Sorry

Sorry - no pictures or videos yet. I have LOTS to share, but no outlet to do so. There is an internet cafe in Mariupol which allows me to upload them. Slowly. But I'm in Artemovsk now and so that will have to wait until next monday. Can you wait that long?

Okay, last night we taught English at the church building in Mariupol. We began talking about music and the various kinds of music. Then we opened up the floor to the 20 students (all adults) and they asked us questions about our adoption and American politics. It was really fun to speak with them and they were very excited to talk with Americans. :o) Afterwards, I sang "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" (a church hymn) and "Zdes Khorosho" (by Rachmanioff - sp?). They really enjoyed it and it was fun to sing for them.

After that we went to Yl'ana's house (she lives with her grandparents) and we talked about Yl'ana doing a foreign exchange program. So far I haven't been able to find a program to bring her over, but I am hopeful that I will. The more I spend time with Yl'ana, the more I am impressed with her. I hope the foreign exchange experience will become a reality for her. I am excited at the prospect of bringing her to the US.

This morning we met with Kristina. When we arrived, her entire orphanage was having a celebration about AUTUMN. The children were dressed up and recited poems about the fall season. It was precious to see! We were able to sit in the back and enjoy the show - Kristina noticed our arrival and kept turning around to look at us, which was quickly corrected by her caretakers. She's such a doll!

We drove to Artemovsk and we visited with Keith this afternoon. He was slow to warm up to us, which made me sad as he recognized us towards the end of our first trip with him. One thing that is just now beginning to alarm me is that he isn't speaking. At all. For some reason I just assumed that he would return home with us and would begin speaking, walking, doing everything that most four-year-olds are doing. But, this may not happen. Does anyone know what I'm feeling?

Tomorrow is our court appointment. 11am, Ukrainian time. Pray for us!

Mariupol - Artemovsk

Today is wednesday - which means that tomorrow we'll be leaving for Artemovsk. Our court date is on friday in Artemovsk. I'm getting a little nervous about it as it gets closer. I would appreciate hearing experiences from others about their court session - to prepare me for mine. Thanks!

Things I've noticed about Mariupol that disturb me: children smoking. I think the youngest I've seen was about 7 or 8. I wish I were kidding. Pornography: I've seen young boys, about 9 or 10 years old looking at pornography in an internet cafe. Alcohol: it's everywhere. People carry bottles and drink outside. I've even heard of mom's filling their baby's bottles with beer.

Things I've noticed about Mariupol that I love: people greeting me on the street. More than once have I been greeted by complete strangers here in Ukraine. In fact, there is a sense of friendship between the Ukrainian citizens here. They talk with each other and there seems to be a feeling of trust and honesty among them. Weather: we've had marvelous weather during our trip so far. There was only one day of rain - and it wasn't all day long. The sun is shining and the leaves on the trees are changing colors - beautiful! Food: I've got to tell you, I didn't know what kinds of food that I would find here. And while there are some scary meats and other items - I have always been able to find something very tasty and I'm a picky eater! I haven't been to McDonald's once!

Last night we had dinner with the Sister Missionaries. The sister from Mongolia made us Borscht - it was REALLY good! I watched her make it so I can recreate it when I get home. After dinner I taught her how to make no-bake cookies. She LOVED them! Peanut Butter isn't anything people eat here. I found only 2 kinds of pb in the grocery store and they were small and expensive. However, the juice aisle is amazing! You wouldn't believe all the different flavors they have here! My favorite thus far is the passion fruit/orange and the multi-fruit juices. YUM!

Our visits with Kristina are improving each day. She is calming down, somewhat, and is very affectionate and has learned 6 signs now and can say about 6 words in English. I'm amazed at her bright mind. She learns very quickly. I still can't believe that she's labeled as an invalid. I do want for her to have some therapy when we return home. For those of you who have had your child go through therapy after adoption - how did that work with the language barrier?

FHE

Yesterday we went out sight-seeing with the sister missionaries. It was really fun! Then we went to FHE at a family's house in the Mariupol branch. This was the first home that I had been inside of since being here in Ukraine. I was humbled by the conditions of the house itself. The family consists of a mom (divorced) and her youngest daughter, Galia, (oldest daughter is married and living in Moscow, Russia and second oldest is at BYU). "Mama Degoon" loves the missionaries and welcomes everyone to her home. When I entered I noticed that there was only one chair in the entire house. No kitchen table, no couches - everyone sat on the floor. It was quite a walk to the house and I consequently ripped a hole in one of my socks. So after removing my shoes in the entry way (customary here) I also took off my socks. Not one minute later, Mama Degoon had a pair of slippers for my feet. I was touched by her kindness.

Then we began with singing a hymn: "Because I have been given much", which is a hymn thanking God for all of our blessings. As I sat in the living room and listened to these poor Ukrainian saints singing this hymn, I was overcome with emotions as I noted how little they have in possessions - but how much they have with the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a sweet moment that I know I will never forget. We had about 4 spiritual thoughts, including one by Tyler - which was translated for everyone by one of the missionaries. They asked me to sing and I sang (in English) "I know that my Redeemer lives". After FHE we had refreshments and chatted. I was reminded of the scripture in Matthew:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me:

Mama Degoon follows these scriptures: she fed me, she took me in - a stranger, & gave me slippers to warm my feet. In one evening, I already have learned so much from this strong woman. We have videos/pictures that I will post soon. I am so blessed to have such strong examples around me.

