Livin the dream - Adoption, rural living and raising two girls

Power of Oxytocin Webinar

2010-10-14T13:20:00.000-04:00

Something you've got to see. This is amazing stuff and we've seen it help our 14-yr-old adopted daughter.

From The Post Institute - My Power of Oxytocin Webinar conducted with Helene Timpone is now up on Youtube and available for you to enjoy and inhale at your leisure. But don't wait. Go watch it today. Close your office door, lock your kids out, tell your boss that you have a migraine and go learn about the most exciting new brain findings today and how this discovery can change everything we know about working with and parenting children.

Go ahead, just click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6piaFNtshbs

You can also join the Post Institute on Facebook by going to www.facebook.com/postinstitute. Interact with other adoptive parents, learn about the stress model and find out how love can overcome fear.

Facebook (31) | The Post Institute

2010-08-12T14:35:00.000-04:00

Facebook (31) | The Post Institute: "Here it is folks, the much anticipated issue #5 of the Post Institute Vibe. Share it with friends and have them join our facebook page so they can get a copy for themselves in the future. http://www.postinstitute.com/vibe/V2010_005.php Enjoy!"

To Save a Life

2010-08-08T13:21:00.000-04:00

We've not posted in such a long time. Mostly because I'm not sure what to say half the time. We use Facebook mostly to communicate with the rest of teh world so you can check out our page. Last night we watched a movie called "To Save a Life." I was so moved by this story that I've been posting about it everywhere. As a Father of an adopted teen and biological tween I can't help but think about the struggles my kids will face as they go back to school this week. How is it that kids can get so depressed that they feel like they have no otehr option but to take their lives. Teen suicide is an epidemic in this country and we parents need to step up and do something about it. We need to listen more and talk less, love them unconditionally, be present and invest our time. We only get our kids for a short period of time but in that short time, we can do so much damage. Think about it!

First Thanksgiving..and lots to be thankful for..

2009-11-27T20:20:00.002-05:00

Dasha sat on Thanksgiving Day and looked at all the food..not sure what to eat and what not to eat. I put just a little bit of everything on her plate to try. She did try everything and we were very proud of her for doing so. She loved the turkey and the ham..she was not too sure of all the vegetables.
Today we went shopping up to Lancaster and Dasha loves the horse and buggy's that she sees there. She loves all the shops and she now knows what Mom likes to buy and she will show her all of the country decorations and tell her that it would look nice in our home.
The other day Dasha made Mom a beautiful picture from school, but that was not the best part. On the back side she wrote in her own writing, in English, the most thoughtful words to her mother. She told her how she was sorry for the last sixth months and her being ungrateful. She thanked her for the many things that we have given her..her bedroom furniture, her clothes and many other things. She said that she was sorry for not treating Dad with respect and not treating Amber with respect. She said that she will try real hard to do better and that she loves her very much. She said that she is going to try to listen to us more. It brought tears to Donna's eyes and she hugged her and thanked her for the most beautiful gift from her.
The writing was so misspelled, but it did not matter!! She will see someday after reading that how far she will come with her reading and writing in English. We were just proud of her for trying and what she said meant so much to us.
It has not been a easy seven months. There has been many nights crying. When you see the progress that she has made in these areas, it is all worth it.
She finally feels loved and safe and that is what we wanted for her.
We can't wait to share our first Christmas with her.
Thank you for all of your continued prayers for our family.

First Holloween

2009-10-31T16:32:00.002-04:00

Tonight will be the first celebration of Holloween for Dasha.
She is dressing up like a punk dancer I guess you would call it that. We will post a picture of her after tonight. She is so excited to dress up with Amber (Amber is going as a bride) and, of course, get some candy. We will monitor how much she eats now that we know how sugar effects her.
Tomorrow we will be going to a Harvest Festival at our Church. They will have all kinds of games for the children and more candy. It was supposed to be tonight, but it is raining and windy so they rescheduled it to tomorrow.
We are going out to eat tonight and then back for the dressing up.
It should be exciting to see them both dressed up and for Amber to finally have someone to go around with all of the time.
To our friends, the Czachors, who always invited us..we will miss going out with you this year!!!

6 Months in America

2009-10-21T13:41:00.002-04:00

Today marks sixth months that Dasha has been with us and our family.
She has been learning so many things in these last six months.
She is reading and writing in English now. She speaks and understands the English language amazingly well. In fact, she was able to speak with her brother last weekend and she forgot how to talk in Russian at times. She is so focused on learning English that we think that she is pushing her learning of Russian into the back of her brain. She told us that she never went to school except when she was in the orphanage so the writing of her Russian was short too.
She can understand what her brother was saying and she would get frustrated when talking back to him because she would say things to him in half Russian and then half English and then she would say to him..wait a minute (in English...like he would understand that).
She loves to learn and she is so eager to learn how to read big books someday.
Her brother is back at the internat so it is good that she can now speak with him more often. We could not reach him all summer long. We are sending him a care package this week with a note from Dasha.
She is enjoying playing soccer each week and enjoys going to Church activities with the youth group.

Amber is still having a real hard time adjusting to it all, but she still has a special little heart inside of her!! She says at times she loves having a sister and other times she wishes she was an only child again.

Mom and Dad are adjusting to having another child around too. Amazing the cost addition with just one more child in the house.

We will try to keep the blog updated more. It has been a stressful six months adjusting and glad that we have friends to help us through.

Bowling with friends

2009-08-21T08:59:00.003-04:00

Today we're taking Amber and Dasha bowling with a few friends. Dasha and Amber have their good days and bad but the bad days seem to be less and less. She's starting to say sorry more and is getting the point that we're in charge and not her. It's now a running joke when she says "or what." I just look at her and she goes and does what we've asked her to do. She likes to help around the house but stresses us all out when we go anywhere. The kid wants everything insight.

School schedules came out and we have no idea how she is going to survive in 6th grade. We're making an appt with the school counselor next week to talk to them about it because she is taking the same classes as Amber (not in the same class). There is no way she will be able to keep up. He math skills are still at a 1st or 2nd grade level and her reading skills are getting better. Her comprehension and ability to speak English are pretty darn good for a kid that has only been here 4 months. If you've got advice, we're listening!

