Sometimes my horns are hidden and I look like a true angel!!-This is one of those precious moments where she couldn't be sweeter-
Monday, December 25, 2006
1st week home!
Merry Christmas to everyone. I am finally able to sit and relax for a moment and thought I would take some time to update all of you on this past week.
Of course Christmas was today and Jason and I could not have been happier. We enjoyed the day with my parents and Olena in the morning then went to the family party at my uncles for the afternoon. We had a really good time watching Olena meet the family and interact with all of the kids. She had a blast and it did not take her long to figure out what Christmas is all about! By the end of the afternoon, she was tearing the paper off of the presents and all you could see was paper flying everywhere. She would look at each gift, stare for a moment, kiss it, then on to the next. It was very sweet!
Our parents have been great! Very supportive and they all adore Olena. My dad especially....he has spoiled her so much and she really loves him! I can see it in his eyes that he is so in love with this little girl! She is adapting very well and it amazes me and Jason every day. Believe me we have had a few bad days, many sleepiness nights, and many tears of frustration, but overall she is handling herself very well. It would shock you to see her today...you can see the change in her eyes - she is truly happy! A happy, healthy and beautiful 2 year old. She still loves to eat and is doing very well adjusting to the food. She eats yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, rice cereal, potatoes, and some baby food. She is speaking a lot more too, especially in Russian. We are starting to understand what she is really saying. And she loves to sing. She often sings one of the songs that she sang in the orphange ...it is so cute! The past couple of days she has woken up and Jason and I would lay in our bed and listen to her on the monitor. All we could do is sit there and laugh as she babbles and sings to herself. That is definately the best alarm to wake up too. She also understands us very well - as for english words, she is now saying Bubba (which is one of the dogs nick names), juice, light, when she thinks something is pretty she says "oh la la!" , bye bye, hello, and she tells me "cuckca" when she has a dirty diaper! We look at her everyday and still cannot believe how beautiful she is and how perfect she is for this family.
She stills absolutely loves the dogs and they are starting to get use to her. She runs back and forth through the house yelling trying to get them to chase her! and the crazy girl loves when they knock her down and lick her face. She is very brave and very curious.
Of course Christmas was today and Jason and I could not have been happier. We enjoyed the day with my parents and Olena in the morning then went to the family party at my uncles for the afternoon. We had a really good time watching Olena meet the family and interact with all of the kids. She had a blast and it did not take her long to figure out what Christmas is all about! By the end of the afternoon, she was tearing the paper off of the presents and all you could see was paper flying everywhere. She would look at each gift, stare for a moment, kiss it, then on to the next. It was very sweet!
Our parents have been great! Very supportive and they all adore Olena. My dad especially....he has spoiled her so much and she really loves him! I can see it in his eyes that he is so in love with this little girl! She is adapting very well and it amazes me and Jason every day. Believe me we have had a few bad days, many sleepiness nights, and many tears of frustration, but overall she is handling herself very well. It would shock you to see her today...you can see the change in her eyes - she is truly happy! A happy, healthy and beautiful 2 year old. She still loves to eat and is doing very well adjusting to the food. She eats yogurt, fruit, oatmeal, rice cereal, potatoes, and some baby food. She is speaking a lot more too, especially in Russian. We are starting to understand what she is really saying. And she loves to sing. She often sings one of the songs that she sang in the orphange ...it is so cute! The past couple of days she has woken up and Jason and I would lay in our bed and listen to her on the monitor. All we could do is sit there and laugh as she babbles and sings to herself. That is definately the best alarm to wake up too. She also understands us very well - as for english words, she is now saying Bubba (which is one of the dogs nick names), juice, light, when she thinks something is pretty she says "oh la la!" , bye bye, hello, and she tells me "cuckca" when she has a dirty diaper! We look at her everyday and still cannot believe how beautiful she is and how perfect she is for this family.
She stills absolutely loves the dogs and they are starting to get use to her. She runs back and forth through the house yelling trying to get them to chase her! and the crazy girl loves when they knock her down and lick her face. She is very brave and very curious.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Home Sweet Home!
Yes we arrived safely! We are here back in the good ole USA and boy is it great!
To bring you up to date, we left Mykoliv on Tuesday night and headed for Kiev by car. Leaving the orphange was extremly hard for us, but we took our time and really charished the moment. Olena did great and was very brave.
