Saturday/Sunday

We lost internet at the apartment and gave our phone to the girls, so we have been cavepeople for a day!!

We spent the day shopping for things for the girls, a few things for their friends, eating (of course!), and we went to the movies!  I watched Wanted with the girls....and it was good.  I listened to my mp3 player and followed the story line quite well.  Vita filled in the blanks when needed....she's an awesome translator!!  David saw the Hulk with the boys.  

Thankfully no one cried when we said goodbye....it's easy knowing we will see them again soon.

We went by Mercedes van to Kyiv today...0nly about 5 hours with one stop.  Now we have time to kill at the airport....and cheap internet cafe!    The airport is a ZOO....chaos and lack of efficiency, which seems to be a trend in UA.

Will likely post some pics once we get home and updates as the adoption process winds down.  Maybe I can get David to blog on his trip.......

COURT DAY!!!

WE GOT OUR GIRLS!!!!!!

After a morning of getting everyone clean and dressed...and keeping them clean and dressed, we were off to court. Our taxi didn't come, so we got on the hot bus and were all sweaty when we got there! We waited in the hallway for about one hour before we were seen....not unlike the U.S.!! This gave us a chance to talk with the prosecutor and others involved (directors, inspectors, social workers) Once in the court room, and I do mean room, we went thru the formalities of everyone stating name, producing passports, etc.. We had to tell the "court" what we were petitioning for: adoption, name changes, and birthdate change (which we had to justify) We answered a few questions about our jobs, home, income, etc.. The girls were asked if they consented and if we had been in contact. The judge asked if the boys were in favor of.....as the boys had all picked a sister's lap to sit on! After we plead our case and were asked a question by the prosecutor, the judge and two "jurists" (I think just people from the public to sit on either side of the judge and help decide cases?) excuse themselves after our closing arguments (all quite comical, to me). After a 10 minute recess, we are all called back into court for the decision. He grants the adoptions, but not the 10 day waiting period...which was expected, but it doesn't hurt to ask. We were told we could appeal that part of the decision....but I'm sure that would take more than the 10 days~

We left court and had lunch before hanging out at the apartment for some down time. Galya had to go back to camp and clean as today was her assigned day. The rest of us headed downtown to meet Ira Azerlyan who has been a tutor to Vita and Galya in the past for English. We had never met her, but have communicated on Facebook and email! She is a sweety!!! Ira's English is so good, she could be mistaken for an American with a regional accent! We celebrated at Mike O'Neill's Irish Pub! I think it was the best meal we have had since getting here and we wish we had discovered it sooner!! After dinner it was the habitual ice cream and some shopping for necessities for the girls. We got them back to camp, late as always!

We are so sad that tomorrow is our last day with our new daughters before we have to leave them. But we know that this is the light at the end of the tunnel and in a few weeks, our kids will all be home, where they belong, for good....not just a visit.

Thursday

Today was a lot of fun for everyone! Well, David spent two hours at the tax office after our translator told him what to do and left....that part wasn't fun. But after that....fun!!! We had lunch with the girls and then commenced to shoe shopping at Provost Bazaar. Highly inefficient way to shop...but, it works! If it were our method in the U.S., I would not be much of a shopper! Vita and Galya eventually found shoes and Yana found a pair of shorts she liked. With our mission complete....it was off to the beach!! WOOHOO!!! The boys really liked it...the water was COLD, and I did not get in other than my feet! The girls are all like fish from living by the Black Sea their entire lives. I felt quite overdressed for the occasion in a black one piece. One piece was acceptable for women....as long as it was the bottom piece!! Tops optional here, and there were some two pieces that women wore that it was hard to see the bottom piece for two reasons: it was a thong or the "muffin top" on the women hid their bathing suit bottoms!! It was fun and I am glad we saw the beach. We had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the sea.....overpriced, poor food, poor quality, good company and good view! From there we visited Galya's aunt and uncle where the kids gorged on sweets. We were also entertained by Galya's uncle, Yuri, with some magic as he is a professional magician. The kids all loved it and created quite a memory for all of us.

Tomorrow is the big day!!

Wednesday

Today was what I call a blogable day! We got the girls for lunch and then went so see Kung Fu Panda at the “cinema”. Here are all the GREAT things about seeing a movie in Ukraine:
 The price! You have seat assignments and the cost varies on age, time of show, and seat chosen. For 8 of us, the tickets totaled $25
 Snack prices! For unlimited snacks for all of us….a whopping $15!!!!
 There is a bar in the theater
 You can bring in your own snacks
 There is Baskin Robbins in the theater

The drawback: dubbed in Russian!!!

