Tim's Perspective: The night before leaving

This post is created by Tim Hange. I was absolutely honored when John and Joellen invited me to join them in Kiev and accompany them on the trip home. It's kind of like being invited to a birth, but without all the gross biological stuff!!

Seriously, this is one great family! John and Joellen are just absolutely amazing with how they handle these kids, from play to discipline--it all seems so natural for them! They "divide and conquer" like pros. It is also really cool to me to see how well developed these kids are. They are well-bonded as siblings, VERY communicative, and even nurturing of each other.

So I arrive in Kiev, and get to the apartment... I'm greeted by these wide eyed, curious kids--a little apprehensive at first, but a little speaking in Russian, a few presents, and opening a bag of games (packed by my wife, the "child whisperer") really warmed everything up quite a bit.

Speaking with them, I was struck by how well these children understand exactly what is happening to them. They understand that they are going to a different county, that the language is different, and that they have a new mother and father who love them very much. I asked Talia if she knew if her mom and dad love her--without out hesitation she smiled and said, "Yes, and I love them too!!" Max is SO intelligent. He listens for English words, and then when he figures them out, he tells his sisters what it means in Ukranian/Russian (they speak a mixture).

Here they are... Ready for bed! The only problem being that I hopped them up on all of this play and it took em over two hours to get to sleep.... Sorry guys :)

Check'em out though... Aren't they a great family? I'm so proud (sniff....)


Ok, lets move on from the sap... These kids are just plain FUN! So we did bead stringing, play dough, balloons, and all sorts of other fun stuff!






Ok, so I'm back to sappy... Little Valentina played so carefully with her new dolly--changing its diaper, and rocking it... For an orphan, this is actually not usual behavior to display. What a kid! Come on.. Check out that smile!!

Well, we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow. I am praying for a good rest for all, and energy to deal with the early start. Most of all, I'm praying that God sustains these kids through the long journey. It really is tough on kids to travel, especially when their world is changing so much. Still, I just can't wait to see these kids 6 weeks, 6 months, 1 year from now. They are adjusting so well already, and are absolutely the PERFECT match for the Livingston family. What a blessing!

Quiet Family Day

Whew. We’re finally done with all the hoops here in Ukraine, and have had a quiet day in our Kiev apartment getting to know each other as a family. Which, believe me, is HUGELY different than chasing preschoolers around in their own territory. Everybody is thriving on the routine. So of course tomorrow we’ll destroy that by traveling all day, but at least we’ll be home, and see some family and friends. Thank God! When we land in Chicago, the kids will officially be American citizens, and we’ll have to go through the immigration process. Please pray that it will be speedy – or at least efficient – as we have just over 2 hours before we catch our flight to KC.

The new family dynamics have been interesting, and pretty humorous. Last night the kids had baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn (doesn’t that sound like John, except for the gravy!) and they loved every bit of it. I even got two “good job” comments from Maksim, he really loved the chicken. Oh excuse me, Alex. He likes his new name, and corrected me once today when I called him Maksim.

The kids just got up from their nap, so of course all other activity ceases at that point. We're all at the window, waiting for Uncle Tim to arrive. Hope he's ready for three preschoolers...

More posting and a photo or two later!

JoEllen : >

Pictures from yesterday/today

As promised, after a bit of rest here are a few pictures/videos from yesterday and today (so far):

Kids all dressed up and their orphanage workers.







Their first car ride. Praise God, they all love to ride in the "machina," and so far no signs of motion sickness.






Livingstons at the train station.








Sightseeing from the train.








Some got a little scared on the train. Can you tell it feels like a sauna?







All cleaned up at the apartment. The first baths went great.








Lunch time at the apartment today. First time for soup, and BOY was it popular!








Here's a short video clip of the train ride.


We are off in an hour to finish up with visas at the Embassy, then we'll be ready to come home!

The longest day(s) EVER!

I'm posting this at around 10:30pm, but it feels more like 2am...we are SO worn out from the last 28 hours. So worn out I'm too weary to even post any pictures, sorry. Where to start, I'll just do a LONG stream-of-consciousness dump since I'm too tired to be clever or pithy:

At 5:30pm yesterday we met our driver Sergei for the last time to go pick up the kids. He surprised us with a little traditional Ukrainian knicknack which I'll always treasure, he's such a great guy. We also exchanged email and snailmail addresses to stay in touch. Jo and I ate at McD's before he showed up, but because we weren't sure of the kids' eating status we had him drive thru McD's again just before we picked up the kids to get some McNuggets for them.

We arrived at the orphanage around 6pm, and the kids were all decked out in the cute clothes and coats we brought earlier. The only mixup was they dressed Alex in the pink w/flowers shoes we'd gotten for Talia, oh well, no biggy. I knew we were in trouble, however, when the last thing an orphanage caregiver said to us was when she pointed to Vala and just said "Pampers." That woulda been a great thing to know a few days ago, ARGG!

