged another lady arriving at the NAC, and she turned out to be the social worker for us. The psychologist (who looked very young) asked us to tell us about ourselves, where we were from and what we did for a living. Amy said she was a professor at a university in Atlanta, GA and taught computing. John said he was an 8th grade science teacher just north of Atlanta, GA. Then the psychologist asked if we had any biological children, and Amy said, yes, a 6.5 year old son. Then she asked what we were looking for, and we said a 4-7 year old boy and would consider a sibling pair. She asked if we wanted a boy and girl or a boy and a brother. Amy said we would prefer a boy and a sister.

Then we began to look through the 5-8 year old book. Many children were very sick: cerebral palsy, HIV, Hepatitis C, etc. Also, many of the children were much older than 8, some as old as 11 years old. There were many more boys than girls. Meanwhile, the social worker looked through the sibling book. We found several, but there were problems with each of them. Some had a sibling that was not available. Many had multiple siblings. Some were just not available for other reasons. We did find one boy born 4/15/98. They called the orphanage about him and said he had slight learning disability and was in a class for children with great potential. The psychologist said he was a good choice. We thought he was a little old and would have a birthday right after Jason. You could tell the psychologist really wanted us to take him. I asked if they had any slightly younger children, since we wanted our son to be the oldest boy. They said we could come back at 3PM and look at other books.

So we went to lunch. Natasha took us to a café around the corner. The menu was in English and Ukrainian (Russian?). We both had chicken with pineapple, rice, bread, and drinks (Coke for John and Fanta for Amy). They brought out the food, and it was huge. Of course, the Fanta was in a small glass, while the Coke was in a bottle. Amy ate about half of hers, and John finished her chicken. Then we got 2 bottled waters (no gas!) to go and headed back to the NAC. Our total bill was 111,60 hryvnia (pronounced g-RIV-nea). Natasha said to leave 1-2 hryvnia as a tip. It takes about 5 hryvnia to make $1.

Then we went back to the NAC. We arrived about 2:53PM and went back quickly. We began looking again. The psychologist was really pushing the first boy we had seen. She said he was older than our son but would be smaller. I asked Natasha if we should take the boy – he looked fine – and she said to keep looking. We found another boy whose birthday was in August of 1998. Since we can move the date back a year, that would make him just younger than Jason. He had slight mental delay (they all have that) and undescended testes. We kept looking. The social worker found a little boy who had blonde hair and fair skin. He also had an August 1998 birthday and an older sister who was 11 years old. We had no information on the older sister. The psychologist called the orphanage but could not get anyone. She told us to come back at 5PM.

We came back at 5PM and didn’t have to go all the way into the office this time. We waited in the inner hallway after a very short wait. The outer room was jam-packed with people. When we got back to the inner waiting area, Natasha found out the girl was in a different orphanage in the same region. They couldn’t find the information on the girl, but the Director at both orphanages said both children were “good children.” They said we’d have to come back the next day to get the girl’s information. Natasha went to talk with the social worker, and John and I began to talk. We had already discussed whether we wanted siblings and had decided if everything was OK, we would take the sibling pair. The boy looked like us, and we thought Jason would like a sister. However, we started thinking about the extra time and travel and decided we would just go with one of the boys. Natasha came back out and said that since the children were in different orphanages, it would require her to do double the paperwork. I stopped her and said we were fine to just select one of the boys. The psychologist brought out both sheets, and Natasha and I went into the doorway to select the boy we wanted. The psychologist was very disappointed that we didn’t select the first boy. I think she had a soft spot in her heart for him. We go back to the NAC at 4PM tomorrow to complete paperwork, and then we will travel to the region. It’s in south-central Ukraine.

When we left, Natasha took us around the corner to exchange money. John exchanged $100 for 515 hryvnia. Then Natasha caught us a cab, and Amy asked to go to an international phone. If we thought Vitaly’s driving was interesting, he had NOTHING on the lady cab driver. She used her horn liberally, made turns in the middle of the road, and generally got through traffic. She took us to an international calling center, and we paid 20 hryvnia for about 5 minutes. Amy called home and talked to her parents and, more importantly, Jason. It was about 1030AM in Atlanta. We told them that we had selected a boy and would travel to meet him soon. Amy told her dad to try to get an international calling plan through Momentum Telecom, and he said he would. Jason got on the phone and said, “Why does it take so long to get a brother?” I reassured him and talked with him a little bit. He seemed fine. Mama asked where the numbers were for Jason’s doctor appointments that had to be canceled, and I said to do the best she could.

