Our Day In Court

Dave sez, I am a creature of habit. I am a slave to a routine.

Max, the late Milo and Maize

I get up every morning at five. This is for two reasons. We have three dogs. Their body clock is set to "Early!" So, I get up and put them out at five in the morning. Then I have some quiet time before everybody else gets up. The only time this routine changes is on the weekends when our basset Maize lets me sleep in until seven on Saturday and Sunday.

This morning, I got up at my usual time. I didn't have a whole lot of personal, quiet time. I hadn't shaved in a couple of days, so I did that. Shaved, showered, had a bite and then brushed my teeth. You remember the story during the Sochi Olympics about the tap water there. We have a gallon of water in the bathroom specifically for brushing our teeth. I don't yodel in the shower here like I would at home. I am a yodelin' fool. At about six-twenty-five, I woke Cathy up.

This was an early day because our court appearance was at nine o'clock.

M*A*S*H 4077th Compound

Normally, our routine would be shifted about an hour later than this morning to visit Masha at the orphanage. But with court, we had to be out there at eight o'clock. Eight is when the doors to the underground mall are usually unlocked for commuters to make their way through from Maidan station. At seven o'clock as we were making our way down to the Square, the mall was darkened and still closed. So we decided to walk across Independence Square - above the mall - and through the barricade.

Independence Square, Kiev, Ukraine



Now, remember, looking at the picture above, from the base of that monument heading back across the street to the corner where the burned out Exchange building is, that is a compound of tents and shelters. If you're like me and you grew up watching M*A*S*H, it was like walking through the 4077th Compound. As we entered there was an area where a log splitter was set up. We saw a shelter that had a television. I'm wondering if that was cable- or satellite-ready or just for DVD's.

 

 

Near that street that divides the Square into two halves is another entrance to the subway. It is surreal to think that after all these months commuters are still making their way through the narrow corridor through the compound as if it were now just a part of the landscape.

 

 

By 7:10 we were standing on the curb outside Holosiivska station. Within minutes a 507 pulled up to the curb and we were on board. by 7:30 we were at the orphanage.

 

We got to the courthouse a little before nine o'clock. We were a large group in the judges chamber at 9:10. The judges chambers are a narrow, and long. Here desk was set opposite the door into her chambers. The wall behind her was a long window. She had two staff. Their desks faced each other on the right side of the office. We all sat on chairs on the left side wall. Our facilitator translated for us as the case and petition was read.

 

Once again the judge recognized us. She remembered that we had adopted not once, but twice before. Cathy had brought a photo book and showed off how our boys have been doing. She asked how they are. I said, Fantastic. And tried not to sound like The Ninth Doctor.

 

Then she asked about Masha. We told her that we had met her when we were here for Ethan. We connected then and couldn't imagine her not being a part of our family. She got more specific. Why Masha? Why Kiev a third time? I told the judge that I have two boys that I love and enjoy very much. I know that Cathy needs that kind of relationship - with a daughter. Why Kiev? Why a third time? Our boys are from here. Our children are from Kiev.

 

There was a bit of standing up and sitting down; we both formally had to ask permission to adopt Masha, permission to change her name and permission to be named as her parents on her new birth certificate.

 

It's a GIRL!

After court, our facilitator was able to get a few things done at the SDA and with the notary ahead of our court decree, which we expect to have in ten days, around Monday, May 12th. Maybe a day or two later, either Tuesday or Wednesday, will be her Gotcha Day, when we sign her out of the orphanage and make our final arrangements to come home forever.

 

Then we'll be the Forever Five!          

The One With The Lesson From Groundhog Day

Bill Murray as Phil Connors in Groundhog Day



Dave sez, You've seen Groundhog Day, right? Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliot and the incredible Stephen Tobolowsky as the one, the only, the man, the myth, the legendary Ned Ryserson. If you have not seen the movie, go watch it right now and then come back and continue reading.

I'll wait right here...

Now? Okay. I'm going to just assume you've seen or just watched Groundhog Day. Bill Murray as Pittsburgh meteorologist Phil Connors sent to cover the annual Punxsutawney Phil groundhog event. As we know, Phil is a bit of a jerk. No one likes Phil. Phil doesn't like anyone. Phil doesn't want to cover the annual Groundhog Day event. But he goes and gets stuck in a time loop. He runs the whole gamut of reactions. There is one part that comes to mind. At one point, Phil ends up sitting on a park bench outside the bank. There's an armored car with a old guard making a delivery to the bank. Phil starts rattling off what happens and what people say before they say it. In a really dry, monotonous voice. (I was looking for a video of the scene on YouTube, but all they have is a behind the scenes making of video.)

We have gotten into a routine here, where we get up and we go out to the orphanage. Cathy and I want to spend time with Masha while we wait for our court date. There really isn't much else to do, what with the climate of the country and what's going on. We want and need to be careful. We walk down the hill to the Square, we go down into Maidan station, we get on the subway, we get off the train at Holosiivska, we go up to the street, we wait for the bus. It's on the corner at Holosiivska station where I hear Phil's voice. "Number 12 bus. Number 801. Number 416. Number 444. Two Number 53's pull up behind the one on break. And here's the 507."

You've probably heard that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. That's the lesson in futility from Groundhog Day. Doing the same thing over and over doesn't change the results. I am finding that there is another, more important lesson in there, too. Phil spends an awful lot of time doing different things throwing off all the rules. He gets to the point where he says, What the heck? Might as well. So, that tells me that doing the wrong things and expecting that things are going to work out and go your way doesn't work either. You only have to figure out the one right thing you have to keep doing, and then everything falls into place and clicks together.

