Day 5...The Board of Guardians

(At the orphanage with Inna, Nadia, and Yuliya. Nadia (in the middle) is the second girl we were working so hard to adopt. Her mother is in jail on charges of homocide, but will be released soon. Thus, she has not relinquished parental rights. Leaving behind her best friend is going to break Yuliya's heart.)

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Today we appeared before the Board of Guardians. This board consists of about 15 different officials, including the social worker, attorney, Assistant Mayor, and several other city officials that are advocates for the rights of the children. Adoptions are evidently quite a big deal to this city, especially when the child is going to America. Carrie and I felt a little like we were appearing before a city counsel meeting. It was in an official city board room, long table and all. They asked us all sorts of questions, such as 'why do you want to adopt Yuliya?', 'how will you provide for her?', 'do you love her?', 'what do you do for a living', and other questions to make sure our intentions were pure and we had the ability to provide. Yuliya was with us and she was also asked a lot of questions. She held her own. When she was asked why she wanted to come our home, she looked at them in a very matter-of-fact look and said 'well, because I like them!'. They all smiled. After about 30 minutes of these questions and answers, the assistant to the mayor made the official statement that the Board of Guardians officially recommends us as adoptive parents for Yuliya. Another hurdle cleared!! When the meeting started, everyone seemed so rigid. But by the end, they all were smiling and could see that we were good people. We shook their hands in thanks as we left. Our last major hurdle is our hearing with the judge. The good news is that it will most likely be next week. Woohoo!! Even better news is that Sumy is 1 of the last remaining regions that is still using the old passport system, which cuts several days off of our time here. Double Woohoo!! Our court hearing with the judge will be result in the official decree from the government whether we get Yuliya or not. If that goes well, it is typically all smooth sailing from there!

After our meeting with the board, the joyous feeling were jolted when one of the board members pulled Vladimir aside and told us that Yuliya's mother was seen in town and advised us to leave until our court date. Yuliya's mother is the one person who although could probably not stop this adoption, could prolong it and make the process miserable for everyone. I don't think Yuliya would appreciate her mother showing up at our court drunk, stoned, high or all of the above. So we headed back to the hotel, and within 45 minutes, were packed up and headed to Kiev, which is where we are now. We will head back to Kiev next week if our court date works out. So right now, we are in a waiting pattern, and will head back a bit closer to our court date. After court next week, Yuliya's mother will actually be a mother to her. :)

I remember getting an email several years ago about what to do if I wake up in a bathtub full of ice. I am supposed to feel my side for an incision, then call 9-1-1 because someone has stolen my kidney. Well, part of the screening process is to make sure that we are not taking children to America to harvest their organs and sell them on the black market. It sounds ridiculous to an American, but is a concern, and had to be resolved by the board.

The food here is something to get used to. It's not that bad as long as you choose something you like. But all the same, we miss American cooking. We were watching an episode of 'Everybody Loves Raymond' on the DVD player. One scene showed them in that little pizza place they always go. Our mouths watered as we watched them eat AMERICAN pizza!

Last note: The kids in these orphanages are amazing. Yes, they have some mental battle scars and might be a little bit rough around the edges. But these are resilient kids who learn to be happy with nearly nothing at all. It simply amazes me. After being here and seeing how these kids live each day, with no mom or dad, or anyone to love them, but still somehow run around with smiles on their faces -- it has left an indelible impression that will continuously remind me just how blessed we all are.

Yuliya after a nice, hot bath and some cozy new High School Musical PJs. When she gets home, she wants to see all 3 movies -- preferably in Ukrainian. lol

Carrie and Yuliya after some toenail painting. Yuliya's are blue.


I got a kick out of this picture. It is a sticker to let other drivers know that there is a female driver behind the wheel. I don't know why or how it got there, but I have seen them on many different cars.