From there we went to the “bazaar” to look for shoes for the girls for court. Yana, who insisted she didn’t need/want any, is the only one who found a pair acceptable. Tomorrow, we have more shoe shopping to do!

Moving from bazaar to “BIZARRE”. The McDonald’s we stopped at for drinks/ice cream and play place was a plethora of characters tonight! There were about 8 Hare Krishna’s out front playing a drum, dancing, and singing. Appeared they found a good deal on melon colored fabric as it was the color of choice for most. They did their thing for at least one hour….even had mics and speakers! As they were doing their street evangelism there was an old drunk street lady dancing around within their group…she was not a part of the group as indicated by her lack of melon colored toga. She then felt compelled to drag one of the many stray dogs by its’ front paws into the mix. She had the dog up on its’ back legs and she danced with the dog for a few songs until the dog grew weary and she wore out from leading. Eventually, the HK’s called it a night and packed up their gear. As they waited for the marshuka (bus) to take them to their assumed commune, they attempted to hand out propaganda. Of course David was a target and he was happy to tell them he doesn’t understand. David was also handed a Jehovah’s Witness Watch Tower pamphlet a few days ago while we were out walking…it was in English, I think. He must have looked foreign and spiritually lost that day. Shows the insight that the JW’s have! They only got a 50%!! Lol

On a sad sighting…there are stories on the internet with photos of street kids in Ukraine who are drug addicted, dirty, begging, and empty. There were three of them in front of Mc Donald’s tonight begging. I couldn’t help but wonder if they had been in orphanages and were then turned out onto the streets when they turned 16 or 17 with no family, education, or means to support themselves. Then I see our amazing girls and have so much hope for their futures…and feel bad for not being able to help more kids who live lives that are unimaginable to most Americans. It’s not designer drugs like are in America, it’s household chemicals and other caustic things that these kids inject just to escape from the horror that is their life. It’s easy to see why so many people do anything they can to get out of Ukraine or self medicate to escape reality.

On the adoption front…Lena was out doing adoption stuff today and we have a little bit of work to do tomorrow to prepare for our court date on Friday. We are still cautiously optimistic for a waiving of the 10 days…but expecting it to not happen. Lena will leave Friday night from Odessa to go home for awhile until she can come back to Odessa and work on paperwork to prepare for David’s return.

I think we are all very homesick and weary…just ready to be home and get our girls home as well. Jakob’s head looks great…all things considered. He is still running/jumping/spinning all over Odessa…it’ll be a miracle if he doesn’t come home even more battered. Levi is scraped up from his falls on the sidewalk…and where Jakob pushed him down the stairs. Noah is running a fever and didn’t eat much today, so he’s down a bit too. I’m afraid when the judge sees how beat up the boys look, he won’t allow us to adopt the girls!!

Looking forward to the hotel in London as a primer for our own beds on Monday night!!!

No News is Good News!

We didn't do much today....went and did the applications for the girls' birth certificates then came back to the apartment. I think all 9 of us were tired from all the running and heat, so we took a down day. Lena went to the beach by herself and I'm sure she had a blast! The girls just hung out at the sea and rested. I'm sure tomorrow will be a different tale! Galya is checking with her soon to be sisters to see what they would like to do... and will call us back...maybe!

I think I need to go change my pants....someone just set of fireworks so close to our apartment that we couldn't see the entire explosion out our window. Still not accustomed to it even though it happens every night...not sure what they are celebrating!

Our last monday here

Today was a fun day!! Vita and Yana started off not speaking, but they were both willing to go with us! We met Lena at the mall and had lunch, then went downtown to do some souvenir shopping….it took Yana and Galya little bit to open up and be willing to let us buy them stuff. Once they got started….holy Lord!! Vita, on the other hand, was happy to buy for herself, Oksana, Sasha, Jessica, Justin, Grammy, PopPop, and anyone else she could remember! We met Galya’s aunt Oksana and uncle Yuri for dinner tonight. Very nice couple…not what I expected. Then Gary and Pat met us for their dinner. The kids ate for two dinners worth…Yana can put away the groceries! Grammy: double the mashed potatoes!!