Maybe it's sappy and corny that Phil went from being an unlikeable jerk, to being a happy guy.

 

Cathy and I have a lot of time while we're waiting through our process here. It's a good thing. Doesn't mean I'll be playing a musical instrument any time soon...

 

We hope to hear something soon about our court date. We have not heard anything yet, but we are still praying for a Tuesday court date. We are hopeful.     

Patience and Faith

Dave sez, If our journey here to Kiev - three times - has been about any thing, it has been about developing patience and building faith. Oh, and adopting three children, two sons and now, finally, a daughter.

"...Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see...And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11: 1, 6)

We are here in Kiev a third time. What is the difference between this third trip and the two previous trips? Not much. We see the effects months and months of protesting has had on the city. There is a side of this city that is permanently scarred from anger. But it seems like only half. The other half still functions. The two seem to co-exist side-by-side right now. It is hard to see if the wound is healing, or ever will.

 

From Independence Square, where there is still an Occupy-style encampment, across to the burned out Exchange building, we see that the angry scar has gone up the street to Parliament, and the cathedral next to it. We saw that yesterday.

 

  



Cathy and I have to compliment our facilitator Valentin. He is working very hard to make progress with our process and schedule our court date. Cathy and I would ask all of our "prayer warriors" to lift him, the SDA and the DFC up in prayer that the consent is signed as soon as possible - Monday - and that our court date is scheduled for TUESDAY. Cathy and I really need to have our court date scheduled for TUESDAY. Valentin had told us on Tuesday that consent forms had not been signed for close to three weeks. He has been working tirelessly and valiantly to move things along. He reminded them that we had been here twice before and we adopted two sons. He also reminded them that we were a Christian, God-fearing family.

Yesterday, we had just gotten to the orphanage for our visit with Masha. The phone rang. It was Valentin. He said he needed a brief description for the SDA and DFC about our church. What type of church it was that we go to and what type of church it was that Masha would be attending when she comes home. He asked if I could write something up and e-mail it to him.

"Where are you?" He asked.

I do a pretty decent impression of Nervous Ross...

I said, "Uh...uh...we're here at the orphanage, with Masha."

Perfect, he told me. I could use the computer there to write something up and send it to him. He called Igor to explain, I called Igor to explain. Igor called me back and asked where we were.

"Uh...uh...we're here at the orphanage, with Masha."

He cleared up my confusion by asking, where I actually was. He told me that he would explain everything to Neela in the office and that everything would be fine.

Valentin called me back and together we pieced a few sentences about our Faith a church. Then I handed the phone over to Neela and he dictated/translated to her. She typed it up and we signed it.

Next, we had to get this document to the SDA office before 1pm. That is when most government offices close for lunch for one hour. It was 11:30. So, we had to move.

We just made the 507 at the bus stop; which got us to Holosiivska station and back to Maidan by 12:25. That gave us a little over thirty-five minutes to make it up the hill from Independence Square and past Parliament to the SDA office. Walking up the hill we noticed that a lot of the restaurants we had frequented on the last two trips were closed and gone out of business. The Double Coffee had a "напрокат" banner in the window. There was a Russian restaurant where we had enjoyed a great dish of both Russian Salad and Chicken Kiev, that was closed now, too. The scar had climbed up the hill from the Square to the cathedral next to Parliament where there were more tents. 

We made it to the SDA by a quarter to one. We called Valentin so that he would let someone know that we were there with the document. He had been called into a court session, so we called Igor to call Valentin to call someone to let them know we were there with the document. Valentin called us back and let us know that he would be calling a woman with the SDA named Helen, who would come out and take the document from us. She did. She said, "Thank you," in English to us.

We got a call this morning from Valentin that it was possible that the consent to adopt would be signed off on Monday, and that our court date could be scheduled for either TUESDAY or Wednesday. He would keep us informed.

If our journey has been about any thing, it has been about developing patience and building faith.

"...I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry." (Ps. 40: 1)

Betty Cooper's Parents

Dave sez, You've probably heard, read or have seen The Debate. It goes like this, "You're stranded on a desert island, who do you choose, Mary Ann or Ginger?" It boils down to this, do you choose the girl next door, or the glamour girl? High Maintenance or Low Maintenance? The Debate can also be expressed as "Do you choose Betty or Veronica"?

As we are spending time with our daughter Masha, Cathy and I are learning about her. I am also learning a lot about myself. I am glad that I picked my Mary Ann/Betty. We're about thirteen days away from our 24th Anniversary. We're going to be celebrating it a little differently this year. My soul mate is not the most "glamorous" figure. But, to me, she is a Proverbs 31 Woman. I love her because she is sweet and kind and think of others before herself. The hardest thing we've gone through was when I held her hand after her surgery and she told me that as soon as she came home from the hospital, she wanted to look into adoption.

Now, I sit beside her on a bench in the music room at the Cradle of Children's Hope orphanage outside of Kiev, Ukraine and I watch as she braids her daughter's hair with nervous hands. Masha is sitting on the floor, quietly. Patiently. Trustingly.

"I need more practice," Cathy whispers to me.

You'll get it, I think to myself.