Not posted in awhile - 3.5 months and counting

2009-08-07T08:13:00.004-04:00

There is probably a whole lot to say. We haven't posted in awhile because we've been too busy trying to manage a 13-yr-old who is really a 10-yr-old. The one thing that drives us nuts more than anything is that smart mouth of hers. "Whatever", "And...", "Uhuh", "Yeah ok," and of course "wait a minute." On the flip side, Dasha craves attention and love. Craves it. She wants hugs, kisses and just to be heard. She wants our attention because she didn't get any when she was in Ukraine. We've had a few nights where Dasha has spent several hours in the closet crying over something we would consider ridiculous like I asked her to turn the TV off and spend 15 mins reading but I know to her, the whole world is coming down around her. It takes A LOT of patience to parent a child with a trauma history.

We've been spending a lot of time reading, trying to understand the fear reaction kids with trauma experience and to understand the process of feedback loops and regulation. All fancy buzz words but really simple concepts.

Take the fear reaction. We've learned that when children with trauma histories are faced with a stressful situation (like sitting down to do math pages) there is a physiological reaction that occurs. That stress causes distorted thinking and short-term memory loss (B. Bryan Post's Stress Model) and the more stress she is put under (like finish those pages now or there is no TV) she is then faced with three choices - to comply, to run (flight) or to fight. Since her brain is unable to see things clearly, she can not comply but instead will fight with us or run upstairs to her room. Now that reaction will happen more often then not if we continue to push adding to the stress and thus creating a negative feedback loop and down we go. However, if we remain calm (stay regulated) and give her love and encouragement instead of threats of no tv, she will comply.

Here's a short story about our two girls. It was getting late and the girls were having fun sharing notes and playing. However, it was time for bed. Donna was about to march in there and start to boss them around which would have instantly created a negative feedback loop and the night would have spiraled out of control. Instead I tapped Donna on the shoulder and said lets give them a few minutes to transition to the bedtime routine by telling them at x time they need to get ready for bed. What a difference. The kids went to bed without a fight because we did not add negative energy to a positive feedback loop.

It has taken us three months to get the bedtime routine down pat. We used to get sooooo stressed out about the kids getting to bed because Dasha would take forever and would only do one thing at a time. So we instituted the four step rule and started Dasha earlier. So at 9:30 every night she starts her four steps and she is not allowed out of the bathroom until those four steps are done. Face, teeth, potty and hands. Then she can come back downstairs. No stress and no yelling.

We've heard from a few folks about the "sugar" reaction. When Dasha gets too much sugar she goes crazy. In fact, we're having the doctor run some blood work to check to see how her body processes the sugar. We know that if Dasha gets sugar after 8:00 she will have a very difficult bedtime routine. Gum is her other hang-up. She wants to chew gum 24X7. So we've limited her to one piece per day.

Dasha will be getting her other eye surgery in a few weeks just before school. They will remove the last cataract and replace it with a new lenses. After that she'll be able to see pretty well. She'll always need glasses though because of other issues she has with her eyes but at least it won't be cloudy!

I wonder what my post will look like three months from now. I suspect better as we get better at parenting her and she integrates more into the family and society as a whole. We're going to one of Bryan's parenting camps in the middle of September and are looking forward to that.

Summer going fast

2009-07-28T12:56:00.002-04:00

Wow..we can't believe that it is almost August already and Dasha has been with us now for 3 months!!
So many new adventures have happened for Dasha. She loves to swim and asks every morning if we are going to go swimming at the swim club!! She goes to summer school 3 days a week for 1 1/2 hours and seems to enjoy it. This week is her last week and we think that she will miss going. She is a bit nervous about starting school in September. Hopefully once she is there and learns her way around and gets to meet some more friends, she will be okay. She also starts soccer in September. We know that she is very good at soccer and will enjoy working off the engery that she has.
She is getting much better at her bedtime routine and she enjoys to read her russian books before turning out her light.
Dasha loves to watch movies too. She understands more and more of the English being said so she is enjoying the plot of the movies too. She will tell us after watching how good the movie was.
She is very attached to Mom. She justs wants to be next to her all of the time. She craves for her attention and her love. When she does not get the attention she needs from her, she becomes very angry and upset. That is when Mom has to be extra sensitive to her needs. We are sure that she has craved this for many years and is very happy to finally have a Mom to love her.
Amber and Dasha still have their ups and downs but overall it is getting better each day. We see more of them holding hands and playing together. They love to make bead necklaces, braclets, earrings and anklets together.
The other day the three girls went up to Lancaster and had a wonderful time. Dasha was so interested in all of the Amish people and the way they live. Dasha loves to shop and she loves to look at all there is to buy.
Dasha is also very helpful. She loves to help Mom whenever she asks.
We are very thankful to have her with us and although it is stressful at times we know that she is our special gift from God and we love her!!!

Free eBook - How to end lying

2009-07-13T13:41:00.000-04:00

Hey adoptive parents. My colleague Bryan Post is offering for a very short time a free e-book on "How to end lying." I've seen this technique work with several of the kids we've known and worked with as well as our own adoptive and bio daughters.

Get your free copy today by going to http://www.postinstitute.com/cmd.php?af=1000060

While you're there check out Bryan's new book called the Great Behavior Breakdown where he will teach you how to parent a child with Problem Behaviors like:

· School-Time Troubles: Getting Along with Others
· Learning Difficulties
· Stealing
· Aggression
· Defiance
· Problems Going to Bed and Waking Up

And Many, Many More…

Visit the Post Institute at http://www.postinstitute.com/cmd.php?af=1000060

David ...

Lots going on

2009-07-01T08:42:00.002-04:00

It's been almost a month since we've posted and there has been a lot going on. Dasha finally got her Citizenship Certificate. While she does not understand the magnitude of that piece of paper, we did. Donna and I took a few minutes to stare at that document, the final thing needed and the final proof that she will be forever ours. Next week we will apply for a SSN for her so we can open up bank accounts etc.

