Day 25 – Passport and Gotcha Day

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Today we went to the bank to withdraw Andrei’s government money from the bank and make our donation to the orphanage. It took about 30 minutes to complete paperwork, close his account, and withdraw the money. They gave us the money in small bills and it looked like a large brick. It was somewhat comical to place the large block of cash (donation) on the director’s desk.

After the bank we went to get our passports. They were not ready!!!! The “boss” had not signed them yet. We waited almost 3 hours for them. While waiting, we had to use the "bathroom" in the nearest restaurant.  A picture is worth 1000 words.

Once we had the passport, we went to the market to buy diapers, fruits, and chocolates for the kids. At 2:00 PM we were able to get Andrei from the orphanage. The caregivers woke him up from his nap, and I was  able to dress him.

Loved the socks!

Look how cute he looks!!!

We said goodbye to everyone, and we were out of there...down the hall...down the stairs...out the door...through the court yard...into the taxi...and...out the gates!  I wanted to post more pictures, but we are having internet issues.


Since we had not eaten all day, we went to John Howard for a last meal in Kherson with the other Texan family, our taxi driver, and our facilitator. The kids did really well! Then we went back to our apartment to finish packing and get ready for the train ride at 9:00 PM.

In the apartment, Andrei had to touch everything! He is a typical inquisitive toddler plus he has not seen or touched most of the stuff around him. Randell and I were exhausted by the time we left for the train station. We are too OLD to have a 3 year old. Our backs were hurting from picking him up and my knee was giving out. At this rate, Andrei will need to push my wheelchair to his kindergarten “Meet the Teacher Night”. : )

We gave him his first bath, and he loved it! After his bath, he was so happy. He kept hugging on me. So sweet!

Our driver picked us up at 9:00 for the train station. He and Randell had to bring down 3 large suit cases, 1 carry-on, and a stroller down 3 flights of stairs. Our facilitator was able to get us 2nd class tickets for the train. It is cheaper to buy all four beds in the 2nd class compartment, then to buy two first class tickets. The compartments are the same in size except that it sleeps 4 people, and you have to share it with strangers if you don’t buy all four beds. I was dreading the heat in that box. It was like a sauna last time, but this time it was not that hot. It was actually fairly comfortable.

Andrei slept parts of the trip, but he would wake at the train stops and would need to go to the bathroom. The bathrooms are usually locked when stopped at the stations, but they were very nice to open it for Andrei. He went about 7 times, and some of the times he did not actually have to go. In the orphanage, I had noticed that he uses needing to go to the bathroom as his escape from having to do something he does not want to do. I think he was very nervous and did not know how to react to this situation.

There is a lot I can say about the bathroom experience, but I think one short sentence will some it up. I had to tuck the bottom of my pants into my boots in order to go into the bathroom. The rest I would rather forget. : )

Day 24 – New Birth Certificate

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

We went to visit Andrei’s birth region today. It is in the province of Kherson Oblast which is the same province we are in, but it is in the city of Gola Prystan. It took about an hour to get there, and on the map, it is between Kherson and the Black Sea. The town is also on the Dnieper river. I tried to take some pictures, but we were going pretty fast, so they are mostly a blur.

It is a small town with mostly small homes. It took a while for the paperwork to be completed, since files here are kept with big books, and the birth certificates are typed. (Yes!!! They typed it on a good old type writer!) I think there was some kind of “payment” given afterwards since our facilitator had to go get some extra $ from the bank. These are pictures from his birth town. They are the best I could do from the car.

After we got his new birth certificate, we came back to Kherson to apply for the one day passport, which by the way costs $700. OUCH! This is where things started falling apart. There is only one place to get the passport and only two special printers that could print these one day passports. They called for a “specialist” to come fix it at noon. We checked on it at 2:00, and it was not ready. They thought it could be a computer program issue. Then they told us they would call us by 7:30 PM if the printer was fixed. Praise God, the printer was fixed, and we could pick it up the next day.