Masha, I am finding, is just the kind of daughter we were looking for. She's pretty plain and un-glamorous. There is no woman or girl that is Low Maintenance. Only guys are Low Maintenance. Fer instance, Cathy is an awesome cook. She can make anything, and surprise me with it, I will eat it and ask for seconds. I don't even have to know what it is. That, is my definition of Low Maintenance; easy and simple to satisfy. High Maintenance, on the other hand, is any kind of effort to satisfy. I don't mind that I consider Cathy to be High Maintenance, or that she compels me to give my best efforts for her. We've done this journey to Kiev three times. I ask for the same breakfast my first Saturday/Sunday home: biscuits and gravy. She makes the greatest biscuits and gravy in THE universe. Justin's first weekend home, I asked for biscuits and gravy. Justin didn't say, I don't like this. He said, This is terrible! We didn't have biscuits and gravy for almost a year, Cathy was so dismayed by that. Folks told us that we should have had biscuits and gravy every week, until it caught on. We had biscuits and gravy when Ethan came home; and I am looking forward to biscuits and gravy Masha's first weekend home as Bells. Justin is still a little High Maintenance. So is Ethan, but for different reasons.

I think Masha will adjust pretty well when we get home. I expect that we will have some bumps along the way, just like Ethan and Justin. What we are finding is that our children have developed a sense of independence that they have not been ready to give up on in exchange for trust.

I see a bond of trust developing between Masha and her new mother. I see a girl that wants a relationship with a mother.

I also see that my Twi-hard daughter is gonna to compel me to take up huntin'...

 

I'm just kidding. I'm sure she'll find her "Archie".

I'm sure this is a bit idealistic, but I can dream, can't I?

       

Just Another Manic Monday

Dave sez, So, today is a holiday for Easter Sunday.
It's another laid back day, only Monday. During the week we visit with Masha during "school hours". Let me tell you, I appreciate that greatly! We are a distraction to the children, because they see us like we are a new toy. When the children see me, I get mobbed. All the boys come over and shake my hand and say "Hello!" I respond in kind with "Привіт!" Then all the girls come over and say the same thing, with the same response.

Selfie!

I guess there are very few men that shave their heads here the way that I do, because all of the children come around and run their hands across my scalp to feel how smooth it is. I get the same reaction every time, "Ooooooo!" Then giggles. I feel a bit like a brass statue; I guess I will be bringing all the children good luck.

They are so fascinated by Cathy and me - Cathy and I - us - we tend to become the center of attention, and the kids lose all focus on anything else. Like listening. If you are a parent, you know what that's like. You're herding your kittens along just fine and then - SQUIRREL! - they see something, or someone, and you have to compensate and get them back on the course they were going originally.

The greater challenge has been for each one of our kids. Since we are the "new toy", our kids have not been willing to share our attention with anyone else. And that makes sense. It is interesting to see the lengths to which all three of our children have gone to mark and defend us as territory. I certainly don't want Masha, just as I didn't want Ethan or Justin before her, to see me giving another child her - or his/their - attention.

Let me just share this: Every child needs deserves a loving home, parents and a family. Wherever you are on your journey, just as there might be a "soul mate" looking for you - unless you have found one and are enjoying that soul mate - there might be a boy or a girl looking for you as well. Justin found us. He introduced us to Ethan. Who introduced us to Masha. Our journey has led us to International Adoption. Yours may be domestic. Local. Through your Country's foster-to-adopt program. Through an adoption agency in your community or nearby. 

Remember the story of the starfish.

"I made a difference to that one."

Alright, I'm off my soap box now.

After working on Masha's English lesson and playing a few hands of Uno, we were invited in for lunch by the Cradle of Children's Hope staff. They have been so gracious, friendly and generous to us. That is not an unusual thing. This is Kiev, not New York. We have found people all over the city very friendly and amicable. When it is cold and rainy the staff welcome us in to the orphanage with hot tea. We can also wash the tea down with sweets. It is so nice to be able to sit and eat with Masha and the children. The children pray before they eat. We sit and give thanks for our hosts, the hard work that goes into the meal and show our gratitude. If this were China, I would amuse the children by burping the alphabet in appreciation, like I do at home when Cathy cooks. But this is not, so I don't.

We had a delicious potato soup, salad and chicken and rice. To this day, Justin still raves about the rice he enjoyed in the orphanage.

Masha is a fan of Big Time Rush. James is her favorite. Justin was hooked on Big Time Rush when he first came home, so I have it on my iPod. I remembered to bring it today, so she was humming along to BTR during our visit. We are starting to get a complete picture of our daughter and her tastes and likes. She has seen all of the Twilight films - so she is a Twi-hard, and a fan of Bella. I will have to keep my eyes open for pale old souls. I will also have to make sure all her windows stay closed, and bolted locked. Her next necklace will be of garlic, with a vial of holy water as a charm.

On our way back to the apartment we made an incredible discovery! There is a Billa grocery store in the underground mall at Maidan.

Independence Square, Kiev, Ukraine

The picture above? The center is Independence Square. Just below that walkway is a shopping mall. Under that cross street is Maidan station. Now, toward the foreground, the base of that monument is the ceiling skylight of the other half of the shopping mall on the other side of the street. In the lower level of that, is a Billa grocery! Now, back to the picture above. There is a part of the Square on the other side of the street from the monument that still has the Occupy camp from last November. That building on the right is still burnt out. There are still piles of tires and bricks here and there. And yet, the Billa below is amazingly inviting in contrast. They are very helpful, even to out-of-towners like us. The space where Billa is now was once a sporting goods store. It's where we got Justin and Ethan their backpacks to carry their belongings on the flight home. There was an Adidas store nearby where we got Justin a commemorative Eurocup 2012 soccer ball as a coming home gift. We'll have to see if that is still there on our next grocery visit.

