So proud :O)Thursday, May 10, 2007
Pool time! This is actually Mugsy's pool...or should I say WAS Mugsy's pool. It was our first real warm day and Jason filled up the pool in the morning for the dog. (This is his favorite thing to do) Well by late afternoon it was pretty hot out and pool water was nice and warm. There was no way Mugsy was going to have all the fun by himself, Miss Olena insisted that she too play in the pool. The bikini came after the full clothing submerson.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Monday, May 07, 2007
Sunny days of May
Hi everyone, sorry we haven't posted in awhile. Jason is guilty of downloading music onto our computer which was infected with a Trojan virus, so needless to say, our system is temporarily down. Which really sucks!! We lost a ton of pictures and of course the luxury of updating the blog! We are using a laptop but it is not hooked up to anything, and it is crammed here on our desk, squeezed in between the one that doesn't work! Nice huh?? I am waiting for Rickie to take the broken home so her boyfriend can hopefully retrieve some of the stuff on it. In the mean time we are suppose to get a new one so it seems so pointless to take the time to hook this one up to the printer, scanner and camera. However, not hooking it up, means no pictures for you. And as we all know, you come here for the pictures :0) I have a ton of cute ones too that I would like to post. Maybe I will take some time over the weekend and see if I can get it done.
But back to the important stuff, Olena! She is having a great time. Enjoying the summer weather that has finally graced us. Just like every other kid, going outside is the first thing she wants to do when she wakes up and we have to drag her in at night to get her in bed. I believe she would live out there if I'd let her. She has everything that she needs, she got a Little Tykes Play house, and car. Then a few weeks ago we bought her a play scape from Toys R Us. It has a club house, slide, rock climber, swings....the whole shabang! Spoiled ya think?? oh and she shares the pool with Mugsy. Poor dog! He is a pool freak and he has had this pool for about 3 years now and out of the 3 dogs he is the only one who uses it. Then here comes Olena....now it is her pool! today I looked away for 2 seconds and when I turned back around there she was laying down in the pool kicking and splashing, laughing as hard as she could with Mugsy standing over her licking her face like crazy. The funny part was that she was fully dressed; sneakers, jeans, onsie, and loaded diaper, eeeewwwww! which I was unaware of until I rescued her. At least I thought I was rescuing her, she on the other hand thought that I was ruining the most fun she has ever had in her life, and boy was she not happy with me! AHH the life of a two year old!! but we are having a blast. She is trying to talk in full sentences, however she speaks what I like to call the "Lana language" she is saying something, I just have no idea what? She listens remarkably well, but stills finds it necessary to argue everything I say. No one else, just mommy. While Jason and I are outside doing yard work she is given small tasks to do to help out, and she really enjoys being a "helper". She walks around all proud of herself. She also has house hold chores like setting the table, feeding the cats their treats, watering her strawberry plant and cleaning her room. She does everything that she is suppose to and she knows what is expected of her. These kids strive so much to please you, it is amazing. They just want to belong and be loved. It is very common for her to walk up to Jason or I and out of the blue, give us a hug and say "love you". It is so heartwarming to know that she actually understands love and understands how to give it. I know I have said this a million times, but I look at her everyday and still can't believe she is mine, and how perfect she truly is! We are so lucky to be her parents and I hope every last one of you out there waiting find this happiness as well.
It is getting really late and I am exhausted so I must go now. Happy Mother's Day in case I don't post before then and I promise to have pictures next time around.
But back to the important stuff, Olena! She is having a great time. Enjoying the summer weather that has finally graced us. Just like every other kid, going outside is the first thing she wants to do when she wakes up and we have to drag her in at night to get her in bed. I believe she would live out there if I'd let her. She has everything that she needs, she got a Little Tykes Play house, and car. Then a few weeks ago we bought her a play scape from Toys R Us. It has a club house, slide, rock climber, swings....the whole shabang! Spoiled ya think?? oh and she shares the pool with Mugsy. Poor dog! He is a pool freak and he has had this pool for about 3 years now and out of the 3 dogs he is the only one who uses it. Then here comes Olena....now it is her pool! today I looked away for 2 seconds and when I turned back around there she was laying down in the pool kicking and splashing, laughing as hard as she could with Mugsy standing over her licking her face like crazy. The funny part was that she was fully dressed; sneakers, jeans, onsie, and loaded diaper, eeeewwwww! which I was unaware of until I rescued her. At least I thought I was rescuing her, she on the other hand thought that I was ruining the most fun she has ever had in her life, and boy was she not happy with me! AHH the life of a two year old!! but we are having a blast. She is trying to talk in full sentences, however she speaks what I like to call the "Lana language" she is saying something, I just have no idea what? She listens remarkably well, but stills finds it necessary to argue everything I say. No one else, just mommy. While Jason and I are outside doing yard work she is given small tasks to do to help out, and she really enjoys being a "helper". She walks around all proud of herself. She also has house hold chores like setting the table, feeding the cats their treats, watering her strawberry plant and cleaning her room. She does everything that she is suppose to and she knows what is expected of her. These kids strive so much to please you, it is amazing. They just want to belong and be loved. It is very common for her to walk up to Jason or I and out of the blue, give us a hug and say "love you". It is so heartwarming to know that she actually understands love and understands how to give it. I know I have said this a million times, but I look at her everyday and still can't believe she is mine, and how perfect she truly is! We are so lucky to be her parents and I hope every last one of you out there waiting find this happiness as well.
It is getting really late and I am exhausted so I must go now. Happy Mother's Day in case I don't post before then and I promise to have pictures next time around.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Easter!
Happy Spring Everyone! Though if you are from here in Michigan you already know that spring is late coming this year. As Olena says….”bbbrrrr….cold”!
We experienced our first Easter with our little one and she enjoyed it very much. The idea of baskets filled with toys and candy was very intriguing to her! All I heard all day was “Yummm, cacki” (aka candy) We had an egg hunt in the house and she loved it, then we had Jason’s family over for breakfast. After nap, we made our way over to my grandparent’s house where we had dinner and shared some time with our aunts, uncles and cousins. The kids taught her how to slide down the carpeted stairs on her butt and once she figured out how fast she could go, there was no stopping her…she was obsessed. She is a climber and a jumper. It drives me crazy but she has fun. Her Nana and Dadu built her a puppet stage, which is GORGOUS! As you might remember she has a little obsession with the movie “The Sound of Music” and one of her favorite parts is when they put on the show for the Captain and Baroness with the marionette puppets. So my parents built a replica of the stage. She was so excited and even resorted to hugging it when they set it up! Lucky me…looks like I will be taking up puppeteering very soon LOL!!!
Things are honestly going GREAT! She is growing like crazy though she could stand to gain a few more pounds. She is just growing so tall so fast, her weight can’t keep up. She will get some meat on her bones, and then spurt up a half-inch. Since coming home in December she has grown over 2 ½ inches taller. Right now she only at 23lbs but she is completely healthy so I am not too worried about it. She has a very good appetite and pretty much eats anything I give her.
A few weeks ago we got the results of our bio family search. Our translator located her birthparents, and her biological brother (who was adopted as well and lives in Spain). This was great news for us and we were excited to read what he had learned. We were able to get a few pictures, and got a few questions answered. We are going to keep the details private because this is her life, not ours. When she is old enough to understand we will share what we have with her and let it be her decision on what she does with it. It is a touchy situation and I never thought that I would care. Before the adoption Jason and I discussed it and my feelings were much different. I didn’t care about her biological family. I felt that I was going to give her a new life and what happened in the past was exactly that…. the past. The only reason I wanted to complete the search was for medical information and for her peace of mind when she gets older. But once Gene contacted us with the story and pictures I started to feel differently. I could see how much Olena really did look like her bio-mother, I learned about her father and what type of man he really is, instead of what I thought he was. I passed a lot of judgment on 2 people whom I never knew and this was unfair. I think God brought this to me for a reason. Now I have a new respect for them, and I have a new and better understanding of my daughter. I am very happy with our decision and I hope that she too is able to look at this in a positive light when the time comes.
We experienced our first Easter with our little one and she enjoyed it very much. The idea of baskets filled with toys and candy was very intriguing to her! All I heard all day was “Yummm, cacki” (aka candy) We had an egg hunt in the house and she loved it, then we had Jason’s family over for breakfast. After nap, we made our way over to my grandparent’s house where we had dinner and shared some time with our aunts, uncles and cousins. The kids taught her how to slide down the carpeted stairs on her butt and once she figured out how fast she could go, there was no stopping her…she was obsessed. She is a climber and a jumper. It drives me crazy but she has fun. Her Nana and Dadu built her a puppet stage, which is GORGOUS! As you might remember she has a little obsession with the movie “The Sound of Music” and one of her favorite parts is when they put on the show for the Captain and Baroness with the marionette puppets. So my parents built a replica of the stage. She was so excited and even resorted to hugging it when they set it up! Lucky me…looks like I will be taking up puppeteering very soon LOL!!!
Things are honestly going GREAT! She is growing like crazy though she could stand to gain a few more pounds. She is just growing so tall so fast, her weight can’t keep up. She will get some meat on her bones, and then spurt up a half-inch. Since coming home in December she has grown over 2 ½ inches taller. Right now she only at 23lbs but she is completely healthy so I am not too worried about it. She has a very good appetite and pretty much eats anything I give her.
A few weeks ago we got the results of our bio family search. Our translator located her birthparents, and her biological brother (who was adopted as well and lives in Spain). This was great news for us and we were excited to read what he had learned. We were able to get a few pictures, and got a few questions answered. We are going to keep the details private because this is her life, not ours. When she is old enough to understand we will share what we have with her and let it be her decision on what she does with it. It is a touchy situation and I never thought that I would care. Before the adoption Jason and I discussed it and my feelings were much different. I didn’t care about her biological family. I felt that I was going to give her a new life and what happened in the past was exactly that…. the past. The only reason I wanted to complete the search was for medical information and for her peace of mind when she gets older. But once Gene contacted us with the story and pictures I started to feel differently. I could see how much Olena really did look like her bio-mother, I learned about her father and what type of man he really is, instead of what I thought he was. I passed a lot of judgment on 2 people whom I never knew and this was unfair. I think God brought this to me for a reason. Now I have a new respect for them, and I have a new and better understanding of my daughter. I am very happy with our decision and I hope that she too is able to look at this in a positive light when the time comes.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
So much going on!
