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Next Steps

The Big Day went well and the appointment was quite successful. There, I gave you the big news up-front :)

Sasha picked us up at 10:20am and we headed to the SDA, together with Valentina. Olga was waiting for us in-front of St. Andrei’s Church. We made our way in from the back entrance, through the barely-6-foot tall door and waited by the stairs as several people went in and out. There was a decent amount of space dedicated to the guard area (not sure why a guard is required, but you never know!), yet none for waiting. As Valentina, Olga and other facilitators chatted in Russian, Lori and I stood there staring clueless. Finally at 11:00am they called us and we swiftly marched up the stairs and into one of the offices.

A young lady all dressed in black greeted us with a pleasant smile and asked us a few questions, such as where we’re from, our work, hobbies etc. and Olga translated as we conversed. After explaining why we wanted to adopt from Ukraine and after giving her a thorough answer as we re-iterated our preferences, she started showing us one file at a time, carefully explaining the health status of each child. We were shown 7 individual files and 2 sibling-group files (twins). Now let me tell you…when we go to a restaurant with a big menu, I can’t take a decision, so imagine what this felt like! I’m not comparing this to ordering food by the way, but stay with me for a while here. How can you pick? It was not an easy task and deep inside you feel “dirty” for choosing one over the other. Anyway, Lori and I went back and forth, asked more questions, refreshed our memory with some details by asking Olga to translate, and then after almost an hour we finally we made our pick.

So tomorrow at 4 to 5pm we will return to the SDA to collect our referral and make travel plans for Sunday night or Monday morning. In the meantime we’ll kill time by enjoying the gorgeous Spring sights of Kiev and act like tourists for a while.

After the appointment we took some photos. The day was quite chilly and Lori wouldn’t stop moaning that she was freezing (typical Texas resident in 60 degree weather), so I was a gentlemen and gave her my jacket. From left to right…unknown guy, Valentina, Olga and Lori; look at those shoulders! You can also see the church of St. Andrei in the background.

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Next Valentina took the mandatory photo with the SDA building in the background.

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Oh, I “forgot” to reveal details about our choice. We picked 4 1/2 year old twins, a boy and a girl. We won’t discuss anything else until a) we meet them next week and b) if we decide to pursue, until the adoption is final, so keep on reading!

8 clicked here to comment!:

S and T said...

Congratulations on your referral! I love looking at the photos and reading about your experience. It brings back memories. 4-1/2 yerar old twins! Can't wait to hear what happens next. Sharon

Kevin and Tammy said...

Congrats!!!!!!!!! Hope the visit goes well and you can get started on being a family. We will look forward to more information.
Tammy

adopting2fromUkraine said...

I agree with you about having to choose. It's a tough decision, but you have no choice. That's the way the SDA works. At least you know that the other children will be shown to couples coming after you.

I can't believe how cool it is. When we were there last March-April, it was nice. It started out rainy, but I don't remember it being cold at all.

June

adopting2fromUkraine said...

PS - Tell Lori her hair looked great. I'm surprised she got it so straight.

June

Dave Baldacchino said...

Thanks all! The temperature has been getting in the 40s at night and 60s during the day. Honestly, I love it as it rarely it's this dry and cool in Houston. Which is why Lori has been able to straighten her hair so easily!

Staci and Damon said...

Congratulations on your referral! I hadn't had a chance to catch up with you until now. We also had Olga and Valentina - you're in great hands!!
Staci

Dave Baldacchino said...

Hi Stacy and Damon, in fact Olga mentioned you guys! We were talking about families that blogged about your experiences. I followed your story and am glad to see how well Wesley is doing, especially after surgery.

junglemama said...

I can only imagine how hard choosing must have been! WE have always adopted with a child in mind.