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ

Post I wrote yesterday:

Today was a marvelous day. We woke up early and got ready and went down to meet with other Latter-Day Saints here in the Mariupol branch. We all caught a bus to Donets’k for a District Conference. It was so enjoyable! I got to know a sister missionary from Utah and it was SO nice to speak English for the 2 hour ride! Plus, to be with such happy people – what a joy that was! The Ukrainian people are nice – but the Ukrainian LDS people are just very happy and wonderful to be around! The gospel of Jesus Christ just shines in their faces. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints hasn’t been in Ukraine very long and everyone we met today was a convert to the church. You can feel of their testimonies of our Savior, Jesus Christ; their excitement is tangible. It was a breath of fresh air to be with these sweet saints. The broadcast was wonderful and our beloved prophet, President Monson spoke to us – his talk was directed towards the Ukrainian people and the other eastern European countries. It was so nice to feel the Holy Spirit as these saints sang the hymns in Russian. Oh, how I’ve missed going to church! It had been 3 weeks since we’d been to church (General Conference, then flying to Ukraine, then last week we were in an area where the church isn’t located in yet) so today was really a treat.

I met a lovely young lady, Yl’ana, who is 16 years old. I was impressed with her dedication for getting up and being ready to board the bus at 7:30am. Her mother passed away a few years ago and her father abandoned her & her brother. She now lives with her grandparents and is very strong in her testimony of Christ. I have been hoping to meet someone while here in Ukraine that I could bring back as a foreign exchange student to give them the experience of coming to America and when I met her – I knew that she was the one to bring back. The only thing is – I’m not sure how to do a foreign exchange. Any ideas? I don’t know anything about it – so I could use any/all advice on the matter. Thanks!

After the District Conference we came back to Mariupol. It’s amazing how we’ve been in Mariupol for 6 days and haven’t had much of a fun schedule – now we’ve been invited to attend FHE (family home evening – an evening with family/friends learning the gospel and spending time together) tomorrow night, going out to see Mariupol with the sister missionaries, and then help teach English on Wednesday. I’ve been asked to sing at both the FHE and at the English lessons which should be fun. I have so many things to look forward to now – it’s wonderful!!! J

We went to visit Kristina today. Our visit with her yesterday was the best visit up-to-date. And today was okay. It’s difficult to see progress in not pulling hair/slapping when she returns to this behavior after each of our visits. But we are confident that upon returning home things will improve in this area. The caretakers call Kristina “little bird” because she makes this high pitched sound “OH!” whenever anything happens. It’s quite cute to hear her do it. Whenever we visit Kristina, we go into a music room with a piano. I play songs and we sing them. Kristina recognizes us as “Mama” & “Papa” & herself as “Kristina”. I love it when we first go see her – she runs to us and gives us a BIG hug. It’s precious – it’s probably my favorite time of the visit. By the end of our time together, she’s wound up and running all over the place. I’ll take my snuggles whenever I can get them! We discovered today that she knows how to blow kisses! So we blew about 20 kisses when we said goodbye at the end of our afternoon visit. Her caretaker on Sundays is different from during the week. She was very kind and could speak some English. We explained to her that Kristina will hit and pull hair. She responded that she doesn't do it out of anger. I had not thought of that before - she's not angry when she hits or pulls hair. I wonder what that means or doesn't mean. Your thoughts? Plus, I've read from your comments that you do not condone slapping her hand (I've already stated that I don't like doing it, either) but I have not seen any recommendations as to what else we can try. We've tried time-outs, we always look her in the eye when we tell her "no" and we praise her good behavior. I am open to other ideas of discipline for her.

We had a fun taxi driver today. We’ve had him just one time before and really enjoyed him. This guy is just a NICE man. You know what I mean – he has a big smile on his face and you get the feeling that he’s a good, decent person who enjoys life. We gave him a Russian Book of Mormon when we got back to the hotel. I hope he will read it and feel the Holy Spirit when he does. I was hoping that during this time in Ukraine that I would feel closer to God and I do. Tyler & I have been reading one chapter every night of a book entitled: “Prayers that bring miracles”. As you may know, there are many miracles that happen in adoption and we’ve had our share already! It’s a miracle that we were able to find our sweet Kristina and to accomplish all that we’ve accomplished in expediting our adoption thus far.

Our court date is set for this coming Friday, Oct 31st. (yes, Halloween) We had originally thought to pray and fast for the 10 days to be waived so that Tyler could help me bring the kids home together. However, after praying about this, we both feel that these 10 days will not be waived, so we are moving forward with our time-table where I will be here for these 10 days and my wonderful in-laws and sister-in-law will fly out to Kiev and help me bring these 2 souvenirs (wonderful children) home.