Sorry for the delay. Things have been pretty busy around here and my computer has not been on the blitz the past few weeks.
Anyhow, we have been home now for 3.5 months. She fits our family like a glove and she is slowing molding into this "little lady" She is so vibrant and full of happiness, love....oh, and stubbornness :O)
We have spent more time with the extended family lately and she is finally becoming part of the gang instead of just being a bystander. With the few nice days we have had we have been able to take her to the park - and of course she loves it. And we have had her ears pierced! OMG is she so cute!!!! I love it and I am so glad I decided to do it. It did however, cause some controversy with the grandparents and daddy! But mommy rules the roost (LOL!!) so I won the battle, and we did it. She loves them just as much. She twirls them herself and says "ooh la la, prettty"!
I have been reading the adoption boards lately and it all brings back so many emotions and feelings of loss and frustration. I try not to read to much information but it just sucks me in like the black hole!!! . My aunt gave me an article out of the local newspaper and it stated that in 2006 there were 490 children adopted in Ukraine by US citizens. That number was so low and it was sad seeing that and knowing that there were so many less because of the shut down. Now you hear they want to limit the number of adoptions per year?...and that limit is not far off of the that 490 statistic! I get so anxious reading about it and think to myself, please don't get harder!! What if we need to go back?? I am not sure why yet, but part of me is still being pulled to Ukraine for some reason. I have a strong feeling that we have not brought "everyone" home yet. We'll see what the future holds for us? Well I am going to try and post some pictures hopefully it will work. Good luck to those of you were are in the middle of all this, but hold on and hold on tight. Yes, just like everyone says, it is worth it. I have the 26 month old daughter to prove it. You and your children will be in our prayers.
Anyhow, we have been home now for 3.5 months. She fits our family like a glove and she is slowing molding into this "little lady" She is so vibrant and full of happiness, love....oh, and stubbornness :O)
We have spent more time with the extended family lately and she is finally becoming part of the gang instead of just being a bystander. With the few nice days we have had we have been able to take her to the park - and of course she loves it. And we have had her ears pierced! OMG is she so cute!!!! I love it and I am so glad I decided to do it. It did however, cause some controversy with the grandparents and daddy! But mommy rules the roost (LOL!!) so I won the battle, and we did it. She loves them just as much. She twirls them herself and says "ooh la la, prettty"!
I have been reading the adoption boards lately and it all brings back so many emotions and feelings of loss and frustration. I try not to read to much information but it just sucks me in like the black hole!!! . My aunt gave me an article out of the local newspaper and it stated that in 2006 there were 490 children adopted in Ukraine by US citizens. That number was so low and it was sad seeing that and knowing that there were so many less because of the shut down. Now you hear they want to limit the number of adoptions per year?...and that limit is not far off of the that 490 statistic! I get so anxious reading about it and think to myself, please don't get harder!! What if we need to go back?? I am not sure why yet, but part of me is still being pulled to Ukraine for some reason. I have a strong feeling that we have not brought "everyone" home yet. We'll see what the future holds for us? Well I am going to try and post some pictures hopefully it will work. Good luck to those of you were are in the middle of all this, but hold on and hold on tight. Yes, just like everyone says, it is worth it. I have the 26 month old daughter to prove it. You and your children will be in our prayers.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
The Moms2Moms Sale...
Today I had the pleasure of experiencing my first moms2moms sale. I am sorry to say this but there are some crazy ass mothers in this world. I hate to offend anyone reading this but OMG!!!
These women can be brutal. Perhaps after a few more sales, I myself might metamorphosis into one of these raging mothers on a mission, but for the mean time I will sit back and watch them beat each up other for that "must have" item! Overall I did very well. Jason was nervous and did expect me to spend our savings on this huge "garage sale" but I manged to go in and come out with over half of my money left (which was $30) and I got A LOT! Family and friends have been extremely gracious in buying us clothes however everything that she has received has been winter or fall, so I have been buying summer clothes here and there so that I am prepared. I was able to get 6 complete outfits and they are Gymboree and Carters, 2 pair of shoes, a baby stroller for her dolly, 4 books for her and 2 books for myself - all in all, I did well and I had a good time. Tonight, I have already scoped the website and there are about 15 sales going on next weekend in the area :O) boy oh boy!!!!
Olena of course is still marvelous. Talking up a storm and making us laugh everyday. She loves to be funny and loves to have people gush over her. She knows how and when to turn on the charm and boy does she play it up!!! I am telling you that this kid is a born entertainer. She has started to sing along with the music from the "Annie" sound track and she is actually using the words. When she hears the melodies at the beginning of the song she can tell me what song it is...Tomorrow, Dumb dog, Hard Life etc! It is great and reassuring to hear her singing in English. She does use a lot of English when talking, however we are having trouble getting her to use full sentences, everything is one or two words. And the little stinker will NOT count. We work with her every single day and we count everything! but she has absolutely no interest or intention of doing it herself. She wont even repeat the numbers after us. I know she understands what we are trying to do, she is just being stubborn.
We have finally completed all of our Doctors appointments and followups and she has received the clean bill of health. We had to treat her for intestinal parasites which is normal among orphanage children, and he have started treatment for TB since her skin test was positive. We assume that it is from the BCG vaccination but her reaction was much larger than they usually see with BCG so we decided that it was best to move forward with treatment. She does have a very light heart murmur too, but an echo cardiogram proved that her heart is normal and there are no other causes for concern.
PS: nothing is stone yet but Jason and I had a few conversations over the past couple of weeks and it looks as if we might be returning to Ukraine. Olena might have a new sister in 2009!! I will keep you posted!
These women can be brutal. Perhaps after a few more sales, I myself might metamorphosis into one of these raging mothers on a mission, but for the mean time I will sit back and watch them beat each up other for that "must have" item! Overall I did very well. Jason was nervous and did expect me to spend our savings on this huge "garage sale" but I manged to go in and come out with over half of my money left (which was $30) and I got A LOT! Family and friends have been extremely gracious in buying us clothes however everything that she has received has been winter or fall, so I have been buying summer clothes here and there so that I am prepared. I was able to get 6 complete outfits and they are Gymboree and Carters, 2 pair of shoes, a baby stroller for her dolly, 4 books for her and 2 books for myself - all in all, I did well and I had a good time. Tonight, I have already scoped the website and there are about 15 sales going on next weekend in the area :O) boy oh boy!!!!
Olena of course is still marvelous. Talking up a storm and making us laugh everyday. She loves to be funny and loves to have people gush over her. She knows how and when to turn on the charm and boy does she play it up!!! I am telling you that this kid is a born entertainer. She has started to sing along with the music from the "Annie" sound track and she is actually using the words. When she hears the melodies at the beginning of the song she can tell me what song it is...Tomorrow, Dumb dog, Hard Life etc! It is great and reassuring to hear her singing in English. She does use a lot of English when talking, however we are having trouble getting her to use full sentences, everything is one or two words. And the little stinker will NOT count. We work with her every single day and we count everything! but she has absolutely no interest or intention of doing it herself. She wont even repeat the numbers after us. I know she understands what we are trying to do, she is just being stubborn.
We have finally completed all of our Doctors appointments and followups and she has received the clean bill of health. We had to treat her for intestinal parasites which is normal among orphanage children, and he have started treatment for TB since her skin test was positive. We assume that it is from the BCG vaccination but her reaction was much larger than they usually see with BCG so we decided that it was best to move forward with treatment. She does have a very light heart murmur too, but an echo cardiogram proved that her heart is normal and there are no other causes for concern.
PS: nothing is stone yet but Jason and I had a few conversations over the past couple of weeks and it looks as if we might be returning to Ukraine. Olena might have a new sister in 2009!! I will keep you posted!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Now and Then:
The first picture was taken today, February 17 2007: home 2 months. The second picture we took the 1st day we met her. We were in the sleeping room, spending some time alone. This was on November 14, 2006. What a difference and how quickly she is growing and changing! We are so lucky!!!!!
Friday, February 16, 2007
Home 2 months!
Tomorrow it will be 2 months since we have returned home from Ukraine. When I think back to all of it now, it is so hard to believe that it was only 61 days ago we stepped onto US soil as a family of three! It feels as if Olena has been here from the beginning. I cannot explain enough how perfect this child is! It completely amazes me at how well she is adjusting and developing, physically and mentally. I really think that it is the workings of the Mykolayiv Baby House. I prayed every night for God to watch over her until the day we could bring her home. He definitely blessed this baby by putting her in a place where she would be loved and cared for until we could meet her. She entered the orphanage at 5months - making her stay there just over a year and a half. She shows no signs of any attachment issues. She knows who her mommy and daddy is, and though she is very friendly to strangers, she is very careful and nervous about them. She loves to be cuddled and be rocked. She listens to directions extremely well. She has great eating and sleeping habits and she is unbelievably smart.
Her personality is also starting to show more and more everyday. It would not surprise me one bit if this little girl becomes an entertainer. She LOVES attention, all eyes must be on her. She loves music (and not just toddler/children songs) she listens to musicals, classical, and the Disney movie sound tracks. She is obsessed with "The Sound of Music" so we have to keep the sound track playing on her CD player at all times! Expect for nap and night time because then she likes to listen to her Mozart CD or John Lennons "Beautiful Boy". And she loves to make people laugh. Her forte' is funny faces!! She will make cheesy faces or funny eyes at you until you laugh at her! Then she cracks up at herself. I will try to find a few pictures of this.
Being first time parents has obviously been a big adjustment for us, and parenting a 2 year old right from the start has taken a lot of prayer but we learn something new from her everyday, just as she learns from us. We have truly accomplished a lot over the past 2 months and I am very proud of us, as a family. We will now continue to grow and love each other, and we will forever be grateful to God for bringing us half way around the WORLD to meet!
December 17th 2006
19lbs
30 1/4 inches tall
size: 12 mons.