Some adoption stuff was done today…I wrote a letter to explain why we wanted one court date for two oblasts. We have some stuff to do tomorrow…..not sure what. We just do whatever Lena tells us to do! We are doing all we can do to keep up with six kids!

After shopping a bit, Vita and Yana made up…Vita bought her some earrings and a manicure kit. David and I are going to do some adjusting to the whole rollercoaster of girl emotions! And when you say, “what’s wrong?”. The answer is, “I’m ok” Even though you know it’s not ok…

We are looking forward to coming home…the sooner the better!

Sunday?

Today we got to see another side of teenage sisters! We got to camp to pick up the girls and Yana was a bit surly. We weren’t sure who she was mad at and hoped it wasn’t us. She said she was tired and needed to do laundry, so she didn’t want to go today. We offered to do her laundry for her tonight, but she insisted on not going. On the bus, Vita explained that she had asked Yana if she could borrow a pony tail holder. Yana said, “no, I’m using it for a bracelet.” Vita, responding as a Kellett, “oh, why thank you.” (add sarcasm…) So, to spite herself, Yana stayed at camp. We took the girls to the mall to eat at the food court….good prices and variety. Lena met us there as well after going to the inspector’s office…yes, the inspector met her on Sunday!! We got our money’s worth with that fee!! There were some little pony type rides in the food court and the boys wanted to ride…so we caved since they had a good lunch. When we were done a woman by the name of Luda came over and asked if she could buy the boys some sweets. I said sure and thank you, thinking it was going to be a little candy from the Mr. Bulky type store in the food court. Instead, it was 7 full sized desserts that she took Vita over to the restaurant to buy! We were floored, amused, grateful, and a little confused! Jakob was the most grateful as he had at least two of the desserts! Much better than yesterday on the marshuka (bus) when a drunk man sat in front of Levi, Galya, and Vita and said: English bad, Russia good. Then he got pissed at Levi and yelled: bad boy!! Bad boy!! This made Yana get defensive so she went and sat in front of the man, then beside him…she had quite a scowl on her face!! Another drunk interlude on the bus….there were two drinking buddies standing (swerving!) in the isle next to David. One fella was so drunk he couldn’t even see the hand rail to grab on and kept just reaching until he lucked out. We were both shocked that he didn’t pass out!! Then his partner in crime lost his balance and nearly ended up in my lap. That’s what riding the bus later in the day will get you!! Another bus experience: David was coming home with Noah and Levi from taking the girls back to camp and a long haired guy started chatting with David about the Paul McCartney concert in Kyiv that was simulcast to the big cities in Ukraine the other night. He was trying to tell David the names of the songs and when he couldn’t think of the name, he would sing it for him….and poorly. From my understanding, the entire bus was amused. I digress….

After lunch we went to an amusement park, Ukrainian style! $5 per ride was the average…a little steep if you ask me!! But the girls had fun and so did the boys. The girls rode the throw up rides….and Vita did throw up after the last one. Galya wanted to, but couldn’t. From there, Lena dropped us by the apartment and took our documents to the train station and David took the girls back to camp.

Not sure what tomorrow has in store for us! Depends on the weather and adoption stuff…we have still have to get David registered for his tax # so the girls can retrieve their pensions and go ahead and start the paperwork for birth certificates!

We are cautiously optimistic that our 10 days will be waived….all three of the girls have medical diagnoses (nothing of concern or reality based) and we will argue that we would need to get them home to get settled, learn some of the language, and get evaluated before school starts for the ESL program. This is the new judge who is doing his first adoption Monday….so we can see it going either way. As much as we paid to expedite our court date, I would think it would be a breeze! The embassy said they would honor it…so we are asking for more miracles, as if we haven’t received enough already!!

More tomorrow!!

Another day....more fun

We got the girls from camp today around lunch time and went to McDonald's. Then we went shopping...David has made it clear that I will be taking the girls shopping. They had a great time buying clothes for court and bathing suits. After that we took the bus downtown. We ended up walking in the pouring down rain....the kids all enjoyed that! It was a fun family memory. It was great to have Galya with us for the day. This is the first day we have gotten to take her out and have fun. And they are not afraid to ask for stuff!!! Shoes, go to the movies, go to the amusement park, go to the zoo!