Things have not been easy between Amber and Dasha. They are still feeling there way around their relationship and both have spent MANY nights crying. These kids are starved for attention and love. Especially from the mothers. They've never had the loving and caring relationship that parents can provide. Donna has been overwhelmed at times with the amount of attention Dasha has been seeking from her and you can never seem to give her enough. And guess what, that's ok. We'll keep doing the best we can. Dasha is also very hyperactive. She is non-stop right up to the minute she finally falls asleep. As we get to know her a bit more though, we're learning her triggers and how to get her to calm down. For the parents out there bringing these kids home, just remember. You'll be OK and it will take some time to adjust. Read, learn and talk to other parents. It helps.

This week, the girls are with our BFF's the Durovnicks for some fun at Hershey Park and Camping. Susan and David wanted to give Donna and I some alone time. Which has been pretty awesome. Donna also had the chance to spend alone time with one of her real close friends Alisa in the mountains. They did girl things, watched Lifetime and just enjoyed being away from the kids fro a few days. So, Donna has actually had almost five days of down time. Pretty darn good!

Last week we thought we were on the right track with the girls when by some miracle they were being nice to each other at night. Playing, singing, hugging and just being silly. That lasted three days and then it was back to the usual bickering. Oh well, baby steps.

Peace through repetition

2009-06-08T09:02:00.002-04:00

We haven't posted in awhile because we got out of the habit and we'll try to post at least once a week. The girls are doing better and so are we. Since we've joined the swim club we've been spending most weekends there after chores and Church. The girls have a blast swimming and quite honestly so do we. The pool is relaxing and it forces us to get outa the house. Both girls are constantly calling for Donna and I to come in the pool with them and sometimes we do.

Update on Dasha:

Dasha has suffered some significant trauma in her life just like all adopted kids. Things we may never understand or even know about. Because of these experiences she needs extra love. Sometimes were good at giving it to her and sometimes were not. Dasha's bedtime routine has gotten much shorter and calmer. She now knows that when it is time for bed, she is to brush her teeth, wash her face and use the potty. Seems odd to have to tell her these things but it has taken us a month to get her to this place where she does them all at once and not at different times, going back and forth. In a book I'm reading called "Beyond Consequences," the authors talk about this very situation and some reasons why adopted children might have a difficult bedtime routine. The answer of course lyes in the experiences she has had. In some ways she's scared to go to sleep because she is afraid we might not be there when she wakes up. Often times she says please don't leave and hug me. She wants the attention and needs the attention. As we help her on this journey it gets better but it is often times very difficult to remember that at the unconsciou level she is scared and that our job is to help her through that.

We've been slowly trying to ask her about her home life, life in the orphanage and her experiences growing up as a child. She often says she does not remember. We'll keep trying.

Her English is getting better and better everyday. You can pretty much have a full conversation with her. She understands a lot of words that we didn't think she would at this point. She still gets a few simple things mixed up like, "He & She" but is trying. She still does an hour each day of Rosetta Stone and is up to Unit 3 in Lesson 1. Over the summer she will be attendign summer school three times a week for an hour. They will work on her math skills and her writing skills. While her comprehension is good, she still is not able to write in English. We're just glad she can speak and comprehend at this point! Way to go Dasha! Math is another story. She is clearly at a 2nd grade math level and it is going to take some serioous work to get her where she needs to be. We've met with the ELL teacher to talk about 6th grade and they seem to have a plan already for her. We were impressed but she will need tutoring.

Her interests continue to be in music and dance. We're going to look into a dance program for her this summer and in the fall, the girls will play soccer. Dasha needs a lot of activity to burn off all of that energy she has. Which is a lot!

Update on Amber:

Amber has her good days and her bad days. Sometimes she enjoys having Dasha around and sometimes she doesn't. It's got to be hard having your world turned upside down from being an only child to now having an older sister. We continue to pray with Amber and talk to her about her feelings.

At school, she is doing awesome of course, and is looking forward to 6th grade.

She lost another tooth this weekend and I think the tooth fairy came.

Well guess that's it for now.

Stress

2009-05-29T08:29:00.002-04:00

I know we've been giving everyone the impression that we are having a very difficult time but the reality is that we are simply going through phases of regulation and dysregulation. Meaning, that we have added stress in our lives and because of it our ability to adapt to it as a family unit is creating new learning opportunities for all of us. B. Bryan Post [http://www.postinstitute.com] says that there are only two primary emotions, fear and love. His stress model, says that all behavior arises from a state of stress. Stress leads to either fear or love. A fear reaction will cause a child to become angry, agitated or worse. Dasha is a scared child because she has been traumatized throughout her life. Amber is also scared because of all the new things happening. Both of them need extra amounts of love to help them reregulate themselves and to deal with the stress being caused by our new family dynamics.

Friends of ours [The Durovnick's] who have been working in the foster care system for years came up this weekend to give us a hand and to sorta evaluate our family dynamics. We all came to the conclusion that Dasha is no where near the troubled child that she could be given her situation. She will be fine and so will Amber. We just need to work through all of this and learn how to parent two children who each have different needs.

We're up for the challenge, have a great support group and loving family members.

I'd encourage all adoptive parents to check out some of Byran's stuff. It's revolutionary in its approach to parenting children with challenging behaviors.

Pray for Amber and Dasha

2009-05-28T11:46:00.002-04:00

Amber is having a hard time sharing her mom's time and love with Dasha.
Dasha is having a hard time wanting to share her mom with Amber.
Mom is having a hard time trying to show them both equal amount of love with out the other one being jealous and upset.
We need prayer for all of us to love one another and for the girls to know that each of them is loved!!

Today is Dasha's 13th B-Day

2009-05-21T08:42:00.002-04:00

Today is Dasha's 13th B-day and we are blessed to have her with us. It has not been an easy four weeks but no one said it would be. Since our little blow-up on Monday where she thought it was a good idea to go for a walk and try to hurt Amber things have been much calmer. Dasha wants so badly to be loved. She can be very clingy when she wants to be and has limitless energy. It takes her at least 45 mins to an hour to get to bed.

Dasha, has been enjoying going to Church with us and asks when do we go again. She has lots of questions and that is a blessing in itself. Last night we went to Wed night service and she and Amber when to class while Donna and I got some downtime together. So many people from our Church asked us how things were going and do we need any help. It felt good to know that help is only a phonecall away if we needed it. The girls loved class and were all wound up when they got to the car at 9:15. We hurried home so they could get to bed and finally at 10:30 lights were out. Yeah!!