February 17th 2007
24lbs
31 inches tall
size: 12 mons. pants and 18 mons. shirts
Her personality is also starting to show more and more everyday. It would not surprise me one bit if this little girl becomes an entertainer. She LOVES attention, all eyes must be on her. She loves music (and not just toddler/children songs) she listens to musicals, classical, and the Disney movie sound tracks. She is obsessed with "The Sound of Music" so we have to keep the sound track playing on her CD player at all times! Expect for nap and night time because then she likes to listen to her Mozart CD or John Lennons "Beautiful Boy". And she loves to make people laugh. Her forte' is funny faces!! She will make cheesy faces or funny eyes at you until you laugh at her! Then she cracks up at herself. I will try to find a few pictures of this.
Being first time parents has obviously been a big adjustment for us, and parenting a 2 year old right from the start has taken a lot of prayer but we learn something new from her everyday, just as she learns from us. We have truly accomplished a lot over the past 2 months and I am very proud of us, as a family. We will now continue to grow and love each other, and we will forever be grateful to God for bringing us half way around the WORLD to meet!
December 17th 2006
19lbs
30 1/4 inches tall
size: 12 mons.
February 17th 2007
24lbs
31 inches tall
size: 12 mons. pants and 18 mons. shirts
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Worth the wait???
You bet she was worth the wait...
I would have waited another 2 years if I knew she was my daughter!!!!
I went shopping at Target on Friday and found this onesie in the baby department! I couldn't resist. Lucky my little angel is still only wearing a 9-12 months becacuse the biggest size it came in was 9mons.
Anyhow, things are progressing nicely. She is still being very good, and is growing physically and mentally each day. Everyday she seems to pick up a new english word. We are still teaching her the sign languge, and she uses it daily. It has been about 3 weeks and she learns 1 new word each day. She can currently use about 7 words correctly on her own with no "reminders" or prompting. She remembers the sign, it is just reminding her of when to actually use them!
I have been thinking a lot lately about Ukraine and all of the friends that we made, and all of the children we met....I was really missing it. I will be honest, I never thought I would be saying that anytime soon. But I do truly miss it. The simplicity of it all! Jason and I will definatley return in a few years to take Olena to visit. I don't think we will adopt again from Ukraine but we will surely visit. Please don't assume I DON'T WANT to adopt again, it is just that the financial burden for us would not be possible again. We have so many other things that we need to focus on for our future that will require our money!!!! As for more kids though??? I think that I would honestly be happy with just her but I have always imagined having a large family. So in the next few years we are going to try to have a "homegrown" baby, then I think we will adopt again using the local county by becoming foster parents. It all sounds like the perfect idea but Who knows!!! Only time will tell!
"
Please can I have some more cookie dough??"This afternoon we made chocolate chip cookies, and someone quickly discovered how good the dough is!!!!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
A few new pics...
We can finally get some hair for a couple little ponies!! They look more like bug antennas but they are still cute.
She tried on her cousins goggles while at the pool for her birthday!!
This was a picture we took here at home for her announcements. I LOVE IT!! She is wearing the Christmas dress that her Dadu (aka dadushka/grandpa) picked out and bought for her. She looked so darn cute!Monday, January 22, 2007
Happy Birthday Olena...
We have been home just over 1 month and things are finally settling in. I am a mom! I can't believe it. Yes I am just now starting to feel like a parent. These past few weeks have been so emotional and chotiac that I haven't really had an opportunity to let it all set in. This past Saturday was her 2nd birthday. It was a great day...but I will get to that in a minute. Saturday was also the day that I think my heart finally realized what has happen to my life...this beautiful little girl. I somewhat "avoided" the idea of her birthday all week, then at the last minute (Saturday morning) I was scrambling around trying to get everything done. I didn't really want to celebrate her birthday. Yes - I said it! I know it sounds cruel but I started to think about it and for as long as I can remember, I have thought of birthdays as "YOUR" day...your day to get everything you want...do what you want...and have everyone spoil you. But in reality, it is a day for your parents too. A day for us to remember and smile about the day you were born, smile about the person you have become, and think about how it seems like just yesterday that the Doctor put you in their arms. I started to feel sad, because I did not have any of these memories. I don't even know what time of the day she was born.
Throughout the morning, I managed to get everything done and get to my parents house and still had a great time. We went to the Community indoor pool which is like a mini water park, with water slide and all. There were my 2 aunts, my mom, my bestfriend, my uncle and 7 of my little cousins (6yo-11yr) and we had a great time. She absolutely loved the water and wasn't nervous one bit. She even went down the water slide in my lap and screamed with joy the entire time down. After a few hours of that, we went back to my parents house, had pizza, cake and presents, then the aunts/uncle left and we had a slumber party. I felt bad because she didn't really play with them too much but they still tried to have a good time with her. They all absolutely adore her!! Then, Sunday morning we wrapped them all up and sent them outside to play in the snow. They pulled her around in a sled and each took turns carrying her around. Poor little thing. It was bad enough that she looked like the little boy in the Christmas Story, she could barely walk, all you could see were her eyes, and these kids were dragging her from one side of the yard to the other (my parents have over an acre of land!!!) it was pretty comical to watch.
Finally after the long weekend, I sat in her room Sunday night rocking her to sleep and thinking about the events of the previous days. There were lots of things that we did that were "firsts" in her life. I watched her face light up with joy as we sang Happy Birthday to her, I seen her curious eyes explore everything while we were in the pool, and I heard her squeels of joy when we went down the slide. These are all things that I will remember in the years to come, and the things that will warm my heart with each passing birthday. Then I kid you not, at that moment she sat up kissed me and said "LA LOU" (which is her way of saying "love you") that was it - right then and there- it hit me. I love my daughter, she was mine, and she is perfect for us. She is here with us learning how to be part of a family...she is learning how to love and to be loved. She is learning what it is like to be a little kid, and she is developing her own likes and dislikes. Granted I wasn't in her life when her little body came into this world, but I am with her now...when her spirit is being born. Happy Birthday Olena!
Monday, January 15, 2007
One of her gifts from the "Tea Party"A lot has happened since my last post and to start things off I would like to say that we are on perfect week number 2 that she has maintained her angel-like behavior. It is amazing and we are so happy. She is very smart and is picking up new things everyday. We have been teaching her to use sign language and she learns it so fast. I have been teaching her one word per day and that seems to be pretty easy for her!
This past Saturday we had a "Tea Party" babyshower...it was a lot of fun for her and the kids, and of course I thought it went beautifully. It was a great opportunity for extended family and friends to meet her, and it helped us to get some of the necessities that we really needed! We all had a great time and of course everyone ranted and raved about how cute and smart she was :O) I have to smile about that because I have been waiting for 2 years to get compliments on my daughter and I am loving every moment of it!!!! We got a TON of great gifts and some the cutest clothes. She will definately have style.
Then the final grand event is that I went back to work today! It was tough and yes I cried, but all in all it went really well. She was such a big girl and did not cry one bit...she stood at the door and waved and blew me kisses. My girlfriend who is caring for her said that she stood there at the door for about 15-20 minutes blowing kisses then turned to her and said "momma bye bye" then shut the door. I am only working 5 hours a day so it is not too bad and I love my job and coworkers so that makes the time go by really fast.
Other than that everything is going great. We are all happy and healthy and I wouldn't ask for anything more.
Monday, January 08, 2007
What a Blessing from above!
I know my last post was not too promising, but this week we have made GREAT progress. We are on day number 3 of a perfect little girl. And when I say perfect, I truly mean it. We have not had 1 tantrum, not one crying incident, she has obeyed EVERYTHING that I have asked her to do, she has been extremly easy at nap and bedtime and she is sleeping like she is hibernating. Today I had to wake her up at 9:30 - she went to bed at 8:45! I just can't believe it. Jason and I are in pure heaven right now. I know it will not be this way everyday but it has been nice to finally have some peace. It has given us an opportunity to get some real family time in and we have been able to bond a little more. It is so delightful having a happy toddler running around the house giggling, and singing!
Today we even had our first doctors appointment. She did great! We were there for 2 1/2 hours and she loved every minute of it and behaved the entire time. (she also hugged every kid in the waiting room, it was so sweet!) Of course she cried when they took blood but that was pretty tough I must admit. They had to take 3 vials out of her arm and it took a good 3 minutes - while I practically laid on top of her, a nurse held her arm, another nurse took the blood, and a third nurse collected and changed the vials. Quite the setup huh?? I honestly don't think she even noticed the needle, it seemed she was more mad about the fact that there were so many people hovering over her! Regardless, she handled herself very well and had a quick recovery. Despite this drama, she got a clean bill of health with the exception of a very mild heart murmur. We are going to go get a echocardiogram just to be safe but the doctor said not to worry. The Doctor was also extremly impressed with the progress she has made already. She can name several objects in a room, and she knows just about all the parts of her body. She is so unbelievably smart. Especially after these past few days, I can see how blessed we are with a child who is adapting very well. She belongs here and now she knows where she fits in, and I think that is really making a lot of the difference. .
Today we even had our first doctors appointment. She did great! We were there for 2 1/2 hours and she loved every minute of it and behaved the entire time. (she also hugged every kid in the waiting room, it was so sweet!) Of course she cried when they took blood but that was pretty tough I must admit. They had to take 3 vials out of her arm and it took a good 3 minutes - while I practically laid on top of her, a nurse held her arm, another nurse took the blood, and a third nurse collected and changed the vials. Quite the setup huh?? I honestly don't think she even noticed the needle, it seemed she was more mad about the fact that there were so many people hovering over her! Regardless, she handled herself very well and had a quick recovery. Despite this drama, she got a clean bill of health with the exception of a very mild heart murmur. We are going to go get a echocardiogram just to be safe but the doctor said not to worry. The Doctor was also extremly impressed with the progress she has made already. She can name several objects in a room, and she knows just about all the parts of her body. She is so unbelievably smart. Especially after these past few days, I can see how blessed we are with a child who is adapting very well. She belongs here and now she knows where she fits in, and I think that is really making a lot of the difference. .
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Happy 2007!