For those interested, here is some brief info about the passports. The old passport (red one) does not require a tax ID number and there is the option of getting it in one day, because it is printed in the region where the orphanage is located. There is a limited number of old passports left in each region, and once they run out, they will not be reprinted. The new passport (blue one) could take 5 or more days to receive, because the application is sent to Kiev and the passport comes from Kiev. We asked if we could go to Kiev to apply for it there, but we could not. You have to apply for it in the child’s region. Interesting system!

To make it more interesting, the new passport requires a tax ID number. The ID number given to the adopted child when their name is changed needs to match the old ID number. Somehow Andrei’s ID numbers did not match, and the guy (not sure who he was) said we were going to need a couple of days to have that corrected in his birth city before we could even apply for a new passport. We were so blessed that the printer was fixed, and we did not need to apply for the new passport.

Day 23 – Passport Pictures

This is the post for Monday, January 10, 2011

Today started as a typical day for Andrei, and we had our "usual" visit.

These are pictures of Ayna, the psychologist, and Andre before we left on our little adventure. She is amazing with the kids! She has worked with Andrei since he was 7 months old and was told that he had no hope of talking, moving, or any mental ability. I am so glad that she saw the spark in his eye, and it is thanks to her hard work and his determination to succeed that he has made such incredible progress. She has a son with CP who has the same name and was instantly connected to Andrei.  Ayna has been Andrei’s parental figure for a long time, and it will be hard for both of them to be apart when we leave. We are forever grateful to her for seeing the hope and determination in Andrei and giving him a chance to succeed in life.  Thank you God for placing Ayna in Andrei's life!

Besides our usual visit, today we went on our first outing with Andrei to get his passport pictures. Little did Andrei know when we arrived that he would get out of the orphanage for a short hour.

These are picture of his shocked face. I think Randell’s face looks a little freaked out also. : )

He did a great job at the passport photo place, and we were done quickly. On our way back we gave him a sucker. He had never had one before and was not sure what to do with it at first. We had to show him what to do.

I can’t wait to see the world through his eyes for the first time!

Side Notes: 
Our internet here at Kherson has not been the best.  I hope to catch up on my Day 24 post when we arrive in Kiev.  On Day 24 we went to Andrei's birth place and had some passport issues that God resolved. 

Today, Day 25, we will go get the passport, take Andrei's goverment money out of the bank and donate it to the orphanage, pick-up Andrei, and get on the train for Kiev.

Tomorrow, Day 26, we will have our embassy appointment. I will try to catch up on my blogging then. : )


Madison, we LOVE you! We can’t wait to see you!

Praise God!!!!!

The printer is fixed, and we will get the passport tomorrow!  God has been so faithful in our journey.  This is one of many answered prayers.  This journey has been one miracle after another!  God is amazing!!!  He continues to bless us beyond measure!!!  Thank you for your faithfulness in praying for us!!!

All glory be to God!!!!!! 

Urgent! Your prayers are needed right now.

The special printer that prints the old passports is not working.  Someone is trying to fix it right now.  If it is not fixed, and we are not able to get the old passport, we will have to apply for the new ones.  This will add 1-2 weeks to our stay here.  This means added cost of changing flights and cost of extra days.  It could add thousands of dollars to our cost.  Please pray that the printer is fixed by tomorrow.  We know God can make this happen, and we need your prayers today.

Day 22 – Last day of our 10 day wait!

We had an interesting visit today. Andrei was grumpy and tired. I think he was off his schedule since there is a different crew of caregivers on the weekends.  I left the camera at home this morning.  Sorry no pictures of Andrei.  : (

Now that the 10 days are up, we begin the process of getting a new birth certificate, a passport, and visa to the US. The last 10 days have not been easy, but they have allowed us time to bond with Andrei. We are so thankful that we had another Texan family here to spend our afternoons with. It truly made the time go by a little faster, and together we were “brave” enough to explore the city. God knew we needed that fellowship time. Here are some pictures from our outing to the river this afternoon.

The end is in sight!!!

