The Christmas Jar...

While adopting Yuliya, we had attempted to adopt a second girl from the same orphanage. We started the paperwork and began the journey. In the end, her mom refused to let it happen, and we left behind a broken-hearted girl in Ukraine. Nothing will stop an adoption faster, or is more frustrating, than a mom and/or dad who suddenly appears in the picture with outstretched arms for the kids they barely recognize anymore after years of being deadbeat parents. That's exactly what happened to us. (After all, what says 'I love you' more than a few hard years of confinement in an orphanage, right?)

As we left the orphanage with Yuliya, the only thing that brought a smile to her face was the promise that if things ever changed, we would come back to her. She has since written us many letters, asking if we are coming for her. Well, one thing is for sure with Ukraine: nothing is for sure. And sometimes that is good! In fact, a few days before Christmas, we got a message telling us that the status quo had changed and we can start on the paperwork. Carrie and Yuliya called me at work in an excited frenzy with the news. Me, being a man and still licking the financial wounds from earlier this year, immediately thought to myself 'Okay, how many banks do I need to knock off to make this happen again'.

So long story short, we're at a fairly critical crossroads where our desires to bring this sweet girl home to our family meet the reality of 'how-can-we-make-this-work'. (Anybody know a good body-part brokers in Vegas?) Stay tuned....

On Christmas Eve, Carrie's sister handed out decorated jars to each family and challenged each to fill it with pocket change during the year, then reap the joy of helping a family in need next year. Without thinking twice, Yuliya pulled the money she had earned from babysitting earlier that day from her pocket and put it into the jar, then whispered to Carrie 'This will help bring Nadya to our family". Since then, the Christmas jar has become 'Nadya's jar', and the other kids have also added their hard-earned cash. It's been quite rewarding to see them come together to try and make this happen.

Christmas at our home was good. Yuliya had never experienced the fun of waking up early in the morning and opening presents, and the other kids were all too willing to show her how it works. She was a little overwhelmed, but as equally grateful.

Eliza and her new MP3 player.

Brandon, sending a text message from his new phone 18 seconds after he ripped the wrapping off of it.

Yuliya loved the hair straightener she got. Straight hair, according to her, makes 12-year old girs look 14. Riiiiiiiiight...

Caleb and his MP3 player. I'm pretty sure he is smiling more about that cool BYU hat he has on his head.

6 months as a new family.

Our beautiful daughter

With Eliza and our dog, Skip.

(with Alex, one her best friends, on the trampoline)

It's Thanksgiving weekend, and it wouldn't be complete if I didn't take a few minutes to give thanks for our newest family member. It was 6 months ago on Thanksgiving that we walked out of the airplane with our new daughter. We've all come so far in that time, each learning so much about each other. Carrie and I frequently talk about how far we've come each day, each week, and each month. Yuliya has fit into our family so well. Being in an orphanage for so many years had built up a few rough edges, most of which was a result of being around older kids who are often the only role models the younger kids have. Over time, many of those rough edges have melted. She's finally able to act more and more like a 12-year old can and should. It's rewarding to see these positive changes. One of the most important things we can do is to earn her trust. Doing that has at times taken an enormous amount of patience as she discovers what, why and where boundaries are; boundaries that didn't exist before coming here. But as that trust increases each day, and she realizes that those boundaries give her a sense of security, she opens up and shares little glimpses into her past. Some of the thing we're learned are heart-wrenching. This girl has been through a lot, but has not let any of that get her down. In her mind, she's turned over a new leaf here in America and has an amazing desire to live a righteous life. She retains an amazingly positive attitude, a contagious smile, and has never once looked back at the decision she made to be part of our family, no matter how hard things have gotten.

Halloween 2009. At the church with her friends.

With best friend Alyson at Lagoon.

So after 6 months, are we glad we made this decision? Absolutely. Some days have had their challenges as we steer through the learning curve, but the decision to adopt her has brought so much joy and happiness. We're at the point now where we don't know what we'd ever do without her. This year, I had the chance to work closely with the Save A Child foundation. I saw a lot of families fall in love with their hosted child(ren) just like we did with Yuliya. Vern put adoption best when he said "sometimes stepping into the darkness with faith, realizing that you will eventually find light or answers, is sometimes the best journey of our lives." To the SAC 09 families, I can only say to follow your hearts, if at all possible. It only gets better once they are part of your family.

And so this weekend, I am so thankful for Yuliya, and the sweet addition she's been to our family.

