Six months home.  It does feel like a big milestone although its just another day.  It's crazy to think about all the changes in our family over those months. 

 

Eric's two foot surgeries went well.  No complications.  Not too much pain.  It sounds weird but it already seems routine to go into the hospital for surgery.  Wednesday he will go under anesthesia for the fifth time in less than two months.  The best part is that Eric is happy with his newly turned feet and is excited to be able to walk again soon.  We don't have any specific time-frame for the future.  That includes when his casts will come off from his foot surgeries or the long-term treatment of his hips, knees etc.  It's going to be a long process and each surgery will be something that we will consider the benefits versus complication and pain.  We know that Eric will thrive regardless of how much function he gains or how many obstacles he  faces.  He's also doing well in school.  He loves going to school and everyone there loves him.  He's learned so much in six months it's amazing. 

 

For everyone that continues to check for updates on the blog, I just wanted to let you know that this will be the last entry.  The main reason is that we have moved on from the "adoption" phase.  We are now just living the nice, quiet family life without too much excitement to write about.  For family and friends who still check here if you would like to receive updates and pictures send me an email at shannlow04@yahoo.com.   I think you can tell from the latest batch of photos that Eric is doing well and has a great future ahead.

 

Thanks so much for checking on us throughout our journey.  We have been so blessed and appreciate all of your support and prayers. 

 

Love from the Lowrys,

Shannon, Dave, Eric, and Owen

 

 

Before and after photos.  What do you think is this the same boy?  Click on the pictures to see the larger version.

 

 

 

Everything went great with Eric's surgery.  It lasted around 3 hours and the surgeon was very happy with the results.  We haven't seen his foot with the cast off, but you can tell just by looking at the cast that the foot was turned.  He'll be getting the second foot done either this Tuesday or in a few weeks.  The surgeon won't decide until she sees how well the first foot healed.

 

Eric is doing great.  He isn't complaining very much about pain.  The best part is that he is excited and happy about the results. 

 

Thanks for checking on us!

Our big boy is six.  Wow!  He is doing great and had a wonderful birthday.  He loved every second of it and really was a joy.  It was amazing seeing his first real birthday celebration and how much he enjoyed it.  It was one of the best days we've had since coming home from Ukraine.  We are so proud of Eric, how strong he is, how smart he is, and what a wonderful personality.  Truly a blessing.

 

We have a definite date for our first surgery.  April 18th they will be performing muscle release surgery on one foot.  If that goes well they will be doing the second foot the following week.  We are nervous but also very excited to be moving forward and getting Eric to a better place.  Each week when they change his casts they will be doing so in the surgery room under anesthesia.  It will be a long couple of months after the surgery but we are confident that it will work out for the best.

 

Thanks for thinking of us.  I will write a post with a full surgery update sometime soon after surgery.

 

Love,

The Lowrys

Three months home and life is so different.  We’ve settled into a nice routine and everyone seems to have come through the major adjustments.  It just feels on a regular basis that life is normal.  Not something I would have said three months ago.

 

As you can see in the pictures Eric has his first set of casts.  We weren’t expecting to get casts until after surgery but the Doctor decided he wanted to try to get some correction prior to surgery.  The casts are big, heavy and uncomfortable.  Eric is definitely not happy but managing well.  His whole life has been about making it through tough situations so he is well prepared.  We don’t know the answer to how long he will wear the casts.  Most likely until surgery but we don’t have a surgery date yet.  We go back every week to have the old casts removed and new casts put on.  They slightly change the cast position each week to try to gradually mold the legs and feet closer and closer to a normal position.  This may not even provide much results due to Eric’s age and severity of malformation but its worth a try.

 

We finally were able to get the MRI at the hospital with Eric under full sedation.  He has some major ability to resist sedation.  At the hospital they gave him gas at first and once he fell asleep they put in the IV.  Well he was under with the gas, but as soon as they tried to put in the IV he woke up.  It’s almost freaky like someone waking from the dead.  They did not find anything noticeable on the MRI which is good news.  However, we will be seeing a neurologist in 2 months to get his opinion on possible nerve damage and the cause.  We also may see a geneticist who would test for a genetic cause that could tie all his malformations together.  None of this is urgent but would be important to know in case there are implications for his future.