This weekend Dasha is taking a few of her friends to Chuckie Cheese and then on the 30th is her big party with the whole family. We'll see how it goes.

Still adjusting

2009-05-18T09:04:00.002-04:00

I think that is going to be the title of our postings for the next few months. Dasha is learning how to be a member of the family with parents who actually love her and are trying to provide loving discipline. Amber is learning how to be a loving and kind sister and Donna and I are trying to figure out how to balance it all.

Dasha is a wild child who can go from calm to crazy in about 30 secs. We're cutting back on the amount of diet coke she drinks and the amount of sugar she gets. She literally goes from being a sweet and loving child to a crazed maniac who needs a timeout and a trip to her room for ahwile. The energy she brings to our family is something we're adjusting to. Don't get me wrong we love her very much and only want the best for her but for those of you in-country right now, the child you see at the orpanage is not the child you will bring home. They will go through multiple stages of growth.

It is comforting to read the blogs of our other friends who have brought home children from Ukraine. They all seem to be having some of the same issues. Entitlement, smart mouth, No and just a complete lack of respect at times. We've also read about how single children are having hard times adjusting and getting used to having siblings. All of these things make us realize that we are not the only ones having these issues and that it is normal. In fact, our friends that have multiple bio children say the samething. Thanks for your words of encouragement.

Here's a few updates on what Dasha has been up to lately. She loves to ride her bike. She seems to be adjusting well at school and her English is getting better and better every day. She has been personalizing her room a bit adding accessories and things like that bit by bit. We are still having a hard time getting clothes that a) fit her and b) stuff she will wear and c) I will approve it. I personally don't like the skin tight jeans she prefers but for now that's all she'll wear. As she gets older though, we're going to need to negotiate a few things.

Dasha likes to help around the house. This weekend she helped me for about three hours fixing my lawnmower and putting mulch down. Then she disappeared. I found her in the shower. She told me she was done and tired. I appreciated the time she did spend with me!

Yesterday (Sunday) we went to Church and there was a visitng Pastor from Moscow names Vlad. When we heard him speak in Russian it took us right back to Odessa. Dasha and Amber were in there Sunday school class when the 3rd grade teacher came over to the 5th grade class and said, "Can anyone speak Russian?" Amber stood up and said, "my sister does, she's from Ukraine." Dasha then went with the teacher and was able to translate for the Pastors children who were in the 3rd grade class. He was trying to explain to the kids how to do a particular activity and they just couldn't understand. Now tell me that God is not amazing. Here is our Dasha in Sunday school, who just four weeks ago was in an Orphanage is now translating as best as she could for another set of kids who couldn't speak English. She has come a long way. It these moments that we try to hold onto when the rages come on.

Later that afternoon we went to the groundbreaking ceremony for our Church. We are building a Church about 20 mins from our house. It is scheduled to be open at the end of he year. Anyway, we did a few praise songs and behind me I thought I heard Dasha's voice singing the songs. I thought na she doesn't know these but I turn around and she is singing. She has a nack for hearing the lyrics one time and then can sing them. She was singing almost in perfect english right along side her Mom. Amazing. Afterwards, we all had a chacne to right a prayer on a flag that we then put along the perimiter of the outline of the building. Dasha wrote a number of things in English and then on the other side in Russian. As they pour the concrete this week they plan on buring the prayer requests under the building. This was our building is built on the word of God and the prayers of His people. Pretty cool. Dasha has a lot of questions about God and Jesus. We introduced her to Vlad and her talked with her for awhile in Russian. He shared with her the gospel and that God has a plan for her. We'll see how it goes but we suspect that over time she will come to love the Lord as much as we do.

This Wednesday we start "Sizzlin Summer," which is outdoor church. The kids will go to class and we'll will have some time alone. We look forward to it.

Until next time, keep the prayers and advice coming.

Sisters - In it for the long-haul

2009-05-15T08:59:00.003-04:00

Anyone that goes into adoption with blinders on is a moron because it is not an easy process, costs a lot of money and is a big investment in time. Nor is it an easy process when you get back home. Our girls are still trying to workout their relationship. There is a lot of anger between them 50% of the time and that means there is a lot of energy in the house. It has only been a month but it feels a lot longer.

Dasha, seems to have forgotten where she came from and is starting to get an "I'm entitled" attitude which is really starting to irritate us. As she begins to communicate more and understand more she is more vocal about what "she" wants. We've already started to address that and that has not gone over well. I won't put up with her poor attitude but try to correct her in a loving way. I recognize that she comes from a place of fear and a place of dysregulation. She has not had the opportunity to bond with a parent, she has not had the opportunity to be lovingly disciplined and she has not had any boudaries established for her. It will take some time and we're obviously in it for the long-haul but it is not easy.

I don't want to give the impression that our house is chaos because it's not. We have just been used to Amber, to a quiet household and to a child whose heart is as big as the earth. Dasha is a different child and we just need to give it time. 75% of the time, our household is under control with laughter and love. It's the 25% that is taking the most time.

A great weekend

2009-05-11T07:43:00.003-04:00

Things are finally starting to calm down around here a bit. The chore charts really seem to be working and the attitude categories seem to be carrying some weight for both girls. They are still being getting used to each other but they are getting along pretty good all things considered.

Yesterday was Mothers Day and the girls got up at 8:30am to make Mom breakfast. They gave her each a hand-made card as well as a funny one they bought at the card store. Dasha's was a Hoops & YoYo card (Donna loves them) and Amber's was one of those cards that you talk to and it records your message. Donna seemed to really like them.

Unfortunately for Donna, she hurt her back at her sisters house and was pretty out of it most of the day. Later on we went to Lowes and bought the supplies I needed for the fencing on our front porch. Donna has been asking for me to fence the proch in so when she is sitting out there the dogs can be with her as well. So, I started that project. I also planted flowers on Saturday. The front area looks amazing as always and now we just need to order mulch to finish it all off. This is one of my favorite houses. It just seems to fit us well. We do need anotehr bathroom though so that will have to get done at some point.