Happy New Year Everyone! Boy has it been a hell of a year already LOL New Years came and went while we slept. We were in bed by 10:30 and did not have one regret. Yes we are nerds but we were very tired and sick so we had reason to call it a night early. . All three of us have been sick for about a week now with the flu and we have all been miserable including little Miss Olena. On top of being sick she cut 3 teeth this week...all I can say is OMG!!! I definitely got a reality check about being a parent. We have spent several days with nothing but Olena sleeping and screaming. We quite enjoyed the sleeping part but we dreaded the fact that sooner or later she was going to wake up and screaming was going to continue. I truly felt sorry for the poor little thing but when your running a fever and already feel like your head is going to explode her screaming is kinda hard to handle! Today however we are making progress in the right direction. She only had 2 fits and they were pretty minor in comparison to the past week, and she actually played today. She also ate everything in sight which made me happy because I know that she has lost a pound or two. Jason and I also still feel a little under the weather but we should be good as new in a couple more days.
Things have been tough...and I would be lying if I said that we were all peachy keen. We of course are still trying to adjust to her and learn to be good parents. And she is trying to adjust to us and this whole new life. And it is so tough because in the back of your mind you are always wondering "are the choices I'm making really o.k for an adopted 2 year old who still is learning to love and trust me". Everyday that I deal with a tantrum, or discipline her, that thought is there... just lingering in my head!?! I guess all I can do is hope for the best and hope that she knows and understands that we love her more than life.
On a good note she is changing so much. Each morning I walk into her room I see a change in that beautiful little face. He hair is getting longer and is so much shinier. Her eyes are brighter and cheeks are rosey. She is picking up words like crazy and is kinda like a little parrot, she attempts to repeat everything we say. She is still discovering new things everyday that completely amaze her and she LOVES every animal she meets. We went to my girlfriends house the other day and she has a cat that is actually use to children. Olena held that darn cat and squeezed the dear life out of her for over 35 minutes. It was amusing to watch her just sit there and completely love this cat to death. (She tries to pick our cats up all the time but they don't go for that, they are smart...they run!)
We are thankful everyday to God for this beautiful gift...and we continue to pray for normality and home of happiness and peace! (Hopefully this prayer won't take as long to answer LOL!!!)
Things have been tough...and I would be lying if I said that we were all peachy keen. We of course are still trying to adjust to her and learn to be good parents. And she is trying to adjust to us and this whole new life. And it is so tough because in the back of your mind you are always wondering "are the choices I'm making really o.k for an adopted 2 year old who still is learning to love and trust me". Everyday that I deal with a tantrum, or discipline her, that thought is there... just lingering in my head!?! I guess all I can do is hope for the best and hope that she knows and understands that we love her more than life.
On a good note she is changing so much. Each morning I walk into her room I see a change in that beautiful little face. He hair is getting longer and is so much shinier. Her eyes are brighter and cheeks are rosey. She is picking up words like crazy and is kinda like a little parrot, she attempts to repeat everything we say. She is still discovering new things everyday that completely amaze her and she LOVES every animal she meets. We went to my girlfriends house the other day and she has a cat that is actually use to children. Olena held that darn cat and squeezed the dear life out of her for over 35 minutes. It was amusing to watch her just sit there and completely love this cat to death. (She tries to pick our cats up all the time but they don't go for that, they are smart...they run!)
We are thankful everyday to God for this beautiful gift...and we continue to pray for normality and home of happiness and peace! (Hopefully this prayer won't take as long to answer LOL!!!)
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!!!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
We are family.....
It is offical....as of 3pm today we are offically the parents to Olena. It was quite the experience but thankfully everything went well. Jason and I held it together pretty well. Gene on the other hand was a nervous wreck. He pulled through though with flying colors. At the beginning of the session the judge asked who wanted to speak first and I volunteered which was a blessing in desguise because he asked several questions that Jason would have for sure bloched!! He asked why are you adopting, why Ukraine, how do you know she will have a good and fair life in the U.S., why are we not adopting domestically, will she be able to be President?? yes he did ask that. I could hear Jason now...because my wife said....maybe we should ask my wife....my wife never mentioned this to me, I am not sure?!! but it did go well and when I was done he asked Jason to stand, asked him the basics such as name and place of employement, then asked if he agreed with all of my answers - easy enough! After answering questions for about 40 minutes he left the room to consult with the other officals for about 5 minutes, they came back into the room and gave some long speech in Ukrainian which I understood meant "yes you are now the parents of Olena". Amazing how the both of us could sit there and listen to him and actually understand what he was saying. We both had huge smiles on our faces and so did the other people in the court. He then came and shook our hands and told us Congradulations and Best Wishes. Finally it is over.
We will now have a 10 day waiting period which will end on December 9th, unfortunately that is a Saturday so we can't do much, but we should be able to take Olena from the orphange on Sunday. Complete her passport and new birthcertificate on Monday and Tuesday, leave for Kiev on Tuesday night and arrive on Wednesday morning, then a few more days completed immigration and having a medical evaluation, then HOME!!! I am hoping to be able to leave a day or two earlier and fly out on the 15th or 16th. Every day counts even if it is just one day, I am leaving as early as possible. I miss my family, my dogs, my cats, my house, my bed....everything!!!
After court we went to Dixie BBQ and met up with one of the other families. Jason and I ordered Tbones steaks and were salivating at the table at just the thought of some good beef. Boy were we surprised. We got some type of meatloaf thing covered in a sweet BBQ sauce, still good but not what we were dreaming about. Guess the tbone will have to wait until we are back home! We finished off with some good icecream though so that was a treat.
That about covers it all. Thank you so much to everyone for your support and prayers. We made it! We couldn't be happier and we can't wait to share the joy with all of you. Now it is just a matter of waiting everything out and starting the count down until we go home. Love and miss you all.
We will now have a 10 day waiting period which will end on December 9th, unfortunately that is a Saturday so we can't do much, but we should be able to take Olena from the orphange on Sunday. Complete her passport and new birthcertificate on Monday and Tuesday, leave for Kiev on Tuesday night and arrive on Wednesday morning, then a few more days completed immigration and having a medical evaluation, then HOME!!! I am hoping to be able to leave a day or two earlier and fly out on the 15th or 16th. Every day counts even if it is just one day, I am leaving as early as possible. I miss my family, my dogs, my cats, my house, my bed....everything!!!
After court we went to Dixie BBQ and met up with one of the other families. Jason and I ordered Tbones steaks and were salivating at the table at just the thought of some good beef. Boy were we surprised. We got some type of meatloaf thing covered in a sweet BBQ sauce, still good but not what we were dreaming about. Guess the tbone will have to wait until we are back home! We finished off with some good icecream though so that was a treat.
That about covers it all. Thank you so much to everyone for your support and prayers. We made it! We couldn't be happier and we can't wait to share the joy with all of you. Now it is just a matter of waiting everything out and starting the count down until we go home. Love and miss you all.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Only one more day until court! We will be sitting down with Gene today and going over some of the questions that he may ask us and what type of answers we should give. He seems pretty stern so this outta be interesting. In less than 24 hours we will offically be parents ~ WOOHOO!
We go to court at 1pm and it should only last about 1 hour. There is 1 other American family before us and one after us at 4 pm. Both families are adopting little girls from Olena's groupa.
Yesterday, Jason and I did some reading on the internet about toddler behavior during adoption and the tantrums. It seems to help quite a bit. Our afternoon visit went fairly well. She just really loves to be in control ~ but then again what 2 year old doesn't? We went shopping today and bought some clothes, a jacket, and 2 of the cutest leather boots. They were $6 a pair, that was a heck of a deal so I had to buy both! One pair is pink and the other are brown. We also went to the baby store and bought a new sippy cup with a one way valve. That will make things much easier on us. The one we bought from the flea market a few days ago, leaks when tipped up side down and she finds that very funny :O) The translator had to go deliver some paperwork to the orphange this morning so we decided to go in and see her for a few minutes. We have not been going in the morning so she was very surprised and OMG did I get the biggest hug ever. She squeezed my neck so hard and screamed in my ear, then gave me a big kiss. That was great!!! Nice to know that for once I was liked better than daddy!! She did have a few fits during the visit but we got past it but then when we left she was ticked! She had a screaming melt down so the caregiver snatched her up and took her into the bathroom. It is so hard to leave when she is like that. Hopefully this afternoon things will go well again.
I forget to mention we got to go bowling on Monday with the other 2 families...we had a good time. They have a fairly new bowling alley and Jason did very well. He was very proud of himself. We also got to go have lunch at a resturant that is a strip club by night. Interesting huh? They even sat us in the "VIP" lounge. It was a huge leather sectional with one big table and a bar. They even had strobe lights and a disco ball. However they didn't turn it on for us. Owell. Jason said that is where they must get the lap dances!! how do you think he knew that? anyway the food was good and we all had a good time. It was nice to be able to go out and have a conversation with several people who speak your language!!!
Well time is up so I must go. I will be sure to update you all after court tomorrow. Wish us luck and please pray. I believe we might need all we can get. Love and miss you all.
We go to court at 1pm and it should only last about 1 hour. There is 1 other American family before us and one after us at 4 pm. Both families are adopting little girls from Olena's groupa.
Yesterday, Jason and I did some reading on the internet about toddler behavior during adoption and the tantrums. It seems to help quite a bit. Our afternoon visit went fairly well. She just really loves to be in control ~ but then again what 2 year old doesn't? We went shopping today and bought some clothes, a jacket, and 2 of the cutest leather boots. They were $6 a pair, that was a heck of a deal so I had to buy both! One pair is pink and the other are brown. We also went to the baby store and bought a new sippy cup with a one way valve. That will make things much easier on us. The one we bought from the flea market a few days ago, leaks when tipped up side down and she finds that very funny :O) The translator had to go deliver some paperwork to the orphange this morning so we decided to go in and see her for a few minutes. We have not been going in the morning so she was very surprised and OMG did I get the biggest hug ever. She squeezed my neck so hard and screamed in my ear, then gave me a big kiss. That was great!!! Nice to know that for once I was liked better than daddy!! She did have a few fits during the visit but we got past it but then when we left she was ticked! She had a screaming melt down so the caregiver snatched her up and took her into the bathroom. It is so hard to leave when she is like that. Hopefully this afternoon things will go well again.