 

You can see too in the pictures that he has glasses which he needs mostly for astigmatism.  He likes wearing them which is great.  I can see a long childhood of broken glasses in his future but what can you do.  He already broke the tip that goes behind his ear and he’s only had them for a few weeks.

 

Eric lost his second tooth and this time totally understood the concept of the tooth fairy.  He was so happy to get the money.  Even before he lost the tooth he would tell you about what happens when you loose a tooth.  It was the cutest storytelling with a lot of acting out the story and hand gestures.  He truly is so animated in story telling I think we have a young actor on our hands.

 

He is doing great in school too.  The teachers all say he is really smart which of course we already know.  He still has a lot to learn to pass kindergarten but he is learning everyday.  He now can write his name.  Doesn’t sound that great for an almost six year old but it is a major accomplishment.  In the beginning he could barely write due to lack of practice.  His scribbles looked very close to Owen’s.  He also had no concept of letters even in Russian.  So to learn how to write (which includes understanding orientation of up,down,across etc)  he has to learn English, he has to understand letters, and finally he has to remember how the four letters in his name are formed.  Pretty impressive for just a few months.  There are a lot of kindergarten level skills that he is no where near accomplishing but each one he does conquer is just amazing.  You really don’t think about all the steps of development that closely if the child has a normal progression over the years but to see all these concepts come together in a few months is awesome.

 

I think Owen is going to be ready for kindergarten soon too.  He really is learning so much more because of all the work we are doing with Eric.  Owen wants to join in all the learning sessions and even does homework every night when Eric does his.  When we want to ask Eric questions like what letter is this or what color is this we have to hide it from Owen or else he will answer first and Eric will just copy him.

 

We’ve been having really great weekends with trips to the beach, park, zoo etc.  It’s such a nice time of year in Florida and the boys love every second of our weekend adventures.  With Eric’s casts we have to think of some less wet and dirty activities to keep us busy.

 

People seem to want to know what Eric/Yarik’s name is.  He is Eric now at school and most of the time at home.  We use Yarik as a nickname.  Eric adjusted very easily to the change because it sounds so similar, which is the main reason we chose Eric in the first place.  I call him Eric Yaroslav sometimes and he laughs.  He’s probably hearing it like Yarik Yaroslav which would be like Dave David. 

 

Well thanks for checking on us.  Check back in the next few weeks for more pictures.  I bought some really cute St. Patrick’s Day hats for the boys.  And of course Eric’s birthday is on the 28^th.  I promise more pictures by the 31^st. 

 

Love,

Shannon, Dave, Eric and Owen

Ok, so I'm not a good blogger at home.  Believe me our life is not that exciting on a daily basis.  I am planning on updating at least once a month though, including pictures for family and friends that want to see them.

 

As you can probably guess things have been busy.  We had a wonderful Christmas, Owen turned two, I worked a lot for the year-end, Grandparents came to visit, and Yarik lost his first tooth.  Some other stuff happened too but I'm too tired these days to have a good memory.

 

Yarik's medical status is still the same.  We went last week to get the MRI and he wouldn't fall asleep.  It was scary when he was awake but sedated, but funny at the same time.  He was totally acting like a very drunk person.  So we are trying again next Wednedsday.  They recommend letting him sleep only four hours the night before and even suggested taking him to Walmart and walking around at four in the morning.  Should be an interesting group of people at Walmart that time of the day.  If he doesn't fall asleep this next time we will have to get an MRI at the hospital where they will sedate him further.  I hope it doesn't go that route.  Also, we will be delayed in returning to Shriners if it doesn't work out next week. 