This is one of our favorite places to eat. It’s good pizza, it’s cheap, and we can order in “Russian” since we order cheese pizza and 2 cokes every time. : )

I could not help taking this picture. Randell walked away as if he did not know me. : )  Check out the make-up!  Mary Kay is everywhere!

Our plan for next week.
• Tomorrow the facilitator will pick-up our finalized court decree, and we will take Andrei to get his passport picture. I hope they let us take him out for lunch also.
• Tuesday we will go to his birth region to get a new birth certificate with our names as his parents. Tuesday afternoon we will apply for the passport and hopefully get it either later that day or on Wednesday.
• Wednesday should be Gotcha Day!
• Wednesday night we will take the train back to Kiev and arrive Thursday at 10 am.
• Thursday 11:00 am we have our embassy appointment to apply for Andrei’s visa.
• Friday morning we will go to his medical exam, pick-up the result by 2:00, and go back to the embassy for the visa.
• Saturday we hope to enjoy our time around Kiev with Andrei.
• Sunday we will be at the airport at 3:00 AM. So early!!! Our plane leaves at 6:45 AM to Amsterdam. We arrive at 8:45 AM and have a short layover until 10:00 AM. We then will go straight to Dallas. We will arrive in Dallas at 1:45 PM. YAHOO!!

It’s a tight schedule, but we know that with God’s help it can be done. Please pray that everything works out smoothly so we can be home on Sunday.

Day 21 – (day 9 of waiting period) – Singing Together

We did not have internet yesterday, so this post is for Saturday, January 08, 2011

Andrei had an interesting outfit on today. Check out the red fringe on the sleeves and the green socks over the pink stockings. : ) He looks cute in anything!

He is starting to show affection without being ask to give us a hug or kiss. Today, he was loved the made up song I was singing to him and was trying to sing along. At one point he held on to my head and gave me the tightest hug. He is going to love being rocked and sang to. Can’t wait! Hope you enjoy the video.

Day 20 – (day 8 of waiting period) – Merry Christmas!

Friday, January 07, 2011

Ukraine is celebrating Orthodox Christmas today.  Randell and I feel so blessed to be here!  Merry Christmas from Ukraine! 

Hope you enjoy the video of Randell and Andrei having fun.

Day 19 – (day7 of waiting period) – Fun Inside!

We had no internet yesterday so this is the post for Thursday, January 06, 2011

It was a little warmer today, so we did not get to go outside. : ) Instead, we had a good time playing in the “therapy” room.

Both my oldest and my youngest child played in the ball pit today.

Andrei has incredible upper body strength. We could not get the picture fast enough, but he could pull up his legs all the way up to the rings. He looked like a little Russian gymnast.

He is getting use to being tickled and Randell’s “playful roughhousing”. I love it when he starts giggling! He was upset when dad did not tickle him before nap time like he did yesterday. He is definitely a creature of habit. Those poor caregivers! They probably think we are crazy.


I think we are throwing him off his routine and distracting him when it is time to eat. He was eating very slowly today, and they bribed him to finish eating by offering chocolate when he finished. He is spoiled already. : )

This is picture after he took a bite of his pickle.

Then he tried to give it to me. Yesterday he ate several pickles, but today he was not as interested.


It is Orthodox Christmas tomorrow. The groupa playroom is decoraded with a Christmas tree.

Today we had lunch at our favorite place, John Howard.  They have English menus, and their waitress speaks English. 


I was having pancakes, which are actually crepes, and decided to ask for toast. The waitress asked if I wanted cheese with it. I said yes thinking it was some kind of cream cheese. I ended up getting a pressed grilled cheese sandwich. It was delicious! It tasted like home. Tomorrow we are coming back for more, and we are bringing our Texan friends. : )

Travel Tips for Those Coming to Adopt in Ukraine

Below are a few travel tips for those who have never adopted in Ukraine.  It's not much, but it might be of use for those preparing to come.  Reading the handbook provided by RR was extremely helpful.  It has great information, and I would recommend reading it several times and bringing it with you.  This info will be mostly be useful for packing and the first day or two.  It does not take long before you adjust to life here.  