The season's first snowstorm

At Young Women Achievement Days, showing of her bautiful artwork. She can draw very well.

At Classic Skating (again!). She LOVES to roller skate.

Friends are priceless...

We live in an amazing neighborhood with extraordinary friends. We've been blessed to know good people who've been very supportive during this adoption. And now that Yuliya is home, it is no different for her. A few girls in the neighborhood have befriended her, with no prejudice, and made her feel at home. They've made Yuliya's transition to our crazy home a little easier to handle.

Oh, and how do you get 4 preteen girls to smile like this? Tell them to replace 'cheese' when you take the picture with another food. I think this picture was 1...2...3...chocolate milk?!

Thanks Alyson, Bailey and Eliza...

Back to school!

Today was the first day of school in America for Yuliya. There has been quite a bit of anticipation surrounding this day. Yuliya is so worried about her English skills. Fortunately, Carrie worked hard to get Yuliya a good teacher, and friends from the neighborhood in the same class.

When we left the school, Yuliya was smiling and we knew she would be in excellent hands. Carrie, on the other hand, struggled a bit. Those 2 have pretty much been joined at the hip since we got home. Carrie had to hold back a tear or 2 as we left. It was bitter-sweet for her. In Carrie's words, 'it feels like I am throwing her into the wolves!'. Fortunately, Yuliya was forged by many years in the orphanage and will be able to conquer the 6th grade. After a few days, she'll realize that she's one of the smartest girls in the class.

1 month home with our angel

My web address has changed, as you can see. It is now http://www.ourlittleangel.org/ rather than ukraineangel.blogspot.com. If you want to do this, go to http://www.000domains.com, buy your own domain, then email me for assistance.


As I read blogs of families currently in Ukraine, it's hard to believe we've been home 1 month. Reading their adventures takes me back. Ukraine is such a beautiful country, with so much history. Perhaps someday we'll return with Yuliya and enjoy the things we missed, under different circumstances.

Yuliya continues to acclimate with our family and we are enjoying her so much. Eliza has been such a huge blessing in making Yuliya feel comfortable and at home. They are proof that opposites really do attract. Although Eliza is 8 and Yuliya is 12, and they are so different, these 2 sisters have developed an inseparable bond. Yuliya is such a shy, timid girl, while Eliza is uninhibited and extroverted. Before this adoption, we were worried that having a new 12-year old girl would be driven crazy by our 8-year old. Eliza tries so hard to be girl-like, but hasn't quite hit that age where she wants to act like one. Well, the combination has actually turned out to work in both girls' favor. For Yuliya, it is pulling her out of her shell and warming her up to neighbor friends. Yuliya trusts her and will not go anywhere without her. For now, Eliza is Yuliya's security blanket in this foreign land. Even if this dynamic changes as Yuliya learns english and meets new friends, this sweet sister friendship has been so sweet and will have lasting impact for both of them. Carrie and I often hear them talking late into the night, even thought there is a language barrier. These 2 somehow manage to talk and communicate for hours. I'm sure a lot of it is Eliza doing the talking, and Yuliya picking up every 10th word. :) There are times when each needs their own space, and each is learning to recognize and respect that.

The swimming pool -- our second home. :)

Yuliya is communicating more and more each day. She is putting words together and tries hard to put her words into English. Sometimes to have some fun, we'll point to an object, tell her what it is in English, then have her tell us what it is in Ukrainian. She laughs and laughs as we totally mispronounce the word. The other day, Carrie pointed to me and asked Yuliya what I was. She started laughing and blurted out 'he's crazy frog dad'. I looked at her and said 'Me crazy frog dad?' That just got her laughing more, then Carrie started laughing, and soon we were all 3 laughing. I'm hoping a crazy frog isn't something too wierd in Ukraine!

Yuliya use third person to describe herself. It's so cute and innocent. When she wants to go swimming (which is practically every day), she comes to one of us and says 'We go swimming?'. For fun, we ask her why, and her reply is 'she likes swimming'. We went to Target to pick out a bike. When she found the one she wanted, she said 'she likes violet bike', referring to the purple bike she wanted. If she likes or dislikes something, it is always 'she likes...' or 'she no likes...'. In the kitchen, we get a lot of 'she not likes...'. We hope this lasts for a little while.