Oh, yeah! I forgot about the adoption stuff! Lena did some stuff today...not sure what. I've grown weary of that side of the trip...I have a lot of faith and trust and know that she will take good care of us. She wants to get home as bad as we do!

We have nixed the idea of going to Kharkiv....the train or car ride would be to grueling on everyone at this point and Jakob could care less. He just wants to have fun. Speaking of Jakob...his head looks good! I hope they don't pull my nursing license when I get home and take him to the doctor....

We are also hoping to have our 10 days waived...but the judge is new. His first adoption hearing is monday with Gary and Pat Fry....we'll see how their day goes and gauge our speculation on that! If our 10 days are waived, I will come home with the boys. Should be, um......interesting. We have a night in London on our way home...at least I speak the language there!

Our boys are still the best! They have made this trip go so much faster!

More tomorrow!!

Friday's Dealings

What fun filled day we had today!!! The Yana and Vita went with us for the day and Galya is still with her family. We met the girls at the Battery Park … named for the now defunct military eqpt that is there on display. The boys like climbing all over the stuff, especially Jakob! From there we went to a Ukrainian version of a mall…it has all different types of departments and services from food to hardware to bank and flowers! We had a good lunch…everyone liked their lunch but David, so he ate the leftover pizza and some of my yummy potatoes! We got an outfit for Yana to wear to court next Friday. While she was trying on clothes Jakob was melting down in toys. He ended up falling on a shelf and cutting his head open about ¾ of an inch. The bleeding didn’t want to stop, so we took him to the hospital where they wanted to call an ambulance and transfer him to the children’s hospital…and be seen by a NEUROSURGEON!!!! He needed stitches…not an MRI or neurosurgery!! People: this is socialized medicine!! So as an alternative, we went to the pharmacy, spent $5 and went home and I shaved a spot on his head, cleaned, and bandaged it. He’s tough and didn’t make a sound. He should thank God I couldn’t get my hands on a suture kit!! What an experience that was! So, after the major head trauma, we went to the dolphinarium. I think that’s a made up word, but the place was cool nonetheless. It was a dolphin and seal show in a little pavilion down by the Black Sea. It was quite impressive with loud techno music and a few American rock songs thrown in for good measure. Well worth the $10 a person.

Our most awesome translator ran around town all day getting our paperwork in order. She has worked so hard on our adoptions… and is meeting our timeline with all the madness and demands thrown in her path. Our applications and other docs will be on the train to Kyiv Sunday night and registered at the center for adoptions Monday. We will have court Friday and head to Kyiv either Saturday or Sunday and fly home Sunday!! Our translator thinks David should return 20 days after our court date for the girls. That being around July 16 and hopefully home on the weekend! Party date: July 26th !!!

We can’t believe how fast time is flying by on this trip. I’m sure time will crawl during the waiting period when we can’t see the girls and they are stuck at the summer camp. I will need that time to rest up for the shopping we have ahead of us. The girls have such few personal belongings they will travel with just a backpack. When Vita’s grandmother sold her apartment, all of Vita’s things were left there and likely thrown out. We will leave our phone for Vita so we can call her and Galya has a phone already.

We only have a few more things to do related to the adoption: David needs a tax number so he can get the girls’ pension for them and we will do some paperwork to get birth certificates, etc..

Keep us in your prayers…it’s not over until the 10 day waiting period has passed after court!!

Update!

So, we hope to put our docs on a plane to Kyiv tomorrow afternoon and have court date next friday!!! To Kyiv saturday...to HOME on sunday!!! OMG!!!! Let the vodka flow!!


So here is our funny for the day: We are looking for Mario's Pizza and see "Pizza City" with a signboard in front in english. Sounds like a no brainer, right? So, we go inside and they have NO english menus?????!!!!!! Bait and switch. Vita didn't feel like translating the menu, so we pressed on to Mario's.


Our cab driver taking us home said: many people, many money. And instead of him telling us how much, he asked us how much. We said 50, he said 70....we said OK!! It was raining....seemed like a good deal! These cars are the size of toyota tercels...so there are six people in the back seat....me and the driver up front! I think we are bonding as a family! lol

Starting saturday we should be able to do just fun stuff with the kiddos. Will be nice to have some fun amidst all the anxiety, chaos, and runaround.

I keep hearing Third Day singing "There's a light at the end of this tunnel...."

And I might add....my kids rock! R-O-C-K!!!!

