Late New Year post

I’m a little late to talk about the New Year (been busy, sorry!) but I have to acknowledge the fact that this marks the first year that the kids will be completely with us. 2009 was half and half but the beginning of 2010 marks a new chapter in their lives.

On December 31st we went to Sugar Land’s New Year celebration. It was quite cold so we bundled up and after a dinner at a pricey restaurant that wasn’t worth the charge, we headed to Town Square for the party. Lori didn’t think we should do anything, citing “they’re too young Dave!” but I wasn’t going to have any of that. So what if they’re young? I wanted to make the start of the new year memorable and I think we succeeded. They loved the loud music and wouldn’t quit blowing the whistles on those horns!

 

 

 

 

They were in awe when the fireworks started. It wasn’t a big show but for them it was truly fascinating. The expressions on their faces were a lot more precious than the fireworks themselves.

We left soon after and at around 12:35am we made it home. Lori took them in and I stayed in the car waiting for them to go inside through the garage so I could pull in. I did and as soon as I got out, I heard loud shrieking and crying from Isabella. Great, 40 minutes into the New Year and we have a tantrum? So I approached the door and it felt like a scene from a scary Halloween movie….there were bloody smudges all over the door!! I rushed in to find Lori attending to Isabella with a busted lip. Turns out she ran towards the door amidst warnings from her mom to not run, but being Isabella she ignored her and carried on, finally tripping and busting her lip against the door knob. Now that’s what I call memorable!

Isabella has been getting more and more hard headed. We see a lot of new-found independence in her, but we know this will get her in trouble. Needless to say we’ve also been getting a lot more strict with her. We like seeing her independent spirit but she has to learn to listen, judge and then act. Right now that’s not the case and she acts very impulsively. And she ignores authority in most cases, such as when we or the teachers at school tell her not to do something. She always finds a method to get her way. She’s learning that we’re not about to put up with that though. Ignoring her tantrums has slowly been yielding some results. We also have found a few things to trigger her brain to think before acting, such as threatening to not send her to school and put her in the closet under the stair instead ;) Just last night she was doing fine, Lori took them to bed and all of a sudden she goes into a tantrum, shrieking and crying and making a ruckus. After a while I calmly went upstairs and told my wife “don’t worry, I’ll take her down to sleep in the closet”. She continued crying saying “no no not the closet!” and I took her up to the top of the stairs. Then after stopping, I asked her if she was going to quit crying and after confirming, took her back to bed. I fixed her sheets and tucked her in, gave her a kiss and the crying stopped. Mission accomplished! I think we’re finally beginning to make some connections between actions and consequences. And no, we’re not seriously going to lock her up in the closet!

Now Isabella has her ears pierced. She’s very strong and didn’t even flinch when they pressed those ear-rings through. Lori couldn’t believe it. She tried to take them off a few times but didn’t have much trouble with her keeping them on after that. Which is surprising given her fixation sometimes.

Isaac has started PPCD and he’s been doing quite well. He’s getting a lot of one on one attention from his teacher, who’s really nice and loves kids a lot. Going in the afternoon turned out to be a positive move as he’s the only one in class. There are times when he’s also in the company of one or two more kids, but that’s still a really good student to teacher ratio. He is getting speech therapy twice a week and seems to be enjoying himself. It was a bit of an adjustment due to him being used to an afternoon nap but on the whole it’s been a smooth transition.

Changing Isaac’s medication has not yielded the expected results. His seizures have actually increased and his behavior has really degraded in pre-school with a large group and receiving no one-to-one attention. Because of that Isabella has also been losing control. Nothing has changed at home and Isaac still acts fine with us, is very affectionate, funny, etc. We have no attachment issues with both of them, but at pre-school all of a sudden he has become more aggressive and unsocial. So we’re thinking it’s his medication that is to blame. Coupled with the fact that seizures have increased and he’s now exhibiting a new type too, the Neurologist is switching him to a new drug which we’ll start on Monday. It’ll take a few weeks to take him off of it and switched completely to the new one.

We have started weekly Occupational Therapy sessions for Isaac and those have been going quite well too. In the coming month we plan on starting speech therapy for both. Isaac’s receptive language continues to improve, but his expressive language has not developed much. He’s slowly able to make some new sounds and mumbles, probably thanks to S.T. in PPCD. This coming Tuesday we have an ABR test which will hopefully reveal some new things with respect to his hearing. We’re obviously hoping there is a fix, but I’m not holding my breath. On a positive note, Isaac seems to be getting the hang of cycling now and can do it on his own on a tiled floor. We’re going to keep practicing on the tricycle as he’s still not yet ready for cycling on a bicycle. Isabella on the other hand is ready to bite the dust and she’s very dangerous already! She has a lot of balance and strength.