Before leaving Donestk:
So we all piled into Sergei's taxi and off we went to the train station, I was prepared for major freakout so I was thrilled that they were perfect angels and stared in wonderment as Donetsk passed by all around them, they apparently love to ride in cars. Since we didn't know what traffic would be like we left early, and were surprised by great traffic and arrived about an hour and a half before our 8pm train arrived...THAT was a long hour and a half let me tell you. Sergei was great and helped us with luggage and with entertaining the kids for that long till our train (thank God) arrived finally. I might add that the best $45 we've spent on this trip is for the backpack/leashes we got for the kids, a major Godsend. Anyway, we got on the train, said goodbye to Sergei for the last time (*sniff*), and then the fun began.

The wonderful train ride:
OK, imagine being in a 8x8 foot cell with 3 toddlers for 14 hours. That was easily the longest 14 hours of my life. We'd hoped to get them asleep by 9 or so, but fat chance of that with so many distractions, being cooped up, and a rocking train the whole time...plus not being in the orphanage anymore. The train also had no opening window (and of course no A/C), so it was at least 80 degrees in there the whole time, I about died. I won't get too graphic other than saying we all ditched a LOT of clothing to attempt to get comfortable. After 3 hours of multiple timeouts, various discipline techniques, much weeping and wailing (the kids too) and various sleep-inducing techniques, the 3 angels finally dozed off around 11pm after much protest. Who knew toddlers were so hard to put to sleep?! ;-) I fell asleep shortly thereafter on one of the top bunks, but Jo tried to no avail to sleep sitting up. The 2 girls were on the lower bunks, and Alex had to sleep in a makeshift bed on the floor. They promptly woke up around sunup at 6am, and we had 4 more hours of trying not to go nuts in such close confinement. A breakfast of water and fruit for the kids started the morning, followed by much sightseeing out the window and coloring with crayons, sometimes even in the coloring books. ;-) Anyway, after 14 LONNNNNG hours we mercifully arrived in Kiev, thinking that maybe we'd drop by the apartment, grab a shower and some hot breakfast somewhere, and work on finalizing our paperwork. Fat chance, this is Ukraine.

The Clinic:
Another facilitator, Nikolai, picked us up at the train station at 10am in Serge's Lincoln Navigator and proceeded to take us straight to the clinic (which closed at noon) for basic medical exams of the kids prior to going to do Embassy stuff. No breakfast, no stopping at apartment, straight to the business at hand. After spending a couple of hours at the clinic going from office to office and trying to keep the kids from destroying the place, we were done and waited outside for a good 45 minutes for Nikolai to come pick us up. The Scruggs family was also there at the exact time, so we got to visit with them before we parted ways and Nick FINALLY showed up around noon after being stuck in traffic for some time with us waiting for him at the curb. Surprisingly, the kids sat quietly near the curb for about an hour and watch the traffic go by.

The US Embassy:
That would've been a great time to drive through McD's or anywhere for some food, but Nick didn't know of any (although we passed three) and he wanted to get us to the Embassy to try and finish up today (we have 3 days, not a huge rush for me). So we got to the Embassy and wrestled the toddlers thru metal detectors and up and down stairs, and finally got to the proper desk where the guy gave us a ream of forms to fill out, plus we needed kid pictures (didn't know that!) So while Mama worked on forms I had to wrangle the kids to a photo place by myself up and down stairs and various obstacles to get new photos, a major solo undertaking for Papa. Again, praise the Lord for leashes. Even IF all the Ukrainians find them hilarious, pointing and laughing. After returning with said photos, Mama continued to work on the ream of docs while Papa played babysitter for several hours. Fortunately they had a decent playroom, and several English/Russian speaking adoptive parents were around to help. Talia holds the record for going "pee-sat", I'm sure I took her 6 times today and Mama took her 3. Apparently Alex has the world's largest bladder, and Vala just takes the liberty of climbing on Papa's lap and turning his lap wet and warm...I consider myself fully initiated as "Papa" now (except I haven't been puked on yet, knock on wood). Apparently none of our kids ever poop, a major feature. After Jo turned in the paperwork and I handed over a stack of Benjamins, they said they'd have it all finalized for our appointment at 2pm tomorrow to get the kids' visas. We'll be all done then with nothing left but the flight home!

After the Embassy:
So at 4:30 (still haven't eaten yet, although we'd fed the kids fruit and water all day), we met Nick to leave. Unfortunately I remembered late that I needed to run back to Security and get back my little Swiss Army knife and luggage key they confiscated, and by the time I came back he had left with Jo and the kids!! Jo said he drove off without me, yakking on a cellphone thinking I was in the car, with her yelling at him for 2 blocks that he'd left me behind before he figured out she was talking to him. Words can't describe. So after picking me up finally, I thought we'd maybe get to drivethru somewhere then because I was pretty irritated and starving having not eaten for 24 hours (anyone who knows me can understand), and then FINALLY get to our apartment with 3 cranky kids (having no nap). But no, Nick had another stop to make for another family, which cost us another hour getting to our apartment, considering he didn't really know where it was and couldn't find it in the dark, and traffic in Kiev is Hell on Earth. We finally arrived at the apartment, and had to wait ANOTHER 30 minutes for the apartment manager to arrive to get us the keys...that woulda been a great thing to do in advance in my estimation, but for today it was par for the course.