Thursday...June 19 th

So, our only involvement with the adoption today was to show up and sign three letters at a notary. Lena is running all over Odessa in the rain today trying to get our documents ready to put on the night train to Kyiv for Galena to take to the SDA tomorrow.....hopefully getting approved and on its' way back to us within 5 days so we can have court one week from today. Lena and Galena are miracle workers....they are doing stuff that money can't buy.

We got Vita and Yana today, as Galya is with family for a few days. We went to Mario's for pizza again since it was such a hit the other night. We pay only a little more there than if we ate at McDonald's. We have discovered that McDonald's is more expensive here than at home. I guess when you have to buy ketchup.....lol!! However, the ice cream at McD's is cheap..so we treat the kids to that every time! Yana knows more english than she lets on....she leans on Vita as a crutch to translate for her. They already share everything, so it's natural that they share a room. And Galya is older, so she should have her own room.

The rain has kept us in...but the girls are content coming to the apartment to watch tv and hang out. The boys want to go go go go go.

If you have been praying....thanks and keep on! If you have not....please start! If you are not inclined to pray...send happy thoughts our way! Nothing is set in stone until the girls are home. Court is a huge step....but there is still time for problems during the 10 day wait!!

No Kyiv

OK...so now I didn't have to go to Kyiv. We did get permission to visit Galya, finally. Our corrected documents and approval for 3 kids is coming from Kyiv by train tonite. I now understand what the embassy does for us. Our translator said we are the hardest adoption she has done in the 6-7 years she's been doing it. Not the title I was hoping for. Craziest family? sure Most fun? maybe. Hardest? not so much.

The good news? we are having pyrogies tonite! Well, Levi and Jakob will have frozen pizza...yes, I'll cook it first!

Back to adoption stuff: we are now told that we need to get a letter from Vita's brother (who lives in Moldova!!!) and sister (who is institutionalized in FLORIDA!!!!!) The social worker didn't even know where the sibs are, but I do. Also, she is the social worker who helped Vita's sister get adopted!!! A huge problem here is the lack of taxis...odd since it's a large city. Large city also means our points of business are spread out....using bus/train are not efficient, so it's taking longer and more work to complete our paperwork. I still have a hard time getting my head around why it's so difficult for us to adopt 3 older children. Older kids are not exactly a hot commodity.

At the inspectors office today she claimed our I171H said nothing about adoption,just orphans. How the hell does she think we got this far???????????????? I wish they could cut the bull and just tell us up front what the expedite fee is going to be. We are tiring quickly of the game..or at least I am. I know the boys are not happy about sitting around during these trips....but they are doing great and being good boys. We are very proud of them and glad that they are here to experience this and see where their sisters are coming from. With any luck, and leftover money, we will get to Kharkiv to see Jakob's old 'hood and see his caretakers.

We are enjoying our soviet style apartment...with a/c and high speed. It's amusing to lay in bed at night and listen to the cat fights. There is an alarming number of stray cats/dogs here. David thinks Bob Barker needs to step in and do something!

We will not get to see the girls today....could be best to not push the camp director too much. This way we can get them if we need to do adoption business. So far we are only in for a bottle of cognac to him!

More tomorrow!!

What day is it????

So.....to straighten out the name on my passport issue, I have to fly to Kyiv today, go to the embassy, and go to the SDA....they want to see my passport. All I can do is laugh at this point and enjoy my flight...catch up on some reading...enjoy the rest. $240 later...............................................

Catching up....

To sum up our past two days: our translator bought vodka and orange juice for tonight….and she wants “lots of vodka”. Yesterday it rained, so we stayed in with Yana and Vita watching High School Musical 2 and video of Vita on the news at Christmas. After that, we went to Mario’s pizza in the tourist district for dinner and to commiserate with Gary Fry…who has been here for one month and still hasn’t had court. He goes the 23rd and his wife is coming back for that date. We have a court date as of today, but it is flexible and will likely be sooner. As of July 8th, all of the adoption judges have vacation we’ve been told until September. Back to the pizza….between me and the boys, we ate two small and one large….plus bread and tomato/mozzarella salad and lots of Coke.