Every day it seems there is a new, enjoyable discovery here!          

Good Friday

Dave sez, it's Saturday. It's raining. The forecast here is calling for rain through at least Wednesday, then Thursday it starts to clear up through the weekend. The good news is that while there is an 80% chance for rain today, a 50% chance tomorrow and a 70% chance on Monday, Tuesday is only a 10% chance and Wednesday a 60%. Then it's blue clear skies the rest of the week!

Yesterday was Good Friday. It was a good Good Friday visit with Masha. We are still waiting for our court date. The court date is usually scheduled within twenty days of the SDA appointment. The court date for Justin and Ethan was within that time frame. We were the only family adopting from the Cradle of Children's Hope orphanage when we brought Ethan home, and our court date was around eighteen days following our SDA appointment. We continue to pray. Cathy and I are enjoying the time that we can spend getting on each other's nerves, and the time we can spend with Masha as we wait.

For Good Friday I wrote out some special sentences for Masha.

One of the things I look back on with pride and amazement is that after his Gotcha Date, when I brought Ethan back to the apartment, he found our host's tablet and watched Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ on YouTube. Let me put this into context and perspective for you.

After Justin's Gotcha Day, and he came back to the apartment, we had a few extra days before we flew home. We were relaxing around the apartment, and Justin was channel-surfing, he found a Hindi movie, Mohabbatein. He watched the entire three-hour movie. He sang the songs fluently. The movie is a story of love, forgiveness and redemption. It is set in a seminary. Justin and Ethan both are big fans of Hindi films. They are fans of Shahrukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, just to name a couple. What is interesting is that there are basic family values and morals to Hindi films. They may be slightly suggestive, but that is somewhat light-hearted humor. The films promote a faith and value. They are also musicals, every one of them. Whatever the story, whatever moral value or lesson, there is usually a few grand musical numbers in them. That's probably why they are three-hours long.

As we got to know the boys more and began to bond with them, we learned that they have a Hindi background. Their family made their way to Kiev from India.

I was shocked, but impressed that Ethan would search, find and watch The Passion. I looked over his shoulder as bloodied Jim Caviezel struggled to carry his cross to crucifixion. I asked Ethan if he understood what he was watching, what it was about. He nodded, "Jesus," he told me. I asked if he understood what was happening to Jesus. He nodded. I asked him if he had any questions. He shook his head. Years and years from now, I will look back on that moment the same way I look back on it now, with an incredibly large sense of pride. That is a very hard movie for adults to watch. Cathy can't sit through that movie. It is just too painful for her. I understand that. I'm more of a gaper. Yeah, I slow down and watch accidents on the road when I drive. I need to see that. I need to see every detail. Every lash. Every painful cry. Not in a grisly, gratuitous fashion.

We didn't bring The Passion on this trip. But we did bring Frozen, Tangled and The Princess and The Frog. We brought the Harry Potter films, because Masha is a Harry Potter fan and the story is basically the same - the triumph of good over evil. Masha showed us a Wizard of OZ book, so we'll have to see what kind of Wizard of OZ fan she is. I'm going to be very interested to see what kinds of movies, television shows, books, and games she is interested in. Girls are becoming more and more sci-fi and comic book geeks. I was reading a 'blog on Comic Book Resources the other day where more girls are becoming fans of the Teen Titans, because of the two anime-style cartoons on Cartoon Network.

Cool!

Ethan is a huge Green Lantern John Stewart and The Incredible Hulk fan. Maybe we will have a Geek Girl, too!

Maybe she'll be a Doctor Who fan...?    

Throwback Thursday

Dave sez, It was November 2012 when we were first introduced to Masha. Cathy and I were visiting Ethan while we waited for his court date to be scheduled and he pointed her out. We asked him if she had any brothers or sisters with her in the orphanage. He told us no. Then he looked up at both of us, and a very big grin creased his face. "Masha," he whispered to both of us, "sister?" The two of us looked at each other. She was a girl, all by herself, at the orphanage. By the Fall of 2012, we had talked and talked about whether or not we were at our journey's end. When Justin first found us, we had no idea about Ethan. It was the first week of January 2011. He was the answer to our prayers. We thought that we were blessed and lucky to have one child. We thought we would be one, and done.

  
As we got to know more about Justin, we learned that he had a cousin in the orphanage, Ethan. Justin introduced Ethan - then - as, "This is Shani - MY BROTHER!" We spent time with both boys, but made sure that Justin was the focus of our attention. We made the mistake of talking with Justin about Ethan after our court appearance. It hurt Justin's feeling to have to share such an important day for him with any one else. After his Gotcha Day, we visited Ethan until our flight home. When I said "baka-baka" to Ethan, I looked him in the eye and told him that Mama and I would be back and we would bring him home for good. A few months later, we had an opportunity to host him over Christmas as New Year's. It was good to see him again.