Tyler suggested that I should sing for the judge at the court this Friday. My translator thinks that the judge would really enjoy it, so I think I will sing for him. I am ready to share the talent that I have been blessed with – in fact, one of the caretakers at Kristina’s orphanage was commenting to me how much she enjoyed hearing me sing and I replied that I can sing for her any and every day, after all, my voice is free! I know that I was given this talent to share with others. Before we left for Ukraine, I was given a blessing which said that I would have opportunities to share my talents with the Ukrainian people and it’s amazing how that has come to pass. I am grateful to God for blessing me with a talent that I enjoy and for paving the way for me to use this talent to bless the lives of other people. What a marvelous Father in Heaven! He blesses us, which blesses the lives of others. I am so blessed in my life.

Here is a video of Kristina from our 3rd visit with her in the orphanage:

Post from today:

Our visit with Kristina was fabulous today. She only pulled our hair once and slapped once. And twice she was about to hit me, but hesitated and I said "No" and she repeated "no". I could see the wheels turning in her head as she thought about it beforehand & realized that hitting wasn't good. HUGE PROGRESS!!!

We met with the Sister Missionaries today and went to a little "cake shop" where they had all sorts of pastries - I have to tell you, the pastries here are amazing! They have one that is like pie crust layers with real whipped cream in between = YUM! No doughnuts, though, but there is a lovely "coconut bun" that we eat for breakfast - a bagel-like roll with a coconut cream custard in the middle = YUMMY! The sister missionaries then took us to eat "SHARMA" which is a wrap with chicken, cabbage, cheese, and some kind of plain yogurt - very tasty! Then we went and saw the Black Sea. Currently I'm trying to pull up some pictures, but with no luck. I'll keep trying! Tonight we're going to FHE at an active family's house in the branch here. It should be fun. Stay tuned!

Update on Kristina

Before I update everyone, I thought I would explain the names of our children.

Keith Nikita: Keith is my Grandpa's name, Nikita is our son's given name - so we decided to keep Nikita as his middle name and call him Keith. I really like the name, don't you?

Kristina Louise: We wanted to do "K & K" with our kids. We originally wanted to name our daughter "Katya" but that was when we were going to adopt Nikita's twin sister, Nastya. We grew attached to the name, Katya, and associated that name with the picture of Nastya - and when she was adopted by someone else, it didn't feel right to name Irina "Katya". We looked up several russian names for girls and when we saw "Kristina" - it just fit. My mom's name is Kris and Tyler's Grandma's name is Christine - Kristina was a happy fit and it even sounds like Irina. Kristina is already calling herself by the name Kristina! Louise is my Grandma's middle name, and we had planned to name the children after my grandparents - they are very dear people to me and I'm happy to name our children after them.

As for how Kristina is doing - she is one spunky girl. She has an incredible amount of energy! She has already learned 4 signs ("more", "thank you", "drink" and "play") - she's very smart! She gave her papa and mama a kiss yesterday - first time since we've met her. She can be very affectionate and give long hugs and smiles almost non-stop with her pretty smile.

She is still hitting, though, and pulling hair. I'm trying to prepare myself for dealing with this behavior when returning home. I am hoping that all the stories I have heard will be true in that once the child leaves the orphanage - she becomes a different person - not a product of orphanage behavior, but her own person with her own personality. We took her out yesterday to get her passport picture taken. I was mortified when she hit the photographer on the face. *sigh* Apparantly the idea of her behaving differently outside the orphanage isn't working - at least not yet. Then we took her to a child's clothing store. Once we take her from the orphanage - they literally strip her down and you have to have clothes for her to wear when you leave. So we bought her 2 shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of underwear, 1 pair of shoes, 1 coat, 1 pair of gloves and 1 scarf, all for $80 US dollars...I am missing my thrift stores here, people!!! More than anything, I was ready to get out of that store. Kristina was overstimulated and pulled my hair - which infuriated me, since she had just slapped the photographer's face 5 minutes beforehand. This behavior certainly tests my patience!

One comforting thing is that we met her "group" yesterday and all 6 of the kids were hitting and pulling each other's hair. A-ha! It's a group thing. Hopefully once she isn't around these other children, it will stop. When we go visit her, we spend time by putting her on one of our laps and we help her rub our hair and face gently, while saying the word "nice". If she rubs them both nicely, she gets a small piece of an animal cracker - which thrills her to no end. However, if she pulls on our hair or slaps our face (which she does occassionally), we say "No", slap her hand and put the crackers away. We were trying time-outs initially - but she thought it was a game and would slap us and pull our hair so we could hold her in time-out. I am not an advocate of spanking/slapping children. HOWEVER, I am pleased to say that this is working and she is responding much more quickly now. Of course, when we send her back to her "group", she returns to the old behavior. But, once she is home with us, I feel optimistic that this behavior should change and that she will learn to control her actions differently.