At pre-school they have been keeping Isaac away from his class and a lady’s been spending more time with him. He acts just fine that way, so we’re quite confused. We also found out (let’s say “confirmed”) that Isaac was being restrained quite regularly at the orphanage. This came from an account of a foreign adoptive family who adopted from the same orphanage back in 2007 and knew the twins. They sent us a couple of photos of the kids when they were 2 1/2 years old, which is quite nice to have. It’s remarkable how much they looked alike when younger! Anyway, they said they saw Isaac tied up to the fence when the other kids were running around. I’m actually surprised that Isaac isn’t more mad at people in general and is still such a happy kid. Hopefully he’ll forget about those years and those experiences won’t result in long term effects.

Not seeing her brother acting up has improved Isabella’s attention and behavior in her class. She can become a little obsessive about things (like wanting to constantly change out of dirty clothes!) and she knows the rules and how everyone else should abide by them…except herself. Funny little thing.

And then the glasses…Isaac finally made the first pair vanish. They looked for them at school all over the place, but couldn’t find them. I wouldn’t be surprised if he flushed them! So we got a new pair and they fit much better. We also clip them to his shirt to try avoid such accidents. I think these are more comfortable and he hasn’t tried to get rid of them except the first few days. I think he got the message loud and clear that Mama and Papa are not gonna buy glasses every 3 months! Here’s a photo of both just before we got the new glasses.

We also got some great photos of Nikopol in winter from Carol. It’s amazing to see the change in landscape from the time we were there to now. We don’t think the kids changed that much in the same period, but for us it’s difficult to see those changes since we’re there every day. So here are some shots of places you might recognize from previous images we posted. Until the next post!

I can’t believe the kids and I went for a swim right in the area between those trees! Click here to refresh your memory.

 

 

This was the ATB super market that we visited pretty much daily. I’ve witnessed a lot of water on this road one day but never pictured it looking like this in winter.

 

 

I really know why they named it “The Penguin” restaurant now!!

 

 

 

Can’t remember how many weddings we’ve seen at this hall or how many times we crossed the street here. Where are the fruit vendors?? Oh, now I also understand what that white paint-looking substance on the tree trunks is for. Didn’t make much sense when seen in summer!

So many hours spent here chasing “Maxim" after constantly running away from the area. So many encounters with kids to play with and snacks consumed.

 

 

Too bad kids aren’t allowed to go out and play! But then again, I’m freezing just thinking about it. Gotta go make me a nice hot cup of cappuccino :)

Kiev, don’t cry!

It rained tonight. Maybe they were tears because we’re leaving? :)

We went to get the visas at 2pm today and met several adoptive families at the Embassy. The Hoffmans were one of them and their daughters Elaine and Lisa entertained the twins. Isabella was shy at first. Isaac on the other hand was his usual flirt…errr..self! It was quite comical to see these two teenagers exhausted running around chasing Isaac, while he was just getting warmed up. Now you can appreciate what I had to go through these last weeks and I’m no teen! Thanks a lot for your help and your nanny services are always welcome ;) Too bad we couldn’t capture any images of the activity while there.

We got back to the apartment and I prepared some food for the kids, gave them the usual bath a bit earlier, played around a bit (daddy the monster chasing the kids…my apologies to the neighbors below) and put them to bed by 9pm. Yep, they complained and cried, but were asleep within a couple of minutes. It was a tiring day for them with no afternoon nap.

So now we’re almost all packed. I just have to take a nap before waking up around 6:00am, take a shower, finish the last bit of packing and make them some breakfast.

Alas, this will be the last post from Ukraine. It has been an absolutely wonderful adventure that we will never forget and will cherish forever. We have loved interacting with the wonderful people of Ukraine; always very nice, gentle and helpful. The whole experience was just perfect and we enjoyed it so much that it might not be the last. I’m sure the upcoming years of parenthood will be challenging, but we knew that already. Do svidaniya, poka!

Sigh of relief in Kiev

Yesterday was by all means the most stressful day of all so far. Actually until just a few minutes ago.