The Apartment:
We finally got in the apartment, and it's really pretty nice space-wise. It has a master bedroom, and another bedroom for the kids, kitchen, bath, and a little family room with a TV (no DVD player, rats!) and a couch and big cushy chairs, and free Internet connection (woohoo!) Nick somewhat redeemed himself by taking me to a nearby market (while Jo graciously watched the kids back home) and by helping me translate and buy food, but that put us back here at around 6pm...a VERY cranky, starving Papa by this point. Oh well, we got some frozen pizzas and lots of breakfast things and even some smoked chicken, oh, and of course some Pampers!! So we finally got everyone fed and put to bed, but seriously, this was the longest couple of days we'll probably EVER have the joy of experiencing for some time.

Sorry this was such a long post with no pix, you'll just have to share my pain. ;-) We'll post more tomorrow after Mama and Papa have a good night's rest, and we should have our adoption process done by tomorrow too!

Da svidania!

Papa John

Last day in Donetsk

This is just one last quick post here before we leave to pick up the kids, dress them in the clothes we brought, and catch the 8pm train to Kiev.

This morning we went to the orphanage to dress the kids before we pick them up this evening, but the orphanage director recommended we just leave the clothes there till this evening and dress them then, so we did. The director did, however, allow us to see the room where the kids sleep, something they typically don't allow at this orphanage...we were very thankful to her for allowing us to take some pictures.
Here's the bedroom where all our kids sleep, I was happy to see that they were decked out in Chiefs colors. :-)






Alex and Vala on their beds.









Talia showing off her bed.








After seeing the beds, we got to play outside with the kids for a while before we took off for lunch and to buy supplies for the train ride. We were happy to see the Scruggs family one last time before we left, and our kids got to play together with Samuel Daniel one last time.
Michael, Jeanette and Samuel, one last visit before their paperwork is finalized today.







We went outside and did some low-impact playing since we had really planned on dressing the kids and not playing so we brought no toys. We did, however, bring their new little backpack/leashes which they loved. They even showed them off to everyone they could find. We didn't hook up the leashes (yet), we'll save that little surprise for them for when we're out in public and don't want them bolting. We did practice walking as a family though, which they love to do. They were VERY unhappy when we took off their backpacks, they were very attached to them which is a great thing for us. :-)
Our last walk around the orphanage before we come back this evening to pick them up.







So, this is our last post from Donetsk, Ukraine before we arrive in Kiev tomorrow morning at 10am to begin our Embassy Visa process. We agreed that there are things that are really pretty nice about this town that we'll miss, but there's no place like home. Next stop, KIEV!

A GREAT DAY FOR THE LIVINGSTON FAMILY!

We are officially and finally parents now! A great big thanks to all those that sent your thoughts and prayers today for the finalizing of the adoption, it really couldn't have gone any smoother. We met our facilitator Marina in her taxi at 8am this morning, and off we went to finalize all the documents at various Donetsk locations and to deliver gifts to the workers at the orphanage.

Our first stop was the courthouse to finalize the judgment paperwork following the 10-day waiting period. It didn't take much longer than an hour, and we got to take our picture with Judge Oleg.
Here is our picture of us with Judge Oleg, I told you he was huge! He was a very nice guy who shook my tiny hand in his huge paw, and he and his entire staff appeared very happy for us.




Anyway, after our paperwork was done at the courthouse, we went to the Department of Vital Statistics to finalize the birth certificates. This process could've really cost us an extra day if they made us drive to another region to do it, which was very likely. But fortunately "the boss" wasn't there, so her more lenient helpers let us go ahead and take care of it then and there, saving us an entire afternoon's drive all around the region and an extra day of staying in Donetsk for Marina.

After that was a quick stop at a notary's office for official copies, and then the trip to the dreaded passport office to see if we'd get the older style "fast" passports, or the newer blue ones that'd cost us an extra 10 days wait (ick!)
Thirty minutes after Marina went into the office, she came out smiling bearing 3 shiny new red passports for the kids. PRAISE THE LORD! You can't believe our relief, they didn't have that many of the old kind left. Someone was definitely watching out for us. :-)


Next we needed to go to the orphanage to meet the Director and finalize some papers that basically turn over the kids from them to us. She was very nice, and loved the purse we gave her as a gift. She commented that she was very happy for the kids, and it looked like we had already spoiled them from our visits with them and toys we'd given them already. We also met the orphanage doctor, whom we also surprised with a gift purse.
Here's a picture of us with Director Natalia (far right), and the doctor (far left next to JoEllen).