Once in Kiev she fell right into routine and "adjusted" quite well. We were in Kiev until Sunday morning, and flew out at noon. I will not terrify you with the details but lets just say I would have rather been going through labor pains for 12 hours. She was nasty....no sleep and she would not eat. I am surprised that the other passengers did not purposely have the plane crash just to put us all out of our misery. We landed in Detroit at 6pm Sunday night (1am Monday in Ukraine) and walked through the doors to a were warm homecoming. We had family there, friends, they had signs. It was amazing...Jason and I lost it and just starting bawling. It felt so good to be home. That night when I slipped under the covers and laid my head to sleep I truly felt like I was in heaven. Everything was finally perfect! My daughter was in her bed fast asleep, we were home, we had our family, and boy did that bed feel great! I have a new found appreciation for my life and those who share it with me. We have experienced a mircle and it has really changed our outlook on life.
As for the past few days, I honestly can say it couldn't get any better. Olena has been very good an is adjusting wonderfully. We have set right back into our routine and schedule. She is discovering new things every second and is so amazed. She absolutely loves all of the animals. (3 dogs, 2 cats, 2 huge fish tanks and a bird) She was not scared for one minute. And keep in mind she is only as tall as our smallest dog! She squeezes them, trys to ride them like a horse, steals thier food right out of their mouths, pulls and pinches their cheeks, and bites them!! Lets say, I don't feel that they share the same fondness of her, but I have a feeling in the future they will all be great friends!
I will post again after the holidays and keep you guys posted with her progress I will also get some recent photos. FYI : She will be 2 on January 2oth, upon arriving home she weighs 19.5 lbs, she is 28 inches tall, and wears a size 12 months! Lets see how quick this peanut grows!
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Farwell Mykoliv.....
This will most likely be my last post until returning home so I will do my best to make it count. It has been a very tough few days for us emotionally. It has occurred to us that in 3 days we will be leaving this place and taking our daughter from the only life and family that she has ever known. This has been one amazing journey and it will be hard holding back my tears while writing this.
Though we have been extremely homesick and miss the true pleasures of home, Ukraine has been good to us. We have emerged ourselves into the culture, shown our appreciation, and have been respectful to each and every person we have met. For those of you who will soon travel, do not expect to come here and see the streets filled with smiling faces, the cars will run you over and do not give way to pedestrians, strangers do not hold the door for you, and you will be pushed out of the way on several occasions....but, make one friend ~ and you will see what Ukraine is really about! Watch the caregivers love the children, watch the mommas and poppas walk down the street holding their childs hand, watch the man and lady kiss while waiting for the bus....this is Ukraine. They are kind, giving, and very warm, and simple. Jason and I will forever hold a special place in our hearts for this country and it's people - especially the children.
Yesterday's visit at the orphange was a very special one for us. We were finally struck by the reality of all of this and what was going to happen in only a few days. The caregivers took us to see a play that was put on by some of the older children. There we were...all of the mommas, pappas and thier new sons and daughters. We were all smiling while watching the children dance and sing to the piano, while the "live" snowman told a story that made the children giggle with delight...at that moment I looked up and seen about 30 of the most beautiful children I have ever seen and realized that not one of them has a family! a real family! No moms - no dads! they were all orphans, yet every single one of them were beaming with happiness. The tears just started pouring from my eyes. Why do these angels have to live here? Don't get me wrong, this orphange is spectacular and so is every person who works here, but this is no place for a child to be raised. These children deserve so much more than this. What will happen to Katia - who is so unbelievably clever? or Galia who has this spark of energy and love? and what about Vanya the big brother of the group? or Victoria who is gentle and kind? Will all of these gifts from God one day find a family and flurish into beautiful adults? or will they fade away over the years while waiting in the system? You can see the potential in each and every one of these children. And they have a great spirit and love for life! You can see it in their eyes and you feel it in their hugs. Over the past 4 weeks all 16 of these children have touched me in some way and I cannot even put into words how hard itis going to be leaving them behind not knowing thier fate! A day will not pass that I will not think about them. I will dream about what they can become, I will fear what they may not be given, and I will hope and pray that they will all get the same opportunities as Olena!
As many of you know, I was not a person of faith. In fact I did not belive in much of anything especially God. Through a very special friend who was brought into my life about 6 months ago, my eyes were opened for the first time and I was able to see that I was truly blessed in many ways. All I had to do was open my eyes and believe. Since being here...God has touched me for the second time by letting me share this brief moment of my life with these remarkable children - and has brought Olena into our arms. I will forever be grateful and I will always remember this miracle! Jason and I have grown as a couple, shared tears of joy as well as many tears of saddness. We have grown as individuals as well and have learned that there is so much more to life than we ever thought. We will forever be greatful for our families and our friends and will remember all of those who are so less fortunate than us, and we will pray for them.
