Meeting with the Director

Yesterday we had our meeting with Alla, the orphanage director. She greeted me with a hug and told us we were young and beautiful. Well, what could go wrong after that? I was an instant fan. Coupled with that, the kitchen was closed so we were not served some of the "delicacies" some of the other famiies got to try. (In my mind the idea of raw bacon fat slathered on crackers seemed like an episode of Fear Factor, although some say it is not so bad). We were very grateful Alla had come in as she and the other staff are on vacation but made themselves available to us for Viktors sake. We were a bit nervous as Alla is very straight-forward with families, even telling some not to adopt the children they have chosen because they will cause so many problems. Alla however, seemed to be a big fan of Viktor's. She had high praise for him and seemed to think he would be able to adjust to family life. Not that there would not be issues, but she knows him to be kind to others, very helpful and respectful as well as a leader who will not participate in troublemaking just to belong. I just wonder how he has struggled seeing children who were obviously hard to deal with get adopted while he was passed over so many times. I pray God was saving him for our family, I just wish we had known sooner. Supposedly, Alla was the one who had all the information on his family and background. We did leave a little dissatisfied that the information was not all that clear. I guess it doesn't really matter and we will probably find out more as time goes on. Apparently, the parents were drinkers who ended up in prison for stealing/robbery. He does have an older sister somewhere who would be about 20 now, but no one knows where she is. He has been at the orphanage since he was about 6 years old. All and all a very successful meeting. We have most of the paperwork finished to submit to court - we do need a signed petition from Viktor stating he does want to be adopted. Zhenia said he could go ahead and try to get a court date without this. We are praying that the judge Zhenia works with will be available. There is a 10 day mandatory waiting period after court before you can start any paperwork (visa, passport, etc) to take your child home. So the faster we can get a court date the better. We are looking forward to seeing Viktor on Sunday as he will be able to stay with us when he gets back to Kiev. Missing Phillip and Cassie like crazy. Phillip had to get 2 planters warts frozen off the bottom of his foot yesterday - apparently very painful. We also got an e-mail about the first annual father/son football cookout - ouch. We can't be there for that and it hurts. Mema took Cassie by the house yesterday after horseback - Cassie was feeling very homesick for her "stuff". Mema and Nana are going above and beyond and we are so grateful to them.

Thought it would be good to include a picture of Viktor since he is the reason we are here. Thanks to Suzzette for the picture, you have been a true blessing through this whole process, welcome home....

Sharon and I at the gates of Orphanage 21 after our meeting with the director.

Love the Zhenia, our very capable, diligent, knowledgeable gaurding angel and also our facilitator.

Beautiful archway along Kreshchatik and gateway to my beloved Pusata Hata (Fat House) restaurant. Thought of my buddy Trace as we ate there yesterday.

This one is for the kids. It had almost as much attitude as Molly except it's meow was much deeper. xoxo Phillip and Cassie!!!!!!!!!

Fashion Diva - NOT

Don't know if I have mentioned the fashion divas in Ukraine. Short skirts and very high heels, the women are beautiful and apparently take their appearance seriously, though it sometimes comes across a little tartish. I have pointed this out to John although apparently he has not noticed - hmm. I tried to fit in yesterday by wearing fashionable sandals and after falling up the stairs on our way out of the metro - I may have to go back to walking sandals. Yeah, it was a little embarrasing - the kids would have been mortified. Not only do we look like the corn-fed Americans, but I can't even dress cool - getting old stinks! We had our appointment yesterday with the inspector and notary. Again, they both went without incident and today we meet with the Orphanage Director. We have been looking forward to this meeting as she should have much more information on Viktor's bio family. The inspector said he has only been registered for adoption since 2005, which is odd because he has been in an orphanage for so long. John and I made spaghetti last night with seasoning packets we brought from home. We bought what we thought was ground beef but Zhenia told us it was ground veal. I am not a veal eater so we bought meatballs that were beef/sausage and used them instead. Now, for all my stand on not eating veal, there is no telling what I ended up eating in the combination meatball. Anyway, John cooked and it tasted great. We are kind of adjusting to the time change, although we fall out about 4:00 everyday for a couple of hours go to bed around 12:00 and wake up at 5:00. Thanks to everyone we have heard from, it makes it seem like we are not halfway around the world. I will try to post after our meeting today, but internet access is a bit spotty. Lisa, pictures are John's department so I will tell him to get on it!! XOXO -Cassie & Phillip

Here we are at the SDA on the morning of our appointment.

St. Andrews church. SDA building is directly to right of the Church behind the trees.

Inside of St. Andrews Church. I'll flip the vertical pics from now on.

Making spaghetti and mystery meatballs at the flat.

Below: Enjoying my first afternoon in Keiv. Sleep just came upon me, I was helpless.

WE'RE HERE!!!!!

Thanks to all of the prayer warriors out there who have made this adoption possible. We have had a very busy week prior to arriving in Kiev. Since our flight to Kiev left from NY, we decided to take the kids for a mini memory-making vacation. John's sister, Lesley, met us in New York and spent a couple of days then escorted the kids back to Chattanooga. We had a great time and crammed in alot of New York in a couple days. Cassie and I even got to see "Wicked" (at the price that all 5 of us could have seen it). Leaving the kids was never our intention when we returned to Ukraine. However, due to the timing, school will be starting while we are gone, so Phillip and Cassie are in the very capable and loving care of Mema and Nana. That being said, saying goodbye in New York was excruiciating. I tried to put on a brave front while the kids were there, but I cried halfway to Kiev. Mother's are not supposed to leave their kids for a month. The same prayer warriors who got us here are now diligently praying for a fast process. So far, everything has gone very smoothly. We flew Aerosvit, Ukranian Airlines, non-stop from New York to Kiev. We found this flight much more pleasant than the one we took on Delta in December. Lots more room between the seats, good for freakishly tall people like us. Zhenia, our facilitator, met us at the airport and delivered us to our home away from home. Actually, it is the same apartment we stayed at in December. Only it now costs about $5 more per day. Oh Well, Ukraine is not exempt from this recession. We don't have air conditioning but we leave the windows open and it is fine. There is a washing machine in the apartment. We did a load today then I hung the clothes out on the line on our back porch. This morning, Zhenia picked us up around 8:30 and we went to the SDA (State Department of Adoption). This was actually very uneventful and it only took about 10 minutes. Since we are adopting a known child, the official just asked us how we came to know Viktor, then asked about our family. Easy cheesy. She then approved us for the next step which will be to meet with the inspector (social worker) then the orphanage director. The inspector meeting is tomorrow @ 9:00 and we meet with the director on Wednesday. As for Viktor, he is at camp by the black sea. Originally, we thought we would take the train to get him, but the director said she was sending for him and he would be back on Sunday. I can't say we are terribly disappointed as I feel we will soak up plenty of the Ukrainian culture right here in Kiev without riding the train that I have heard so many -uh, interesting stories about. I feel I should apologize to Ukraine as I wasn't the biggest fan when we were here in December. It was cold, snowy and a bit bleak. But now, in summer, it is so beautiful. The architecture is stunning and the city is so pretty. I wish the kids were here to experience it this time. Probably my future blogs won't be so long, but now I feel we are caught up on what is going on. Please keep us in your prayers as we go through this process. Zhenia is great and we rely so much on him, but God is greater and continues to show his limitless love in big and small ways. Also please pray for Viktor as this will be such a huge change in his life, as we try to help him through his struggles of leaving everything he has ever known. Also, send love to my precious Phillip and Cassie at home. I miss them so much and am awed at their willingness to share their life with a new sibling.

Curry family on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, NYC at 12:30 in the morning.