I forget to mention we got to go bowling on Monday with the other 2 families...we had a good time. They have a fairly new bowling alley and Jason did very well. He was very proud of himself. We also got to go have lunch at a resturant that is a strip club by night. Interesting huh? They even sat us in the "VIP" lounge. It was a huge leather sectional with one big table and a bar. They even had strobe lights and a disco ball. However they didn't turn it on for us. Owell. Jason said that is where they must get the lap dances!! how do you think he knew that? anyway the food was good and we all had a good time. It was nice to be able to go out and have a conversation with several people who speak your language!!!
Well time is up so I must go. I will be sure to update you all after court tomorrow. Wish us luck and please pray. I believe we might need all we can get. Love and miss you all.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
HOME SICK!!!
I think the title sums it up....we are so ready to come home. I have had enough of Ukraine living! but our little angel is worth it and we have to stay about another 2 weeks. We found out this morning we have court this Thursday at 2pm - at which time we will offically become the parents to Olena Victoria Warchol. We have decided to keep her name instead of changing it to Sofia as originally planned. She just doesnt look like a Sofia.
However she has not gotten any better. The tantrums yesterday were horrible, in fact she made me sit in the hall and cry because I was ssssooooo frustrated but the darn little devil is so cute when happy! I know she is confused and probably very frustrated too so all we can do at this time is just deal with and let her vent. I can't wait to get her home, it will make things so much easier to deal with. We only see her for about 2 hours a day and when those 2 hours are bad it makes us feel awful! Looking at the calender we should be home around the 15th of December. We have a flight scheduled to return on the 17th but if I can manage to switch it and leave a few days earlier we will be! I will keep you posted and we hope to see you all soon!
However she has not gotten any better. The tantrums yesterday were horrible, in fact she made me sit in the hall and cry because I was ssssooooo frustrated but the darn little devil is so cute when happy! I know she is confused and probably very frustrated too so all we can do at this time is just deal with and let her vent. I can't wait to get her home, it will make things so much easier to deal with. We only see her for about 2 hours a day and when those 2 hours are bad it makes us feel awful! Looking at the calender we should be home around the 15th of December. We have a flight scheduled to return on the 17th but if I can manage to switch it and leave a few days earlier we will be! I will keep you posted and we hope to see you all soon!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
2 weeks and counting!
We have been here 2 weeks today and we are missing home - yet we know we still have at least 2 1/2 weeks to go. We are doing to best to keep our spirits up. Things went well with the judge yesterday, we met his requests and hope to have a court date by Wednesday of next week. We are waiting for the SDA to complete our permission and once we get that back we can take it to the judge to get a court hearing. Olena is doing as well as expected. We have learned not to take our bag of goodies because she gets too upset if she does not get what she wants as soon as she wants it. She also has a great set of lungs!!!! She screams about everything!! OMG!! Screams when she is mad, and screams when she is happy. So pretty much she is always screaming!!! I am not sure how much longer the other two families are going to put up with us! LOL! We all sit in a room together away from the rest of the groupa and their two little girls sit in their laps, cuddle and are so sweet. Then there is our monster...she climbs on the tables, jumps off the chairs, steals everyone else snacks and of course screams. We love her of course ~but I am not sure how much the others think her screaming is cute:O) At least she's vocal. She is starting to speak a little bit more English. Most of the time if I tell her an english word she will attempt to repeat it. She says mommy and daddy though I don't think she realizes what it means. She knows I am momma and Jason is poppa and she does call us that regularly! And there are no more problems with going to poppa....she LOVES poppa very much and lately has perfered him over me. He throws her in the air and swings her around - while she screams - so he is much more fun than me! I am a little worried about the plane ride home, she is such a busy body and the high pitch screams might cause a problem!! this outta be a fun experience!
But a few milestones over the past 10 days include...letting us know when she needs to be changed, she knows to say "rah rah" when shaking her pom poms, when counting she knows when it is three - I say one, two and she yells three...then I finish, when she wants cookies she says yum yum, when thirsty she stands in front of Jason and licks her lips (which I must say is hilarious), and she smiles when I pull the camera out!! She is so much fun and she really makes a bad day good! I wouldn't change a thing about our decision but she is the craziest of the bunch!
We will post again in a few days! Good luck to those who are traveling soon!
But a few milestones over the past 10 days include...letting us know when she needs to be changed, she knows to say "rah rah" when shaking her pom poms, when counting she knows when it is three - I say one, two and she yells three...then I finish, when she wants cookies she says yum yum, when thirsty she stands in front of Jason and licks her lips (which I must say is hilarious), and she smiles when I pull the camera out!! She is so much fun and she really makes a bad day good! I wouldn't change a thing about our decision but she is the craziest of the bunch!
We will post again in a few days! Good luck to those who are traveling soon!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hope everyone is enjoying there holiday turkey. Though we are very thankful for being here with our daughter we are homesick today and wish we could be at home with her and everyone else. Things are starting to get tough....it looks like the honeymoon is over! She is starting to react to all of these changes, she is throwing tantrums, and has been physically abusing us!! Not quite that extreme but you can definately see the changes. I know all of this was going to happen but it is a lot tougher when you are actually here trying to deal with it....it breaks our heart.
We were hoping to go to court next week, but today when Gene met with the judge there seems to be a problem with some of the paperwork so we are hoping that he is able to fix it. If not, we might be here for awhile :O(
Don't get us wrong ~ we are very grateful for everything and everyone is doing their best to make this a speedy and low stress procedure but we are ready to come home and start our lives with Olena! We will keep you posted about the paperwork, we should know more once we get back to the flat and talk to Gene!!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving - and we miss you all!
We were hoping to go to court next week, but today when Gene met with the judge there seems to be a problem with some of the paperwork so we are hoping that he is able to fix it. If not, we might be here for awhile :O(
Don't get us wrong ~ we are very grateful for everything and everyone is doing their best to make this a speedy and low stress procedure but we are ready to come home and start our lives with Olena! We will keep you posted about the paperwork, we should know more once we get back to the flat and talk to Gene!!
Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving - and we miss you all!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
The paperwork
Hello!! our paperwork is finally in Kiev. This means that the SDA will approve it and also complete a permission letter for us to go to court. According to our contacts in Kiev we should have it all back by next Wednesday. Our translator met with the judge today briefly because he wants to try and find out when we can go to court but the judge had a hearing and asked him to come back at 5 pm tonight so hopefully we will have some more news by tomorrow. Gene is hoping that we will be able to go to court on Thursday!
So tomorrow is Thanksgiving...of course we have much to be thankful for but we will miss spending it with our family and enjoying the great dinner. I bought what I thought was a turkey today from the market but found out later that it is really a chicken so it looks like our thanksgiving will be with chicken instead..oh well!!
Olena is doing great. As everyday passes she is getting more comfortable with us. She is going to be a handful though. She has been very wild the past few days! When we are there, she runs around screaming (with joy) when she sits on our lap she loves to act crazy and swing her body back and fourth which has lead to many headbutts to the nose and lip. Yesterday she got me square in the nose and Jason too, then this morning she got me in the lip!! We have a lot of training to do. She also thinks it is sooooo funny to smack us in the face! oh boy she is a wild one, let me tell you!!!!!!
As for my last post on her size...she is much smaller than I thought. I was for sure that she would wear an 18 months but I tried my outfit on her the other day and it was huge so it seems she will be wearing a 12 months for a few weeks, at least until we get her home and she grows a little. She loves to eat and has a great appetite so we shouldn't have any trouble putting some weight on her. Everything else is going good, we are missing home but we are still having a good time. We walk to the orphanage everyday which takes about 35 minutes and it looks like we might be loosing a few pounds, the clothes are getting a little big. But it is not like we don't have some extra pounds to spare~LOL!! it is also starting to get cold now so it looks like we might see winter before leaving.
Well that is it for now, we will post again soon. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! and eat some Turkey for us! Love and miss you all!
So tomorrow is Thanksgiving...of course we have much to be thankful for but we will miss spending it with our family and enjoying the great dinner. I bought what I thought was a turkey today from the market but found out later that it is really a chicken so it looks like our thanksgiving will be with chicken instead..oh well!!
Olena is doing great. As everyday passes she is getting more comfortable with us. She is going to be a handful though. She has been very wild the past few days! When we are there, she runs around screaming (with joy) when she sits on our lap she loves to act crazy and swing her body back and fourth which has lead to many headbutts to the nose and lip. Yesterday she got me square in the nose and Jason too, then this morning she got me in the lip!! We have a lot of training to do. She also thinks it is sooooo funny to smack us in the face! oh boy she is a wild one, let me tell you!!!!!!
As for my last post on her size...she is much smaller than I thought. I was for sure that she would wear an 18 months but I tried my outfit on her the other day and it was huge so it seems she will be wearing a 12 months for a few weeks, at least until we get her home and she grows a little. She loves to eat and has a great appetite so we shouldn't have any trouble putting some weight on her. Everything else is going good, we are missing home but we are still having a good time. We walk to the orphanage everyday which takes about 35 minutes and it looks like we might be loosing a few pounds, the clothes are getting a little big. But it is not like we don't have some extra pounds to spare~LOL!! it is also starting to get cold now so it looks like we might see winter before leaving.
Well that is it for now, we will post again soon. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! and eat some Turkey for us! Love and miss you all!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Another day!!
Not too much to post since last time but things are still going well. Today the translator went to the Municiple Council and they said that our paperwork would be ready tomorrow morning. Once this is completed it will go by train to Kiev, signed and sent back....then we can go to court. That is the day we are truly waiting for because then once our adoption is granted it is 10 more days then we start to head home.
Last night was a lot of fun with her....she is quite the little pistol. Her favorite game with daddy is lets throw something on the floor and watch him pick it up!! LOL!! What a sucker...he falls for it everytime. She has the greatest laugh I cannot wait until you can all hear her!!
We made a lot of progress this morning with Jason, she did not willing come to him but if I handed her to him or he picked her up she did not argue. This is a great breakthrough. I also heard her cry for the first time today and it was very hard. I started to cry too!!! The caregiver gave her to me and she buried her little face in my chest and laid there. It was very sweet. She is going to be a real lover, she likes to be cuddled!