Over the months between bringing Justin and Ethan home, Cathy and I talked about our family plan and goals. We prayed for guidance. We agreed it would be a good idea to stop with just the two boys. The more we talked about what we wanted and desired, Cathy shared how much she longed for a daughter. But we agreed that most of the girls we'd seen at the Cradle of Children's Hope were part of sibling groups. There would be no way that we could handle building a larger family just for the sake of wanting a daughter.

Cathy and I actually looked at each other and said the only way we could consider adopting a third child is if it were a girl and she were all by herself, without any brothers or sisters.

From our lips to God's ears.

And here we are. In Kiev. A third time. Bringing our daughter, Masha home.

We are still waiting for our court date to be scheduled. We are praying that our court date comes up before next Friday. Thank you for joining us in our prayers.

While we wait we are spending some quality time, bonding with our girl. Today was more sentences. writing them out and reading them aloud. Cathy had her read a two-page story. When she got down to the bottom of the first page, she breathed a sigh of relief thinking that she was done. Her eyed bugged wide when Cathy turned the page for her to continue. She flopped back on the couch like one of the Peanuts characters, with a worn gasp. It was really funny to see. When she was finally done, she did the same thing. "So. Tired. Can't. Move. Ever. Sentence. Is. Just. One. Word..."

We sat on the floor as usual to play Uno. She kicked off her slippers. I put a lot of effort into shuffling. She was watching, and flopped onto her back at the sight of my shuffling.

So, I tickled her feet.

She jumped up and ducked behind Cathy. She snatched her cards from her spot as I dealt them, ducking back behind Mama. I grabbed the camera out of our backpack to try and capture a picture of her hiding behind Mom, but she ducked down to where I couldn't see her. I put the camera away. She came out from hiding.

It is fun to see that spark. It is going to be interesting to see what kind of ingredients we are mixing when we bring her home to see Ethan and meet Justin for the first time. Justin is anxious, because he has only seen her on a computer screen when we Skype. He's never met her.

We're probably going to have our hands full, just between her and Ethan. He is no fan of reading. Justin is just now discovering books. But he is more active and outdoorsy. Ethan and Masha seem like they could be couch potatoes like Mom and Dad...used to be.

We're becoming more active because of our kids. That's because they run us ragged - bah-dum-bump!

I'm looking forward to playing Monopoly, Uno and a host of other board and card games - "and loving it!"

Here's to building a calendar full of Throwback Thursdays!   

Mama's Happy Birthday!

So, today is Cathy's Happy Birthday! That's how the kids say it. "My Happy Birthday".

What are you getting me for My Happy Birthday? When is My Happy Birthday? My Happy Birthday is coming up! That is exactly how both Justin and Ethan talked about their birthdays. See that's what you and I call it. I call it my birthday. You call it your birthday. The boys have used the whole phrase "Happy Birthday". And it pretty much sounds, with the accent, like, "Heppy Burfday". And that's not meant to be teasing, just appreciating the kids' accents and their trying to say it in English.

We are hearing Masha's voice a lot more. And it sounds AWESOME. We are also hearing her whine. She's not a big fan of learning English or reading. Like any kid, she just want to sit around in her pajamas and play video games all day. We know all about that from Ethan, so Cathy has written out a sentence for her, "No whining." "English first, then games."

Today, maybe because it was Mom's birthday, Masha had a lot of energy and spark. She smiled more. She laughed. She was actually playful. She showed some attitude and a certain amount of cunning when we played Uno. Some days she has been very quiet and timid. We're all sad when we have to leave at the end of our visit.

I brought a calendar along with and I marked the days. There are some days that are marked with question marks because we just don't have a timeline yet. Once we have our court date then our timeline will be better laid out. Ten days after our court date we will get our court decree and then I'll be able to sign her out of the orphanage and bring her back to the apartment. From then on, it will be another countdown. Before I can sign her out, I'll get her birth certificate. Then we'll get her passport photo. The passport comes next, then physical, then the trip to the Embassy for her visa. And then we are on our way home. I've guestimated some of those days with question marks on the calendar.

But, when I first gave her the calendar, I marked her Happy Birthday and Cathy's Happy Birthday. Next, I have to mark down Mama and Popi's anniversary on May 6th. A couple of years ago, we took Justin to Chicago when we celebrated our Anniversary. He was so adamant that he had to get us something for our anniversary, we stopped at a grocery store and gave him some money. We wandered around the store trying not to follow him as he ran around looking for something to get us for our anniversary. He got Cathy some flowers and he got me a Kit Kat and a Mt. Dew Amp. We treasured the gifts, because of how serious he was and how badly he wanted to get us something. "I have to get you something for your anniversary!" He kept saying it over and over. We're not expecting this from Ethan and Masha. But it is nice to see how they respond when presented with the information. It is very cool to see Masha and Cathy bonding.

If you're a fan of birthdays and cake, here's my favorite comedy bit from Jim Gaffigan. I hear this every time someone I know has a birthday. "Hope it's chocolate for ME!"

       

Tax Day

Dave sez, Happy "Tax Day", where the work is hard, the beer is ice cold and the points don't count!



Drew Carey, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, on ABC Family

Not much going on today. Yesterday was a little rainy. Today was a little more rainy. Valentin filed our Motion To Adopt Masha. We met him and signed five copies of the motion. We met outside the University.

We came back from the orphanage, hiked up from Independence Square to the top of the hill and then over, past the Opera House to the University. When we look back on today, we will remember it as the First Day we started to notice that we lost weight!