Over the next few days we will enjoy our last days with the groupa, share lots of hugs and laughs, then Tuesday is the magic day. We will be busy from sunrise to sunset finalizing paperwork, taking Olena from the orphange and setting sail for Kiev. We have decided to try and go to Kiev by car if the price is reasonable because the train takes too long and I feel Olena will do better with driving. We will arrive in Kiev early Wednesday morning and we will start to complete the final steps before returning home. We will leave Ukraine at noon on Sunday and will arrive on US soil in Detroit on Sunday the 17th around 7pm. It will be a joyous yet sad occassion. We will miss many things we have grown to love so much here in Ukraine, but we know we must move forward and hope for the best...and maybe hope that we can some day have the courage to return and maybe bring home a brother or sister for Olena. Jason and I cannot thank you all enough for the kind words you have shared while we have been here. We have had many days when your posts have made us smile and even occassionally cry. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Our journey is almost complete and a new chapter in our life will begin! We hope all of you have enjoyed it as much as we have! and we wish those of you who will adopt soon - the best of luck. Thank you !
Love always, Jason, Christina and Olena Warchol! God Bless!
Though we have been extremely homesick and miss the true pleasures of home, Ukraine has been good to us. We have emerged ourselves into the culture, shown our appreciation, and have been respectful to each and every person we have met. For those of you who will soon travel, do not expect to come here and see the streets filled with smiling faces, the cars will run you over and do not give way to pedestrians, strangers do not hold the door for you, and you will be pushed out of the way on several occasions....but, make one friend ~ and you will see what Ukraine is really about! Watch the caregivers love the children, watch the mommas and poppas walk down the street holding their childs hand, watch the man and lady kiss while waiting for the bus....this is Ukraine. They are kind, giving, and very warm, and simple. Jason and I will forever hold a special place in our hearts for this country and it's people - especially the children.
Yesterday's visit at the orphange was a very special one for us. We were finally struck by the reality of all of this and what was going to happen in only a few days. The caregivers took us to see a play that was put on by some of the older children. There we were...all of the mommas, pappas and thier new sons and daughters. We were all smiling while watching the children dance and sing to the piano, while the "live" snowman told a story that made the children giggle with delight...at that moment I looked up and seen about 30 of the most beautiful children I have ever seen and realized that not one of them has a family! a real family! No moms - no dads! they were all orphans, yet every single one of them were beaming with happiness. The tears just started pouring from my eyes. Why do these angels have to live here? Don't get me wrong, this orphange is spectacular and so is every person who works here, but this is no place for a child to be raised. These children deserve so much more than this. What will happen to Katia - who is so unbelievably clever? or Galia who has this spark of energy and love? and what about Vanya the big brother of the group? or Victoria who is gentle and kind? Will all of these gifts from God one day find a family and flurish into beautiful adults? or will they fade away over the years while waiting in the system? You can see the potential in each and every one of these children. And they have a great spirit and love for life! You can see it in their eyes and you feel it in their hugs. Over the past 4 weeks all 16 of these children have touched me in some way and I cannot even put into words how hard itis going to be leaving them behind not knowing thier fate! A day will not pass that I will not think about them. I will dream about what they can become, I will fear what they may not be given, and I will hope and pray that they will all get the same opportunities as Olena!
As many of you know, I was not a person of faith. In fact I did not belive in much of anything especially God. Through a very special friend who was brought into my life about 6 months ago, my eyes were opened for the first time and I was able to see that I was truly blessed in many ways. All I had to do was open my eyes and believe. Since being here...God has touched me for the second time by letting me share this brief moment of my life with these remarkable children - and has brought Olena into our arms. I will forever be grateful and I will always remember this miracle! Jason and I have grown as a couple, shared tears of joy as well as many tears of saddness. We have grown as individuals as well and have learned that there is so much more to life than we ever thought. We will forever be greatful for our families and our friends and will remember all of those who are so less fortunate than us, and we will pray for them.
Over the next few days we will enjoy our last days with the groupa, share lots of hugs and laughs, then Tuesday is the magic day. We will be busy from sunrise to sunset finalizing paperwork, taking Olena from the orphange and setting sail for Kiev. We have decided to try and go to Kiev by car if the price is reasonable because the train takes too long and I feel Olena will do better with driving. We will arrive in Kiev early Wednesday morning and we will start to complete the final steps before returning home. We will leave Ukraine at noon on Sunday and will arrive on US soil in Detroit on Sunday the 17th around 7pm. It will be a joyous yet sad occassion. We will miss many things we have grown to love so much here in Ukraine, but we know we must move forward and hope for the best...and maybe hope that we can some day have the courage to return and maybe bring home a brother or sister for Olena. Jason and I cannot thank you all enough for the kind words you have shared while we have been here. We have had many days when your posts have made us smile and even occassionally cry. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Our journey is almost complete and a new chapter in our life will begin! We hope all of you have enjoyed it as much as we have! and we wish those of you who will adopt soon - the best of luck. Thank you !