All is quiet at the OK corral

2009-05-08T08:52:00.003-04:00

We've actually had a few good days. The girls have seemed to have quieted down and Dasha is being a bit sweeter. I guess the chore charts are working. Typical Americans, motivated by money. Anyway, the past few days they have been playing with friends and getting outside when they can. Dasha loves to ride bikes so they do that a lot. She also likes moneky in the middle and futbol. We've signed her up for summer school so she can get caught up on stuff. Donna spoke with Dasha's teacher the other day and we came to an understanding of expectations and what we'd like Dasha to be focusing on. She'll continue to do Rosetta Stone everyday and basic math while Amber is doing her homework. Dasha also has her own math book for school and her math teacher has been giving her basic math worksheets to complete for homework. Her ELL teacher will meet with her four times a week for 45 mins. In addition to that, we need to keep working with her as well.

Dasha has a chance to go to a baseball game with all f the kids from MN that are in the ELL program. It's free to all the kids and I think would be a great chance for her to meet some other kids outside of Amber's circle. Speaking of Amber, she is going to play at a friends house today by herself. We thought it was important that she have a chance to be Amber and not have to worry about her sister. Eventually Dasha will make her own friends and she can do the samething too.

This weekend is Mothers Day and I know it will be special for Donna. It' almost like her first Mothers Day after we had Amber. The girls have their own plan and I have mine so we'll see how it goes. I want the day to be special for her because she deserves it.

I've been really lazy with the camera lately and will post some new pics this weekend.

Chore charts

2009-05-06T08:17:00.002-04:00

You would not believe how seriously our kids take the chore chart. We created new chore charts for both kids so they could start to earn some money for the summer. Each kid has a slightly different list and I have my own special category for respectfulness and lovingness to me and towards each other. For Monday, Dasha got two minuses because of her complete melt down the night before while Amber got two checks. Last night she got two smilely faces. Well that didn't sit very well with her and I told her that Amber was loving and kind on Monday while you have some room for improvement. I told her she can do a bonus chore and we will see how her attitude is the rest of the week and I might take it away. We'll see how tonight goes.

We're going to meet with the teacher this week because it doesn't seem as if the school has any plan for her. They just have her doing all of the same things Amber is doing and that is just not fair, is creating unnecessary stress for her and has her focused on the wrong things. I was under the impression that she was going to spend most of the time with a language and reading specialist but she only does that two hours a day in the afternoon. Our fault, we should have asked more questions. We think there is a lot of value in having her go to school because she can continue to hear the language, interact with the kids and have a little structure throughout the day but I want her focused on three basic things.

1. English comprehension
2. Reading
3. Basic math (Addition/Subtraction/Multiplication/Division)

Her english is getting better and better everyday and it is a very rare occurance for her to say I do not understand. So we're making great progress there. Donna bought her a number of basic math books at the teachers store near us and at the advice of our friend Colleen, we'll be sending that with her today so she can do that while the rest of the kids are doing more complex math. Over the summer, we're going to have to have her tutored. That is the only way she is going to be able to catch-up. She already has said that she wants to do this and do that but that will all have to wait until we get her english where is needs to be and her basic math skills.

It's been a fun few weeks and we learn more and more about each other everyday. Now that the rain has stopped, hopefully the kids get outside some and burn off that energy.

3.

Battle Royale - Jeans

2009-05-05T08:32:00.003-04:00

Last night was like WWIII in our house over something stupid - Jeans. Every pair of jeans Donna bought for Dasha before we got her is too big for her and she refuses to wear them. Granted some really are too big but two of them are just a little too big and if she wore a belt she'd be fine but she refuses to do that. So last night we were up till 11:00pm fighting over what she was going to wear to school tomorrow. She says to us "I only have two pairs of jeans, the others are too big." Finally the battle was over when we settled on a pair of cool sweatpants and top. Which by definition are "big."

Part of the problem was that we bought stuff not knowing how tiny she really was and that was our mistake but Dasha will have to realize that Daddy is not a bank where money just falls out of the sky and we can just keep buying new stuff. Donna will go to the store tonight though and get her a few pairs of jeans so we can avoid this issue.

On a positive note, Dasha got a new pair of glasses yesterday. We bought her progressive lenses so she won't have that line through the middle. She seems to be doing ok with them. How do we know? She told mom she wanted to take them off and when she did after a few minutes she went and got them and said, "oh that's much better." I guess she couldn't see and when she put her glasses back on she could see again!!!

On the school front we're going to be making a few changes. The past few days, Dasha has been copying Amber's homework (except for math) because she can't read and write very well yet. The math we ask her to try on her own first before getting help. Anyway, after thinking about it we realized what a complete waste of time that is. We would rather have her focus on reading and comprehension. So while Amber is doing her other homework, Dasha will do Rosetta Stone. We'll see how that goes.

The girls both got chore charts last night because they both want to earn money for the summer. We'll see how that goes as well.

Dasha goes back to the doctor today for a follow-up and referral to CHOP and then off to school.

Going private

2009-05-04T14:21:00.002-04:00

We're going private. If you would like to keep up with this blog, please send an email to dbaskets13atverizondotnet and we'll send you a link. We plan on keeping it up to date with the latest happenings in Dasha and Amber's life.

The blog will go private as of tomorrow. We will send a link to the folks that have already been following us or posting comments. All others will need to request access.

Remember the children regardless of where they live for each has been created in His image for His glory! Be an advocate and DO something.

Two girls and two attitudes - Week #2

2009-05-04T09:51:00.004-04:00

It has been comforting to know that other families have been going through the same things as us. Amber is having a tough time with it all and goes back and forth between being happy about it all to being angry that she "didn't have a choice." I think she also just needs some alone time with both of us so that she can feel special and important and know that we will always be there for her. We're each going to have a special day with her once a month.

David is also having a hard time. The girls have withdrawn from him and have been very disrespectful in both the things they say and their attitude towards him. So, we'll be working on that over the coming weeks. We'll see how it goes and will accept any advice folks have out there.