 

Yarik still has not started school.  Basically we wanted him to start after the holiday break because it didn't make sense to send him for 2 weeks and then have a 2 week vacation.  That would have been possible if he didn't have special needs, however the neighborhood school just does not have the services he needs.  They don't have any aides that could stay with him in the class or help him to the bathroom.  Plus kindergarten classes are all in portables (trailers) without any wheelchair accessability.  Now I'm sure that we could fight for them to hire the aide and get the wheelchair accesabiity, however there is a better option.  There is a school not too far away that is a regular school but also is the center for physical disabilities.  We went to look at it and I new right away it was perfect for Yarik.  They have the aides, therapists, therapy equipment etc that he needs.  They can integrate him into a regular class and they also have special classes just for disabled kids.  The special classes have only 6-10 kids in each class and are open and have lots of great activities almost like a pre-school.  So, we want him in this school and in order to get into this school, because it isn't his neighborhood school, we have to have a meeting with all the therapists and special ed admin type people.  This meeting is scheduled for next week and hopefully he will start soon after.  The best part of the special program...it is at Lowry Elementary.  That's got to be the best school in Tampa right.

 

General life is pretty hectic.  We've seen improvements in Yarik in many ways that you don't notice on a daily basis.  For example when he first got back his eating was horrible, now it wasn't something to get worked up over but it could take its toll on a nice happy family dinner.  He didn't want to eat American food (understandable) and he was constantly banging his utensils, chewing with his mouth wide wide open and making sure everyone got to see his food, kicking everyone under the table, putting food on the table instead of his plate...just a general free for all.  I have to say that now he is very close to being a typical 5 year old boy at the table.  Not perfect but not constantly disrupting the meal.  Some of the annoying little things have slowed down but aren't completely gone yet.  He still plays with the light switches but usually now its because he thinks the light should be on or off.  In the beginning he could turn the same switch 100 times in a row if we let him.  The hardest part has been getting him to listen to us.  We are still far from good in that area, but making slow gains.  

 

Right around Christmas when everyone was home together all day for two weeks, the impact of Yarik's arrival seemed to hit Owen head on.  Some of it is just typical little brother stuff, some is the terrible twos, but a lot of it is from the sudden changes in the house.  Luckily it hasn't transfered over to school yet, but at home he is aggressive and very jealous.  No matter what Yarik is doing or playing Owen has to have it.  On the plus side he likes spending time with Yarik and gets very concerned with what Yarik is doing.  Of course Yarik eggs him on sometimes..this is the typical conversation on the way home from picking Owen up from school.

 

Owen: snack, oranges

Yarik: no apples,

Owen: no oranges,

Yarik: apples

Owen: oranges

Yarik: APPLES APPLES

Owen: ORANGES ORANGES

Mom breaks it up...

Owen: Dad home

Yarik: no Papa work

Owen: no home

Yarik: no work

Owen: PAPA HOME

Yarik: PAPA WORK

 

Ah aren't brothers just so cute.

 

So it's getting close to two months home.  I don't feel like we are completely settled or adjusted, but we're getting there.

 

Thanks for checking on us!

Shannon, Dave, Eric and Owen    

 

 

I know everyone is waiting for an update about the Shriners appointment.  We don't know much more than before because they want to get an MRI and they don't have one onsite.  We have an appointment to get one in mid-January.  They confirmed he has hip dysplasia and clubfoot, they also said he has dislocated knees which we didn't know previously.  They aren't sure if his has arthrogryposis or if there is any spinal involvement.  The spine looks normal on the x-ray and he has feeling in his legs and feet, but there could still be something going on with his spine that will show up on the MRI.  They will defintely do surgery on his feet and knees.  They aren't sure about his hips but that will be the last issue they will work on if necessary.

 

We are all doing well and excited about the holidays. 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

Shannon

Our Shriners appointment is tomorrow.  It will be a long event with many tests.  I’m not sure how much information we will get as far as diagnosis and treatment recommendations.  I think a panel of doctors reviews all the results first before they would tell us their conclusions.  I’m nervous about what they are going to say and also how Yarik will react.  I’ll let you all know how it goes.

 

We’ve been having a great time these last few weeks.  The holidays really add to the fun for the kids.  Yarik’s adjustment has been going well.  He seems to be bonding well asking for hugs and getting excited to see Mom and Dad if one of us is gone for awhile.  He’s really good at letting Mom console him which not all children from orphanages will do.  The biggest thing that sets him off is if he isn’t allowed to do something he wants to do.  He’s pretty stubborn about it and cries, not like a tantrum but like his heart is broken.  I think that’s just when all his emotions come out about all the changes and frustrations he’s experienced.  Usually he is a happy guy.  He had a great time making Christmas cookies and picking out the Christmas tree.  Both boys even did good sitting on Santa’s lap which was a surprise.  We also went to the aquarium and Yarik had a blast.  For a few days after that each time we got in the car he would say leepkey (sp?) which means fish.