When I went to the US Embassy to finalize the Visas, I was told that it wouldn’t be possible because I’m not a US citizen. Lori started the I-600 filing on June 11th herself and before leaving, she asked to make sure there would not be any problem for myself to finish the process. She filled the forms correctly, indicated me as a US permanent resident and they never said anything. Yesterday they told me she’d have to fly back. You can only imagine the expense that would incur: last minute bookings and 3 further ticket changes for the kids and myself.

Finally this morning at 8:50am, I got a call from the Embassy with great news. They approved our visas and we’ll be picking them up at 2pm! Can’t tell you what a sigh of relief it was for everyone.

Amidst all this “fun”, I didn’t feel like writing much about our trip to Kiev yesterday, so I’ll catch up now that I’m in a MUCH better mood. The taxi ride took about 8 hours in all. We made a side-of-the-road pit stop to change Isaac’s diaper (“baptism by fire” as Carol affectionately calls is!). The kids slept a bit here and there, but Isabella was by far the most fidgety. Isaac spent a lot of time laying on the seat and napping. Overall they did great considering this was their longest trip so far. We snacked a little towards the end as I didn’t want them to be too full.

Our apartment is right up on Independence Square, on the left side of McDonalds, 3rd floor. That night I made the trip down with the kids to buy some water and “sok” (juice) and went back up soon after. They got on probably their first elevator ride in fascination. Mind you, a very noisy old elevator! I then gave them a bath and we went to sleep.

Yesterday I woke at 7am and started getting ready while the kids continued sleeping, as that’s the only time I have to steal a shower. We then went to get the physical exams done at the hospital. Isaac was restless and was flirting around with others. He did calm down eventually, but then Isabella’s misbehaving began. The doctor was amazed at how agitated they were. Yep Dr., I know we have a long road ahead! They also had to draw blood for the Syphilis test (I believe) and the results were picked up in the afternoon by Olga and Sasha.

The US Embassy adventure wasn’t pleasant. Isabella was on her worst behavior while I was dealing with trying to fill forms and the issues with my status. I put Isaac on my shoulders so I could deal with her. Finally I had to go back out with them to get Olga. We then spent some time in the play area as Olga sorted some stuff out. I could tell they were still tired but was totally blown away by Isabella’s total disregard to what I was asking of her. Back in the apartment I sent them straight to bed (some tough love!) and they woke up in a much better mood.

At around 6pm, I decided to venture out with them for some dinner and walking around. I had them solidly by their harnesses this time and they held my hand at all times. We circled the square a couple of times, crossed through the subway to the other side, passed through the tall monument and into the glazed shopping mall. I could tell they were amazed at the sights and it was quite funny to ride the escalator with them. Isabella looked in disbelief at the “moving staircase”! We then went to the other side of the underground mall and managed a sandwich dinner at Double Coffee. And yes, I took 2 double coffees lol! We sat overlooking the mall and I put the food and drinks on a ledge, away from their reach. They drank their juices, ate their sandwich (didn’t spoil a thing!) and loved fries. While I ate my sandwich, I fed them my fries, which kept them occupied.

We then walked along Kreschatyk, crossed over to the other side and walked some more. I have to say we got plenty of looks as this one guy walked with a kid on either side on a leash! It was quite funny but they did really well. Isabella was climbing planters and jumping as Isaac started getting tired. After buying some water, we headed back up, gave them a bath, talked to family and mama on Skype and then put them in bed around 11:00pm.

I slept separately from them this time so I wouldn’t wake them in the morning and they were up at 9:30am. It’s now 10:45 and we’ll get ready for the US Embassy appointment as we’ll be picked up at 1:30pm.

Last day in Nikopol

It’s finally here: the last full day in Nikopol. This afternoon we’ll visit the orphanage one last time and celebrate with Carol and John at….you guessed it: Celentano!

I organized the girl’s clothes and did some laundry this morning. Surprisingly, Isaac slept some more, which gave me some time with Isabella to wash clothes in the bath. She then helped pack some stuff (she is addicted to bags!). We went for our last morning walk and coffee and then had a good lunch. I prepared a 2 egg omelet with chicken and tomatoes for each of them. They munched all of it. I had the last piece of pork strip, 2 fried eggs and a grilled tomato with some bread. Finally, a manly meal sitting down while they watched the infamous video once again! I finally felt on top of this daddy-thing :)

So the passports are in my shorts. I go around with them and mine everywhere. I’m getting paranoid that I’ll forget them. This way I have to leave in underwear to leave them behind, and I think someone would say something! Our taxi comes at 10:30am and we should make it to Kiev by around 5:30pm. We’ll shop for some snacks tonight so I can keep them occupied for the long trip. Carol was very kind to buy the kids a backpack filled with little toys and things to keep them distracted. It’ll make them feel more comfortable during the next very hectic days in Kiev.