Donna is having a tough time with double the workload. It seems having two girls is twice the amount of work. Two lunches, two girls to get ready for school, more laundry and more mess to cleanup. Dasha is pretty helpful around the house and so is Amber but sometimes it just gets a little overwhelming. More things to adjust to. Donna is having a Mommy night with several other Mom's this Friday and looks forward to getting a break. Then its Mothers Day this Sunday.

Today is Dasha's 3rd day at school and so far so good. Amber has been a big help to her both in the class and helping her with her math homework. We're not entirely sure how well the English/Reading stuff is going but we'll get an update on that later in the week. Dasha has also been through the ringer at the Pediatricians. She had to give up five vials of blood for various tests, got five shots and an X-ray of her lungs. The X-ray indicated that she has some scarring so we need to take her to a pulmonologist to see what that means and what her long term prognosis is for lung capacity. They don't seem that worried but want to have a specialist take a look at CHOP.

Dasha's cataract surgery on her second eye is scheduled for June. They will do the same procedure they did when she was here last summer - replace the lens with a brand new one. Then she'll have two brand new eyes. Normally she would be able to see 20/20 but she has such a bad astigmatism that she will still always need glasses. Since her glasses were stolen at the internat we went to get them replaced so she has something until surgery. She has a very odd prescription and when we went to LensCrafters to get it filled we had to put a halt to it because it did not have the bi-focal on it. Normally I wouldn't go to Lenscrafters but they offer 50% off for kids 12 and under and will replace the lenses within three months if the prescription changes, which it will after surgery. We tried several other stores and Dasha hated every frame she tried on. Picky picky.

So all in all it's been a tough week but we continue to press on.

A family in need - Grisha

2009-04-29T15:59:00.002-04:00

Attached you will find a button that will link you to the blog of a family that is trying to adopt one of the boys that we met in Ukraine, Grisha. You'll find several pictures of him on our blog. He is a great kid and deserves a loving family. This family has been called to adopt Grisha but does not have the financial means to do so. Their paperwork has been submitted and they are expecting a travel date any time now. If you can help or know someone that can, would you please consider clicking this button and donating to their cause.

Grab this button

Mom, do you brush the dogs teeth?

2009-04-29T14:27:00.002-04:00

These are the questions that I get asked from Dasha. It is so funny and yet she just wants to know simple questions. She asked why Melody (our one dog) has such long nails. I told her that she will not let us cut them. We have to take her to the vet. She told her to let Dad cut her nails. She wanted to know why Melody has black spots on her tongue and why the other dogs don't.

She has been very helpful around the house. She loves to help me sweep outside. She makes her own bed every day and keeps her room very neat. She also loves to help with dinner. All the while, asking me questions about it all. I know that this will help her learn more English so I answer her as best as I can hoping that she picks up some things that I am telling her.

Tomorrow is school for her. She is very nervous about going. I think that she will be okay once she gets there. Her teacher yesterday took a Ukraine newspaper that we brought home and asked the children to come up and read it. They all said that could not understand it. Then she explained to them that Dasha will feel the same way trying to read English and to understand when she does not know how to read. She told them to not make fun of her and to be nice to her. I was so happy that she took the time to teach the children in that type of illustration.

Amber is having good days and some bad days adjusting. She misses having all of the attention but also seems to enjoy having Dasha around to play with and to talk to. Please pray that she will adjust and look to the future of the importance of having a sibling.

Each day Dasha is learning her English through Rosetta Stone. She does have a hard time staying focused and I hope that she will be able to stay focused in school for the 6 hours that she will be there.

Yesterday Dasha had some shots and the day before she went to the dentist. She did great with both appointments. Now to get her some glasses to help her read better.

Dasha loves chicken and she really loves Lucky Charms cereal for breakfast. Last night we had pasta and bread sticks. She loved that too. I am sure she will have a growth spurt with eating better and eating more. Pork Chops for dinner tonight. I wonder how she will enjoy them?

It is fun seeing new things through her eyes. I feel like a child again at times.

Today I was watching adoption stories on television. The family was adopting a 7 year old child from Siberia, Russia. At the end the mother said that she can't imagine life with out this child. They had to go to court like we did, wait the 10 days and then bring him home. It brought tears to my eyes and it made me realize that I can't imagine life with out Dasha now and I am so glad that she is here with us. She also said how hard it was to leave the other children behind.

My heart still aches for all the other children at Orphanage #4. I miss them and I think about them every day. PLEASE let others know about them and pray that others will think about bringing one of them home to America. We really hope that a family will consider adopting Alyona. She is such a joy to be around and she really wants a family!! They all need a family to love them.

One week - how fast time flies

2009-04-29T14:09:00.004-04:00

It has been one week since we came home to the good ole USA and it's been a whirlwind. We took a few days last week to chill and just get ourselves organized as a family. Surprisingly, Dasha did not experience any jet lag. Which surprised all of us but we heard from our friends Colleen and Dan that their new daughter Olya didn't either.

Thursday, Uncle Chris spent the night with us on his way back home to Texas. He is in the area frequently for business and likes to stay with us before he goes back. He was the first person to meet Dasha. The next night Donna's brother and sister-n-law came down with my nephew Ryan to chit chat and meet Dasha as well. She spent a little time with them and then headed downstairs to play on the computer. After a little while she warmed up to my nephew and they were laughing and playing games in her room. Then on Saturday, Gloria (Donna's Mom) came down for a visit. Overall, Dasha handled the visits pretty well.

Speaking of Dasha's room, she has already started to make it her own. She keeps it very neat and makes her bed everyday. Donna, Amber and Dasha have been busy buying some essentials for her until we have her birthday party in May. The kid needs clothes most of all and we're asking folks to just get her a little something to open on her birthday and then gift cards so she can buy her own clothes. Maria down the street has given both Dasha and Amber clothes that she no longer wears and they've been loving that. The doctor suspects that she'll grow like a weed this summer after she gets some decent food in her and the proper vitamins. We've heard this from several families that have adopted, so it must be true.

The first few days the girlz have been together, they have been dressing alike, taking showers together and even at times sleeping in the same bed. They've been having fun and while you can tell there is a little tension sometimes, they seem to be getting along ok. Last night was the first time they had a little spat. Amber is trying her best to keep it together but we know she is finding it hard to share us as parents and to share a home that has been hers for the past 10 yrs. She has a big heart and it will take her awhile to adjust and we'll give her all the space she needs to do it. We love Amber so much and only want the best for her and Dasha.