When we had Sasha and Tolik in our home last fall, they ate anything we put in front of them: apples, hot dogs, ramen noodles, bologna, charcoal briquettes, etc. (ok, kidding about the charcoal). However, finding food Yuliya likes has been a real challenge. She is so picky. We took her to the store to pick out anything she wanted, and we ended up with a jar of Nutella, a bottle of baby dill pickels, a Snickers bar, and a 2-liter of Fanta Orange. That's good for my wallet, but not very good for her health. Last night, we had our friends from Ukraine (Lena and Lev) over for dinner and we had them ask Yuliya what she liked to eat. She replied that she does not like to eat. (I wish I had that problem!). I pulled her aside and asked her what she likes to eat. She shrugged her shoulders to say 'I don't know'. I asked her what she ate in the orphanage. She told me the only thing she liked was potatoes, chicken and a little borscht. She explained how they would not get very much to eat in the orphanage, then put her hands on her stomach and collapsed her fingers into a fist to make a shrinking motion. She said 'Me tummy very little. No hungry very much'. So, each day is a learning experience as to what she likes and dislikes, and we hope she isn't going to get rickets or something like that. Part of it is the shock of American food, the other part is that she is the world's pickiest eater, second only to my son Brandon.

One of the trickiest parts of this adoption as a parent has been trying to not live a totally obvious double-standard. Is that possible? To an extent, there has to be concessions made for Yuliya that we would not make for the other kids, and Eliza is quick to pick up on that. Explanations are often futile, and tears are sometimes shed. As time goes on, even after only 1 month, things are getting better and better in that department. Things Yuliya should be learning are often easier taught when we make an effort to correct one of the other kids while Yuliya is watching. For example, the other day we found a bowl of cherries in the family room from Yuliya and Eliza. Eliza knows that food in the family room is a huge no-no. So, rather than try to speak in tongues to Yuliya that we do not eat food downstairs, I pulled them both aside and calmly explained to Eliza that we do not eat food downstairs (especially cherries). I spoke as though it was my first time telling her that. I pantomimed so Yuliya understood. Eliza looked at me like she already knew what I was telling her, and also had a relieved smile on her face that she was not in trouble. This method is one way we are teaching Yuliya without putting Yuliya on the spot and making her feel bad. For me, this and everything else takes a lot of patience and understanding -- something that us men aren't always so good at. Along those lines, the everyday patience I use with Yuliya is a rude awakening for me when I realize how many times I should have solved family problems by exercising the same level of patience with everyone else. It really shouldn't take so much effort for me to a take a breath, count to 10, hold my tongue and control voice volume. In that regard, I am learning a lot about what kind of dad I am and where I need to shape up.

Two important things we've learned: Being an adoptive parent takes patience, understanding, long suffering and the ability to instantly put ourselves into Yuliya's shoes and look at her new world from her perspective. Second, if Yuliya ever seems obstinate or frustrated, it is almost inevitably because of the language barrier preventing her from understanding and/or communicating something. In previous posts, we often compared this adoption journey to a pregnancy, with the labor being when we went to Ukraine, and the delivery when we finally adopted our daughter. So to continue that parable, the first week home was having our brand-new child who was pretty much helpless. With a month under our belt, this time is now comparable to the toddler years where when Yuliya says NO, or ME NO WANT THAT, or ME NOT UNDERSTAND, we try to look at the context of the situation and try to understand rather why.

Pictures:

Yuliya and dad plant flowers for mom. While in Ukraine, the yard pretty much fell apart. After much work, and alot of flowers, it is now 'very pretty', as Yuliya says.

Eliza joining in the fun. We went a little crazy with the flower buying, and we have flowers all over the place. Although it looks nice, it took us all Saturday afternoon and into the night to plant them. My watch in the picture is at 10:30 PM! Even after a month, our sleep schedules are still not quite normal. :-)

Yuliya picked these from our yard and put them on the kitchen table. Later on, her and Eliza wanted to pick out some flowers to grown in their room. We went to Home Depot and they picked out teacup roses. They have really enjoyed taking care of them.

I forgot to post the picture of their finger nails in the last post.

Caleb and his friends at the swimming pool.

1 week later...

A very tired mom, dad and Yuliya, reunited with the rest of our family. We were met by so many of our wonderful friends and family at the airport (thank you!!). Yuliya got to see her friends Troy (Dima) and Jake (Pasha), who were adopted a few months ago from the same orphanage.

The sign on the garage of our home. Our kind neighbor (Thank you, Julie Pfunder!) put up this poster and hung pink balloons all over our neighborhood to welcome Yuliya home.