Today we will go the flea market and buy some pull ups or diapers because she is having some accidents, I am also going to start looking for a few things like a coat, socks, shoes and maybe another outfit. I did bring one and I am very happy because I think it will fit. The other family tried some clothes on their daughter so in comparison I am almost positive she will wear an 18months. Now I just got to figure out the shoe size and we will be good.
Thanks for all the wonderful comments you guys are leaving. It is awesome hearing from all of you and it has even made me cry! (Yes I am emotional these days) I can't wait to get home and see all of you again! Lots of love as always. We will check in again tomorrow.
Last night was a lot of fun with her....she is quite the little pistol. Her favorite game with daddy is lets throw something on the floor and watch him pick it up!! LOL!! What a sucker...he falls for it everytime. She has the greatest laugh I cannot wait until you can all hear her!!
We made a lot of progress this morning with Jason, she did not willing come to him but if I handed her to him or he picked her up she did not argue. This is a great breakthrough. I also heard her cry for the first time today and it was very hard. I started to cry too!!! The caregiver gave her to me and she buried her little face in my chest and laid there. It was very sweet. She is going to be a real lover, she likes to be cuddled!
Today we will go the flea market and buy some pull ups or diapers because she is having some accidents, I am also going to start looking for a few things like a coat, socks, shoes and maybe another outfit. I did bring one and I am very happy because I think it will fit. The other family tried some clothes on their daughter so in comparison I am almost positive she will wear an 18months. Now I just got to figure out the shoe size and we will be good.
Thanks for all the wonderful comments you guys are leaving. It is awesome hearing from all of you and it has even made me cry! (Yes I am emotional these days) I can't wait to get home and see all of you again! Lots of love as always. We will check in again tomorrow.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Baby "O"!!!!!
Sorry we have not written in a few days...but let me bring you up to date.
We went to the Black Sea this Saturday and had a great time. But it was VERY cold. Of course as you all ready know we have been having great weather but the one day we decide to go to the Sea it is freezing. We had a good time anyway. The drive took about 1 hour and we got to see a lot of the country side and it was beautiful. We even had an excellent lunch!!
Every day is getting better with Olena. As each day passes she is getting more and more use to us and it is a great feeling. It is also getting harder everyday to leave her. Unfortunately we only get to spend a couple hours each day with her but it is the best few hours of our lives. She is even starting to pick up a little English. Jason and I love to tickle her because she is VERY ticklish and her laugh is adorable....when we do we say "tickle tickle tickle" so last night while we were there she was running around mimicking us and she would lay in front of the caregiver and say tickle tickle tickle.....it was hilarious. Yesterday was a great day at the orphanage. We spent a lot of time with her and the other children as well. They are all so sweet and just want to be loved. We hugged many of them and played. They were also very interested in the camcorder and camera...that was something very cool to them.
Olena has also learned that momma and poppa's bag always has goodies. The past few times we have went there to see her she is more interested in seeing what is in the bag for her. This morning poppa had the bag with crackers so she actually sat on his lap for the whole time we were there. It was great and I know that he loved it! She is still a little nervous around him but it is getting better each day! She'll do anything for food! I doubt we will have any problems getting her to eat!
The caregivers in her groupa are wonderful too!! They play games with the children and have story time. They are all so smart - it is wonderful to see. We really had a great time getting to know all of them.
Oh... and Thursday night she was very quiet but she must have been tired because she had me hold her while she buried her face in my neck and fell asleep. Jason and I were beside ourselves with joy. It was a great and very emotional moment. I cannot help but to wonder why not every family does this. We have been so blessed and I would never change a thing about this entire trip. We are really going to miss it when we leave.
The food is excellent too!!! We have had our share of Ukrainian food and it has all been great - especially the borscht. I am definately going to get that recipe. Even Jason has been open to trying everything and he loves it! Gene has been too great for words to express. We all have so much in common and we are having a lot of fun! He is very kind and has a HUGE heart! I can't say enough how much we love it here. Don't worry we do miss all of you too but it should make you feel good knowing that we are happy and probably have never been happier. The country is filled with so much culture and beautiful people (Jason loves the women too) They dress a little skimpy compared to American women, even in the cold weather, but I must agree they are all beautiful!!! We are hoping to come back in a few years and Gene has welcomed us into his home so we will have a good place to stay.
Another family arrived this morning to the orphanage for another girl in Olena's group. That makes 3 little ones getting a forever family. It is so great! Now if we could just take home the other 15 I would be happy!! Maybe another year or so ;O) wink wink!!!
Friday, November 17, 2006
One week away from home...
Today makes one week since we left home...one week since sleeping in a comfortable bed!!! The one thing I do not like about Ukraine! The mattress' are very thin and very hard. However so far everything else is perfect!
We got to visit Olena (FYI - pronounced O-LAY-NA) yesterday afternoon and again this morning. Yesterday we got to take her outside to play which was nice. They put so many clothes on these children when they go outside it reminds us of the little boy from the Christmas story. We are in southern Ukraine and it is very warm here. Kinda like being south at home. It has been in the 50-60s and we packed clothes for the North Pole - most of the leaves are still on the trees to.
This morning we went to see her again, but she was pretty reserved. We had a banana in our bag which she quickly discovered was something wonderful. She loved it. One of the other children in her groupa had a family visit her today - hopefully she too will get a momma and poppa! They are all so precious, I pray for the best for each and everyone of them.
Today Gene is running around getting some paperwork settled to send to Kiev. He told us that we will need to send some documents to the adoption center by train, wait for it to come back, then try to get a court date. He has not given us any estimates yet - I think he is too nervous to get our hopes up, but my guess is that we should have court by the end of next week. Once we go to court and the adoption is "approved" we will have to wait 10 days (a mandatory waiting period) then back to Kiev with Olena. She is not allowed to stay with us until this 10 day period is over. During this time we will continue to visit her 2 times a day...this will give her a chance to get use to us! I looked at the calender last night and if everything remains "kink free" we should be home by the week of December 10th.
That is all for today. I will post again over the weekend - we are going to try to go and visit the Black Sea so that should be nice. Take care everyone and we miss you all!
We got to visit Olena (FYI - pronounced O-LAY-NA) yesterday afternoon and again this morning. Yesterday we got to take her outside to play which was nice. They put so many clothes on these children when they go outside it reminds us of the little boy from the Christmas story. We are in southern Ukraine and it is very warm here. Kinda like being south at home. It has been in the 50-60s and we packed clothes for the North Pole - most of the leaves are still on the trees to.
This morning we went to see her again, but she was pretty reserved. We had a banana in our bag which she quickly discovered was something wonderful. She loved it. One of the other children in her groupa had a family visit her today - hopefully she too will get a momma and poppa! They are all so precious, I pray for the best for each and everyone of them.
Today Gene is running around getting some paperwork settled to send to Kiev. He told us that we will need to send some documents to the adoption center by train, wait for it to come back, then try to get a court date. He has not given us any estimates yet - I think he is too nervous to get our hopes up, but my guess is that we should have court by the end of next week. Once we go to court and the adoption is "approved" we will have to wait 10 days (a mandatory waiting period) then back to Kiev with Olena. She is not allowed to stay with us until this 10 day period is over. During this time we will continue to visit her 2 times a day...this will give her a chance to get use to us! I looked at the calender last night and if everything remains "kink free" we should be home by the week of December 10th.
That is all for today. I will post again over the weekend - we are going to try to go and visit the Black Sea so that should be nice. Take care everyone and we miss you all!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
2nd day visit.
We are still doing great. We finally got settled last night in our flat about 6:00pm and boy must I say...we are staying in the Hilton!!! It is gorgous. It is a lady that the Director of the orphanage recommended. I guess she usually rents her flat to Italian Families but adoptions have been very slow in this region over the past year so she was very happy to accommadate us. The flat is awsome. We even have a bath tub!! WOOWHO!! I sat in there so long yesterday I looked like a 80 year old woman when I got out :O) It is very clean, very beautifully decorated and very comfortable. It has 2 bedrooms so our translator is staying with us as well.
Today we got to visit Olena again and this time she came running to us!! It was a great feeling. Our translator had the caregivers put us in the sleeping room so that we could be seperate from the other children and spend some time alone. She even let Jason hold her today!!! We got many great pictures and even came here today to try and download them but unfortunately we were not successful. The guys who worked here said that I need the disc to download the program and I did not bring it!!! Sorry guys. I know that you are all probably swearing at me right now, but I promise this is not on purpose!!
Oh and I am now band from the orphange!!! Just kidding, but I did make the caregivers mad already!! It was time for us to leave and for Olena to eat lunch I tried to have her sit in her chair she stumbled and put her hand right in the bowl of soup, spilling it everywhere!! Needless to say, they were not very happy with me!
I think she is finally starting to realize who Jason and I are. Yesterday she called Jason Papa and today she ran to me calling me momma. Gene is now dada (which is Uncle.) She talks a little, but I am sure she knows more, because today she was babbling about my camera and the light on it. I really wish you guys could see her...her smile will make you melt! Her caregiver told us yesterday that she is very clever. Today while playing with her, it seems she will have quite the attitude if she finds it necessary. We might really have our hands full! We will be able to see her again this afternoon after 3:30. Hopefully she will not be grumpy. Yesterdays afternoon appointment was not as much fun because she was crabby! but now that she knows a little better perhaps it will go smoother. We are going to walk over to the flea market and buy her a little toy! Yes we are going to spoil her already!
We found an internet cafe literally a 2 minute walk from our flat so will promise to post daily. Thanks for all the support. Reading your comments made me cry today. If she only knew how many people already love her.
PS: Becky....her birthday is January 20th!!!! Thought you would like that.
Today we got to visit Olena again and this time she came running to us!! It was a great feeling. Our translator had the caregivers put us in the sleeping room so that we could be seperate from the other children and spend some time alone. She even let Jason hold her today!!! We got many great pictures and even came here today to try and download them but unfortunately we were not successful. The guys who worked here said that I need the disc to download the program and I did not bring it!!! Sorry guys. I know that you are all probably swearing at me right now, but I promise this is not on purpose!!
Oh and I am now band from the orphange!!! Just kidding, but I did make the caregivers mad already!! It was time for us to leave and for Olena to eat lunch I tried to have her sit in her chair she stumbled and put her hand right in the bowl of soup, spilling it everywhere!! Needless to say, they were not very happy with me!