After 5 minutes, I hung up, and we received 3,16 hryvnia in change. Then the taxi driver took us to our apartment. After all the smoke and jet lag, Amy started to get a migraine. She took some migraine medicine and closed her eyes on the drive back. Based on how they drive, closing your eyes isn’t a bad idea! We got back to the apartment, and Natasha said she would go to the supermarket with us. I said for just John to go and to get me anything to eat, I wasn’t picky. I kept the key, since you have to have it to get out of the door. Then I laid on the couch and waited for him to return, dozing off. He returned in about an hour or so, at 730PM. I jumped up from the couch to open the door and stubbed my toe. I think it’s broken now. I let him in and went into the bedroom and went to sleep. At 1030PM, I woke up, and so did John. We went into the kitchen. He had bought chicken Kiev for himself and some sort of pepper chicken. He bought me pot roast. He also bought chicken fried rice, Snickers candy bars, Fanta, Coke, water, and bread. I ate pot roast with a little rice, bread, and Fanta. We watched “All in the Family” in the living room while we ate. Thank goodness we brought some short series with us (“All in the Family” and “Andy Griffith.”) All the TV is in Russian, so we’d have nothing to watch if not for the DVDs.

After eating, Amy took a bath again. Her back is killing her! Plenty of hot water again. Then we went to bed and watched the 1st episode of season 1 of “24.” Amy had seen seasons 2-4, but John had never seen any of it. After we finished watching “24,” it was 4AM local time, so we went to bed. It’s also very cold in the apartment. There’s no heat yet, and it was probably freezing outside at night. We just bundle up and bear it.

Our Apartment Complex
Our Bedroom
Our Kitchen

We Made it to Ukraine!

Saturday, 10/8/05 & Sunday, 10/9/05 (we lose 7 hours traveling east)

I hadn’t received my plane ticket confirmation yet or the information on the travel insurance and VIP service, so I called and left a message for Lonnie. I also e-mailed him. I worked to get my school stuff in order and began packing. As someone had suggested, I used large Ziploc bags to pack clothes more economically. I took the following clothes:

Underclothes
Men’s t-shirts (to wear under clothes)
Navy blue and black knit pants
Red, navy, and black turtlenecks
White sweater
Navy long-sleeve shirt
Nice pants suit for court
2 sweat suits (1 to wear on plane)
Tennis shoes
Black dress shoes

We also took about 12 small bottles of water, some peanut butter & Ritz crackers, some dried fruit, some canned ham and turkey, some candy bars, and other snacks. We had heard to take toilet paper, so we took 3 rolls of that as well. We also took a flashlight (for power outages), an adaptor, a converter, and lots of other things. We packed the laptop in a backpack with room for other stuff, used 1 medium and 1 small wheeled suitcase, a duffel bag, and a small purse for Amy. We tried not to overpack, and I think we did pretty good.

John was printing pictures downstairs, so I went down to help him select the ones to include. We’re supposed to bring pictures of the family, the house, relatives, etc. I also continued washing clothes.

At about 4AM, Jason woke up, so I went to lay down with him for a few minutes. When he got back to sleep, I went back to work.

At 645AM, Jason woke up for good. John was asleep in the bed with him, and Jason said he couldn’t sleep any more since Daddy was snoring! I think Jason was just excited. I moved John to our room. Jason helped me pick out some toys to bring to his brother: cars, Army men, bouncy balls, slinky, coloring book, and crayons.

At 8AM, our adoption coordinator called to make sure everything was OK and to confirm the plane tickets. Minutes later, Lonnie called. He had sent me e-mails, but I hadn’t received them. He assured me everything was in order. I called VIP service and the travel insurance, and they both confirmed everything. I finally got the e-mails. Gmail had marked them all as spam… Then the adoption director called and thanked us for traveling on such short notice. At 9AM, I woke John up, and he began to get ready. We put pictures in the photo albums, and John went to get the money. The bank also made copies for us – they were very nice! John picked up another adaptor and converter. Then he came home and packed.

John and I both missed Jason’s game at 1030AM. Jason threw out 5 runners from shortstop to first and was 3-for-4. We hated to miss the game, but just didn’t have time to go.

At 1245PM, 22 hours after receiving notice to travel, we left to go to the airport. Jason was a little quiet on the way there but appeared to be OK. I gave him a kiss when we left, and he said, “OK, OK.”

We went inside, got our tickets, checked our luggage, and went through security. John was delayed a little bit getting my computer through, but everything went pretty smoothly. About 2PM, we ate Chinese food from Mandarin Express. I had sweet tea. I sure am going to miss that!

Our plane left approximately on time at 4:05 pm. Lufthansa was pretty comfy. We were in seats in the middle row – one on the end and the one next to it. The lady sitting next to us and her friends were going on a cruise to Romania and Hungary. Interesting place to go on a cruise, but she was very nice. We had a TV that also served as a computer. It kept showing us how far we had traveled, our air speed, etc. I dozed off for about 30 minutes and then for about 2 hours. John probably slept about the same amount. We arrived in Frankfort a little early, about 6:30 am. It was easy to find the terminal – A51. When we sat down there, it was like we were in a different world. No one had on sweat pants, and no one had on shorts (like John). We really stood out! The bathrooms in Frankfort were unimpressive. There were 4 stalls for women and for men. It was great to see all the men waiting!