<-------------------->

One week ago we came back to Utah with Alicia Yuliya! The common thread of many other blogs is that things are so much better once home. Well, we are no exception...things have been so good. She is such a young lady, and her sweet personality and bright smile make us wonder every day how anyone could have turned their backs on such an amazing girl. Looking back at the wild ride we had in Ukraine, we are thankful that we were able to see Yuliya in the orphanage, in her domain. That experience and the side of Yuliya we saw during that time really helped paint the complete picture of her life for the past 6 years. Yuliya is old enough to never forget that life, and someday, we hope that she opens up and talks about it. If we have one bit of advice for parents that are getting ready to adopt, it is that the adoption process can be just as stressful for the child as it is for the adoptive parents. If your child seems out-of-sorts at times, seems to withdraw, or otherwise behaves oddly, this is most likely the way they are dealing with that stress and anxiety and does not necessarily mean they are having second thoughts. These kids bottle up so many emotions and learn to swallow so much, and often never learn to articulate their emotions. So until the day comes when they can communicate with you about what they were feeling, the one immediate remedy is to hop on that plane and bring them home. Just remember the child(ren) you hosted in your home. It was then when you fell in love with them, and it is there where they will once again return to the way they were.

Yuliya, Eliza and Caleb. The first thing Yuliya wanted to do was to go swimming at the Lehi Family Legacy Center. We're pretty sure that Yuliya is 1/2 fish. She LOVES to swim and would have stayed there all day and night.

Yuliya and Eliza

Yuliya shooting out of the water slide.

Yuliya (aka: the pink fish!)

Yuliya has decided to maintain her Ukraine name rather than going by Alicia. She went back and forth, thinking that we might be disappointed, but we told her it is her choice. Once school starts, she may rethink that if she chooses. Yuliya is not only a name to us. It's the girl we fell in love with in '07 and the name we have used for 18 months before this point. So When Yuliya told us she wanted to keep her name, we were relieved. Even though she has the first name of Alicia, she will always be Yuliya to us. She just looks like a Yuliya!

Yuliya, Eliza and Bailey roasting hot dogs at a neighborhood get-together in American Fork Canyon.

With her extremely shy personality, our first goal has been to make Yuliya comfortable with her new family. Goal number #1 has been to build up trust. Carrie has amazing talent in this area. Today, it paid on in a huge way when Carrie finally heard the one word that every adoptive mother wants to here. That word was 'mom'. This is the first time Yuliya has called Carrie by that name. Needless to say, that one word was also Yuliya's way of telling Carrie that she has accepted her as her mother, which is the only thing Carrie has wanted since this all started. That one word made the past 18 months worth it all. Later on, I took all 3 of my girls to get their nails done. Carrie got a pedicure while Yuliya and Eliza got manicures. After they were done and I was paying, Carrie whispered something to Yuliya. On the way out, Yuliya walked up to me and said 'Thanks, dad!' with a shy smile. Even if it was coaxed out by Carrie, I know Yuliya enough to know that she wouldn't have said that if she didn't mean it.

Yuliya saw our wedding picture hanging on our wall, then managed to find Carrie's wedding dress in the closet.


Riding her bike. She bragged to us that she was the only girl in her class in Ukraine that knew how to ride a bike. Her orphanage did not own bikes.

Yuliya's week has not gone all that well for her. She developed a fever on Wednesday, and the language barrier prevented her from conveying what was wrong. On Friday, when she was still running a temp, we took her to Dr. Grasulis (thanks Carlin and Wendy) to find out what was going on. The exam revealed dual ear infections. On the flight over here, Yuliya was complaining on the plane, and we assumed it was simply air pressure change. It was most likely the altitude changes causing ear pain. Poor kid. She is finally feeling a little better, thanks to Advil, Tylenol, and bubble gum-flavored antibiotic.

Getting her nails done.

One week down...so far, so good. We're so happy to be home with our Ukraine Angel, and are getting back to normal, as normal as things can get in our family. :-) We're thankful to everyone who has supported us in one way or another throughout this process. The calls, emails, letters, and kind words mean so much to us. We are forever indebted to Natasha and Vladimir for their relentless efforts in getting us to this point. Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU all!!

Our last post from Ukraine!

Our flight gets in on Friday night at 6:35 PM, UNITED AIRLINES flight A 6360. All are invited for her welcome to America. Just remember that she is naturally shy and knows no English, so she may look like a deer in the headlights once she gets here.