Dasha's english is getting better and better everyday. She spends at least an hour a day on Rosetta Stone, another half-hour doing math with Amber and generally a bit more time, reading some very simple phonics books with Donna. Tomorrow, she starts school. I think we are all a bit nervous about that. Dasha all week has been going to the dentist and doctors to get the required check-ups, shots and cleanings so that she can go to school. The school itself has arranged for a special ELL teacher to be at the school tomorrow and her regular class will be the same as Amber's. In fact, Dasha will sit next to Amber in class when she is in there. We're not exactly sure how that is going to work out because we don't want Amber to feel like she has to help Dasha every second and then gets distracted in her own work. On the flipside, being with Amber will help Dasha feel more comfortable and safe. We've already talked to the Principal and teacher and we'll get regular updates from them over the coming days to see how they both are doing.

We've enrolled Dasha in 5th grade even though she was in grade six in Ukraine. Given her current academic situation, we're not even sure she'll be able to handle 5th grade but we'll see how it goes and then decide at the end of the year where to place her. We're not sure she'll be ready to move to the middle school even though she'll be 13 and Amber will be going there. If we don't give her a chance to catch-up we feel like we'll be setting her up for failure and we don't want that. So, we'll meet with the Principal in June and see what happens. She'll be getting some sort of tutoring all summer long.

I'll ask Donna to post her perspective on things.

A full first day back - Smiles all around

2009-04-24T07:15:00.002-04:00

You could say that we are in the honeymoon phase for sure but Dasha has been with us before and she knows our family, our house, dogs and routine. That I'm sure will help and she will continue to learn more each day and of course push the limits to see how far they will go. That has already begun!!!

The final leg of our trip was uneventful. The plane we were on was a brand new airbus with the TVs in the seats and Dasha just loved that. So did I because it meant not me not having to try and keep her occupied for nine hours straight. I will say though that we both had reached the end of our rope and needed a break from each other. We were both cranky, tired and getting short with each other. The tone of her voice changed and of course so did mine. Most of it over just dumb things like, gum chewing, smart mouth, and not staying with me while walking. She does not understand the concept of patience, waiting in line or waiting your turn. That she'll have to learn over the coming months. I tried to keep in mind though that my child had been up for 24 straight hours with NO nap.

Before we touched down I gave her a little speech about getting off the plane. I explained to her that as tired as she was that Mommy, Amber and Maria (friend down the street) have been waiting a long time for this day to come and that if she didn't show some excitement when she saw them Mom would be crushed. I told her that we were going to be landing soon and she would become a citizen of the United States of America. She didn't really care and slumped down in our seat. I thought I know, please Lord give this kid just a little boost of energy and have her hold out just a little longer. I said, Dasha, you're going to miss one of the most important moments in your life honey. Sit up and look outside and watch the plane land. She sorta did and then touchdown. I was again reaching my breaking point but got her off the plane and into the first round of customs review.

Once you land, you go to the first customs checkpoint for US citizens. You hand the officer your passports and the all import secret envelope from the Embassy. In my case she looked us over asked a few questions, tried to ask crabby pants a few questions and then gave me a red folder and said go to that door down the hallway marked "secondary inspection." I thought to myself oh no this is going to take forever. We get to the room and there are a few other people in here. I walk to the counter and the officer takes my envelope, throws it on the counter and says, "someone will be right with you." I'm thinking what the heck. We just flew four thousand miles, through two countries and I'm a US citizen who just wants to get home and you throw my envelope and say we'll be right with you." Inside my head I'm thinking I want to punch someone but these guys carry guns so I promptly sit down and try to explain to Dasha that we have to wait. Thank goodness that a supervisor walks in and takes charge. I see her look at us and think, oh boy I hope she has are folder. Sure enough, she does and calls Dasha over to a table. She gets fingerprinted and has to sign a document. She then turns to her and says, "Dariya, welcome to the United States of America!" I of course was elated but she could care less. Exhaustion is quickly sapping the life outa her.

We start to walk and she finally sees Mommy, Amber and Maria. They of course are jumping up a down and waving. I'm getting worried. Finally, a small crack starts at the lips and then the smile gets wider and wider. Soon her pace picks up and she is ahead of me. And then......she is in her Mom's arms giving her a BIG hug. Now she is happy to be home. Hugs and kisses from Amber and Maria and with the rest of the crowd watching and smiling. Then a hug and kiss for Dad and we're off to the car. By the graces of God we have reached the end of a journey that began last summer and we're happy this day has finally come.

Yesterday was our first day together as a family. Dasha slept an AMAZING full night. Doesn't seem as though the jet lag has hit us at all. We all went to sleep at 9:30pm and got up at 7:30 am. Yeah!!!! Amber had a half day of school, so we took her together as a family and dropped her off. Olia came over in the morning as well because Dan is still in Ukraine and Colleen needs to get to work. We love Olia so don't mind having her a bit. We're here to help if Dan and Colleen need it. It was a bit strange for the girls to be reunited but I suspect over a few weeks they'll be fine. Anyway, after we got back, Dasha needed to start her English lesson, which Mom took care of this time and I went outside to clean-up the porch. English seemed to go well. We then picked-up Amber and they played for awhile. Then Amber and Dasha did math together. That went surprisingly well.

Uncle Chris came over. He's in-town working for Pepsi. We love having him. Dasha was a bit nervous at first but that went away pretty quickly. We went to dinner and then looked at the pictures from our trip. Lots of fun and then off to bed. Uncle Chris played with the girls too!

The girls started off in Dasha's single bed and when I went to check on them, they were in Amber's bed. We'll see how long that lasts!!

Another day, another adventure!!!!

More pics coming.

DASHA IS HOME IN AMERICA!!!!!

2009-04-22T20:19:00.002-04:00

She made it home!!!!
We are so happy!!!
We love her so much and here is to a great beginning and a journey we will enjoy for years to come!!

David and Dasha are very tired. They will be going to bed soon.

Thank you for all your prayers for their safety.

Day Number one as a new family of Four!!!!!