Starting last night, we have been on an emotional roller coaster…and like all roller coasters, it’s a relief when it’s over and you can look back with a different perspective. Lena and I went to the inspector’s office today to work on the paperwork for Galya. The inspector basically called our dossier crap. I took offense. She also questioned the lack of fingerprinting and lack of “application”…not even sure what that’s about. Also, the SDA looked at my passport and issued referrals using my maiden name…not realizing there is an amendment with my last name changing to Kellett. Note to paps: if there are amendments, make sure that is part of your notarized copy of your passport. Also, bring 1-2 fill-in-the-blank, notarized, power of attorney docs. And with the I171H, copy the second page as well which talks about fingerprints…maybe this will help inspector to realize fingerprints were done. We now have to get a letter from the SDA and embassy to say we were fingerprinted. Make sure wife’s last name is consistent on all docs. Or maybe a same name affidavit for the wife, especially if previously married.

OK…and the inspector was not happy that she did not meet David, so we were suppose to take him in today. We didn’t make it after going to the notary and Yana’s grandmother’s house. Then we went to McDonald’s after feeding the kids chips and coke for lunch with a banana for a snack. Yana’s babushka gave the kids “drunken cherries”….Jakob LOVED them, the other two had to choke them down. No one expected the pit in the cherry!! We took pictures of Yana and her sister and grandmother. And Grandmother wanted one of all of us since we are family now. Grandmother said she wants to eat Levi up…and who doesn’t?? She was very huggy with the boys and they took it well.

Today was emotionally and financially taxing…but we all survived and had a good outcome. BUT….we are in Ukraine and anything can happen. That’s hard for us to get our heads around…I can’t imagine how hard it is for all the kids.

Tomorrow we have to go back to the inspector so David can prove he is real. Hopefully, this will get us permission to visit Galya…but she leaves tomorrow to go visit her family for 3 days. It’s her cousin’s birthday and she is going to celebrate.

We hope to get the boys, and girls, to the dolphinarium, amusement park, zoo, and beach. Vita does not want us to go to the beach because it’s so dirty….she says the beach is “poop”. But the kids are determined to go to the beach…so we will go.

On a funny note, David was being awesome as always today and hung out the laundry. Unfortunately, a pair of my underwear are now on the roof of the people downstairs. I’m not sure if we should go get them, or just pretend they are not mine! Guess it depends on how desperate for undies I get!!

We will see what tomorrow brings our way!!

Happy Father's Day!!

Well, our day started with my getting a text.....in Russian, from Galena/Galya. She asked if we could go to Battery Park by the camp and meet them. This way we could spend time with her, unofficially. She seems to have gained understanding about our adopting her and that we do want her....but couldn't take her on outings because of paperwork! She had fun with the boys and we spent some time at the park looking at tanks, trains, planes and the kids took a horse ride...some of the kids, and Lena...our translator! We were able to spend some time sight seeing today, but Galya did not go because she has an exam to study for....what a good sign that she is commited to her education and disciplined! So we had lunch at a cafe...Ukrainian food. Me, being the picky eater, was the only one who wasn't happy with my meat. That's ok....I eat enough bread to make up for it!

We went to Deribvoskaya (totally wrong spelling!!!!) Street, the port of Odessa, and Potempkin Stairs. David bet with all the kids he could beat them in a race up 192 stairs with Levi on his back......he lost to all the kids and had to give them each 10 gryvna! The boys chose that over dollars....David is lucky they don't understand the conversion rate and only ended up with $2 each! Lena and I ate ice cream and walked up the stairs! The girls picked up some souvenirs as did the boys. The boys are being such troopers....I know I say it every day, but they are amazing!

Spoke with Gary _________ (can't remember last name) who is adopting. They are not having a smooth adoption....hoping that our's goes better and cheaper!!

Tomorrow we will be able to do some adoption stuff, but nothing with officials. Tuesday, it's back to running from office to office to office...getting the run around, giving "donations", and hopefully seeing the girls!

We also experienced the Odessa public transportation train today...much cheaper than bus, but you have to be more cautious of pick pockets. Some guy was eye balling Lena's purse, but David saw him. The guy then got kicked off for not paying the fare.

I hope David had a good father's day....he doubled his kids today!!!

We miss everyone and can't wait to get home. Will hopefully have a better idea of a time line once the week of business starts back on tuesday!!

Saturday June 14...I think

Sorry ! If I could read cyrillic, I would have fixed!