By mid afternoon we had finished all our rounds and were considered official and finalized parents of Alex, Talia and Vala...a very happy day indeed! (sorry so many exclamations, I can't help it.)
At the end of the day, we treated Marina and our taxi driver Slava to a late lunch at Cherry Pizza, where pizza was enjoyed by all as a pleasant end to a great day. It's also our last kid-free day, as we made arrangements to pick them up for good tomorrow afternoon on the way to the train.




Marina had more good news for us regarding our upcoming stay in Kiev this week. It looks like the apartment not only has WiFi, but it's on the 1st floor as well, and not that far from Mickey D's. This isn't the same place near the zoo where we thought we'd be, but I'm not complaining.

So our plan for tomorrow is to go visit the kids in the morning and deck them out in the new clothes they'll be leaving the orphanage in, go for lunch, pick up a few things at the market, go back to the hotel and pack up, and then go pick them up around 6pm to make our 8pm train to Kiev. We'll post again sometime tomorrow with a last update from Donetsk, but we're definitely in the home stretch now!

Da svidania,

Papa John

Waiting Period is over!

Well sorta. Since the orphanage is closed on Sundays we really couldn't do anything productive today, unless resting counts. After sleeping in just a bit late and grabbing breakfast, we did walk up to the outdoor market and get some Kleenex (for the kids), and chocolates (for us), and we had a snack at the little cafeteria by the market. Other than that, we pretty much just relaxed on the last day that might offer us a chance to do so.

Tomorrow will be a full day of adoption-related errands, most importantly getting the passports for the kids. Please continue to pray that this will go smoothly, it's about the only thing at this point that could delay our return. If we get it all done tomorrow, looks like we'll have a bit of a rest day on Tuesday before we pick up the kids and catch the 8pm train (I think that's how it'll work). We'll know a LOT more tomorrow when Marina arrives at 8am and we start our running around. Hopefully that'll also be the day we get to hand out all the suitcase full of gifts JoEllen brought for the orphanage workers and director.

We may have seen our driver Sergei for the last time yesterday, but I'm not sure based on how tomorrow goes. Since we thought it was our last ride with him to the orphanage yesterday, we went ahead and gave him a little cash bonus that we thought he deserved and would enjoy. Not that I'm a softy or anything, but I actually teared up as he drove away for the last time...I've never done that for a taxi driver, trust me. *sniff* He's a very funny and likable guy and we had some great pseudo-English conversations. A few days ago he shared that at one time he had served for a few years in the Soviet Army. I was a bit impressed and taken aback by this news, given his outgoing, entertaining personality compared to stereotypes that Hollywood has portrayed of Soviet soldiers throughout my lifetime. So much for stereotypes. Here's a re-post of Sergei doing his Schwartzenegger imitation, very typical. :-)









Anyway, we'll have lots more news to share on the adoption front tomorrow. We'll fill you in!

Da svidania!

Papa John

Waiting Period: Day 10 of 10

Woohoo, it's the last day of our waiting period! Not only that, it's also the last day we play on this kid-unfriendly playground. It was a brisk 40 degrees again today, and the caregivers had the kids bundled completely up again for going outdoors. It was so cold even the sand in the sandbox was frozen solid, so not a great day for playing overall. So we made do, and since Talia likes to take walks as a whole family, we did 2 laps around the whole orphanage today. We were the only folks outside today too, which made it different as well. The Scruggs called us and told us Jeanette was pretty ill, so please pray for her as they pick up their son next week about the same time as we get our kids.

So the plan is, tomorrow we'll just hang out around the hotel and start to get our things together. Marina will be here Monday morning to do all the birth certificate and passport stuff, and if we don't get it done Monday we have Tuesday to finish up before picking up the kids and catching our 8pm Tuesday night train to Kiev.

Please pray that the passport and Embassy stuff will go smoothly next week, we're in the home stretch now!

Da svidania!

Papa John


Alex and Talia just chillin out, literally.







Once again Vala is bundled so tight she can barely move, let alone walk. On top of that, she had boots on about 2 sizes too big. Except for our 2 walks around the building, she didn't get far today. :-)

Waiting Period: Day 9 of 10

It seems so strange that tomorrow is the last day of our 10-day waiting period. We may not pick the kids up from the orphanage until Tuesday, however. The first day we could pick them up is Sunday, but we can't because they orphanage is closed on Suday. We'll be running around getting all kinds of paperwork done on Monday, so we'll either pick them up late Monday, or sometime on Tuesday. Hopefully with plenty of time to catch our 8 pm train to Kiev.