Oh, the smoking! Everyone smokes, and it’s OK to smoke in the airport. What a culture shock.

Our plane left Frankfort late. On the way over, John and I both fell asleep for a short time. We woke as we were preparing to land, with immigration forms in our seat. I could barely read them; I was so tired. We hurriedly completed the forms, not knowing if we were doing them correctly. When we landed, everyone clapped! We wondered if it was unusual for the plane to land safely or if everyone was happy to be home… We got off the plane, and the representative from VIP services was waiting (with a cigarette in his mouth!). He got our passports and immigration forms and got us moving. We didn’t have to go through the lines. Then he sent us to baggage claim and got our customs forms for us. He had a cart for our luggage and told us how to fill out the forms. You can’t imagine how fast he was moving! We had 1 piece of luggage and were waiting on the other. He asked us what it looked like and jumped on and over the luggage conveyor belt. We finally found it, and off we went. He ran our luggage through security and took us to customs. They asked me to see my money, and I pulled it out. The VIP rep told me to put it up. Then they asked John to see his money, and he began to open the envelope. The VIP rep said not to show it, just to go. The customs guy seemed fine with that. We went out a special entrance, and we were done. It took about 5 minutes from start to finish – definitely worth the $55 each!

Then we waited. Of course, John had to find the bathrooms. We had heard horror stories about the bathrooms here, and after our Frankfort experience, we expected the worst. The bathrooms in the airport were very nice: clean, nice sinks, even toilet paper!

We kept looking for signs with our names on it – no luck. 3 ½ hours later, we ran into the VIP rep again – the only person we knew in Ukraine! He asked what we were doing still there. We explained our situation, and he let us use his cell phone to call our adoption coordinator’s home number. Amy had left the adoption coordinator’s cell phone number on her e-mail and didn’t have it with her. There was no answer at the home number, so Amy left a message. The VIP rep volunteered to set us up with a driver and take us to a hotel. We decided to wait. Because of the timing, Amy’s parents weren’t available to help. They were on their way to Amy’s sister’s house in Macon. After finding out how to make a long distance call, we tried to call Amy’s sister, Natalie. We left out 1 step and couldn’t complete the calls. Finally, John and the lady at the post office (who spoke no English) communicated well enough that we were able to call Natalie. I had her check my e-mail and pull up the adoption coordinator’s number quickly. I got Natalie’s cell number to give to the adoption coordinator as an alternate way to reach us.. Then I called the adoption coordinator’s cell again – no answer. We had been at the airport 4 ½ hours by now. About an hour later, I called Natalie back, and she hadn’t heard from the adoption coordinator. I had the chance to talk to Jason briefly, so that was good.

Then we waited. We kept trying to call the adoption coordinator and the agency with no luck. John walked around the airport about a hundred times looking for signs with our names on it. Finally, about 8PM local time, I fell asleep. I had slept about 2 hours in 48 hours and couldn’t make it anymore. Meanwhile, John talked to the adoption coordinator. There was a mix-up with our arrival date, and someone was on their way! They were going to meet us at the blue information desk.

John went and stood there, and someone came in about 10PM, obviously looking for someone else. Our driver, Vitaly, had arrived! He was supposed to have a sign with our name on it, according to the adoption coordinator, but he didn’t. Instead, he knew the name of the family coming AFTER us. So John told him it wasn’t us. I figured it had to be for us! The Kiev airport isn’t big, it was 10PM at night, and how many adoptive families were stranded at the airport? John called the adoption agency, who said to call back in 15 minutes. Finally, John talked to the translator (Natasha) on Vitaly’s phone, who confirmed that we were the right people. So off we went in Vitaly’s van – finally! We hadn’t eaten in about 10 hours, and Vitaly asked if we’d like to get something to eat. I knew they had McDonalds, so we went through the McDrive Thru and got a burger, fries, and a Coke for about $4-5. I wanted no onions on the burger, but that didn’t translate well, so I just scraped them off.

We arrived at a nice 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath apartment building, the same place where Vitaly lives with his wife. Our apartment is on the 4th floor and is numbered 255 (go figure). Amy took a bath (plenty of hot water) to help her aching back. For those of you who don’t know it, Amy had major back problems about 2 weeks before leaving. Being on a plane for 24 hours, not sleeping for 48 hours, and the stress of preparing for the trip definitely didn’t help! Then we went to sleep quickly about 1230AM. We played “All in the Family” on the laptop while we went to sleep! Our appointment is scheduled for 11AM tomorrow.

Ready or Not...