 

It was a good hike. When we were done, we headed back to the Square, back down into the subway and North two stops for Domino's and groceries. Yogurt and sandwiches for the rest of the week. We found that market has some really tasty baguettes with strawberry, chocolate and vanilla filling. So, yogurt and a baguette in the morning for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch; and, we brought some soup mixes from home for dinner. Cathy packed soup mixes and noodle mixes. We had to repack our suitcases in the airport, because one suitcase was underweight and the suitcase with the soup mixes was slightly overweight. But, we managed to balance everything out.

Mmm-mm good!

As we were coming out of the market Cathy asked if I wanted to walk back up the hill behind St. Andrew's back to the apartment. Before I could scream, "NO!!!" She was on her way. This is a long almost vertical climb from the market up to St. Andrews and then back past Parliament to the apartment. It is the reason why up until now we have been taking a shorter walk back and forth to the subway to ride two stops back and forth between Maidan and Independence Square. It may take longer, but it is by far the easiest and shortest route. There is no wheezing involved.

The good news is we did get to see the mural we took a picture of last week!

Last week it was being touched up. It looks like it is finished now.

From this point on, from the mural it is really all uphill. Winding our way back up to St. Andrew's past the sidewalk vendors. We walked passed the SDA and Parliament. In the open parking lot right next to this -

 

 There was a group of what looked like protestors. They were all wearing black tee shirts, with something written on the front and what looked like surgical masks. They looked like protestors, because there were a number of photographers in front of them, and as we made our way closer to our apartment, we saw a cameraman headed their way.

We've had an opportunity to explore Independence Square a little. There is still an Occupy of tents and shelters set up. We had thought that the Square was blocked off, but there is a narrow path to the other entrances to the Metro subway.

If you look at the picture above, the building on the right is the one that is burned out. We have only walked the background, in that curve. We have not come across the Square toward this statue. From our point of view, it looks like the road up the hill on the right from the cross street is blocked and impassable.

Looking from the other direction

It is certainly an adventure to be here at such an historic time! We are still counting down to our court date with Masha. And then it is just a matter of time that we are a family of five!

And this -

Becomes a seamless picture!

Second Verse, Same As The First

Dave sez, So I woke up in a funk yesterday. Not so much crabby or irritable, just kinda...meh. It's been grey and a little rainy. And not so much rainy, but the smell of rain. The weekends are slower, more laid back. After our SDA appointment at noon last Monday; our stop back at four the next afternoon, a visit to the orphanage with a social worker from Children's Services and a couple of stops to the notary, Friday we settled into our routine of visiting Masha. Then the weekend came and we had a different routine. We didn't have to get up as early or move as fast. Cathy and I finally got a little more sleep, and we shook off some of the jetlag that we'd been carrying around. Having done this a couple of times before, I'd have to admit that almost ninety percent of a journey like this is mental. I know what it is like to be a foreigner in a foreign country. It is very humbling. I am very respectful of the people here. Their country. Their customs. This is a country that is 2,500 years old. We are here as guests. While we are here, neither one of us wants to do anything that could be insensitive and offensive.

 

What helps me out of my funk of meh is seeing Cathy and Masha together. It's seeing our third child, our daughter come running to greet us when we come in to see her at the orphanage.

We didn't really get to know too much of her personality when we were here with Ethan. Just as we didn't get to know too much of Ethan when we were here with Justin. So now we are seeing all of Masha's personality.

It is fun to see her behave and act like a typical kid. It's fun to see her likes and dislikes. I'm sure we'll see more and more of it as time goes on - that was what was so much fun about bringing the boys home. Getting to know them and see their personalities develop. Each one of our kids is really fun to be around.

We are starting our second week, and getting more into a routine of visiting Masha. We work on her English - writing and reading. She has beautiful cursive handwriting. If she ever considers calligraphy - or comic book lettering - that could be kinda cool. She has a very nice accent. When we were here last she mostly nodded and answered yes or no (da or nyet) and scolded Ethan. When Skyping with her, it's been pretty much the same thing. Yes or no responses. We've heard her talk in her native language, and it is a wonderful thing to hear. When someone from Ukraine speaks English, the accent is enjoyable to hear.

This is the waiting period. We are waiting for our court date. That's the next step. While we wait, we get to spend quality time with our little girl.       

The Long Walk Back

Dave sez, It's not the walk down the hill to Maidan station, the waiting outside Holosiivska for the 507, or the walk to the Cradle of Children's Hope orphanage that is the longest and hardest. It's the long back from there to the bus stop heading back to the apartment.

One of my all-time favorite televisions shows growing up in the '70's was The Incredible Hulk with Bill Bixby as David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk. The same guy (Kenneth Johnson) that brought The Six Million Dollar Man, with Lee Majors - from Martin Caidin's novel Cyborg - developed The Incredible Hulk for television. Johnson said that he had been reading Les Miserables, a book his wife had given him, and the idea came to him for the whole concept of Banner being chased and hounded by newspaper reporter Jack McGee. Growing up watching the show it looked like an updating of the '60's classic, The Fugitive; you know, David Janssen as Dr. Richard Kimble, chased across country by U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard. Janssen's Kimble was pretty much the same kind of drifter as Bixby's Banner. Every episode of The Incredible Hulk ended the same way: with David Banner heading out of town, hiking with a backpack slung over one shoulder. Sometimes he was just hitchhiking. Sometimes he was catching a bus. He was always moving on to stay one step ahead of Javert.