We kind of got our wires crossed with Marina, somehow. She thought we were flying out on Thursday, and was tactfully trying to let us know that we probably wouldn't get everything done by then. Of course, since we're actually flying out on Saturday, maybe that won't be an issue. Still not sure how she was thinking we're leaving on Thursday. SO many little timing issues have to fall in place for this to work - it will definitely be a God thing. So please pray that the paperwork-gathering would go smoothly.

Today we wondered if we would be inside or outside. It was beautifully sunny, but only about 40 degrees when we arrived at the orphanage. I don't think there are many playroom options, due to a bunch of remodeling going on at the orphanage, so the kids came out bundled up like crazy. It's a little hard to tell from these photos, but they really couldn't move well. And playing in the sandbox with mittens on just isn't the same, anyway.

His prize toy today was a 4-foot stick he used as a walking stick. When there aren't many toys, you have to get creative.






Still singing the same song from the teeter totter. I'd love for someone to translate, so we'd know what the HECK she was saying!





Pink princess. I know, I know.
















We went to a different lunch place with the Scruggs today. It was pretty good food, but it all came out at vastly different times. We were trying to figure out why the chicken wings were so late in coming out, then decided it might have something to do with the declining pigeon population in Lenin Square just across the street. We have our suspicions...

John had to take a new photo of the Lenin statue, since it was nice and sunny today.











More of the same here, really. I don't know what our internet access situation will be when we get to Kiev, so we're trying to wrap up what we can while we have free WiFi. Love that stuff.

In the meantime, thanks for your continued prayers and comments - both are definitely appreciated!

JoEllen

Waiting Period: Day 8 of 10

Last night we spoke with Marina about the game plan for final paperwork next week. After her 8am arrival Monday morning, we are going to try and take care of all the passport and birth certificate stuff that day here in Donetsk in time to pick up the kids and catch the 7pm train to Kiev. Right now that's the most important logistical challenge we face, so please pray that Monday would go smooth as silk with no obstacles so that we can catch that train! Marina advised me to go ahead and buy train tickets today, so I did that first thing this morning, knowing it'd be a risk and that we might have to buy train tix all over again for a later date if we hit a snag. JoEllen also asked her about lodging in Kiev this time, and she said we'd be in a bigger (albeit more expensive) apartment, close to the Kiev zoo and several restaurants. That sounds like a Livingston Family outing in the making right there! So other than our last few waiting days, that's our immediate plans in the nutshell.

Although it was in the 40s and drizzly this morning as forecast, we still decided to make a visit to the orphanage. We figured they probably wouldn't let us play outside since the ground was wet, and we were right. They did, however, put us in a larger playroom we hadn't seen before, complete with a huge ballpit and a tunnel that the kids loved. The Scruggs family came in just a bit after us, and much fun ensued without any timeouts or disciplinary action needed today...it was a VERY good play day! There was also an attached "too-ah-lett", which provided JoEllen an opportunity to practice helping the kids go potty...which went quite well I understand. No, I didn't document that, but here are some pix of the excellent playtime:

Alex and Talia having big fun in the big tunnel.







Talia was a bit surprised to find Papa waiting for her at the end of the tunnel. :-)






Vala enjoyed the tunnel, but REALLY liked the ballpit.







Jeanette Scruggs fired up their laptop for a cartoon show that was enjoyed by all for a solid 10 minutes. Keeping little hands off the keyboard still is a learning opportunity.




Looks like tomorrow is going to be a chilly yet nice day out, so we'll probably be outside then. Only 2 more play days (and Waiting Period days) to go!


P.S. TRAVEL PLAN UPDATE (6pm): You'd think buying Monday night train tickets this far in advance would be a safe call, but not in Ukraine. We found out this afternoon that there were NO available 2nd class compartments (rooms with 4 beds available), so we'd either have to split up into 2 separate rooms and share with other random riders, or get creative. We chose the creative route and upgraded (for about double the price of 2nd class, so about $400 total) to a first-class cabin that we could all stay in. Not what I had in mind, and we'll have to share the only 2 beds that it comes with. It was either that or spend over $1,000 for airline tickets...bearing in mind that our Monday departure is iffy anyways. Oh well, just thought I'd fill everyone in on yet another wrinkle in the adventure, why should we have all the fun?! ;-)

Waiting Period: Day 7 of 10

It was a beautiful, clear, 50 degree morning today, perfect for a visit to the orphanage. So we had breakfast and left at our usual 9:30 departure time. Since the sky finally cooperated for the first time in days, I asked Sergei to stop by the stadium they are building along our daily commute. I'd been meaning to get a decent close-up picture of it for some time, so today was the day.

Sergei says it will hold 40,000 screaming "futbol" fans. It looks very hi tech being see-thru and with a partial roof, like a spaceship from MIB or something.





As a bonus photo op, next to the stadium is this interesting WWII memorial monument which I hadn't seen before.






The kids were pumped up and ready to play this morning, I took the following clip of them coming down the stairs to greet us in the usual way:


After grapes, granola, and some "bah NAH nee", Alex was cranked up enough to ride solo on the teeter-totter.