I think she is finally starting to realize who Jason and I are. Yesterday she called Jason Papa and today she ran to me calling me momma. Gene is now dada (which is Uncle.) She talks a little, but I am sure she knows more, because today she was babbling about my camera and the light on it. I really wish you guys could see her...her smile will make you melt! Her caregiver told us yesterday that she is very clever. Today while playing with her, it seems she will have quite the attitude if she finds it necessary. We might really have our hands full! We will be able to see her again this afternoon after 3:30. Hopefully she will not be grumpy. Yesterdays afternoon appointment was not as much fun because she was crabby! but now that she knows a little better perhaps it will go smoother. We are going to walk over to the flea market and buy her a little toy! Yes we are going to spoil her already!
We found an internet cafe literally a 2 minute walk from our flat so will promise to post daily. Thanks for all the support. Reading your comments made me cry today. If she only knew how many people already love her.
PS: Becky....her birthday is January 20th!!!! Thought you would like that.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
First I will start by saying the train was great. What a wonderful experience. We have never been on a train so we were like a few 5 year olds and got very excited. Though it was an 11 hour ride it went pretty quickly. We of course tried to sleep but only managed to get about 4 hours.
Anyhow. We are here in the region of Myckolayv - it is known as the ship building city of Ukraine. During Soviet times this was where all of the Military ships were built. It is not as busy as Kiev (thankfully) but it is beautiful. There are of course some very poor areas, which really is a reality check of how people here have to live.
Oh and by the way....We met Olena!!!! I know that is what all of you were waiting for. Funny story though....we met a different Olena first. We were taken into a room where we were introduced to this girl who was NOT happy to see us. She started screaming and did not want anything to do with us. I was very nervous and felt very bad. But something was not right. Her eyes were blue and she was very big. I told my translator that she was much bigger than I was expecting?? Then all of a sudden everyone realized that this was not the right girl!! Boy was she probably happy. So off we went to the other side of the orphange where we walked into a room with 20 tiny children sitting at the table eating their lunch...with spoons that we would use for serving. The director pointed to her and said "there Olena!!" I start to bawl my eyes out. She was ABSOLUTELY perfect. I looked back and Jason and Gene were crying too. We were invited to come in and sit down where we watched all of them finish their lunch. It was very hard to see them all sitting there. I wanted to bring them all home. So sweet and innocent...just looking for a mommy and daddy. All the while Olena kept staring at the 3 of us. She knew we were there for her. After everyone ate they cleaned her up and told her to go see her momma and pappa. Surprisingly she came right to me and put her arms up for me to pick her up. All we could do was stare at each other!! She warmed up a little and we started to play on the floor with her. She is still a little nervous about Jason but that is expected. They do not interact with many men if any at all. But we were tickling her and she was laughing away. She is such a happy baby and boy is she tiny. She is VERY ticklish and loves to laugh. She even hugged and kissed me and let me rock her while she put her head on my shoulder. We of course couldn't stop crying. Thankfully Gene was thinking because he was snapping pictures like crazy using his camera phone. We only got to stay with her for about 30 minutes because we could not disrupt her schedule and it was nap time. We will be allowed to visit her again this afternoon after 3:30.
The orphange is very nice and very clean! The staff also seems very sweet. No pictures yet and we still do not know if we will post any because it may not be possible, but we will see what we can do.
We will try to post again soon. Love everyone and please welcome Olena Victoria Warchol to the family!!!
Love and miss you all.
Anyhow. We are here in the region of Myckolayv - it is known as the ship building city of Ukraine. During Soviet times this was where all of the Military ships were built. It is not as busy as Kiev (thankfully) but it is beautiful. There are of course some very poor areas, which really is a reality check of how people here have to live.
Oh and by the way....We met Olena!!!! I know that is what all of you were waiting for. Funny story though....we met a different Olena first. We were taken into a room where we were introduced to this girl who was NOT happy to see us. She started screaming and did not want anything to do with us. I was very nervous and felt very bad. But something was not right. Her eyes were blue and she was very big. I told my translator that she was much bigger than I was expecting?? Then all of a sudden everyone realized that this was not the right girl!! Boy was she probably happy. So off we went to the other side of the orphange where we walked into a room with 20 tiny children sitting at the table eating their lunch...with spoons that we would use for serving. The director pointed to her and said "there Olena!!" I start to bawl my eyes out. She was ABSOLUTELY perfect. I looked back and Jason and Gene were crying too. We were invited to come in and sit down where we watched all of them finish their lunch. It was very hard to see them all sitting there. I wanted to bring them all home. So sweet and innocent...just looking for a mommy and daddy. All the while Olena kept staring at the 3 of us. She knew we were there for her. After everyone ate they cleaned her up and told her to go see her momma and pappa. Surprisingly she came right to me and put her arms up for me to pick her up. All we could do was stare at each other!! She warmed up a little and we started to play on the floor with her. She is still a little nervous about Jason but that is expected. They do not interact with many men if any at all. But we were tickling her and she was laughing away. She is such a happy baby and boy is she tiny. She is VERY ticklish and loves to laugh. She even hugged and kissed me and let me rock her while she put her head on my shoulder. We of course couldn't stop crying. Thankfully Gene was thinking because he was snapping pictures like crazy using his camera phone. We only got to stay with her for about 30 minutes because we could not disrupt her schedule and it was nap time. We will be allowed to visit her again this afternoon after 3:30.
The orphange is very nice and very clean! The staff also seems very sweet. No pictures yet and we still do not know if we will post any because it may not be possible, but we will see what we can do.
We will try to post again soon. Love everyone and please welcome Olena Victoria Warchol to the family!!!
Love and miss you all.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Now we have a minute
I know that we already posted today but now we have a little more time so we thought we would check in again while we have the time.
As you already know we are having a great time. We have met 3 other American Families and had dinner tonight with them at an awsome Italian resturant. Don't worry we tried the Ukrainian food at lunch. Both times the food was excellent.
Our apartment is small but HORRAY it has a washing machine so we have been able to wash all of our clothes.
We have train tickets to leave Kiev tommorrow at 7pm and we will arrive in region at 6am. I have heard that the train is quite the experience!!! We tried to fly but there are no flights there....which our translator was very happy about. We found out he does not like planes. We are still very excited and can't wait to meet little Olena.
Yesterday was tough because we were alone all day and did not have phone service. Though I must admit we did pretty good. We managed to make it to the market and buy food for lunch and dinner. We have been told not to leave the apartment after dark but so far we have felt completely comfortable walking around - besides it is pitch black by 5pm!! Tonight we were able to see a part of the city that we have not seen yet! It is AMAZING! The lights and the buildings are unbelievable. I can't explain enough how great it is to be here. Well worth the wait! Everyone has been very kind to us too.
(Don't worry we are fighting off the tears too!!) We both thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts. And we hope you know that we are going good.
Mom and dad I know that you are probably worried since you haven't heard from us but we will do our best to call as soon as we can. We will probably not be able to post for a few more days being that we will be traveling and will need to locate an internet cafe in region. Hang tight...Gene said that the post office allows you to make long distance calls so if necessary we will go there to get in touch.
That about sums up our day. We love you all!!
As you already know we are having a great time. We have met 3 other American Families and had dinner tonight with them at an awsome Italian resturant. Don't worry we tried the Ukrainian food at lunch. Both times the food was excellent.
Our apartment is small but HORRAY it has a washing machine so we have been able to wash all of our clothes.
We have train tickets to leave Kiev tommorrow at 7pm and we will arrive in region at 6am. I have heard that the train is quite the experience!!! We tried to fly but there are no flights there....which our translator was very happy about. We found out he does not like planes. We are still very excited and can't wait to meet little Olena.
Yesterday was tough because we were alone all day and did not have phone service. Though I must admit we did pretty good. We managed to make it to the market and buy food for lunch and dinner. We have been told not to leave the apartment after dark but so far we have felt completely comfortable walking around - besides it is pitch black by 5pm!! Tonight we were able to see a part of the city that we have not seen yet! It is AMAZING! The lights and the buildings are unbelievable. I can't explain enough how great it is to be here. Well worth the wait! Everyone has been very kind to us too.
(Don't worry we are fighting off the tears too!!) We both thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts. And we hope you know that we are going good.
Mom and dad I know that you are probably worried since you haven't heard from us but we will do our best to call as soon as we can. We will probably not be able to post for a few more days being that we will be traveling and will need to locate an internet cafe in region. Hang tight...Gene said that the post office allows you to make long distance calls so if necessary we will go there to get in touch.
That about sums up our day. We love you all!!
Now we have a minute
I know that we already posted today but now we have a little more time so we thought we would check in again while we have the time.
As you already know we are having a great time. We have met 3 other American Families and had dinner tonight with them at an awsome Italian resturant. Don't worry we tried the Ukrainian food at lunch. Both times the food was excellent.
Our apartment is small but HORRAY it has a washing machine so we have been able to wash all of our clothes.
We have train tickets to leave Kiev tommorrow at 7pm and we will arrive in region at 6am. I have heard that the train is quite the experience!!! We tried to fly but there are no flights there....which our translator was very happy about. We found out he does not like planes. We are still very excited and can't wait to meet little Olena.
Yesterday was tough because we were alone all day and did not have phone service. Though I must admit we did pretty good. We managed to make it to the market and buy food for lunch and dinner. We have been told not to leave the apartment after dark but so far we have felt completely comfortable walking around - besides it is pitch black by 5pm!! Tonight we were able to see a part of the city that we have not seen yet! It is AMAZING! The lights and the buildings are unbelievable. I can't explain enough how great it is to be here. Well worth the wait! Everyone has been very kind to us too.
(Don't worry we are fighting off the tears too!!) We both thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts. And we hope you know that we are going good.
Mom and dad I know that you are probably worried since you haven't heard from us but we will do our best to call as soon as we can. We will probably not be able to post for a few more days being that we will be traveling and will need to locate an internet cafe in region. Hang tight...Gene said that the post office allows you to make long distance calls so if necessary we will go there to get in touch.
That about sums up our day. We love you all!!