So today I overslept....as usual! We went to the camp to get Vita and Yana. We had to go see Yana's grandmother and sister today to get permission to adopt Yana. It was very emotional as the grandmother was so happy she cried. This happened several times during our visit. Yana and Vita were best friends before going to the orphanage and grew up in the same building...so they are already sisters in a sense! Yana has a sister who is 19 and wants to go to the U.S.....so we will be helping her when she is ready. The grandmother asked us to find the sister, Anya, and husband. She also asked if Yana would be able to get married....14 is a little young!! lol Yana also has to talk with her biological father to be sure he agrees...he is not the father of record, so he has no legal recourse, but the grandmother fears he would hurt her if Yana doesn't talk to him first. He should do that tomorrow...we hope. After that, we went to, you guessed it, Mc Donalds! They have shrimp on the menu!! Sign me up!! We talked to Yana and Vita about names and birthday changes, school, and what life will be like at our house. They are very excited....and the boys are too. The girls are taking care of the boys as we venture about Odessa. We still cannot do anything with Galena....which is hard. She didn't understand that we can't, so she is thinking we don't want her. She felt this so strongly that she said she didn't want to be adopted because we didn't seem to want her. So we have Lena call her tonite and explain why...she seems ok with that now and hopefully we can start spending time with her as well. We will need to take the girls shopping for an outfit for court once we have a date...that will be fun for all of us.

Our only issues we will hopefully face are the apartments that Yana and Galena own...odd, I know that orphans own apartments. And Yana has money we need to get for her. Jakob's adoption was so cut and dry comparatively speaking....Vita's too. But Yana and Galena are a little more work....but worth it!

We are so excited to be getting TRIPLETS.....almost like the Connells!!!

Now that we have high speed in the apartment, we can blog more!!

June 13---the end of our train ride in hell

Word of advice: no matter how small the people are, NEVER EVER think two can share a bed in the sleeper car of a train with the temps around 80'F. BAD CALL. We will likely get two sleeper cars w/8 beds on the way home, or have a driver drive us back, or take a day train. Thank God for MP3 players or David and I would have pulled our hair out.

Our apartment in Odessa is good....high speed internet, hot water, enough beds, close to stores. Far to get to summer camp where the kids are, but that's ok. Bus rides are cheap.....not comfortable, but cheap. Sometimes it's like being stuffed into a sardine can with wheels...and smells comparable too! The boys have been troopers...not complaining much. Levi wants to go to Battlefield or Springfield....or the beach. The last is most likely to happen!!

once settled in our apartment, we started our adoption work by visiting the orphanage where Vita and Yana are from. The social worker was not very optimistic about Yana, but David and I both felt prett strong about adopting her. After monetary negotiations, things looked brighter! We then went to the inspector's office to get permission to visit Vita and Yana. We were given the major run around there and our poor translator had to hear his sob stories of travelling and how expensive his life is. He said he's more pragmatic than emotional. So we gave a donation to his charity and he stamped his approval on the visits. He had many excuses....we don't make enough money, claimed we didn't have fingerprints done, complained about highway patrol doing our background check. A donation was all it took...we donate alot here. So we were going to try to go to the inspector where Galena's orphanage is...but it was too late after getting the run around from him. So we went to visit Vita and Yana at summer camp. We took the girls and our other "son", Vova, to McDonald's for dinner and then had to return them to camp. We couldn't believe how mature Vita is and how much she has grown!!!

The boys are such troopers and have been enjoying the culture...McDonald's every day!!!

Thursday in Kyiv

Well...our trip got rained/hailed out to go see sights. But I had a good walking tour of Kyiv looking for an internet cafe...our slow speed came to a screaching halt at the apartment!

Levi is better....he ate two pieces of pizza, ice cream, and m&ms last night....and started tormenting his brothers. He's back on top of his game!

Nothing much new...we leave tonite for our train at 9p and arrive in Odessa at 6am. David has not been sleeping good...the boys have been sleeping in, but staying up later. We did get our luggage last night...had to go to the airport to get it...but they are SUPPOSE to reimburse us for the taxi. Odd system...they will come to our apt to give us a debit card to reimburse us, but wouldn't bring the luggage??? Noah was a big help with customs...rattling off everything in our luggage...until I threatened his life! He is such a talker!!

Will write more tomorrow once we get to Odessa and have a busy day!