Vala and I played awhile on the swing today, while I serenaded her with one of my favorite endearing children's songs:


After our visit, we dropped by the outdoor market to eat at the little indoor cafeteria there...we shoulda done that sooner. It was pretty tasty and darned inexpensive.
At the market, we happened upon a line of street vendors selling flowers, it made for a beautiful scene.







Not sure if we'll visit tomorrow, there's a 70% chance of rain so we may skip that day if so since they are still doing construction on the indoor playroom. Stay tuned to find out.

Da svidania!

Papa John

Waiting Period: Day 6 of 10

Sorry to disappoint, but no orphanage visit today. It was in the 40s and a little rainy looking and gloomy this morning, so we decided not to try the orphanage today since we'd probably get put in another makeshift playroom that would do more harm than good. We'd been trying to get to a souvenir shop anyway, so that was our quest for the morning.

After breakfast our driver Sergei took us to a shop called Ukraine Souvenirs, where we found lots of Donetsk-related souvenirs that were just what we were looking for. We made a pretty good haul there, and since we were on a spending spree, decided to try a large store called Children's World in the downtown area as well. We were rewarded with all kinds of great selections of kidware, and bought shoes for all the kiddos as well as hats to match their coats we'd brought. We had quite the time communicating with the 2 nice ladies in the shoe department, but after a bit of charades we finally were finished and were all quite pleased with ourselves. They commented excitedly about how none of us could speak each others language but we still managed to get everything we needed...they were as happy as we were! :-) Now our shopping is complete, and we feel like we're ready (clothing-wise anyway) to take on the kids next Monday.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day, so we'll definitely make a visit then, although the temps are slowly dropping a little more each day from here on out. See you tomorrow on the blog with more kid pix! Till then, da svidania!

Papa John

Waiting Period: Day 5 of 10

Hi everybody -

Day 5 of our 10-day wait, I can't believe we're just about halfway through it. Several folks have been asking, so here's our potential schedule. Just for this example, we're going to have faith and assume that all paperwork will go as smoothly as we're praying for.

Saturday, Nov. 8 - Day 10 of 10-day wait.

Sunday, Nov. 9 - Day after 10-day wait, we could pick up the kids. No wait, nothing happens on Sunday.

Monday, Nov. 10 - Sign lots of final court papers, pick up the kids, get birth certificates, get Ukrainian passports (pray for this part!). If all goes well, leave Donetsk and take overnight train to Kiev. Pray that no one gets motion sickness. That would not be pretty.

Tuesday, Nov. 11 - This is Veterans Day, an American holiday which means the US Embassy in Kiev will be closed. If possible, take kids for required basic medical exam at US Embassy clinic. Try not to destroy apartment in Kiev.

Wednesday, Nov. 12 - Make appointments for Embassy interview/paperwork. Go to clinic if we couldn't do it on Tuesday. Try not to destroy apartment in Kiev.

Thursday, Nov. 13 - Pick up medical paperwork (I think), have Embassy appointment. Try not to destroy apartment in Kiev.

Friday, Nov. 14 - Finalize any paperwork needed. Our friend Tim flies in to help us get home. Still try not to destroy apartment in Kiev.

Saturday, Nov. 15 - Fly home!! This will be a REALLY long day, I'm sure. Although we'll be landing in KC about 6:30 pm, it will be 3:00 am for us, and we'll have been traveling about 21 hours.

Some prayer requests:
1) Pray that the passports will be speedy. There's a new process which takes about 1-1/2 weeks, but we've been told there are a few of the old-style passports left, and hopefully we can get those the same day. This is really important, as it would really upset the entire schedule, plus add quite a bit of expense if we had to stay this much longer, and change our plane tickets.

2) Pray that the timing of the Embassy holiday wouldn't throw a monkey in the wrench, as John would say.

3) Pray there will be no flight delays on the way home, and that the kids won't be too freaked out by all the new stuff happening. And that they might possibly sleep part of the flight home. I can dream, can't I??

I'm sure this schedule isn't entirely accurate, but it's my understanding of what's coming up.

Today we had our regular outside visit, more playing in the sandbox, with the teeter totter, and lots of running around. It was kind of a Red Bull day for Alex, maybe he had Coco Puffs for breakfast. Talia had that "I'm looking for trouble" look on her face most of the day, and Vala was in her own little world, as usual. But they all had fun. Afterwards we met the Scruggs at an English pub they told us about, the Golden Lion Pub in Lenin Square. Fish and chips were pretty good. Especially after so much McDonalds. Ick.

More of the same tomorrow -

JoEllen : >


They turned the teeter totter sideways, and they're sitting on it. Doesn't Alex look like he's plotting something?






Alex loves to carry the sippy cup around in his teeth, and guards it like a bulldog.







Can you see the little braids and flowers in Talia's hair? Some caregiver spent a lot of time doing that, bless her heart.