Friday, October 7, 2005

Since Jason has a baseball game tomorrow, my mom and dad arrived from Macon at about 1:00 pm. We went to eat at Waffle House. After we returned, I did a little work, met Jason at the bus stop, and was about to show my parents the pictures of the children from Ukraine that we’re considering hosting over Christmas. At 2:45 pm, our adoption coordinator called. She asked how I was doing… Then she said they had talked to the facilitator in Ukraine, and could we get on a plane TOMORROW for an appointment on Monday. I said, “Umm, I don’t know…” When I told Jason, he said, “I’m going to have a brother in 3 weeks!!” Then he said, “I want to go, too.” That’s going to be far and away the hardest part of the trip – leaving Jason behind. At least I know he’ll be in good hands with my parents. Then I quickly got the ball rolling.

Since it was almost 3:00 pm, I was afraid that John might not have the appropriate people at school to get everything worked out quickly. I called him on his cell, and he started getting organized. I was completely dumbfounded that we might be leaving so soon.

I called my school, and my boss was not there. He was in a meeting in Washington, DC. I e-mailed him, told him what was going on, and asked him to please call me ASAP. Then I called HR at my school and told them what was going on. I talked with them, and they said I didn’t have to fill out FMLA forms since I had plenty of paid leave to take. I sent them an e-mail with all the information I knew. Then I called the Dean to discuss the CyberTech project. I talked with his secretary, since he was at a meeting out of the office. She said she’d give him the message and gave me his cell and home phone numbers. I e-mailed Stacy Ventresca, who’s been working on the project, and let her know that I needed her to take the lead and answer any questions that the Dean or the Teaching Assistants might have.

At 3:15 pm, our adoption coordinator called. I had talked to John, and he was waiting to talk with his principal. Our adoption coordinator knew we needed time, but said if we couldn’t go, they’d try to find someone else. I asked for just a little more time.

At 3:40 pm, John called and said everything was a go from his principal. I called and left our adoption coordinator a message on her home and cell phones. Then I called the bank to see if we could get the money we needed in "clean" 100-dollar bills. They said it would be ready by 9:00 am the next morning.

So I began working to get plane tickets. Meanwhile, our adoption coordinator called again. She hadn’t checked her messages yet, but I told her we were prepared to go. I asked her who to call to get plane tickets, and she said GoToRussia. I called them and left a message. Then I called Lonnie Rowland and left a message as well. Finally, I got a real live person at Russia House, and she said she would not leave until we had tickets. She began checking and said she’d call back.

I talked with John, and he had a lot to do at school to get ready to leave. We decided to cancel baseball practice since it was raining anyway. I called Greg N. and asked if he would call everyone and tell them not to come to practice. He laughed and laughed when I told him what was going on. It IS quite humorous!!

Lonnie Rowland called me back. He had some information on plane tickets. He could also set us up with travel insurance and VIP Service. Lana from Russia House also called back and sent me an itinerary with several options. I checked e-mail and called her back. She couldn’t get me VIP service since it was so late. I really wanted it. I called Lonnie back and booked the tickets via Lufthansa (Atlanta to Frankfurt to Kiev). We leave at 4:05 pm tomorrow, arrive in Frankfurt at 6:55 am local time, then leave again at 9:30 am and arrive in Kiev at 12:55 pm. I asked Lonnie to send me confirmation via e-mail, and he said he would. He left to go out of town. So we’re set!!

I began making a list of what I needed to buy at Wal-Mart. I also ordered a couple of prescriptions at Kroger. Then I washed clothes and responded to as many e-mails as possible. I’m going to miss lots of meetings, the KSU Majors Fair, recruiting activities, etc. I asked one of my colleagues to cover my Project Management class one night, and he agreed to do so (thanks, Mario!). I hope to only miss 1 class, since the ones next Tuesday and 2 weeks later are online. I e-mailed my students to let them know to expect delays, and I setup Wanda at KSU so she could access and respond to my e-mail messages as needed.

I left Nancy S. a message to tell her what was going on. She called me later and offered to help with Jason as needed. Karen N. also volunteered to help with Jason as necessary, and Greg offered to do whatever was needed as far as baseball coaching. My dad agreed to step in for John and manage the team while we were gone.

My parents had planned to come up for a 3-day stay. They’re going to have to go back to Macon and get clothes. My dad is also going to have to make arrangements for his class.

The rest of the day is a blur. John came home, and we ate leftover pizza. My mom and dad took Jason to eat and shopping. After I got Jason to sleep, my dad and I went to Wal-Mart and bought lots of things on my list: converter, adaptor, duffel bag, photo albums, and other things that I’ve already forgotten. While we were there, the power went off, and they made us leave the store. I hadn’t gotten snacks yet, so we went to Kroger and finished the shopping. We got home around 1AM.