Kristina LOVES music. She likes to listen to me play the piano and sing. Her group caretaker asked me to sing for her group. I brought some primary songs for children and sang "Whenever I hear the song of a bird" for the kids. I was pleased that Kristina sat still the entire song and was smiling at her Mama. I hope I have another songbird for a daughter, like Anna. :o)

I am really missing the US now. The days can be somewhat dull and repetitious: I get up, shower, go to the orphanage, come back to the hotel, try to fill the time, eat lunch, go back to the orphanage, go shopping at the market, eat dinner, go back to the hotel, etc. Don't get me wrong - I love spending time with our children, but: I'm ready to be BACK HOME with my kids & I'm only about half-way through this trip! Tyler will be heading back to the US in one week. If only we had enough money - I would go with him and then come back with my in-laws. I miss my daughter, Anna, a lot. We talked with her a couple of days ago and she's doing well...but misses us.

Health-wise, I'm doing much better. Thank you all for your prayers!

F O U R

Lists of FOUR, thanks Karin!

4 random things I like about my husband:

1. He works hard for our family

2. He loves our children

3. He loves me

4. He loves our Savior, Jesus Christ

4 jobs I have had:

1. Wife & Mother

2. Voice teacher

3. Cake decorator

4. Substitute teacher

4 Movies I have watched more than once:

1. Pride & Prejudice (A&E version - yes, the LONG one!)

2. Persuasion (A&E version)

3. Sabrina (Harrison Ford)

4. Finding Faith in Christ (I cry every time)

4 TV shows I watch:

1. We don't have any cable at all, but we rent tv series and of those I like:

2. I LOVE LUCY

3. MONK

4. FRASIER

4 People who email me regularly (depends on regularly):

1. My husband

2. My family

3. My friends

4. Those who want my money

4 of my favorite foods:

1. Cheese Pizza (with extra extra cheese)

2. Homemade vanilla ice cream

3. Chicken and rice

4. Doughnuts (terrible, I know, but it's true...)

4 Places I would like to visit:

1. Norway

2. USA (I miss it here in Ukraine)

3. England

4. China

4 things I am looking forward to this year:

1. Bringing home my 2 kids from Ukraine!

2. Thanksgiving

3. Christmas

4. Being with my family

4 People to tag:

1. Rachel

2. Evan

3. Kristina

4. Sarah A. & C.

Name time

We have officially named our two new children:

Keith Nikita

and

Kristina Louise

We are very excited about these new additions to our family! We are in Mariupol and staying in a nice place (despite cold showers). It's ironic that our first place, an apartment in Kiev, had internet connections in the actual apartment - but our adapter was broken. Now, our adapter is working and our hotel has wifi in the hotel - but their server is having problems. GREAT. It seems that we are meant to search out internet cafes to blog. It is difficult to upload pictures and videos in the cafes, so I do not know when there will be more pictures on here - even though my camera has many new ones to share!

Yesterday we met with Kristina (Irina) for the second time - the first time being when we visit a week ago and committed to adopting her. We are amazed at the amount of energy that she has, she is VERY spunky! Yesterday we couldn't seem to keep up with her - she was all over the place and began pulling our hair over and over. We were reluctant to discipline her the second time of seeing her, but even our translator was perturbed by her pulling her hair, as well, and proceeded to discipline her in Russian - which I'm sure is much more effective than our English! That was a bit unnerving and I felt overwhelmed by her behavior.

Last night, Tyler & I talked things over and expressed our concerns for Kristina. Throughout our conversation, we felt peaceful and know without any doubt that she is our daughter and that she has been prepared especially for our family. Today we visited her and took her outside to play. She was all smiles and very cheery. She didn't pull hair - but would slap our faces. After the first slap, Tyler held her for a time out away from the park. This seemed to work, as she didn't slap us for an hour or so after that. The first thing she told us today was "I'm going to America!" (in Russian)

We were THRILLED to see how quickly she is catching on to English and sign language. We've been saying the word "again" in English ("yishou" in Russian) and doing the sign for more at the same time. Within about 20 minutes of doing this, she did the sign immediately and even said the word "more" in English. It was very exciting to see! And this from a child they have labed as an "invalid". Yeah, right. She's a smart little girl!

After being outside we went into a room with a piano and I played and sang some primary songs. Tyler danced with her and snuggled with her - it was very sweet. I think all the playing outside helped wear her out for some downtime, which is what we were wanting. After about an hour and a half - she was over stimulated and started flailing (spelling?) around and so she went back to her room.

It's hard to see in the pictures, but Kristina has light brown hair that is curly with deep honey brown eyes. She is quite petite, wearing size 3T, and her feet are SO little! She has a fun smile and her whole face lights up whenever she sees us. She is calling Tyler "Dada" instead of "Papa" now and calling me "Mama", which is what I want to be called, anyhow.