Passport & Flights!

Wohooo! Passports are ready and I’ll be leaving to pick them up in Dnepropetrovsk at 1:00pm. A sitter is coming at 12:30pm to stay with the kids (caregiver from the orphanage) while I get this done. I also booked new flights with Delta that leave on Wednesday, July 8th at 10:50am from Kiev to JFK and then on to Houston, arriving at 10:10pm. We’ll be leaving Nikopol via taxi to Kiev on Sunday around 10:30am and stay there to get the physicals and Visas done by Tuesday evening. It’s almost over!

Routine in visuals

In the last post I said it all in words. This time, I’ll say it mostly in photos and a couple of short video clips. Obviously it has to be done late at night once the kids are fast asleep. Most photos courtesy of Carol; my hands were full!

Day 2

Carol and I ventured with the twins to Celentano after a morning walk for a coffee. It was a test and turned out to be a success!

 

 

Isabella munching away at lunch. I always hold Isaac on my lap as he doesn’t quite make it to a good level with the table and he still needs some help (to avoid huge messes). He’s doing amazing progress.

 

 

 

Our first visit to the Billa supermarket. Isaac loved riding in the cart while Carol wrestled merchandise out of Isabella’s tight grips.

 

 

I love this photo..you don’t mess with papa’s food! You can see Isabella trying to snatch it. I obviously had to give her one of those chilling looks. However I turned my head without resetting it right as Carol snapped this photo in the evening at another visit to Celentano for pizza, together with hubby John.

Yep, the girl loves ice-cream! It took a while for Isaac to warm up to it, but now he loves it too. He wasn’t too sure about the cold sensation. The little guy seems very sensitive to hot and cold extremes.

 

 

 

 

Proof #1 that Papa is a tease!

 

 

 

Day 3

Playing with stickers at Celentano (no, there’s not much to do in Nikopol lol!). One of the many hats that Carol has worn is that of educator and entertainer. I sure as heck didn’t know kids liked to play with stickers!

 

 

Isaac wasn’t much into stickers, however if I make a goof out of myself…then he’s hooked.

 

 

 

And here’s Isabella reciting the numbers 1 through 10 in English. Her mama started this and I just kept up the repetition. She’s doing excellent!

Day 4

Don’t mess with Isabella’s food. Proof #2 that Papa is a tease! Yes, I wore the same shirt 2 days in a row.  If you did laundry by hand, you’d sympathize. Carol did our laundry a few times though as I have virtually no time left for it!

 

 

 

 

A typical afternoon stroll. The kids love “Aunty” Carol, although Isabella just calls her “Tii”, which is as if saying “Hey you!”; in a sort of friendly Ukrainian way.

 

 

 

 

On our way we had yet another lesson on how to handle animals. Within a couple of days, they’ve come a long way. The first encounter with a docile cat in the orphanage didn’t go very smooth (I feel sorry for the cat…tail pulling, ear squeezing…just too much excitement!). The “kiita” handling went very well.

 

 

The visit to the orphanage went great. They thought we were taking them back lol! The twin’s friends were very happy to see us back for some more play and running around.

 

 

 

The caregivers never miss an opportunity to tell Isabella to listen to papa. Kirill and Marsha join in for a photo-op.

 

 

Day 5

 

 

 

At the usual morning coffee-walk, Isaac gives an “I’m a superstar” pose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A group hug, followed by a nose-press with “Aunty” Carol. Quite cute!

 

 

 

 

Lunch on papa. Isaac cleans his plate…

 

 

 

 

 

…and so does his sister!

 

 

 

 

Pretending to be a little witch on a broomstick. By the way, sticks and twigs are plentiful around here.

 

 

 

 

Ahhhh, the man and his truck.

 

 

 

Day 6

Need I add words? They LOVE water!

 

 

We couldn’t get them out of the water!

 

 

 

 

They got cold as the water was quite chilly (loved it!). After warming up a bit, they jumped back in. This went on for several cycles. Isaac went for a walk with Carol as he wanted to swing and walk on the sand.

 

 

 

Fear of not knowing how to swim?? No way!

 

 

 

We keep bumping into caregivers everywhere we go. I’m not complaining :) They love to see the kids and so do they.