As you read this info, please keep in mind that we have only done this once, and the information below is specific to our experience and our region. 

• Pack light! Everyone says this, but believe me, carrying luggage up and down stairs in the train station and apartments without elevators is not a lot of fun.
• Bring travel size toiletries. You will be able to find everything you need here at a lower cost. We found the same brands of shampoo, deodorant, and toothpaste.  There are markets everywhere within walking distance.
• Bring a simple travel dictionary. It will be of great help in the market.  Make sure you have your apartment address written in English and Russian, so you can get a taxi if you get lost or tired of walking around. The facilitators are great, and if you need help communicating what you need, you can call them.
• Bring all the medicine that you think you might need. I already had to take my antibiotics. Make sure you get some from your doctor before you come.
• Bring a small flashlight. Some of the stairwells up to our apartments have been dark at night.
• Layers are a must! Stick to dark colors that you can mix and match. Also, most people wear dark colors, and you will blend a little better when walking around. In the winter, it is very cold outside, but indoors it is HOT. You will be more comfortable inside if you can take off your heavy sweater. Warm boots have been a must for me. Women were all kinds of boots as part of their everyday wear. They have boot stores everywhere, but they are not as inexpensive as you might think. They are warmer, because they are leather and lined with “fur”. Women here are almost “naked” under their big coats. Often they have short sleeves, see-through blouses, and VERY short skirts; therefore they are not hot indoors. The weather has been in the 30s, and we have done a lot of walking. I have not worn my thermal underwear much, but I do have a long thick coat. If you are hot natured, you might want to bring some lighter clothing for hanging around the apartment and sleeping. Also, if you travel first class on the train, I would recommend bringing a tank top and/or shorts, or you can strip down to your undies like we did. : )
• Washing clothes…YUCK! Bring a few travel size hand washing soap and a couple of small packs of soap for machine wash. It you are lucky, you will have a washing machine in your apartment. Most items will dry in a day or two depending on the thickness of the material. Jeans take about two days if you place them in front of the radiator. If you wear layers, you only need to wash your under layers which will dry faster. Spot clean as much as you can thick clothing. Most bathrooms have a radiator tube. If you place items on it, they will dry in a day or so. If you do not have a washing machine, either wash your clothes in the bathtub or in a small wash tub. You will need rubber cloves, or you will destroy your hands. Ukrainian tip: Wash your undergarments each day when you take a bath. They will be dry the next day. You will probably not need an iron. Each apartment we have been in has had one.

These are our essentials for washing clothes by hand.

• Taking a bath/shower…INTERESTING! All I can say is… “When in Rome do as the Romans.” If you have a big tub with a seat and no shower curtain, use the seat! We tried standing and made a mess of the bathroom. Be careful getting out of the tubs, they have a big drop.

• The market…FUN! If you like peanut butter, granola bars, oatmeal, or sweetners, bring them. These items are difficult to find.  It can be difficult to find the right milk and water. What may look like milk could be cream or yogurt, and what looks like water may be carbonated water. See the pictures below to get you started. Try the delicious pasties and chocolate. YUM! Our facilitator said not to buy the pastries in the open market but the meat, cheese, eggs, fruits, and veggies are fine. I am not too sure about the meat, but we did buy some cheese and did not get sick. We always have coke, juice, bananas, cheese, ham, bread, and eggs in our apartment. We love eating grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. They make quick meals. We were very glad to have granola bars on the first couple of days and during the train ride.  There will be no water or food on the train, so make sure to pack something to eat and drink.

Water…Look for the one with the mountains and a BLUE cap. I wish I had brought some instant tea mix or those Crystal Light packages that can be mixed in the water bottles.

Mayo, spagetti sauce (look for the one w/ the spagetti in the picture), and butter.

Milk and Juice
Milk - 2,5% has been the most like our milk.  We bought some in a box that was the same brand but 2,6%, and it was more like a creamer.  We like the mixed fruit juice the best.  Our facilitator said this was a better brand, and that they also make good juice for kids.