Love always, Jason, Christina and Olena Warchol! God Bless!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
10 more days!
Hello everyone... sorry we have not posted. I have been VERY ill for the past 3 days and have not left the flat. Today is my first day out and let me tell ya, I never thought the Ukrainian air would smell so good. I don't have too much to say, being that I have not been to the Orphange. I did not want to risk getting Olena sick so Jason has been going by himself, and from what he said, she is doing great! Today will be the first time I see her in 3 days so I am pretty excited. We are making it through, but we are really looking forward to the these next 10 days flying by.
Congratulations Kaitlin on your report card...I am very proud of you getting all A s!!! That's a GIRL!!!!! Keep up the good work and see you soon!
Congratulations Kaitlin on your report card...I am very proud of you getting all A s!!! That's a GIRL!!!!! Keep up the good work and see you soon!
Monday, December 04, 2006
13 days and counting down!!
The countdown has begun....we have 13 days until we are US soil and boy will it be great. It is wonderful being able to be home for Christmas too! I cannot wait.
Things are going well. Olena is much better. We are having fun with her and she is coming along greatly - learning new things everyday and speaking more and more english! She is very funny and you all will love her to death.
Yesterday we got to go to the zoo - it was really nice and a great way to spend the afternoon. It was sunny for the first time in several weeks so that made it even better. It is suppose to be the biggest and best zoo in Ukraine. It was nothing compared to the Detroit Zoo but I really liked it. You are much closer to the animals here and it is really cheap - for the 3 of us it was only $7 American Dollars. Can't beat that!
Jason also got his first Ukrainian Haircut :O) probably the best $3 we have spent. The girl did a great job and he actually looks pretty good!! I like it better than when he has it done at home. I am sure the pretty girl and long legs made it fun to have done too!! HaHa.
The weather here is still pretty warm, still leaves on the trees and mild, doesn't make it feel much like Christmas. It will be colder in Kiev I am sure but I do not think that they have snow. I am missing the Christmas feeling. Around here they have just started putting up some decorations and there are a few commericals on TV that are Christmas based...but Christmas here is not until January 7th so they still have over a month. It is not so commericalize here either because of peoples lack of money. I am really looking forward to the Christmas music and decorating the tree. I am sure that Olena will not understand as much this year but it will still be such a blessing to have her home for Christmas morning.
That is about all for now. See you all very soon! and we will post in a few days! love ya
Things are going well. Olena is much better. We are having fun with her and she is coming along greatly - learning new things everyday and speaking more and more english! She is very funny and you all will love her to death.
Yesterday we got to go to the zoo - it was really nice and a great way to spend the afternoon. It was sunny for the first time in several weeks so that made it even better. It is suppose to be the biggest and best zoo in Ukraine. It was nothing compared to the Detroit Zoo but I really liked it. You are much closer to the animals here and it is really cheap - for the 3 of us it was only $7 American Dollars. Can't beat that!
Jason also got his first Ukrainian Haircut :O) probably the best $3 we have spent. The girl did a great job and he actually looks pretty good!! I like it better than when he has it done at home. I am sure the pretty girl and long legs made it fun to have done too!! HaHa.
The weather here is still pretty warm, still leaves on the trees and mild, doesn't make it feel much like Christmas. It will be colder in Kiev I am sure but I do not think that they have snow. I am missing the Christmas feeling. Around here they have just started putting up some decorations and there are a few commericals on TV that are Christmas based...but Christmas here is not until January 7th so they still have over a month. It is not so commericalize here either because of peoples lack of money. I am really looking forward to the Christmas music and decorating the tree. I am sure that Olena will not understand as much this year but it will still be such a blessing to have her home for Christmas morning.
That is about all for now. See you all very soon! and we will post in a few days! love ya
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Hi everyone. Thank you so much for the great comments. We absolutely love reading them and it makes us feel good to see how much you all care. Olena is doing A LOT better. I have studied up on my Russian and I am now able to correct her and talk to her a little more and she actually understands. That seems to have made life easier. She is still having tantrums but they are less frequent and do not last as long. We are really making progress. We love her more and more everyday! I cannot wait for you all to meet her.
Rita - So happy to hear from you. I remember you saying that I was going to get one that would give me a run for your money and boy were you right. She is a pistol and I have my work cut out for me. Tell the girls that I MISS them very very much and I hope to see them during the Holidays.