Well....our day was exciting! I forgot my own birthday...but the boys did not! Galena brought flowers to me and she and her grandkids sang happy birthday. She also brought me a dressy blouse to wear with my yoga pants and flip flops for our SDA appt!! At little snug, but in Ukraine....it's ok! Our appt went well...we waited for about 15 minutes at the SDA before being seen. We were told the Vita is available, Galina just became available, and we saw a picture of Yana, whom I met 3 years ago. There was some debate on approving us for 3 unrelated children....depended upon who was in the room at the time. Eventually the director said yes. So, it went from no, yes, no, two sibs and one unrelated, to ok, 3 unrelated is fine with us. So...we will leave thursday night on the 9 pm train!! WOOHOO!!!

Guess we will hopefully have triplets!

We have a cell phone: 380950814972. It's free for us when you call.

We also enjoyed my birthday lunch at McDonalds. Since Levi vomited on my only pants this morning and has been cranky all day, we will just stay in tonite. I picked up a frozen pizza last night and hopefully the boys will like it!

The boys seem to be enjoying the trip. It's hard for them to sit around and wait. They were VERY good at the SDA during our appt.. I can say that there is a huge difference from Jakob's adoption. The SDA (then NAC) is much more organized, well lit, clean, friendly. Felt like humans, not cattle being held for slaughter in a dark hallway! Everyone was helpful. One lady did her best to speak to us in English...our translator could not get a taxi so she ran to the SDA in stilletos...but made it there, sweaty and tired...but she made it!!! A funny thing about the SDA....David didn't talk much, but whenever he tried, the SDA women would start talking like he didn't exist! We were both amused.....me moreso, I think!

The SDA is right across from the souvenir market, so we went over there and did some shopping. Noah got a Spongebob matroyshka and Jakob got a Shrek. Levi was not up for shopping quite yet. They boys enjoyed having Galina's grandkids to play with...her 12 yr old granddaughter speaks a little English and I think there is no language barrier with little boys! Her 6 yo grandson played with the boys. If they can't talk, they can't argue!!

Lena and Galina bought us an apron and oven mitt from the market....they figured I will spend a lot of time in the kitchen and will need those items! So I will think of them often!

SO....that's our day in a nutshell. Tomorrow we are going on an excursion to go sight seeing! Should be fun since David and I never made time for that on our trip for Jakob!

Praying our luggage makes it today!!

More tomorrow!!

Blogging on Dial up!!!

Our trip to Ukraine was WONDERFUL....the boys were great, flights were great, and our luggage is in LONDON!!! I was smart enough to pack a change of clothes for the boys...but not for me and David. Soooo...we have our appointment for referrals at the adoption center in 2.5 hours....and all we have to wear are our travel clothes!

We went and got groceries last night, which is an adventure! I can't tell butter from cream cheese. The boys are just going with the flow. Well....not Levi. He wants to go get Vita and go to the beach....or go home. He misses his Grammy.

Everyone slept at least 12 hours last night....other than me. The apartment we are in is great, other than the bed. David thinks he might need back surgery after this trip!!! We have only one more night here, so hopefully the bed will be less......firm in Odessa.

Levi drank 3 cups of water this morning...then threw them up...on my only pants as I sit here typing.

Things are good with our translator and facilitator. We feel comfortable and confident with them. I was relieved to be rid of the iPhones that Galena's son wanted.

Well...I have one hour to get presentable in sweats. Wish us luck and we'll check in later!!

So far, my birthday has been eventful...........

We Leave in 5 (FIVE) Days....COUNT THEM!!!

I think I've resigned myself to not getting everything done! What matters? We are going to bring our daughter home!

Based on what others who have adopted recently have said, Vita will not be coming home with us on our trip. Either one of us will stay and wait the 10 days while the other comes home with the kids OR we all come home then one of us goes back to bring Vita home! Any ideas on how David and I decide who gets to go????? I think I can take him...... Maybe a Scrabble match? Iron Chef competition???? Let Vita decide??

I can't imagine what Vita must be feeling knowing that we will be seeing her in one week!!! We have our appt on June 11 and take an overnight train to Odessa the night of June 12. So...........friday the 13th will be the day we see Vita! Kind of ironic since Ukrainians tend to be VERY superstitous!

We started doing some sorting/weeding out of what to take...Twizzlers and M&Ms did NOT make the cut!

I'm surprised the boys are not more...driving us crazy! They are not asking too many questions, just going with the flow. I'm sure once we are on the plane there will one question....repeated over and over and over and over..... "ARE WE THERE YET?????????"

All that's left to do is pack and pray!