In 1 hour, we depart for the airport to head back to Salt Lake City. What started In October 2007 has finally ended and a new chapter now begins. These past few days, Yuliya has become the girl we came here to adopt. Her knowing that we fulfilled the promise we made to her when we left her so long ago has been magic for her heart. It was though she had doubted us as if it was too good to be true. This girl has been let down by so many people, so it’s understandable how she would feel this way. Now, there is no wiping the huge smile off of her face. All day today and yesterday, she has been making the pantomime of an airplane, then pointing to her watch and asking when. As each hour got closer and closer to the time to leave, she smiled a little bigger.

A very happy girl, and her very happy (and tired) parents!

For the past few hours, she has been helping Carrie pack. Everything is ready, and soon we’ll be in the air. Yuliya has finally gone to sleep. She was determined to stay up all night waiting for the airport trip, but she succumbed to the long day. We went to the Ukraine statue of the motherland. Since we went at night, we were able to take a photo of the bright lights reflecting off of the steel. This statue is the 3rd largest human statue in the world, behind the leader in China and the Christ statue in Rio.

Yuliya, Carrie and Natasha (our facilitator)

This evening, we took Vlad and Natasha to any restaurant they wanted. They chose TGIFridays. It was soooo good! As we ate, Natasha spoke about how each adoption she helps with is so unique, with its own story and miracles. She remarked how remarkable it is to see God working miracles to connect specific children to their specific families, as though it was meant to be in Heaven. Looking at our experience, Carrie and I have no question that if and/or when the time is right for a family to adopt, God’s miracles will be poured out to that family in various ways to make it possible. What a testimony this has been of how much God loves the children, and relies on us adults to take care of them. When Christ visited the children after the resurrection, they were encircled by fire and angels, and the words he spoke to them were so pure and tender, they could not be written on paper. This adoption has provided a glimpse into just how much love Christ might have been feeling when he wept as he beheld the children. In a way, having that knowledge only puts a grand responsibility on us once we get home. This is only the beginning of an eternal journey. We might not be a perfect family, but one thing is for sure: Yuliya will never again know what it is like to not have a family that loves her.

Helping mom pack the suitcases.

Having some fun trying to fit into the suitcase. Lack of sleep made us all punchy.

The all-nighter did not last for Yuliya. This is 1 hour before we leave for the airport.

My next post will be from Utah. Thanks everyone for following our blog throughout our journey.

-Andreas, Carrie, and Yuliya

Me and my new Ukrainian hat to keep me warm next winter. Natasha says I look like a Russian military man.


Same hat, not so military-looking girl, despite the solute.

2 more days to go.

Our flight gets in on Friday night at 6:35 PM.
UNITED AIRLINES flight A 6360 from SAN FRANCIS CA to SALT LAKE C UT. arriving 6:35 PM. We would love to see anyone who would like to be there!
-----

The past few days have been another whirlwind. We have been running from place to place to get various documents notarized, approved, copied, etc. Vladimir and Natasha have put us back into high gear to get it all done as soon as possible. I should have guessed that the 10-day waiting period would be the calm before the storm. Last weekend also turned out to be quite the emotional roller coaster for us all. Yuliya became more and more quiet during the weekend, and it was evident that something was clearly wrong. By Monday night, the night before our 10-day waiting period was over, Natasha and Vlad arrived, and we sat down with her to determine what was wrong. (When something is troubling Yuliya, we’ve learned that she won’t always talk about it. This is probably due to her shy personality and a lack of people she can trust. The latter should change as we continue to bond with her.) We even got to the point where we asked her if this adoption was still what she wanted to do. It made us feel better when she looked at us with an ‘of course I am!’ look. That was a sigh of relief. However, we still did not know what was going on and it was really beginning to concern us.

(A few pictures from Sumy...)

New York Street Pizza in Sumy. We ate most of our meals here as it was close to our apt. A meal for all 4 people cost around $15 USD, including the drinks.


This is the other place we loved to eat at. It is an outdoor kiosk pronounced 'Bleencheeck'. They serve crepe style pancakes with all kinds of filling including meats, fruits, cottage cheese, etc. Each one costs around $1.



Our apt building in Sumy. We were on the second floor.

My and Yuliya playing on the computer.



The table where Yuliya neatly organized all of her belongings. She is very tidy and likes to keep things clean. Other than a few picture books, this is about all she is bringing home.


The Sumy grocery store (pronounced zhoom).


Dried fishes at the outdoor market.


Stopping at the potty...I got a kick out of the silhouette of the little boy on the sign.