(How interesting that I keep circling around Jean Valjean...)

I would imagine every couple that has done exactly what we have done, that it is hard to say "baka-baka" even for a day. Today was especially hard.

Masha's birthday cake

Today was Masha's 13th birthday. Thank you for your birthday wishes for her on the event we posted on Facebook! We certainly would welcome as many comments as would like to be left there! We found a cake at the market across the street, and éclairs and treats at the market at the bus stop near the orphanage. We got her a purse and some earrings and a necklace. Weekends at the orphanage are quieter and more laid back. The children have naptime midday, and then snack time at four in the afternoon. We brought the cake, the éclairs, treats and milk out; and, after we each had a slice with some hot tea to warm up with on a cold, cloudy day, the rest was gobbled up by Masha's friends during snack time.

After snack time, the tables were cleared and cleaned and reset for egg decorating.

Mama watching Masha decorate her Easter egg

We've done this three times in a row now and that long walk back never gets any easier. It's time to go for the day, and we have to say "baka-baka" and come back again tomorrow.

 

The best part is that every day we count down; and, we get closer to "Goodnight! Sleep tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite!"

 

The Birthday Girl!

  

Information Please

Dave sez, Today is Friday, April 11, 2014. 04/11/2014, or as I like to call it, 4-1-1. Information Day. Whatever you do today, try to be informative.

Yesterday afternoon, Cathy was Google-ing for information that might help her feel a little better. She found a few solutions. One, was warm water and baking soda. B, was fresh fruit, like Kiwi and Pears. She's been eating pears and apples since we've been here. She's diabetic, with high blood pressure, so we need to monitor her health and well-being. At six o'clock, just as I was settling in in front of the keyboard to share yesterday's adventures, she shared with me the information she'd found and asked if I would run downstairs with her to the market for pears and kiwi. Trying to find baking soda would be a bit of a challenge, so we opted for fruit. We went downstairs to the corner market. She didn't like the look of the fruit there and asked if I would mind taking a walk with her to another store that was farther away. It was a grey and chilly late afternoon with evening coming on. I told her I needed to run upstairs to add another layer on for the hike. She said she would wait downstairs for me. I went up grabbed some extra cash, threw on my sweatshirt and came back down.

She had changed her mind. Instead of a hike, she wanted to head down to Maidan, catch the Metro, and head two stops up to the market by Domino's. Good thing I had cash, 'cos I hadn't grabbed any tokens for the subway. Subway tokens are two hryvnia apiece. We usually get twenty hryvnia worth at a time to make the trip back and forth to the orphanage to see Masha.

Just as we were coming down the hill into Independence Square, two Number 18 buses pulled to a stop at the curb and belched a swarm of commuters. Awesome! We get to experience Rush Hour! Woo-hoo!

We jumped into the stream of people heading for the subway. We either held hands, or Cathy had hold of my arm/sleeve/belt loop as we made our way down through the shopping mall into the subway station.

The mass of people clogged and bottle-necked at the turnstiles at the top of the escalator to the platform. Construction is starting there on the landing at the top of the escalator with partitions set up on either side, going down and coming up.

We made it down to the platform and saw folks jamming themselves into the subway cars like sardines. It looked as if somebody was going to lose an arm or a leg.

We decided to wait for the next train. Which wasn't much better.

Cathy and I have only made the trip back from the market to Maidan a couple of times. We've never made the trip going the other way. So, we weren't sure where we would come out of the subway station. There are at least four exits to any subway station, two at either end. Each one coming up maybe on the opposite side of the street. There must be at least a dozen exits from Maidan. Most people are using just one, because of all the tents and barricades still up since November.

We came out of the subway station from a different exit and had to get our bearings so we wouldn't be wandering around. Did I mention it was Rush Hour, after six in the evening and getting dark? Once we had gotten oriented to where we were, we headed for the market.

At the market, we found pears and kiwi. But like in the states, the fruit has to be weighed, and a sticker tag attached to the bag. We did this once before a couple of days ago at the same market. Find someone in the fruit section, get their attention, and ask for help. Usually pointing at yourself and saying "English" works. We have found in every encounter that folks here are very helpful. So pears, kiwi, and a small Tuborg to settle the throbbing vein in my forehead (kidding; it actually felt like a sharp needled through my eyeball!) and we were heading back to the Metro and back to Maidan and the apartment.

Which is a pretty long walk across Kiev to let you know that today was a pretty quiet and slow day with Masha. We worked on her sentences, we read for a little bit, then played Uno and she played Bejeweled a little. It's still a little grey and cool, only 42 degrees today. What I am noticing is that we used to spend more time outside. Justin is incredibly active. He can't sit still. He always has to be doing something. To the point that he fidgets. He would be outside, running around and playing soccer on a day like today. I don't think Masha is much of a soccer player. Which is okay. There are fewer children here Justin, Ethan and Masha's age. The children here now are younger - still in need of a loving forever families.

Our desire in sharing our adoption journey has been to encourage adoption. Hopefully sharing our journey is inspiring and encouraging.

Tomorrow, our daughter turns 13. We count down the days to our court date with Masha. Twenty days from this passed Monday. We pray that it comes just a little sooner, God willing. Ten days after that we'll have our court decree and then our Gotcha Day.

 

This has been the song that has given me strength in bringing both my two sons home. I think it works for both boys and girls.

Somewhere In The Middle Lies The Truth

Dave sez, We are becoming more acquainted with the Metro subway system here in Kiev.

