Jodi Speaks Her Mind

Woohooo!!!! 10/17/2005

I just got off the phone with Jodi - she’s at the orphanage right now and after a party with Adelina’s groupa will be leaving with Adelina!!! So Adelina will be spending her first night with her mom (!) tonight at the apartment, then after about a week of paperwork they’ll be headed HOME. What a thought!

Thank you God!! And thank you to everyone who has been keeping us in prayer for so long! We’re in the home stretch!

UPDATE: I called Jodi again (7:30 pm Kiev time) and Adelina was “home” at the apartment, having tea and cookies, getting ready for a bath, then bed…

Like a “real” daughter. I think I’m going to cry.

I might become a Mommy today

Our facilitator meets with the judge in just 2 hours to ask if the paperwork is ready to be picked up. The paperwork we need is the actual Adoption Decree. With this in hand, we can pick up Adelina for good as well as move forward with the final steps that will enable us to bring her home to the U.S.

I will post as soon as possible about the result, and if I’m too busy with Adelina, I’ll make sure Steve lets you all know.

Please be praying!!! We are sooooo close!

New pictures up 10/13/2005

Steve here again. I’ve uploaded a bunch more pics to the gallery, covering the time up until I left. They’re mostly Adelina (of course) - I’ll get more up a bit later of some more of the sights.

Jodi still has the camera, and hopefully after they get back we’ll have pics of Adelina’s release from the orphanage, time in Kiev, and triumphant return to her new HOME! Woooooo!!

Greetings from the other side

Of the Atlantic that is. Steve here, checking in from Phoenix. I got back Saturday, and have been mostly focused on getting back into the swing of things at work. Jet lag has been a bear, even with the No-Jet-Lag Jodi found before we left. But I’m finally getting the hang of it.

I love to travel, but you know, traveling alone sucks. The trip was 4 hours to Kiev, and overnight stay on London, then 11 hours to Phoenix. Boooooring. But here I am, back in our house, back at work.

And lonely for my family! Ukraine would seem like a dream if it weren’t for the fact that the two most important girls in my life are captive to paperwork in Kiev for another 2 weeks. I’m not sure if I hated the beauracracy more while in Ukraine or now that I’m separated from the ones I love. Hang in there Jo, it’s almost over!

Tak Umnaya Devechka! 10/8/2005

“Such a smart girl!”

Adelina continues to amaze us and blossom despite her difficulty in understanding why we come day after day for only two hours each day. She learns signs about as fast as we can introduce them and is beginning to grasp concepts related to the passage of time as well as emotions. She never stops smiling except when the inevitable time to say goodbye is upon us. I just marvel that someone so kind, smart, creative, and sensitive could be my daughter!

God’s blessings truly outweigh the difficulties, and I can assure that Adelina truly is worth it all!

I’ll try to write more about Adelina in the near future. There’s so much to share!