We should have our court date scheduled for Oct 30th or Oct 31st. To be very frank, finances are difficult for us right now. We're not sure how we are going to make it to the end of this trip. It's very stressful for us. We have been told that at the court next week, the judge will decide if we should have a 10 day waiting period before we can take the children home OR he can decide to waive those 10 days. 10 days might not sound like much, but it will cost us $700 for me to be here for those 10 days, and that is just for the hotel costs. We have heard that this judge in Artemovsk is especially stubborn about waiving those 10 days. However, we are putting our faith in God that if it is His will - the judge will waive those 10 days and allow us to come home much sooner. Tyler & I are planning to fast for 24 hours before the court hearing and would invite all of you to join us in this fast. I will update you when I know the exact date of the court hearing. Prayers are invited and appreciated as we set out to do something that our translator says is 99% impossible. Stay tuned for our next update. (((HUGS)))

As for my health, I am doing better. I've had diarrhea the WHOLE time that we've been in Ukraine and then I was limiting my water intake for fear of using public restrooms = not a good combination. I became dehydrated! 2 days ago I was REALLY bad and spent the day in bed and drank 4 liters of water. My sweet husband took excellent care of me and rarely left my side. After some rest and LOTS of water, I felt much better, although a little weak. Today I am feeling better and drinking more water, despite my fear of the restrooms here. I still feel sick to my stomach, but after a week and a half of it - I'm just trying to live with it and hope it will be gone once I go back home. Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts in my behalf.

Dear Anna,

We are missing you here in Ukraine! Do you like the name of your new sister? Kristina is such a pretty name, don't you think? We miss you SO much here. We miss your snuggles and huggie buggies! Hugs & Kisses!

Mama & Daddy

From Artemovsk to Mariupol

We have greatly enjoyed these last few days with Nikita. He is warming up to us more and more each time we visit him. The visiting hours at his orphanage are from 10am-12pm and 4pm-6pm. This afternoon we went to the notary to sign some papers and our efficient translator informed us that we are ready to go to Mariupol tomorrow to begin paperwork for Irina. We met with Nikita this afternoon knowing that we would not see him until possibly monday. I hope that he will not forget us. When I went into his nursery to get him, he smiled at me as soon as he saw me. It was wonderful. We had a great time with him and saw his first tantrum x 3! He certainly knows what he wants and what he does not want. It was nice to see some "real" behavior, even though no one likes to see their child upset.

We will be leaving early tomorrow morning for the 3 hour trip to Mariupol. Since after this trip I will not be seeing Irina until it is time to go home to the US, we are planning to stay there until monday to spend as much quality time with her as possible. Then we will return to Artemovsk until the court date; after the court date Tyler is planning to go back to Ohio. I will remain in Artemovsk until after the 10 waiting day period is over and then I will pick up the kids and head to Kiev - which will be an adventure in and of itself, taking two kids with me from Donets'k to Kiev! Anyhow, that's my update for now. I've taken 4 immodium today which has helped some, thank goodness! Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement! I hope to have internet access in Mariupol! :o)

p.s. Tyler fixed our adapter so we can use our computer, charge our digital camcorder AND our digital camera. I'm married to Mister Fix-it! This means that I can watch movies on our computer, but not have internet access unless it's available where we are...we are still relying on internet cafes for blogging/emailing.

Pictures of the kids!

We have met our children and are very excited!

Irina was COMPLETELY different in looks and health than we had been shown and told while in Kiev. The picture they showed us portrayed Irina like a child out of the Holocaust. Seriously. It was a terrible picture and they wouldn't even let us take a picture of it to keep even though we committed to adopting her. So I went to visit her not knowing what to expect - but nothing could prepare me for meeting little Irina. I had been praying continually that I would be able to know if she was our daughter. I wanted to know for myself and I prayed that God would bless me with that knowledge. Irina was in an orphanage in Donets'k, but was moved to Mariopol (spelling?) a few weeks before we arrived. When we went into the orphanage we met with the director, a social worker, and Irina's doctor. They told us about her history and health concerns. They said that she suffers from a problem with her central nervous system which was caused prenatally. I have no clue what this means, but that's what they said. They said that she is mentally delayed and doesn't talk much.

After all the information was given to us that they had, the door opened and in walked a very spunky little girl in a BRIGHT orange dress. She walked right up to me and looked me in the eyes and smiled. Then she asked if she could sing a song. She sang two songs and talked a LOT. She answered questions and knows her full name. She has brown eyes and short light brown/blonde hair. She is quite thin - they said she is malnourished. I'm eager to get her home and start cooking for her! Her eyes also have some problems - they are slightly crossed, but I am told that it is completely correctable and very common in orphans in Ukraine. We have committed to adopt little Irina (we are planning to change her name, but haven't completely decided upon it yet) Without further ado...picture time!

This is the picture in Irina's file at her current location. It is MUCH different from the picture they have at the SDA.
Irina LOVED the ball that we brought and she played with it almost non-stop. When it was time to go, she said: "Mama, I want the ball." :o)
She latched onto both of us very quickly and even called us by "Papa" and "Mama" during our visit.

Isn't she a doll? I love that smile! As for me, well, I was saying something...lovely, I know.

Tyler threw her up in the air - which seemed to concern the social worker - but Irina LOVED it and laughed over & over when he did it. Her Papa has the magic touch!

This picture says it all! Isn't she adorable?