 

 

 

“Puppy”, one of the neighborhood dogs, demonstrates how to deal with kids and provides the props for yet another lesson in animal handling. At least now the kids are slightly used to animals, before meeting our house pets.

Routine

Our first days together were a mixture of great successes and some very difficult moments. Crying and tantrums have been happening multiple times daily, by both of them. Surprisingly, Isabella has turned out to be more difficult to manage during our walks than Isaac. He has been a lot more calm and has been enjoying his walks around Nikopol and observing cars a lot better than Isabella.

Our routine has been established quite nicely. In the morning we wake up around 7 or 8am. Typically Isaac wakes first, starts making some noises, raises his legs up in the air and slams them down and finally comes to tease me and his sister. This is by far the sweetest moment of the day. Both are in a great mood, all hugs and kisses, act quietly and are very affectionate. After using the bathroom and a typical change of diaper/pull-up for Isaac, we head to the kitchen for breakfast. I was lucky in that I successfully got them to listen to me and sit down as I prepare the oatmeal porridge. These kids eat a lot! Usually breakfast even contains a banana or an orange for each of them and perhaps some milk. Isaac can’t make it properly to eat on his own due to the table and chair’s height, so I sit at the head of the table and he sits on me. I have to slow him down a lot or he devours his food in seconds. Making him drink has been quite a challenge.

When I want some quiet moments, I play them the full length video of their performance on children’s day and they sit quietly and watch. Isabella disciplines her brother and doesn’t let him touch the computer. They’re learning that if they stop the video or remove it from full-screen mode, papa doesn’t fix it for them ;) After washing their faces and brushing their teeth, Carol then shows up at 10am and we go out for a walk and a coffee. There were times where I gave them a bath in the morning instead of the evening.

Lunch is pretty much the same: they listen to papa and sit while I prepare. Don’t be fooled into thinking it doesn’t take effort! They always find distractions to use as excuses to get up. Isabella is the master: she finds something on the floor and pretends to come and put it in the trash. Then she needs to clean the floor, then take the drinking cup to her brother, etc. etc. So I have been yelling quite a lot! The neighbors hear it all I’m sure, but they seem to finally know when papa means business. Lunch and dinner are usually a little plateful of 3 to 4 ingredients: a meat (chicken, sausages or fish fingers); and sides: hard boiled eggs, peas, corn, mixed veggies, mashed potatoes or deli-bought cabbage rolls filled with rice. They munch away a lot of food!

At around 4:30pm to 5:00pm, we go for a longer walk. The stroller comes out and Isaac usually rides as Isabella walks. The harnesses have been a great hit and we usually walk to Billa supermarket. Isaac looks forward to riding in the cart as Carol gets her hands full keeping Isabella’s hands off merchandise. Afterwards they trade places and Isaac walks as he says goodbye to everyone, blows kisses and stares at cars. Many times he catches me or Carol by surprise and sets car alarms off as he hits their headlights. He is really quite fast.

In the evening after dinner, I play the video again (it rolls at least 4-5 times a day) and it gives me enough time to eat something myself. Then after a bath and some play, I put them to sleep. It seems Isabella cries everyday. She wants to keep seeing the video. I think she misses the caregivers and her friends. She usually cries herself to sleep. Both of them rock their heads and it seems to do the trick. Isaac sucks his thumbs and hugs his little lion soft toy. Isabella doesn’t seem to like soft toys, which is unusual for little girls I guess. In the afternoon I’ve also been successful at getting them to sleep for a couple of hours too.

Isaac has to take 2 medications, 3 times a day. He seems to like it and takes both the powder and syrup very eagerly. During the day, we have a lot of crying and misbehaving accompanied by irrational tantrums. When they’re in that state (very red in the face), nothing comforts them and you literally have to let them blow off the steam and calm down on their own. I felt helpless during the first few days until I learned the lesson. As to potty training, Isabella is a superstar (now nicknamed “stinky monkey” and she even says it in a very cute way!). Isaac on the other hand, has been more failures than I’d rather discuss in detail out here, but let’s just say that I have cleaned up a LOT lately! Pampers will be getting a fair amount of money from us in the foreseeable future :)

I also experienced Isaac’s first seizure with me. It lasted a lot longer than I expected: over 40 minutes. Lori remembered that Isaac was given a shot last time and thanks to Carol, we discovered he needed a shot of magnesium when having a fit in order to shorten it after talking to the caregivers. It’s really sad that no one told us that. Sometimes I get really frustrated at the level of information we get. You have to know the answer to a question before you can ask it or they won’t tell you the answer! Oh well. We finally got two dozes, one of which will be shot in the butt on his next fit, which will hopefully not happen while we’re travelling back.