 

If you notice in the pictures from the aquarium we do have a wheelchair.  We were lucky enough to be given both a wheelchair and a walker.  They are adult sized so not perfect but they have really come in handy.  We have to wait to go through the diagnosis, prescription, ordering, making, shipping, etc process to get him a custom chair and walker.  This hopefully will be started tomorrow at Shriners.

 

Dave and I are exhausted.  Those two boys are definitely full of energy and mischief.  I’m still working on keeping tabs on both of them at the same time.  If I’m doing something with one boy the other boy disappears or starts doing something they’re not supposed to do.   Owen is currently into undressing himself and as soon as I turn around his pants and diaper are off.  Yarik’s the opposite and fights us almost everytime we ask him if he has to go to the bathroom.

 

Not much progress on the school enrollment.  Obviously he will need special services including some type of aide.  The problem is to get these services he needs to be tested.  The only option in the mean time is to send him to a regular class in our neighborhood school without any special services.  Not even an option unless I go with him everyday.  So, we will most likely have to wait until all the testing and evaluations are done before he can start.  They basically won’t tell you anything until he’s tested because they don’t want to talk about a specific service or option and then decide not to offer it once all the testing is done.  It should be interesting to say the least.

 

Well hope you enjoy the new pictures.  Isn’t Owen cute, he always wants to push his big brother in the wheelchair or stroller.  Yarik is so funny playing the drums at his Aunt’s house.

This little guys name is Sergey.  He was born less than a month apart from Yarik and grew up with him at Boyarka.  He has similar orthopedic issues including arthrogryposis.  Yarik and he turned five last Spring, and we had already commited to adopting Yarik so they kept him at Boyarka.  Sergey had not found a home and was transferred to the horrible institution for disabled children.  He is living a terrible life there and really needs to be adopted or he will most likely die.  If there's anyone reading this blog who would like more information about adopting Sergey email me at shannlow04@yahoo.com.

 

Shannon 

It's been an amazing week since we've been home.  Yarik is doing so well.  Sometimes we forget that it's been less than a month since we first started taking him on trips away from the orphange.  How many new adventures he's had.  Then we will be reminded again, like when we were outside the other night and he kept pointing at the stars.  We're like yes look at the stars, finally it hit us that he maybe never saw the stars.  How often are they going to take 15 toddlers outside at night in an orphange. 

 

Yarik's favorite activity is playing outside as you can see from the new pictures.  He also loves to help with household chores.  I have a helper for the laundry!  How long will that last?

 

So life is crazy here but also a lot of fun.  I'll write a longer update soon.

 

Love,

The Lowrys

 

 

 

 

Sorry for the delay in updating.  We've been so busy since getting back home, not to mention exhausted. 

 

Our trip back from Ukraine went relatively well.  Yarik did awesome.  He got a little bored on the 10 hour flight from Kiev to New York and pressed all the buttons about a million times.  The Ukrainian flight attendents on Aerosvit are not the friendliest and really didn't appreciate when Yarik pressed the attendent call button 10 times.  Bathroom was not at all fun..not enough space and filthy..lots of things for Yarik to try to press and play with too..yes he pressed the flight attendent button in the bathroom too.  The good part about Aerosvit is almost everyone on the flight is Ukrainian and there were people near us who spoke English and Ukrainian and did some translating for me.  The best part was that Yarik kept saying America and when we landed he yelled it out loud.  It was so cute.  He's been saying America all the time when he sees new things that are exciting to him.

 

We were tired by the time we got to New York and had a bad experience getting through immigration.  We had to go to the line for people with a Visa since Yarik was immigrating with a Visa and it was ridiculous.  The cool part was both my Mom and Dave's Mom were able to come and meet us at the airport in NY.  It helped a lot since JFK is so big and you have to go outside and take a train to get between terminals.  Yarik's so smart he was asking where Papa and Owen were since he knew that we would see them in America.