I am going to see if I can buy this dress from the orphanage or replace it with another one - it's too cute! She loves glasses and kept saying that she wants some glasses for herself. I am concerned by her immediate attachment to us - which can be a sign of attachment disorder. It is something that I will keep in mind in the future - as for now, I am enjoying her fun personality!


After a very short visit with Irina in Mariopol, we drove 3 hours to Artemovsk where our sweet Nikita is and that is where we are now. When we arrived, Nikita was napping - but they woke him up to come see us. Poor thing was disoriented, but warmed up some to the car that we brought. He has a captivating smile:

Nikita (we will be calling him Keith - but only when we have returned home and are more accustomed, until then - we are calling him by his name, Nikita) has Cerebral Palsy. It appears that his legs are most affected by this, as he uses his hands and arms quite normally. He is walking with assistance and we have been told that he can sit up - but we have not seen him do it on his own yet. He is much more shy than Irina - but enjoys snuggles. I want to give him kisses all the time - but he isn't comfortable with that which makes me a little sad, I am assuming it is because he hasn't had someone kissing on him during his short life. :o( Of course, this will change very quickly, as I am an affectionate Mama!

Tyler feeding Nikita some dinner! He can eat with a spoon (he can't hold the spoon yet) and the caretakers said that he is a good eater. They also say that he is their favorite and hope that we are "good people". :o)

Tyler & I outside Nikita's orphanage. Our facilitator says it is the worst condition that she has seen in any orphanage. :o(
Nikita LOVES to be tickled - especially on his neck and under his chin. His laugh is so addicting that almost the whole visiting time is spent tickling him! :o) Nikita is more hesitant than Irina in getting to know us, but I've been assured that this is very promising that he will not have any attachment problems. After two days, he seems to be warming up to us and even resisted leaving his Papa's arms when going back to the caretaker. :o) Today we were able to give supplies (diaper rash cream, etc) to his orphanage - it felt so good to give help to these kind women who serve and love these children so much. We are SO happy to finally be with our little boy. He is so precious! Below are two videos that we have taken of Nikita. The first one is from yesterday and the second one is from today. Enjoy:

Tyler thinks it's funny - but I want to remember the different foods we have eaten here in Ukraine.

Tyler ate this last night - sauteed onions and mushrooms inside mashed potatoes that have been breaded and fried with mayonnaise and parsley on top. He said it was tasty! I was not brave enough to try it...
I am grateful that potatoes are a common food here - these potato wedges are found at almost all restaurants and are quite tasty!

This was our breakfast at a hotel in Donets'k. It consists of hot porridge (salty - not sweet - but VERY good!), chicken, juice, peach yogurt, and bread. They always put butter and cheese on their bread = YUM!

Thank you all for your prayers on my behalf. I'm not sure why my tummy is so upset - I haven't tried anything crazy here and I don't drink the water...so...I don't know why I feel nauseated. It's a small price to pay to be here - but I wish it would go AWAY! There are also times that I feel light headed and that is a bit disconcerting - but again, I can handle that. I hope. I haven't fallen down (yet) so that is good. I know that this post is already long, but there are some general things about Ukraine that I want to blog about so I won't forget them:

The Ukrainian women are afraid of being short: everyone under 60 years old is wearing HIGH heels. Everyone but me, of course. Why increase the chance of falling down?

The wallpaper here is foam. I think that little children should "wallpaper" their rooms with thick foam. It seems like a smart idea to me.

If you're planning to adopt, try to communicate to your facilitator that you are NOT rich because you're an American. We've been taken to nice restaurants and hotels because the facilitator assumes we are rich because we can afford to adopt. I don't know about you - but we had to take out a loan to do this adoption and money is already tight for us, so we're doing this with faith that God will somehow help us through. We finally figured out that this was why our facilitator was taking us to more expensive restaurants than we wanted to go to. Of course, if you are rich - then you won't have any problems.

Crisp banknotes. What a nightmare! We ordered our money from the bank a week before we wanted to pick it up. Tyler called them 2 days later to confirm that order. He goes in to the bank and asks for the money. They claim that we didn't place an order - so they gave us the money that they had - which wasn't brand new. Unfortunately for us - Ukraine is EXTREMELY picky when it comes to American money. If the bills are not CRISP, they don't accept them. This has been a HUGE frustration during our trip because some places have not accepted our money and it's all that we have. Very frustrating. Don't make this mistake! Order your money IN ADVANCE and MAKE SURE that the bills are free from any and all stains, markings, creases.

Our second major problem this trip has been the converter/adapter problems. We brought an adapter and it blew shortly after arriving. We have a laptop - but cannot use it. We have been searching for an adapter - but to no avail. Thank goodness most places have an internet cafe where we can use the computers and pay hardly anything at all. However, we brought movies to watch and cannot see them because we cannot plug in our laptop - that has been frustrating for us.

I highly recommend bringing traveler's checks with you and credit cards for any unexpected purchases. We ended up having to fly from Kiev to Donets'k - it's a good thing they accept credit cards!

I think that everyone smokes in Ukraine. Seriously.