This is a typical tomboy Talia photo. But what a sweet smile.








Somebody learned how to shush Mama and Papa today. We'll have to work on that one.






Somebody else really loves her teeter totter.








Big blue eyes.









Looks like a traditional English pub, doesn't it? Except for the Russian menu, it was.







Us and the Scruggs on the day before we get a new President.








Tough to see on a cloudy day, but that's a statue of Lenin. In Lenin Square, of course.











I don't know what kind of tank this is, but I'm sure John can tell you in excruciating detail.

Waiting Period: Day 4 of 10

It was a beautiful autumn day here in Donetsk today, no wind and clear skies in the 50s, as you can see from our hotel room window below.














Since we had no visit at the orphanage today, we just got up late, ate breakfast, and planned to try and find the local souvenir shop. Our random cabbie we hailed found it OK, but apparently it was closed, which is fine because at least now we know where it is and we have all week to go back. I was running a little low on "mad hryvnia" and was trying to find a bank open too to exchange some dollars, but apparently they were all closed as well...so maybe it was just best to try again later anyway.

So, we went and ate lunch at Cherry Pizza, which was just a couple of blocks from the shop (as the crow flies, a LOT farther by cab). Jo had her favorite chicken lasagna, and I had my shrimp pasta dish I always get if we don't get a pizza. We then strolled through several outdoor markets on the way back to the Atlas, and got a few things on our list we wanted. Trying to find some coloring books for next week we found a nice little toy shop in Diagon Alley, and the shopkeeper GAVE us a whole stack of them for free. We also bought a little set off stacking cup toys that Jo had read on the FRUA.ORG site that are very good for travel since they are fun and nest well for travel. We also were shopping for some shoes and hats for the kids, since we brought 3 sets of clothes for each of them and that's all we lack. Yesterday we found a cute pair of shoes in Talia's size, so we just have 2 more pair to find now and we'll be set for when we pick them up next Monday (can't wait!) We also found a market that had TONS of kid strollers, so we are debating investing in one of those before our train ride Monday night...we may not need one since we have 3 sets of backpack/leashes but we are thinking about it.

After the shopping trip, we came back to the Atlas and just vegged out, not much going on here today. My plan was to hang out in the lounge/bar, but there was a Mary Kay gathering in there today, thus nixing the idea. :-P

I just got back from Mickey D's for dinner, and we are settling in for another TV series marathon (downloaded from iTunes). Last night we got through 4 episodes of Eli Stone (highly recommended series), and will finish up that as well as some episodes of Eureka. Pretty exciting life huh?! Actually I'm just enjoying our "quiet time" for the next week, as I'm pretty sure all that will change a week from tomorrow. :)

Oh well, tomorrow we visit the kids and continue the countdown, thanks for reading.

Da Svidania!

Papa John

Waiting Period: Day 3 of 10

Hi everybody -

Today was a bit of an odd visit. We got to the orphanage to find the gate to the parking lot closed for cars, but there was an opening for pedestrians. It was really foggy, and just a bit misty, and we wondered if they had closed to visitors for the day. We didn't really know, so we went in to check. One of the nurses told us we couldn't play outside because they were putting in new windows, and there was a conference in the regular visitor playroom. This was actually one of the two orphanage workers that attended our court time, and she's the best English speaker we've run into so far. We had no trouble understanding her. We didn't see any other parents, so maybe we did miss a message somewhere about not visiting today. Not sure.

She took us upstairs to a small, sort of outer chamber/storage room which was apparently just outside the kids regular all-day playroom. She really tried to accommodate us, but unfortunately the room was a terrible playroom, logistically. The kids knew they were right outside of all their buddies, and kept trying to open that door. On the other side of our room was a door to another playroom for the smaller kids, and there was a third door that led down the stairs to the front entrance. Also, no toys, just a small, collapsible (and rickety) slide. It was definitely an exercise (literally!!) in boundaries. The caregivers did bring out a couple of dolls and a ball, which helped, and a small bottle of bubbles, which did NOT. It was the first of several spills on the floor. Although, soap on a floor, how bad could that be.

We brought our laptop today, mostly to show our driver Sergei photos of Kansas City because he'd been asking to see some. We were able to watch part of a VeggieTales movie before we had to close down due to too many little hands being able to reach the keyboard and definite defiance. It was hot, we were in a new room with lots of things to "nyet touch," and with kids that had apparently mainlined sugar - or Red Bull - for breakfast. It was a LONG couple of hours.

But the bonding is continuing to progress through all that, and we did have a couple of firsts today. Alex came out in his glasses, which we hadn't seen yet. He looked almost professorial until the Red Bull effect took over. And while we were practicing saying "pleesh" and taking turns during "banani" time, or actually during the grapes, Talia wanted to make sure Mama and Papa got a turn to eat a grape occasionally. Oh, and Vala is learning to say please as well, although at this point it comes out more like "eeeee." But she's definitely attempting to say it.