GOTCHA Day!

It finally happened, June 26th! It was a tough day to say the least. The twins were so overwhelmed with the change in routine. They were super-hyper, wanting to touch everything. And obviously, why would they listen to this guy that goes to play with them twice a day? Who does he think he is?!

In the morning we had a lot of running around to get Isaac’s medications, close his benefit account, buy gifts for the orphanage and director, etc. Finally we made it by 11am but we had not had a chance to get groceries. Olga needed to go to Dnepropetrovsk with the passports documentation and she was running tight on time. Oh, and did I mention it was so darn hot?? We were dancing around 100F and had to walk around everywhere. No A/C luxuries around here!

We got to the orphanage, delivered the gifs and donations and Irina, the new director, was very gracious and appreciative. She took time to show us around and explained her next project. The money will be used to build a new fence and slide in the baby room upstairs.

So in the meantime, Alla was getting the twins ready. Here are some pictures that Carol snapped. I wouldn’t have any visuals captured of this day if it wasn’t for her!

Isaac is ready in the background, while Isabella gets all prettied up in her new clothes. I really need a crash-course in how to do Isabella’s hair! They have some great skills and I can barely do a pony tail.

 

 

Isaac gives his sister an examination before we left. Irina is holding Isabella.

 

 

 

And finally, a nice group photo before the departure. The lady is white is Nina and the one in blue is a nurse. They all love the kids a lot, and even though Isaac (well, it’s both really!) is quite a handful, I’m sure they already miss the twins. But perhaps they’re enjoying all the peace and quiet they left behind.

Back in the apartment, I did some oatmeal porridge for lunch and tried my best to put them to bed for an afternoon nap. Needless to say, all efforts were futile. I couldn’t get them to stop bouncing around. Here’s Isaac pretending to call Mama.

Carol was going to come back at 4pm so we could go get Isaac’s medicine and try to pick up some groceries. The trip went surprisingly well. We took the stroller, as the walk was quite long and Isabella walked all the way to the pharmacy as Isaac rode. Then we switched and went to Billa for groceries. Isaac rode well in the cart. Isabella was obviously wanting to touch everything, so we made it as quick as possible. Then on our way back, we stopped at ATB grocery to get big jugs of water (closer to the apartment). Isabella’s shoes were hurting, so I carried her on my shoulders and carried the water. Needless to say, I was soaked in sweat by the time we got to the apartment.

Carol helped me get some dinner ready for them and after a bath, I successfully put them to bed. Isaac slept deep, but Isabella was dreaming and shaking her head. At one point she even started crying, with tears and sobs. I finally woke her up, went to the kitchen for some water, held her for a bit and then put her back to bed. Papa was then finally able to eat something for the day and get some rest.

So as for coming back, we’ll have to postpone it by a few more days at least as the passports are expected to be completed on Friday 3rd. July. That means we should be able to get to Kiev on Sunday and get the visas and doctor visits done in two days, with a possible travel date of July 8th.

Getting closer

The last few days have been very busy with lots of running around getting documents done.

Olga came on Monday afternoon to pick up the court decree, but that didn’t work out as the judge wasn’t there. So that lengthened everything one more day and we had to pick it up on Tuesday at 2pm. Without it we couldn’t get the new birth certificates, so instead we left early on Wednesday morning at 4:45am. The journey to the birth town took about 2 1/2 hours. By 7:30am we were waiting outside the window of the registry building and at slightly after 8am, a lady came out and called us in (ahhh, expediting fees). By 10am we were ready and out of the office. Then we took the hour journey to Dnepropetrovsk to get the certificates legalized. Traffic is quite bad in there. We left the paperwork there (with grease-money) and went for lunch. Then we went back to pick up the finished certificates and left to return to Nikopol around 3pm.

Today it was passports day. We had more paperwork to sign at the orphanage in the morning, sorted out some complications due to Isaac’s medications and went to notarize some passport documents. Around noon we took the kids out to take pictures. The first leg of the trip was fine and they both did quite well. Then we rode a taxi to old-town Nikopol, where the passport office is, and the fidgeting began. Isaac did better than Isabella, but she was super-hyper, wanting to touch everything, bothering strangers trying to get their attention (mainly for seeing what they’re carrying in their bags!). Overall the car ride was ok and Isaac was quite focused.