 

Coming home to our house was too wonderful for words.  I missed everyone and everything and don't want to leave again anytime soon.  Owen was confused to see us the next morning.  He learned so many new things while I was gone.  He's been very clingy to me, which of course is understandable since he doesn't understand why Mommy disappeared for three weeks.  His reaction to Yarik is mixed.  They have fun together, but also need to work on sharing.  Owen isn't in the best stage now for sharing with anyone so it isn't personal to his new brother.

 

Yarik really hasn't been afraid of much.  It's really hard to believe that less than a month ago he had barely been off the orphanage grounds, and got so nervous when we took him to his passport photo.  He is having a blast with the toys and especially loves playing outside.  So much so that we've already installed deadbolt locks that you need a key for even to open from the inside.  Our biggest challenge has been the bathroom.  We've already made progress, but it is not easy progress.  We spend a lot of time in the bathroom and give Yarik a lot of praise and even chocolate treats for using the toilet.  He is so proud now when he goes to the bathroom that's the first thing he tells Papa when he comes home from work.  Some of you may not realize that although he uses the potty at the orphanage that does not mean he is potty trained.  It means that he ate and drank the same time and same amount every day and sat on the potty the same time, for a long time.  Basically they catch everything in the pot instead of a diaper.  You also have to realize that we still have big communication barriers so we can't potty train with words like you would normally.  Sleeping has been great.  The first few days he woke up early even though he was very tired, but he is now already adjusted to the time difference.  He loves to read books before bed too.

 

This week Yarik will have his first doctor appointment.  This will be just a general checkup.  His first appointment with Shriners for his orthopedic issues will be in a few weeks.  I'm going to start the process for school but I'm planning on waiting until after Christmas break to have him start.  Way too confusting for him to start school for a few weeks then have over two weeks off.  Can you believe in Florida they get over two weeks for Christmas break.  I think Yarik will be happy to go to school.  He wants to stay when we drop Owen off at school.  I'm sure he misses being around other kids.

 

Thanks for checking on us.

Shannon, Dave, Yarik and Owen

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone had a great turkey day.  Wish Yarik and I could have been there.

 

It was a very emotional day for me today.  The joy, stress, excitement, difficulty etc. of the last two months has all come together.  I have to say it honestly feels like we took our first step in Ukraine six months ago not two months.  October feels like it was so long ago.  Knowing that we are leaving tomorrow and will soon be reunited as a family is one of the best feelings in the world.

 

We went back to Boyarka today to say goodbye and thank you with some gifts.  Yarik was confused and scared that he would have to stay.  I think it will be good for him in the long run as he was able to see that he will always be with Mama.  All of the other kids were happy to see him especially the girl with the yellow bow.  That is Yarik’s best friend in his group.  There is a funny and sad story about her.  Yarik had promised her that he would take her with him when he leaves with his family.  The funny part is that he even promised that.  All the women said he is a male…telling his girl he will take her and then leaving without a look back.  When we left we said bye-bye Boyarka and Yarik was so happy.  I know how much the kids want a family and yet it is still weird to me how easily and happily they leave their home and everyone they know behind.  It shows the power of family.

 

Yarik is doing very well adjusting.  It is a little hard keeping him occupied and out of trouble in the apartment.  It should be easier at home where it will take him quite some time to get bored with the amount of toys we have there.  When you are learning about adopting a child you hear a lot about the behavior of children who grow up in an orphanage, mostly in a negative way.  I think that there are also behaviors that make it easier to care for them.  Basically in the orphanage they are little soldiers and follow commands without complaint, question, etc.  This has made it easy with Yarik.  He doesn’t try to get out of bed, off the toilet, or away from the table until he’s told it’s OK.  I know it won’t last but it actually was not something I was expecting, the orphanage behavior that makes parenting easier.  After a few days of watching Owen in action he will probably be cured of his soldier training.

 

One thing I knew beforehand was that most orphanage children hate baths.  Yarik was freaking out about a bath.  He really did not want to take one.  I know they have cold baths in the orphanage and I think maybe they are scrubbed hard or maybe they use normal, non-baby soap and shampoo and it gets in their eyes.  After only one time, Yarik figured out that a normal bath is not bad.  Tonight I couldn’t get him out of the bath.  He was playing with the water and a plastic cup.  This was amazing to him picking up water in a cup and dumping it out, he definitely has not had much chance to play with water.  He would dump the water on his head and then laugh so hard.

