Happy 2009! This year, our family fulfills the dream that started in October 2007. Having come this far, and knowing we are so close is bittersweet. On one hand, we are so thankful, happy, excited, relieved, etc., to FINALLY be so close to having our daughter! On the other hand, each day brings so much more anticipation than the previous. Many days feel like Christmas Eve when I was 7 years old!
Our home study went well. McKay was awesome. Before she got to our home, we had this preconceived notion of a social worker coming in and checking for MSG in our canned foods and doing a white-glove test in odd places. On the contrary, the 3-hour ordeal was actually quite pleasant and McKay made it very painless. (phew!) Add the completed home study to the growing stack of paperwork, and we should be apostilled in the next 10 days. (another phew!) The American and Ukrainian governments have got to figure that anyone patient enough to criss-cross the state, gathering countless documents from a variety of offices (some that resemble prisoner visiting rooms), are qualified for an adoption. Add the snow and not-so-talented drivers on the freeways to the mix, and the process has at times been down-right treacherous. I am the type of person that looses a receipt before the clerk even hands it to me, so it's a miracle in itself that I've been able to keep track of everything. I'll be so glad when this stack of papers is finally Yuri's responsibility to keep track of.
Whenever I get logical and think to myself 'Does Yuliya really want to come to OUR home? Why us?', my sweet wife reminds me what Vera (one of the translators from Ukraine) told us when we asked her that question. Her response was quite poignant: 'These kids are in America for the first time. They have never been to an American school, owned American toys, vacationed in Disneyland, or had any American friends. So to these kids, America is YOU, and when they want to be adopted, that is who they want to come back to.'
Tomorrow we send another package to Yuliya. We've been pretty conservative in the past, but after Wendy's package packed with all sorts of fun stuff made it to that orhanage, my wife went out and defied the guidelines and bought all sorts of stuff themed after Yuliya's favority movie - High School Musical. Or as Yuliya says, 'Hi Skool Moozeekal'. :-) Recently added was a blanket, gloves, and a pair of fluffy socks after we learned that the gas was cut off from Russia.
Our home study went well. McKay was awesome. Before she got to our home, we had this preconceived notion of a social worker coming in and checking for MSG in our canned foods and doing a white-glove test in odd places. On the contrary, the 3-hour ordeal was actually quite pleasant and McKay made it very painless. (phew!) Add the completed home study to the growing stack of paperwork, and we should be apostilled in the next 10 days. (another phew!) The American and Ukrainian governments have got to figure that anyone patient enough to criss-cross the state, gathering countless documents from a variety of offices (some that resemble prisoner visiting rooms), are qualified for an adoption. Add the snow and not-so-talented drivers on the freeways to the mix, and the process has at times been down-right treacherous. I am the type of person that looses a receipt before the clerk even hands it to me, so it's a miracle in itself that I've been able to keep track of everything. I'll be so glad when this stack of papers is finally Yuri's responsibility to keep track of.
Whenever I get logical and think to myself 'Does Yuliya really want to come to OUR home? Why us?', my sweet wife reminds me what Vera (one of the translators from Ukraine) told us when we asked her that question. Her response was quite poignant: 'These kids are in America for the first time. They have never been to an American school, owned American toys, vacationed in Disneyland, or had any American friends. So to these kids, America is YOU, and when they want to be adopted, that is who they want to come back to.'
Tomorrow we send another package to Yuliya. We've been pretty conservative in the past, but after Wendy's package packed with all sorts of fun stuff made it to that orhanage, my wife went out and defied the guidelines and bought all sorts of stuff themed after Yuliya's favority movie - High School Musical. Or as Yuliya says, 'Hi Skool Moozeekal'. :-) Recently added was a blanket, gloves, and a pair of fluffy socks after we learned that the gas was cut off from Russia.
This is Yuliya at the church on the second day she was here. I wonderwhat she is thinking as she looks at her future brother and sister.
2 comments:
I can't wait until Yulia is home where she belongs. If only we could bring them all home.
You are so close!! This is like the third trimester that seems to last FOREVER!! Hang in there, we'll get there!
Great post!!
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