Aunt Carey, Uncle Kraig and girls - Thank you VERY much for all of your support and words of encouragement. This has been very tough and I know that you guys have been on the side lines this whole time. We love you for that. I am very happy to hear that you, Kaitlyn, are doing good in school. I cannot wait until Olena gets to meet you guys. She will be so lucky to have such good cousins like you and Mackie!!!
ALine Staff - I miss you guys like crazy. Believe it or not I am SSOOO ready to come back to work. It is kinda boring here at times :O) and I miss you all. Becky we will definately have a double party but easy on the Vodka o.k.? I know she is Russian and all but can't teach her this early. BTW I am going through xmas music withdrawls so I hope you are enjoying it. That is all I am going to listen too as soon as I hit US soil!! HAHA April - I am so geeked to hear about Kamille's teeth. Olena has a pretty good set already so I won't share that joy. ...though she is still teething and her molers are coming in so maybe when they break through I will be excited too. Thank you so much for your words of encouragment. I truly hope that I will be a good mom! and give the baby a big birthday hug from me!!! Jesse - as you know your prayers mean so much to us. You know my feelings and appreciation for you and your ability to make me believe in faith. You were meant to be an angel in our lives and we are very blessed for that. Without you we may not have made it this far....prayer is to thank for this. Thank you!
Alana, Rob and Gang - Thanks a bunch we can't wait to get home and see you. I am happy to know that Sami and Olena can play together and hopefully be good friends. I will be off for a few weeks and I am sure that Olena will grieve for all of her little friends here at the orphange. She will be happy to have someone small like her to play with.
Auntie Jen - We know your excited. We have showed her your picture and told her [Toy-tcha] Jenny - that means Aunt Jenny. So she should reconize you when she gets home. Easy with the clothes though. This girl is going to have so many clothes I hope she will be able to wear them all. Tell the family we are very sorry to have to miss the x-mas party. We were hoping to be home by then but unfortunately cannot. Tell them Merry Christmas.
Thank you everyone and if I forgot you I am very sorry. But we are running out of time - so gotta go. We will post again in a few days. Love and miss you all. WE CANNOT WAIT TO GET HOME!!!
Rita - So happy to hear from you. I remember you saying that I was going to get one that would give me a run for your money and boy were you right. She is a pistol and I have my work cut out for me. Tell the girls that I MISS them very very much and I hope to see them during the Holidays.
Aunt Carey, Uncle Kraig and girls - Thank you VERY much for all of your support and words of encouragement. This has been very tough and I know that you guys have been on the side lines this whole time. We love you for that. I am very happy to hear that you, Kaitlyn, are doing good in school. I cannot wait until Olena gets to meet you guys. She will be so lucky to have such good cousins like you and Mackie!!!
ALine Staff - I miss you guys like crazy. Believe it or not I am SSOOO ready to come back to work. It is kinda boring here at times :O) and I miss you all. Becky we will definately have a double party but easy on the Vodka o.k.? I know she is Russian and all but can't teach her this early. BTW I am going through xmas music withdrawls so I hope you are enjoying it. That is all I am going to listen too as soon as I hit US soil!! HAHA April - I am so geeked to hear about Kamille's teeth. Olena has a pretty good set already so I won't share that joy. ...though she is still teething and her molers are coming in so maybe when they break through I will be excited too. Thank you so much for your words of encouragment. I truly hope that I will be a good mom! and give the baby a big birthday hug from me!!! Jesse - as you know your prayers mean so much to us. You know my feelings and appreciation for you and your ability to make me believe in faith. You were meant to be an angel in our lives and we are very blessed for that. Without you we may not have made it this far....prayer is to thank for this. Thank you!
Alana, Rob and Gang - Thanks a bunch we can't wait to get home and see you. I am happy to know that Sami and Olena can play together and hopefully be good friends. I will be off for a few weeks and I am sure that Olena will grieve for all of her little friends here at the orphange. She will be happy to have someone small like her to play with.
Auntie Jen - We know your excited. We have showed her your picture and told her [Toy-tcha] Jenny - that means Aunt Jenny. So she should reconize you when she gets home. Easy with the clothes though. This girl is going to have so many clothes I hope she will be able to wear them all. Tell the family we are very sorry to have to miss the x-mas party. We were hoping to be home by then but unfortunately cannot. Tell them Merry Christmas.
Thank you everyone and if I forgot you I am very sorry. But we are running out of time - so gotta go. We will post again in a few days. Love and miss you all. WE CANNOT WAIT TO GET HOME!!!
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