 

Finally, I’m sending some pictures.  The ones of buildings are downtown Boyarka.  The line of cars is from the train crossing in Boyarka.  We got stuck there again today.  It really is crazy, we waited about 15 min., a train went by for 2 min., and then we waited 15 min., and then they open the gate.  In the US we would have waited less than 5 min.  The pictures in the orphanage are of Yarik’s old group’s rooms.  There is the main room with the toys and tables and there is also the bedroom.  We did not take pictures of the rest of his group’s area.  There is a pretty big hall where they change clothes to go outside.  There is also a small kitchen, not the main kitchen in the orphanage just like a small storage and preparation area.  There is a bathroom too that I did not see.  As you can see from the pictures the children are very young compared to Yarik.  I don’t know why he was in this group as there are older groups in this orphanage. 

 

I want to take this time to thank everyone that supported us in our adoption.  We wouldn’t have made it without everyone’s encouragement.  We had so much help and offers of help it’s amazing.  The comments and messages really made us feel happy while we were in Ukraine.  Yarik is very lucky to have not only a Mama, Papa, and brother, but also such a large group of family and friends who already love him.

 

I will keep posting on my blog from home.  I’ll let everyone know how the adjustment is going and what the doctors say about Yarik’s medical condition.  Onto the next phase in our adventure.

 

Love,Shannon, Dave, Yarik and Owen,  soon to be reunited as a family of four

Wow, we are done.  I can hardly believe it.  We have everything we need to leave including our air tickets for Friday.  It feels so wonderful to be done.  I cannot wait to be back home and see Dave and Owen.  It is very difficult being here without them.

 

Yarik is still doing good.  Some of his new favorites are playing with the flashlight and brushing his teeth.  He also loves Borsht (not sure how to spell), the very popular soup here.  Can you imagine an American 5 year old boy whose favorite food is beet soup.

 

I know I promised pictures but we were running around all day and then very busy at night.  It's not easy being on my own.  Carrying a 5 year old around snow and ice covered streets takes a lot out of you.

 

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.  I have so much to be thankful for that I am not dwelling on the fact that Yarik and I are missing out on the fun.  You have no idea how good turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy sounds right now.

 

Love from Ukraine,

Shannon and Yarik

He’s all ours!  Yarik is currently asleep here in the apartment.  What a relief and a joy to have him here with me. 

 

Our facilitator has been working on getting our paperwork all day Monday and this morning.  The only man who can approve Yarik’s passport was out Monday and came in late on Tuesday.  It wasn’t looking good, but he came in today at 10AM.  Just enough time to still get the passport today.  My facilitator was working on the passport so another driver who doesn’t speak English brought me to Boyarka to pick up Yarik.  We didn’t get to say proper goodbyes or even give out gifts so we are hoping to be able to go back for a quick visit on Thursday.  From the orphanage we went directly to the passport office so I could sign for it and we got there only 10 minutes after they were ready.  Our medical exam was next.  It was scheduled for 4:30 but we headed over early to see if they could take us and thankfully they could because we got there at 2:30 and they figured out at around 2:45 that Yarik hasn’t had a TB test this year.  He needed to get an x-ray to test for TB and x-ray closed at 3:00.  Talk about close call.  We got the x-ray and the exam but still have one issue.  The only doctor who can sign off that the x-rays don’t show TB wasn’t in.  So we have to go back at 9:30 tomorrow to pick up the medical exam report.  Our Embassy appointment was scheduled for 9 so we moved it back and the latest they had was 10.  It’s still going to be tight tomorrow so all we can do is hope for the best.  It would be insane (and I will most likely go insane) if we have to wait until Monday to finish at the Embassy since they are closed Thursday and Friday for the holiday.

 

Yarik is doing well.  I know he has some fear but mostly curiosity.  I can’t let him out of my sight because he likes to try everything, like unplugging power cords, opening the stove, pushing all the buttons on the TV.  He ate relatively well, and went to bed pretty easily.  The bathroom is an issue.  He is used to going to the bathroom at the same time every day.  Plus his nerves are doing a number on his stomach.  I really hope we can work out a bathroom schedule before the airplane trip.