At the office, we needed to take digital photos and sign documents. It was quite a feat to get Isaac to focus on the camera and close his mouth. The ladies were very nice and patient with all of us. After some candy and about 10 attempts at a picture, it was Isabella’s turn. In the meantime, I struggled to keep her in check as she was wanting to touch everything and tried to turn off the power strips a couple of times! Olga was quite surprised at her behavior (poor Isaac, we all think he’s the troubled one and instead, Isabella was worse!!) and I could tell she was really looking forward for this to be over. We took turns holding the kids as I was required to sign documents a few times. Anyway, we finally managed to wrap things up and took the kids back to the orphanage around 1:15pm.

After a quick little salad and some cold drinks at Celentano, we headed back to the passport office to see if we could get the documents completed. The plan was to drive the documents directly to Dnepropetrovsk to make the process go faster, but it wasn’t going to happen. At least we had the documents in hand around 3:45pm and then a guy took us to the police department for some more signatures and handed us the completed files. At around 4:10pm we walked back to the orphanage in what easily felt like 100F temperatures (might have been 98 but the humidity was higher today). Olga finished some more paperwork at the Orphanage and I went to have fun and sweat one more time with the twin’s group. Alla was there today, and that’s always more fun.

So tomorrow should be the big day. The plan is to go sign more documents in the morning at the orphanage, buy some gifts for the kids and caregivers, get groceries and food, and then take the twins out in their new clothes. Olga will take the 2 hour trip to Dnepropetrovsk to get the passports in the pipeline (and hopefully get a date of completion), go to the hospital to settle some issues with Isaac’s prescription so we can buy medicine from a local pharmacy, and then take the train to Kiev. I’m hoping we’ll have passports on Tuesday, at which time we can travel back to Kiev to finish up the medicals and Visas. If we have an estimate by tomorrow, I’ll call Continental to see if they will let me “hold” the kid’s seats, but I doubt it. I’m not booking till I can physically see the passports!

Ten Days - Over!

The waiting period is officially over! But what does that really mean?

Well, usually if this happens during the week, it means we could go pick up the court decree and we can then take the kids out of the orphanage. This makes them part of the family for sure. However since it’s a Saturday, we have to wait till Monday to get the court decree. However, we’re not taking them out right away.

I’m sure you’re probably asking “But why?!”. Well, we have to get birth certificates from their birth town (2 1/2 hours away) and some tax ID paperwork. Unfortunately they’re not open on Monday. The reason I was given is that “they work Saturdays to process weddings, so they close on Mondays”. This means that our translator will probably travel on Monday afternoon to get the court decree and then we’ll travel to their birth-town on Tuesday. If all goes well and we get the birth certificates on Tuesday (hmmmmmm…..) then we’ll pick the kids up on Wednesday and get their passports started. This means that they won’t be ready this week. But guess what? Monday will be a make-up holiday for Sunday’s Constitution holiday! Meaning the passports will not get done probably until Tuesday 30th June.

My ticket out of Kiev is for Friday 3rd July, but I think it’s highly unlikely we’ll be done by then. Even if we are, I doubt we’ll be able to get tickets for the twins on the same flights, which means another ticket change and we’ll probably push travel to after that weekend.

The only positive I could draw from pushing the date of passports further down is that Isaac’s bumps and scratches on his face could heal by then, making him look better in his picture ;) See what I’m talking about in the photo below, taken yesterday. PS: Obviously you could argue he’ll get MORE of them by then!

This morning Isabella wouldn’t come back to me after I let go of her hand. There was a caregiver’s daughter (a little trouble-maker) and she went running around with her. I kept walking with Isaac, climbing steps, etc. and in under 5 minutes, I hear crying. Then Isabella and this girl show up from the back-side of the building, with a pretty bad scratch on her elbow (see the green in the picture above? Same spot, but a lot larger now!). So I gave her some tough love, told her that’s what happens when she doesn’t listen to Papa, gave no hugs (wasn’t easy lol!) and I think she got it. The other girl left and Isabella held my hand with no complaints.

Rain

Today was my first occasion to spend some time playing with the twins inside. It’s been raining since this morning pretty hard. In here, there are no storm sewers so all the water floods the roads instantly and drivers don’t hold back. So you have to walk through 4 inches of water to cross the streets and be about 15 feet from the roadway to be safe from being given a mud-bath!