We have yet to find a coffee maker.  Most restaurants have cappuccino, latte, or American coffee available.  If you like to have coffee in the morning, instant is the way to go.  This one is delicious! Just add a teaspoon to a cup of hot water. I have not found sweetners anywhere. Make sure to bring them if you prefer it to sugar. I also brought packages of flavored instant capuccino mixes. I have really enjoyed those.

Love this thing! Just add distilled water and hit the button on the top of the handle…and…presto, hot water in minutes.  Sorry, but I could not get the picture turned the right way.


• We have not had any problems exchanging money. There are places everywhere in Kiev and in our region as well (Kherson). We were worried about having any folds on our money, and we handled it with great care. But… I have seen our facilitator exchange money that was folded in half without a problem. You should still bring new crisp bills just in case, but don’t panic if a corner folds. : )
• Don’t drink the tap water.  You may also not want to ask for ice at restaurants unless it was made with distilled water. Salads may also be questionable since they may have been washed with regular water. I ate some salad at a nicer restaurant, and I was fine.  The first few days we brushed our teeth with distilled water. We asked our facilitator about it, and she said she uses the regular water, so we tried it. We have been brushing our teeth with it and have not had a problem. This may depend on the region.
• The tip at restaurants is only 5-10% of the cost of the meal. 
• Money... It is worth every penny, but it is costly!  There will be unexpected expenses.  Some you have to pay and others are nice things to do for those who have cared for your child and for the other children in the groupa.  Examples:  increase in the same day passport cost from $600 to $700, taxi cost of your facilitator as they go around town getting your paperwork ready, daily treats for the other kids in the groupa, thank you gifts for the caretakers, chocolates for the caregivers on New Year and Christmas, clothes or shoes for your child if what you brought does not fit…  It all odds up, so plan ahead.

The following is specific to our experience on our first day.  If you are with RR, your experience may be similar.

• Kiev Airport…??!!! When you enter the building, look to your right and line up where it says “Visas”. There are some lines for “Non Visas” but they are usually not opened. We were eventually moved to the citizen window when there was no waiting in those lines. We filled out the little paper for entering the country, but the officer at customs said we did not need it since we were not staying more than 90 day. She wanted to know the address of where we were going, and we wrote the region where we were adopting. I am not sure if that was right or not, but she stamped our passport and we were in. Our advice is…go with the flow. You will then get your luggage. Use the free carts. Then, you will go through a “security point”. It is an officer either waiving you through or having your place your luggage through the large x-ray machine. After that point, you should look around for your driver. He will have a sign with your name. We did not have a driver that spoke English at the airport. It was a little scary, but don’t worry, he will take you to the apartment and Niko or Yulia will contact you. We had to pay him in dollars. It was $32, and I only had $20 dollar bills. Make sure to have some lower currency incase this happens to you.
• Niko came to our apartment about an hour after we arrived, and he gave us a cell phone, showed us where the market was across the street, and told us where to exchange $. If you are lucky, Niko will be waiting for you at the airport. He speaks English, and he will take you to exchange $ and to the market before going to your apartment. The most difficult part about not having Niko as the driver who picks you up, is the not knowing what is going on right away. Relax and know that he or Yulia will contact you. 
• Make sure you buy a couple of water bottles at the airport before you fly to Ukraine. When we were left in the apartment, we had no water, no idea where to get it, and no Ukrainian money. I ended up boiling water (for at least 8 minutes), so that Randell could take some medicine. We did have some granola bars for a quick snack.  It felt like we were on Ukraine Survivor that first day.  : )  It did not take long to adjust to the surroundings and relax a little.
• Don’t be surprised if your driver, Niko, is also your translator at the SDA. We were expecting to see Yulia, but there were a lot of couples who needed her help that day. The SDA was very simple. We only had one question asked, “Why do you want to adopt a sick child.” Niko was great! He knows everyone there.