As you already know we are having a great time. We have met 3 other American Families and had dinner tonight with them at an awsome Italian resturant. Don't worry we tried the Ukrainian food at lunch. Both times the food was excellent.
Our apartment is small but HORRAY it has a washing machine so we have been able to wash all of our clothes.
We have train tickets to leave Kiev tommorrow at 7pm and we will arrive in region at 6am. I have heard that the train is quite the experience!!! We tried to fly but there are no flights there....which our translator was very happy about. We found out he does not like planes. We are still very excited and can't wait to meet little Olena.
Yesterday was tough because we were alone all day and did not have phone service. Though I must admit we did pretty good. We managed to make it to the market and buy food for lunch and dinner. We have been told not to leave the apartment after dark but so far we have felt completely comfortable walking around - besides it is pitch black by 5pm!! Tonight we were able to see a part of the city that we have not seen yet! It is AMAZING! The lights and the buildings are unbelievable. I can't explain enough how great it is to be here. Well worth the wait! Everyone has been very kind to us too.
(Don't worry we are fighting off the tears too!!) We both thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts. And we hope you know that we are going good.
Mom and dad I know that you are probably worried since you haven't heard from us but we will do our best to call as soon as we can. We will probably not be able to post for a few more days being that we will be traveling and will need to locate an internet cafe in region. Hang tight...Gene said that the post office allows you to make long distance calls so if necessary we will go there to get in touch.
That about sums up our day. We love you all!!
The angels are flying!!!
We just got back from our appointment at the Adoption Center. I honestly cannot say enough good stuff about how well it went. The staff was EXTREMLY kind and they gave us many choices. They had preselected 5 girls for us to look at and I must say that they were all beautiful and it was a very tough choice. All the girls were between the ages of 1 - 3 years. Jason and I did not take much time chosing. Both of us agreed pretty quickly which one we wanted to meet. She is so beautiful!!! and had the happiest smile on her face. Sorry to say mom, but she has big brown eyes and brown hair. Looks like dad's and my dream were pretty accurate. It was a very hard choice though...I am getting emotional just writing this. Maybe I can talk Jason into coming back for that blonde hair blue eyed one!! LOL! We are very happy right now and have perma grin on our faces.
We are taking a train to meet her tomorrow to a region called Myokiv (spelling???) near the Black Sea. The region is known to be an easy one, and will take us about 12 hours to get there by train. We will leave Kiev tommorrow at 7pm. She is 22 months old, one of the youngest in the group of 5 we were shown. Her name is Olena! and I can't tell you enough how cute the picture was!!
I am so sorry we have not called yet. We told the translator today that it is imparative that we get a phone card to call home so hopefully within the next couple hours we will be able to call.
Things are going good don't worry about us. We have a GREAT and very kind translator, his name is Gene! We ventured out on our own yesterday and went to the market and even cooked dinner. Jason was a little nervous but did good in the long run. The one crappy thing is the bed! lets say we are sleeping on a piece of wood with lots of blanket.
Weather is chilly though warmer today. It snowed yesterday but melted on the ground.
*Jennifer if you could print this and call you dad and read it to him, we would really appreciate it.*
Thats all for now. I will post again once we are in region. Hopfully they will have an internet cafe.
Oh and the buildings here.....OMG they are the most beautiful things that Jason and I have ever seen. We are truly having a great time.
We love you all and keep the prayers coming. So far they are all being answered! Hugs and kisses to everyone. Talk to you soon.
We are taking a train to meet her tomorrow to a region called Myokiv (spelling???) near the Black Sea. The region is known to be an easy one, and will take us about 12 hours to get there by train. We will leave Kiev tommorrow at 7pm. She is 22 months old, one of the youngest in the group of 5 we were shown. Her name is Olena! and I can't tell you enough how cute the picture was!!
I am so sorry we have not called yet. We told the translator today that it is imparative that we get a phone card to call home so hopefully within the next couple hours we will be able to call.
Things are going good don't worry about us. We have a GREAT and very kind translator, his name is Gene! We ventured out on our own yesterday and went to the market and even cooked dinner. Jason was a little nervous but did good in the long run. The one crappy thing is the bed! lets say we are sleeping on a piece of wood with lots of blanket.
Weather is chilly though warmer today. It snowed yesterday but melted on the ground.
*Jennifer if you could print this and call you dad and read it to him, we would really appreciate it.*
Thats all for now. I will post again once we are in region. Hopfully they will have an internet cafe.
Oh and the buildings here.....OMG they are the most beautiful things that Jason and I have ever seen. We are truly having a great time.
We love you all and keep the prayers coming. So far they are all being answered! Hugs and kisses to everyone. Talk to you soon.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
We're in Amsterdam!
We are finally over the long flight and arrived in Amsterdam at 9am this morning....3am for you guys. Airport is nice but very big. We had to walk well across the entire airport to find out that we cannot sit at the gate until they are ready to board. Each gate has it's own security check point and they are all enclosed in glass!! so we had some time to spare and decided to check in with everyone. Our flight leaves for Ukraine at 12:35 and we will arrive in Kiev around 4:30. The flight here was great! We had great seating and video monitors in the seats so we could listen to music, watch movies and play games. We slept a good part of the last half of the flight so it went pretty smooth. Hope it goes that well on the way home with the little one :O)
We just wanted to check in and let everyone know that we are doing great, and so far, everything is looking on the bright side. We will post again probably tomorrow from Kiev.
We just wanted to check in and let everyone know that we are doing great, and so far, everything is looking on the bright side. We will post again probably tomorrow from Kiev.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Last night home
Well this is it. Our last night home as just husband and wife. I am sitting here collecting my thoughts for the first time all day and I think it is finally starting to sink in. The moment we have been anticipating for 2 years is finally here. We are going to become a family.
For the past 2 years all I kept thinking was how excited I was going to be at this moment. I got such anxiety just thinking about it....but, strangely enough, during these past 2 weeks I have been calmer then I have been since this whole process started. I guess I just don't find a reason to be scared or nervous. I have learned and studied so much about the adoption, Ukraine, what to expect, what could go wrong... all I have done is prepare!! I am ready -
For the past 2 years all I kept thinking was how excited I was going to be at this moment. I got such anxiety just thinking about it....but, strangely enough, during these past 2 weeks I have been calmer then I have been since this whole process started. I guess I just don't find a reason to be scared or nervous. I have learned and studied so much about the adoption, Ukraine, what to expect, what could go wrong... all I have done is prepare!! I am ready -
We leave tomorrow evening and will arrive in Ukraine, late Saturday afternoon. I will do my best to post Sunday. If for some reason, it is not possible, I will be sure to post Monday night and let you know all about our appointment.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way - now the real journey begins and I am happy to be sharing with all of you!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
HOLY COW!!! 3 days and counting. Though I must admit I am still having a lot of trouble getting myself to believe that it is finally happening. NO nerves, no emotional breakdowns yet...nothing! I have been so busy making sure we have everything and making sure the home front is being well taken care of.
The dogs are my main concern right now! I am so worried that they are going to go into depression when we're gone, then to come home with a baby is going to stress them beyond belief. I just keep praying for the best and a smooth transistion. Family and friends are doing great with helping out, but I know that no one is going to care for and spoil our "babies" the way we do!
I am a little worried about the husband too. He is stressing big time! I am doing my best to reassure him that we are going to have a good time and to just relax and enjoy the time we will spend there. I have a feeling that he might experience a bit of culture shock.
This is going to be a big change but it is only going to last a few weeks, then we get to come back and continue living in our comfort. If all of the Ukrainians and our daughter can live their lives there, there is no reason why we can't handle it for a month. I know that this is not a trip to Tahiti but I am really looking forward to it. This is truly an once in a life time opportunity!!
I will be sure to post again before leaving.... just think, 1 week from today I should be posting you the details of the daughter we will be getting ready to meet! FINALLY!
The dogs are my main concern right now! I am so worried that they are going to go into depression when we're gone, then to come home with a baby is going to stress them beyond belief. I just keep praying for the best and a smooth transistion. Family and friends are doing great with helping out, but I know that no one is going to care for and spoil our "babies" the way we do!
I am a little worried about the husband too. He is stressing big time! I am doing my best to reassure him that we are going to have a good time and to just relax and enjoy the time we will spend there. I have a feeling that he might experience a bit of culture shock.
This is going to be a big change but it is only going to last a few weeks, then we get to come back and continue living in our comfort. If all of the Ukrainians and our daughter can live their lives there, there is no reason why we can't handle it for a month. I know that this is not a trip to Tahiti but I am really looking forward to it. This is truly an once in a life time opportunity!!
I will be sure to post again before leaving.... just think, 1 week from today I should be posting you the details of the daughter we will be getting ready to meet! FINALLY!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Can you believe we leave next week? It is so strange to finally be able to say "next week"!!! I am a little behind schedule and still have a ton of things to do. But I have the weekend and
Tuesday is my last day at work so I will have 2-3 full days to get things done.
I have still managed to stay relatively calm. The only thing I can think of, is that it just has not "processed" yet or I am just so prepared after waiting for 2 1/2 years that I know everything is going to be o.k.
Everyone has been so supportive...it is good to know we have so many friends and family cheering us on! I truly think we are going to have a good time...cold weather, no hot water, lack of toilets, lack of heat and great Vodka!!! What else could you ask for? LOL!!!
On a serious note, we will lack a few of the luxuries that we have here but we're prepared. One of the girls at work the other day said "who the heck goes to Ukraine?" and I said "WE ARE!!" and we are going to have the time of our lives.
Tuesday is my last day at work so I will have 2-3 full days to get things done.
I have still managed to stay relatively calm. The only thing I can think of, is that it just has not "processed" yet or I am just so prepared after waiting for 2 1/2 years that I know everything is going to be o.k.
Everyone has been so supportive...it is good to know we have so many friends and family cheering us on! I truly think we are going to have a good time...cold weather, no hot water, lack of toilets, lack of heat and great Vodka!!! What else could you ask for? LOL!!!
On a serious note, we will lack a few of the luxuries that we have here but we're prepared. One of the girls at work the other day said "who the heck goes to Ukraine?" and I said "WE ARE!!" and we are going to have the time of our lives.
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