For the morning visit, it stopped raining, so I was able to make it back and forth just fine. Only the twins were allowed outside and since it was a bit cold, they were well wrapped in extra layers of clothing and the infamous pink tights. It was on the chilly side but a bit humid. Papa was more than comfy. So we played in the yard all by ourselves, mostly swinging, saying the numbers in English, etc. We also walked a couple of laps around the orphanage.

This afternoon it started raining again probably around 3pm and has not stopped since. I’m writing this at 8:45pm and it’s still going. My little compact umbrella that I store in the glove compartment of my Jeep didn’t do much good, except keeping my head dry. I was pretty soaked by the time I got back. Now I have the fan blowing on the clothes to help them dry faster.

When I got there, the caregiver was signing for me to go in and she led us into a room with a ton of toys, adjacent to their bedroom: bikes, tricycles, an electric motorcycle, a plastic car, building blocks, cushions in all sorts of shapes, balls, jumping balls…you name it! I spent most of the time re-packing all the toys that they were taking down into the middle of the room. They were going nuts! I guess this could classify as over-stimulation?! I had to get things under control as Isaac kept banging toys on other stuff or kicking the wooden blocks around the room or swirling ropes, while Isabella opened every bag known to man and dumped the contents on the floor while holding a toy broom. My attempts at actual play were futile, so I realized I had to gain some level of control. I can already sense that my patience is going to be tested and stretched to it’s confines in the coming months. So for those that work with me: you’re warned! Here’s a picture I took a while ago of their bedroom.

So I packed everything off the floor and didn’t let them take anything else. We finally managed to play a bit with a ball, the car and the broom. Both liked the bouncing balls and I goofed around too, pretending to be chasing them around on the bouncing ball. No, I didn’t actually bounce on it :p Isabella was riding the broom like a witch and then I did the same on Isaac and lifted him up, making a swooshing sound as I “flew” him around the room. He picked on the sound right away and repeated as he ran around with the broom between his legs. I think he would make a great Seeker.

So that was it for the day. When it was time to leave, both held my hand and led me to the door. I was confused as they seemed to want to go out. I knew that was not going to happen, so I told them “Pakaa, Pakaa” (that’s “bye bye”) and when I took Isaac’s hand off, he threw a fit; pretty much threw himself on the floor and cried hard. Isabella didn’t want to let me go either, but she listened and sat down. I’m not sure but perhaps they don’t particularly like the caregivers working the evening shift?? I’m sure if Alla was there, this wouldn’t have happened. Anyhow, here’s another photo I took a while ago of their TV area (that’s Isabella in pink).

Grillin’

No, I’m not talking about charcoal/gas and meat. I’m talking about a 5 year old (Marsha) grilling an adult (Carol) over what is about to happen to her friends Isabella and Isaac. It was absolutely hilarious to hear Carol’s translation! Here’s what I remember about how it went down:

M: “So, Alina and Maxim are going home with Papa on a plane?”

C: “Yes”.

M: “Where is Mama?”

C: “She’s at home, waiting for them.”

M: “Papa is taking them all home by himself?!”

C: “Yes, but Mama will be at the airport waiting for them.”

M: “Ok, so Papa is taking Alina and Maxim home, on a plane, all by himself?”

C: “Yes, but they’re going to be ok…”

Now is this a smart girl or WHAT?! I couldn’t stop laughing after the conversation ended and Carol came to me and said…”I’ve been interrogated by Marsha! I guess they’ve been talking to them about Isabella and Isaac’s future.” But the grillin’ actually didn’t stop there. Alla was outside with a couple other caregivers and she asked:

A: “So Papa is here by himself?”

C: “Yes, his wife went back to America so she can spend more time with the kids once they get home.”

A: “Is he staying at a hotel? Who’s cooking?”

C: “No, he stays at an apartment and does well by himself!”

A: “Hmmmm ok, but we’re worried about him and those two kids on the plane, all by himself!”

C: “I think he’s got it under control. Don’t worry, he’s got harnesses!”

Alla is such a funny lady. I wish she spoke English or lived closer to home. All the kids adore her. She’s strict, kids listen to her, but you know she has a gentle and caring heart and it shows through every day.

 

 

 

 

The temperature dropped back down this week after some rain (storms in the north) and a cold front blew through the area. It’s very welcome, let me tell you! I’m enjoying it a lot. Last week it was getting very hot and for a couple of days the kids ran around in underwear, but now it’s back to some layered clothes. This week Carol visited the twins with me a couple of times and she brought a jumper, which Isabella promptly put on. As always, she pestered Carol for her bag several times. I finally let her hold on to my plastic bag containing the harnesses and my umbrella.