Traffic lanes. One car per lane - this is optional in Ukraine. Usually there are two cars squeezed into one lane. I find it best to close my eyes and not watch the road, it keeps my blood pressure down.

Everyone seems to be very friendly here. In the evenings people are outside talking and I've been greeted by some nice people while in Ukraine. Some people even know some English, which has been nice. We've met 3 other adopting families here - 2 from US and 1 from Italy.

People (especially women) talk at the same time. Our facilitator and translator would talk at the same time. I'm not sure if either one was listening...it's bizarre to witness.

People believe in no privacy. All the curtains I've seen in our hotels have been SHEER. One would think that others wouldn't want to see everyone in all their glory, but again, this is Ukraine after all, and modesty is a thing of the past for those who live here.

There are many signs with English on them, as well as music that is played. I've heard Toni Braxton, Britney Spears, and Dido since being here.

The stairs here in Ukraine aren't even. It's wild - you would think that they would make all the stairs even and the same height - but each is different.

Ukraine is not built to accomodate special needs or those in wheelchairs. The ground is uneven, there are many hills and the sidewalks all have holes or cracks in them.

That's all for now...any questions?

Dear Anna - did you see the pictures of your brother and sister? We have shown them pictures of you and they are excited to meet their big sister! We love you and pray for you everyday! We love our sweet Anna girl!

Love, Mama & Daddy

It's a Boy! And a Girl!

Jill and Tyler have met their children!!! Unfortunately they are without internet at the moment (they are still looking for a converter for their laptop), so I (Valerie) will be updating their blog for them until they are able to connect to the outside world again.

They flew into Donetsk late last night and spent the night there. This morning they drove to the orphanage in Donetsk City where they were to meet Irene, the 4 year-old girl who they were told had severe mental delay. They sat down with the orphanage director and went through the medicals in her file. Apparently, all of the tests that had been performed declared her healthy, but her overall diagnosis was that she was an "invalid" (you've got to love Ukraine). They told them that she was delayed and that she was not talking much. They brought Irene into them and she walked right up to Jill and Tyler and started talking and singing to them. Jill says that she talked the entire visit! So. . .apparently she is talking! It did not take long for them to decide that Miss Irene will be joining their family along with Keith!!!!

After they had visited with Irene and formally accepted her referral they drove to Artemovsk (about an hour away) to meet Keith! They received his medical file, reviewed it and then it was time to meet the little boy they have been waiting for for so long! Apparently the care takers woke him up from his nap, so he was a bit disoriented when they brought him in. Jill said that he never cried, but he looked like he might and he seemed a bit wary of them. They brought a few toys with them and he relaxed a bit as they played with him. They even got a few smiles and giggles!

They are staying in Artemovsk for the time being (at a hotel just two blocks from Keith's orphanage). Jill is not feeling very well. She told me that her stomach is a mess and she is feeling a bit woosy. It has been a long and stressful week for them both physically and emotionally. If you could all remember them in your prayers, I know that they would greatly appreciate it.

They are hoping to be connected to the internet soon and Jill promises to update with all of the details and lots of pictures as soon as she is able to!

Congratulations Jill and Tyler!!!

We're in Ukraine, baby!

Greetings from Kiev, Ukraine. We left Ohio on Sunday and flew from there to JFK, New York. In there Ohio airport there just happened to be an Outback Steakhouse open…and we figured that they could really use our business, so we grabbed a nice meal there.


We flew from JFK to Kiev, Ukraine. On the airplane was a huge group of devout Jews on their way to Ukraine for a vacation. It was very interesting to see them wear the clothing, speaking Yiddish, and reading from their scriptures on the plane. Plus they were very nice to us and one of the girls (9 years-old) particularly liked talking to Tyler. It made the trip more enjoyable – although I was ready for a real bed before long into the 9 hour flight!

We arrived in Ukraine and went through customs. We were nervous because the officer wanted an address of where we would be staying while in Ukraine – but we did not have such an address to give him. After he huffed and puffed, we were able to go get our luggage. After that we went out into a sea of people, mainly taxi drivers looking to take someone somewhere, and we were relieved to see a man holding a card with our name on it. The driver’s name was Vajim (spelling?) and he has since been our main driver while in Ukraine. He is VERY nice, but speaks ZERO English – which makes for some fun communication. He took us to a nearby market to buy some oranges, deli food (very scary looking) and some Sandora mixed fruit juice – which I’d already learned to love while on the plane to Ukraine!

We then went to our apartment where the two landlords were waiting for us. The apartment was very nice – the main color was ORANGE, even! Here are some pictures:

living room

Me very tired and ready for bed!
kitchen, complete with washing machine and drying rack.
bathtub

bedroom
toilet with button on top to flush.
sink without a faucet - we used the shower faucet which worked just fine! Plus there was a heated towel rack - we need to get one back home! So neat! Power outlets in Ukraine - interesting!