It looks like Alex is sticking his tongue out at Mama, but we're really just verifying he doesn't have a mouthful of banana already. Sometimes kids in orphanages will keep food in their mouths for awhile, kind of like squirrels. So far our kids don't do that. But they will inhale any food or drink they can get their hands on, and occasionally stuff an entire cookie in their mouth at one time.

I think Alex looks really cute in his glasses, and he did pretty well keeping them on. For those of you who may not know John all that well, this is the same face he makes for all ID photos. Driver's licence, Sam's card, etc. - all this same face. Goof. : >

No visit tomorrow, so that makes for a long day. We're going to try to find some souvenirs, maybe walk up to the outdoor market. It's been in the 50s today and breezy, but the leaves have turned pretty colors, and this is my favorite season of the year. Fall is a beautiful time to be outside.

JoEllen : >

Waiting Period: Day 2 of 10

Happy Halloween! I can’t say we’re really sorry to miss that particular holiday at home. Wouldn’t it be strange for Halloween to be the kids’ first American holiday? Welcome to America, now we’re going to dress up like dead people. Weird. Haven’t seen much here to indicate they celebrate Halloween, except for the jack-o-lanterns at Cherry Pizza today:





















So, already we’ve been here for four days. It’s very odd to me how we’ve only seen the kids for two days in a row now, but we’ve already fallen back into the routine established in September. Get up, go eat breakfast, meet Sergei out front (same driver!), play with the kids at the orphanage all morning. Meet Sergei out front of the orphanage, he drops us off at Cherry Pizza or McDonalds, have lunch and walk back to the hotel. Spend late afternoons/evenings either reading or watching a few TV shows we’ve downloaded on iTunes. (iTunes has been a life saver, although now we’re hooked on a couple of TV shows we’ll never have time to watch once we get home.)

It’s almost like we never left. We continue to make progress with the kids in small steps every day. Alex and Vala like me fine, but they’re definitely intrigued with Papa and would rather have his attention. I’ve spent the majority of the time the last couple days with Talia, and we’re definitely starting to connect. She’s not terribly concerned about doing what Papa says at this point, but she’s starting to listen to me. (Whew.) As we all get to know each other, I’m feeling better about how the transition may go once we get home. I know there will be lots of, shall we say, CHALLENGES, but it seems less intimidating all the time.

Today there were only three families visiting kids at the orphanage. Us, the Scruggs (other Americans), and Eddie and Mary, an Irish couple that’s just started coming. I didn’t catch their last name yet, I’ll try to get that tomorrow. Eddie and Mary seem a little overwhelmed, and were REALLY relieved to hear some folks speaking English. It’s been fun to be able to communicate with the other families, and it prevents the kids from running to other Ukrainian adults who can speak their language.

It was chilly, in the 50s, and I’m wondering how cold it will have to be before we all get to play inside. But the amount of clothing they put on all the kids here is incredible – I’ve never seen such bundling. What’s that movie where the mom gets the kid ready to go out and play in the snow (note by John, it's "A Christmas Story"), and by the time the kid is finally dressed, he can’t move because he’s so bundled? That’s kind of how it is here. We’ll try to get some good photos to illustrate that.

We’ve tried some new foods on the kids, and they’ve inhaled anything we brought. Grapes, apples, bananas, yogurt, granola bars, cheese and sausage snacks, chicken nuggets. No, we didn’t bring those last two, other parents did. The little scavengers will run to whoever (whomever??) is holding anything to eat or drink. So we definitely know how to get their attention. Toys are pretty good, but food always works. We’ll keep trying new foods, with different textures.


The kids all love to play on this small landing. Talia's expression is pretty typical.








Jailbirds.








Talia was wary, then a little freaked out by one of the other papas playing "scary Halloween guy" with her. Apparently she thought he was serious. Alex, not so much.





Alex is imitating John, who's doing that "I'm watching you" expression where you point two fingers at your own eyes, then at someone else's eyes. Was that DeNiro in "Meet the Parents"? I didn't see that one, but I think that's what it's from.





We walked through the outdoor market to pick up a couple of things.






These boots are very typical of what Ukrainian women wear. Lots of black, lots of high heels, occasionally a pop of color - notice the one boot that's red.






Lots of vendors crowded together. John calls this Diagon Alley.







It was really foggy this morning, but turned out to be a beautiful day.






Mona, this one's for you. We see this calico kitty almost every day, she must live right near the hotel. She's very wary, but will allow humans to pet her. As long as it's her idea, of course.



Tomorrow will be more of the same on Saturday, then no visits on Sundays. We’re going to try to hook up with the other families for lunch on Sunday, just to break the monotony. And hopefully find some Ukrainian souvenirs. This is definitely a blue-collar town, not very touristy. But the people are great, and we’re making memories.

JoEllen