 

I’ll try to take some new pictures tomorrow.  Today was too crazy.

 

Thanks everyone for your support!

love, Shannon and Yarik who can’t wait to get back to Florida and see Papa and Owen

We have our court decree!  The ten day wait is officially over.  Now the mad dash to collect more paperwork before our Wednesday appointment at the Embassy.  Tomorrow we go to get the new birth certificate.  We are hoping to also go to Yarik's birth town.

 

For those wondering why we wouldn't make the Wednesday date, here is one example of how things can be delayed.  When the court was ready to give us the decree their printer was not working so they couldn't print out the decree.  It's crazy and frustrating..hopefully it will soon be over. 

 

 

Look in today’s photos.  I took pictures of a baby picture of Yarik.  It is the one they had in his Adoption Center file.  Wasn’t he too cute!  This baby picture is like a piece of gold.  The only one we will ever have.  We have several albums of pictures from Owen’s first two years.  The picture brings out a lot of emotions.  How I wish I could go back in time and scoop him up and bring him home when he was a baby.  All the things he missed and we missed.  It can be overwhelming.

 

I don’t know if you all believe in destiny or fate but in some way we were always meant to be Yarik’s family.  At least in Yarik’s mind we were.  All he knows are that we are mama, papa, and brother, to him we are his only family and always have been.  We are the family he was waiting to come get him.  It’s so hard to think of the years he spent waiting for us.  He was born 1.5 months after Dave and I got engaged.  How young we were and nowhere near ready to adopt.  He was waiting for us all the times we said we will adopt some day in the future.  It’s too bad that back then we didn’t know that our son was already alive and waiting.

 

On a lighter note Yarik had his first restaurant experience at the pizza place down the street from the orphanage.  He did really well.  I think he is over his nerves and more curious about the world.  Yarik wasn’t loving the pizza.  I don’t like the pizza either.  One thing we have to work on is when Yarik didn’t like the food he had taken a bite of, he would spit it back out and call it caca.  It was too hard not to laugh when he did that.

 

This Friday is the big day when the 10 day wait is up.  We have been told we can get our adoption decree on Friday morning (not always the case sometimes they make you wait till day 11 for your official court papers).  The final paperwork process is at the Embassy and we have an appointment for next Wednesday morning.  We really need to make that appointment because the Embassy is closed Thursday and Friday for the holidays.  There are problems that could come up in getting his new birth certificate and his passport, so there is a chance we will not be ready by Wednesday.  We need everyone’s positive vibes so we can have everything done by Wednesday morning.  The earliest Aerosvit flight is Friday the 25^th so if all goes well that will be our departure date. 

I know some people are worried about me here by myself.  And some people are feeling sorry for me.  Of course it is quiet and lonely and I would rather be home with all of my guys.  But, this is the journey we need to take in order to bring Yarik home and there's no changing it.  I might as well take advantage of it, right.  This is the quiet before the storm.

 

I'm about to be a full-time working mother of two young boys.  The whole family has a very large adjustment to go through and Yarik has many medical procedures in the near future.  Right now my days in Ukriane are filled with sleeping, reading, watching TV.  I barely have to cook and I barely have to clean.  It's like when you are pregnant and everyone tells you sleep now before the baby gets here.  When you are pregnant you are too uncomfortable to sleep..not to mention the trips to the bathroom.  I do not have that problem and I am sleeping like a baby.  I woke up today at 11AM.  It's very weird here..never any sun and I have no clue what time it is when I wake up.  Hmmm when is the next time I will sleep to 11AM, 18 years?

 

I got to meet a very nice family today who are adopting an adorable girl very close to Yarik's age.  Their apartment is a few buildings down from mine.  They are leaving on Thursday.  If you read this thanks for having me over and don't forget to bring all three kids down to Florida for a visit!  Seeing their daughter made me think about adopting a cute litte girl some day.  I think my chances are slim of talking Dave into that...everyone has to help.

 

Have a great night and remember I am safe, happy and most of all well rested here in Kiev.

Shannon

In the middle of the ten day wait.  Waiting..waiting.

 

Added some pictures taken today of o