Taras Shevchenko National University

Today started out last evening with a phone call from Valentin. He said that we would be going back to the notary today. He asked if we knew how to get from the apartment to the notary. I told him we were kind of familiar, but not really sure where to make our turns to get there. So, we agreed to meet Valentin at the Universytet Metro station between 12:15 and 12:20 today (Thursday) Universytet station is named for Kiev's most prestigious University, Taras Shevchenko National University. Universytet is on the "Red" Metro line. There are three lines. The Blue line - which we use from Maidan to Holosiivska station, where we catch the 507 bus to the orphanage - runs North to Southwest. The Green line runs Northwest to Southeast, crossing over the Blue line one stop south of Maidan. The Red line runs West to East, intersecting the Blue line at Maidan. It overlaps at Kreshchatyk station. Universytet station, like most of Kiev's Metro system was built in 1960.

Later last night, Valentin called back and pushed it back to four in the afternoon.

Awesome!

Cathy and I went to bed with plans to head out to the orphanage to see Masha, then come back and meet Valentin and head to the notary.


click the picture to see the video!



So, this morning we headed out for our regular visit with Masha. I wrote out some sentences for her. The same sentences her brothers Ethan and Justin wrote while we were waiting for their court date and Gotcha Day. She did not want to read, she wanted to play Bejeweled. She didn't even want to play Uno much. She just wanted to play Bejeweled. Justin was not much of a video gamer. He wanted more to go outside and play soccer. Inside activities were flips. At four in the afternoon, we lost both Justin and Ethan to Avatar: The Last Airbender. Ethan was divided between playing soccer and playing electronic games. If he had to choose between the two, it would be video games. Or television. I grew up a videobot, so I totally understand. The children here are starved for that kind of thing. Cathy added some sentences to the ones I wrote out, and with a little arm twisting, she read them out loud, and I recorded a video.

We played Uno and let her play Bejeweled a little while, then we told her to go get an English book to read. She showed us a Wizard of OZ book, I can't remember if it was In The Land of OZ or which one it was. She didn't come back with that. She came back with an English learning activity book - which was even better! This book had paragraphs to read in English, and then three different activities that followed to build comprehension! The first one was about Oleh's Family. The second one was about My Friend Susan. The first activity after each one was learning the English words from Ukrainian. The second was fill-in-the-blank from the storyline and the third was rewriting incorrect sentences about the story with the correct sentences. I love English; and at home I work with Justin and Ethan on their English homework. Cathy covers Math; because my worst subject is her best. By the third activity from My Friend Susan, she was fading fast and losing interest and starving for Bejeweled. We were seeing the real Masha. With a little work and encouragement, we got through the activity and I was able to cajole her into reading it again so I could record a video of it.

Then the phone rang. It was Valentin. He asked if we could meet him at Universytet station between 1:15 and 1:20. It was 12:05. We said our "baka-baka" with hugs and told our girl we would be back. Cathy and I had been thinking that the longest escalator was the one at Maidan station. From the subway platform up to the underground mall it is two minutes. The escalator from the tracks at Universytet seemed longer and more congested. We reached the top of the escalator and found another escalator to the street level! And there we met Valentin. He told us he had a friend waiting. We followed him around to a black Mercedes Benz chauffeured mini-van. We got in and faced a very nice, smartly dressed woman.

Rick Castle: I am ruggedly handsome, aren't I?

Now, if I were ruggedly handsome as Rick Castle, and I were writing the story on this, I would start with the word, "friend"; and, I would extrapolate that Valentin is a facilitator. His friends would tend to be related to what he does. Most people's friends are. She was being chauffeured. She was wearing formal business attire; black. I would have to say that Cathy and I had the delightful opportunity to ride to the notary with Ukraine's version of M. I can now cross that off my bucket list. It really was an enjoyable ride.

We got to the notary at 1:30 from the subway station. While we were waiting, Cathy and I looked at each other. We tend to do that a lot. The light bulb went off at the same exact moment. Lunch time in Kiev is from 1pm to 2pm. Posted on every government or city administrative office as 13:00 to 14:00. We were let in to the notary at 1:30. In less than ten to fifteen minutes, we had our business concluded.

Take as long as you need to let that sink in.

I like Valentin's friends. A lot.

We walked together back past the university. He told us the story of how the building was painted red. In the early days, some said that the red paint represented the blood of patriots. Later, some said that when the building was constructed and painted, the only color that was available was the color red. He said, somewhere in the middle, lies the truth. He said there is a third theory. A simpler one. We had a good laugh over that. He had other meetings he had to get to and said he would probably see us next week. He left us with a couple of recommendations for good, hot soup on a chilly afternoon. It was an enjoyable walk back to the apartment.

We did see this on our way back.

 

In the background is the burned out Exchange building. Beyond the cars, in the middle are the remains of the Maidan Occupy movement. This is one view of Independence Square. Most of the Square is blocked off to commuters heading to the subway platform.

 

 

We are hoping that we have our court date sometime before April 25th. If you don't mind, indulge me in a request for prayers. Our children are all miracles. Every step of this journey has been through a door that Cathy and I could never open ourselves. These three children found us. Please join us in asking our Father for a court date before the 25th.

Tomorrow, we head back out to see our little girl. Saturday, we take cake and milk for her 13th birthday. Cathy's birthday is coming up next Wednesday.