Sandora mixed fruit juice! YUM!
Views from our apartment

We unpacked and made ourselves stay up until about 8pm and then crashed HARD. Our facilitator, Olga, arrived in Kiev on Tuesday. She took us around looking for a converter for our computer (we only brought an adapter and the voltage here in Ukraine is 220 whereas in US it is 120). We didn’t a converter but ate lunch in a small coffee house-like café. I had the “chicken sandwich” which consisted of a HUGE bun, some lettuce, avocado, hard cheese that had no flavor, and 2 almond sized pieces of chicken. Yeah. So, they should probably call it “the sandwich with a hint of chicken”. ;o) After this we went to Independent Square where we saw the Ukrainian citizens celebrating a Russian Orthodox holiday. Olga left us to do some sight-seeing and we ended up eating dinner at a REAL Ukrainian restaurant! The poor waitress had NO English skills so we did some body language communication like acting like a chicken or moving our hands like a fish. It was actually pretty entertaining!

Russian Orthodox Holiday celebration

Tyler eating ice cream near Independent Square. We later learned that there were 2 internet cafes near this McDonald's...wish we would have known that earlier!
dark picture of the elevator in our apartment complex - only held 2 people at a time. I was impressed with all the REAL WOOD I see everywhere in the buildings and architecture - it's lovely!
Sightseeing in Independent Square

We went inside this church and saw many people inside. I am pleased to see so many religious people here in Ukraine - I did not know I would find that.
The wishing well - people would stick a coin in the dirty water in the water fountain and then stick the coin on the the sides. Then they would hold it there while they made a wish and then if it stuck when they were done - then their wish will come true. I think. Actually, I don't know for sure - that was my guess!

A beautiful description of Christ praying while the apostles slept.

The building structure around the wishing well.

What I affectionately call an accordio-bus! They are 2 buses joined together by an accordian-like rubber belt that helps them go around corners. Very unique.
Ukrainian restaurant: chicken cordon bleu (I think), potato wedges, salad, sauerkraut, bread, carbonated water (YUCK!) and a lovely whipped cream pastry! Yum!

A wedding we saw outside the SDA before our appointment.
Tyler outside the SDA.
Wednesday at 2pm was our SDA appointment. At first they wanted to know more about it – we had our family photo book, which was very helpful. (If you’re going to adopt, I highly recommend having a family photo book and for you to bring it to your SDA appointment) After that they showed us the file of Nikita, with this picture:

Isn’t he sweet? We took a picture of the original picture, as I’ve heard we won’t be able to see it again even after we have adopted him. They told us information about Nikita, such as his mother’s name, her birthdate, they said that she was “alone,” which made me very sad. The SDA and our facilitator continually refer to Nikita as an “invalid” which upsets me very much. This is all the information that they have on Nikita – but I have heard that I will learn more throughout the process.

As for the girl – there aren’t many girls available in Ukraine due to the surge of their new foster care system. Most girls under the age of 2 that are healthy are in the foster care system. The SDA presented us with 2 files of girls. One was a girl that we recognized from Reeces Rainbow. Her name is Daisy and has already been committed to by another family. So we did not accept her referral, although there was some strong persuasion to do so. The other girl, Irene, is 4 years old and has some mental delays, which they say are severe. I know that everything is relative, but that is what they said. I have heard of other children being labeled as this or that and when they bring them home – the evaluation was incorrect. We asked if there were any other girls available for adoption and they brought out two sibling girls. The older girl, Victoria, is 6 years old and very healthy. Her younger sister (they didn’t give us her name) is 3 and has severe mental retardation. Our facilitator, Olga, knows Victoria personally and suggested her as an excellent match for our family, being a healthy girl. However, our dossier is only written for 2 children, not 3. So we would not be able to adopt both of these girls. But Olga is suggesting the idea of splitting up the girls. This idea doesn’t settle too well with us since we know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of splitting up siblings with Nikita’s twin sister, Nastya, being adopted separately from Nikita when we wanted to adopt them together. So, we do not know if we are comfortable with the idea of splitting up Victoria from her sister, but we have been assured that if we do not adopt her, someone else will split them up and adopt her anyhow.

It was very emotional being in the SDA appointment. Tyler & I had been fasting all day to be directed to our daughter, but when we saw the pictures and files – nothing felt right except for Nikita. It was very disconcerting and I felt very lost and confused. Tyler & I came home and prayed and prayed and prayed for direction. We finally came to the conclusion to explore all of our options.

So, our current plan of action is to go visit Irene and see if we have any feelings towards her. If we do not feel that she is right for our family, then we will ask her orphanage director if there is another child available in that orphanage – if we do not find anyone there, then Olga will go visit Victoria’s orphanage to see about splitting them up. I am asking for your prayers and faith to be with us to help us find the daughter for our family. We are praying for the way to be opened up to us and that God will direct us as we search for the little girl who needs us and who we need. I will keep you posted – we don’t have internet access because we don’t have a converter for our computer, but will try to post new information very soon.

(((HUGS)))

Note to Anna: my dear daughter, I miss you SO MUCH! Your daddy & I pray for you every day and hope that you are having fun. We love you and hope to talk to you very soon. Hugs & kisses! ~Mama~

Tyler, myself, Olga (facilitator), & Oksana (translator going with us to Donets'k)