On Tuesday, it all came together and made sense. First, we all left the apartment and headed to the notary office in Sumy to sign our acceptance of the court decree that had been handed down by the judge when our 10-day wait started. This signature made the decree official on our part, and made Yuliya our daughter. Yuliya knew this, and as we were handed the pens to sign, she hovered over us intently. Although she said nothing, when we were done, her smile was priceless

But before we could proceed with the final steps, part of the process required us to travel back to the Romny orphanage from Sumy so that we could get her new birth certificate. The entire drive, she said nothing and was stone faced. She would not let us touch her, she would not lay on Carrie’s shoulder, and would not say a word – something was really wrong. When we neared the orphanage, it was clear by the look on her face that that this was the last place on earth that she wanted to be and had been dreading this day. I’m not sure if she thought we were going to leave her there or what, but the mood was very somber as we went through the process of checking her out of school. Her aunt (an employee of the orphanage who is an aunt on her father’s side) heard what was going on and walked into the office. She knew that Yuliya was being adopted, but did not realize that this was the day. As she entered the office, she saw Yuliya and began to cry. This was a difficult good-by to witness. This aunt has taken her under her wing for the past several years and letting go was not easy for her. Then it came time to say good-bye to Nadia. As a side note, I have learned on the various blogs that pretty much every adopting family inevitably leaves behind a child or children (other than the child(ren) they are adopting) at the orphanage that, if at all possible, they would come back and adopt in a heartbeat. That child’s image is forever etched into the memories of that family. Well, Nadia is that girl to us. Thus, saying good-bye to her was extremely difficult for all 3 of us. Our facilitator had warned us that even though we told Nadia months ago that she was not available and we could not adopt her, it would not fully sink in until the day we had to say good-by to her. She was absolutely right. Here was Yuliya’s best friend and confidant, and the girl Carrie and I had tried so hard to adopt, and today we had to say good-by. We were all doing fine until Nadia hugged Carrie and the tears started to flow as the realization that she was not coming with us finally became a reality for everyone. That farewell left a bit of our hearts in Ukraine. We will all truly miss Nadia. Yuliya is leaving behind a near-sister to her. We gave Nadia some money for stamps and told her to write us often. We promised to do the same for her. Someday down the road maybe we can sponsor her for an education VISA.

This poster was on the wall in the same hallway. I left it the same size, so you can click on it and read what it says.

Yuliya and Nadia in the hallway outside of her classroom. Yuliya was not very excited to be there.


One last hug.

Driving away from the orphanage. This is Nadia and Yuliya's aunt.

Leaving the orphanage for the last time, and telling Yuliya that she will never again have to live there was exactly what it took to turn Yuliya’s attitude around. It was the most amazing attitude transformation I’ve ever seen! As we left Romny for the last time, things only got better. When we asked her if she wanted to turn around and say good-by one last time to the city, she rolled her eyes and adamantly said NO, all with a huge grin on her face. Everyone has told us that Yuliya will forever remember Ukraine and will want to return there someday. Well, Yuliya has lived in Romny her entire life, so Ukraine to her is the life she is leaving behind in Romny and the painful memories that go along with it. At this point, this knowledge has clearly brought her a tremendous amount of joy. She has returned to the loving girl we came here for and we are so glad that the hard part here in Ukraine for her is over.

In the car after we left Romny. Clearly a different girl than before we left. That smile is what stole our hearts so many months ago.

Outside the passport doors waiting for Yuliya's new passport. She's pretty excited to finally be here.

I don’t know how, but Vladimir and Natasha managed to get just about everything done on our 10th day, and last night, we left Sumy at 10:00PM and arrived in Kiev at 2:30AM. Vlad’s eyes were bloodshot with fatigue when we arrived. This morning, we woke up at 6:00 AM go to the American Consulate’s office to get Yuliya’s VISA. We first stopped by the medical examination office so that Yuliya could have her physical. We walked in and thankfully were able to bypass the huge line of people since we were an adoption exam. At the consulate, our paperwork was accepted and we were invited back tomorrow at 2:00 PM to pick up her VISA. Then we are DONE!

Outside the American Consulate's office. There were hundreds of people outside waiting to get in. Fortunately, American Citizens go to the front of the line. woohoo!

As happy we are to be at the end of our journey, I have to admit that my hats are off to the families that have spent much more time that we have here. You are all troopers. This is a beautiful country, and I would love to come back to visit. However, mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there’s absolutely no place like home.

Hopefully I can get in one more post before we head back home.