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!