April 22nd - Sitting in McDs in Frankfurt

2009-04-22T02:48:00.000-04:00

Well we made leg one of our flight back to the USA. Getting through Ukraine customs took a few mins but was fine. She looked at me, looked at Dasha, read the court decree, looked at the passports and then took us to a back room so she could make a copy of the decree. Then it was goodbye Ukraine. As we took off fron Ukraine I said to Dasha say goodbye. She said I come back when I'm 20. I said for a visit and she said yes. We'll see if fhe still wants to do that after she's been Americanized.

As usual, our child is hungry all of the time so we are at McDs watching the planes and eating. I bought an hour of WIFI so she can play on the computer for awhile. That will keep her busy while we wait for another four hours. Ugh, but who cares we are on the way home.After that it's UNO and the dice game we brought.

Dasha will have some learning to do. As we spend more time together, I'm getting a better picture of her personality. She is strong willed and does not like being told what to do and she has a sharp tone when responding back. Those will all take some time to work through. These kids have been independent for so long they don't know what to do with a parent telling them what to do. Dasha is going to need a firm hand to guide her and I'm sure we're up for the task.God willing we'll have a loving and obedient child after a few years.

As I left Ukraine I had no regrets. I am glad we adopted Dasha. I am glad we have made this financial sacrafice and I have been blessed to have met such wonderful people while in Ukraine. I have no desire to do this again and no real desire to go back to Ukraine. I will miss Aloyna and her husband Slavick, I will miss Dima and most of all the kids in class six at Odessa #4. My life is now different and I have been blessed by the experience. I hope that I have grown and matured as well. We'll see.

For those getting ready to go. Get ready for a wild ride. Some tears will be shed but there will be laughter as well. Just be prepared because in Ukraine, anything can happen.

May God bless your journies.

We will continue to keep this blog up to date as Dasha adapts to her new environment. New pics coming as soon as we get home.

David and Dasha are coming home!!!!!!

2009-04-21T10:57:00.003-04:00

David just called me and let me know that they are coming home tomorrow!!!
They will be getting up at 3:00 am Ukraine time, 8:00 pm our time (Tonight) and will arrive tomorrow at 4:30 pm in Philadelphia.
We can't wait to see them and we can't wait for Dasha to land!! Once she lands in Philadelphia, she will be a Citizen of the United States!!
Amber, Maria and I will be waiting at the airport with so much excitement and huge smiles on our faces.
Welcome Home Dasha will be our first words to say to her!!!!!! And Welcome to your family and friends here in America!!! WE LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!
The dogs are excited for her to come home too!!

April 20th - time to say goodbye Odessa

2009-04-20T02:21:00.003-04:00

Today is a travel day and Dasha and I can't wait to board that plane and be on our way to Kiev. I took some heat from my friend Dan yesterday about not taking the train (He loves it!) but I just couldn't do it again no matter what the savings were :)). We'll finish packing, grab some lunch, so some more English and take a few last pictures and then we're gone. It has been really nice this time and I can't say I'll miss it but it is a place I won't soon forget.

Speaking of my friend Dan. Yesterday, we met up with them (http://ukrainetrip-cmf.blogspot.com) at the McD's here in Odessa. This is the family that hosted Dasha during the summer last year and they only live around the corner from us. I would have never guessed in a million years that two families that live only miles apart would be standing together in a city thousands of miles from home at the very same time. If you check out their blog, you'll see they have had a very different experience from ours in many ways. Their process went much much smoother and faster but the accommodations and living conditions are not that great. Vs us who had a terrible time with the process but have had great accommodations. Anyway, we had a chance to chit chat for a little bit, get some much needed cough medicine for their daughter Olya and then it was a "we'll see ya back home." For just a few minutes, it felt like being back home. I guess having people that you know around you brings you back to that comfort zone. We will be praying for the rest of their journey and hope Dan and Olya get home soon because Colleen and Olia need some heat Dan! :)))

The other family that we met while staying here at OES, the Tautons (http://sasha-adoption.blogspot.com), are coming back today. I hope to see them before we leave. They are adopting a "Sasha" a girl from #88 here in Odessa. Wishing you the best guys and hope to say goodbye.

We did a number of other things yesterday. First we did some English, which was like pulling teeth. Dasha has this thing that if she does not get a 100% she wants to start over. Which is fine by me. As I mentioned before repetition is good but what happens is she starts to get frustrated when she still can't get it. Then she says, "me no understand and quits." I say, "Ok, lets go back a chapter or two and go over it again." We'll she doesn't like that idea at all because then she thinks she's already learned that because it has a check mark. She is struggling with the writing part in Rosetta and I said to her, "That's ok, lets just keep practicing the reading and comprehension sections. Honestly though I'm not sure why they even have writing so early in lesson one. She is still learning the alphabet and letters on the keyboard. I'll have to talk to Sheila and Matthew about that one to see how Karina is doing.

Anyway, when Dasha wants to quit, Dasha wants to quit. So I get it, "breathe, relax, relate" (that one's for you Bryan and David!) lets distract her mind with something else while still learning. So, I say to her, "Ok, you can stop with the computer for now because I can see that you are frustrated and I can understand that this is hard. Daddy can't even learn how to say the name of the street we are on but lets keep learning the basics and do some flashcards." No! Pouty face. Breathe, relax, relate. "I know you're upset right now so I'm going to give you a hug and a kiss and then you're going to come over here and we're going to do some flashcards." No! Daddy, I know understand. She loves that one. Even though I know she understands (well at least some of it). She uses that whenever she doesn't want to do something or in some cases she really doesn't because sometimes she really doesn't. Donna is going to have to learn the difference like I have over the past few weeks.

Well, we keep going back and forth and the escalation begins. Finally, we break through it and she comes over and sits down. At least I thought it was a break through. We try a few cards and she just says, "I know understand." Little bugger!!!! I know for a fact she knows her basic letters because she has sung the song with me more than once and her English teacher Ms. Dasha has taught her all of this. (Again, Bryan/David this one is for you). I realize that her brain is somewhere else and the only way I'm going to get her to come back down to earth is to get her mind off of English and then try doing it again later when she's back on this planet. Because right now she is feeling dumb because she can't get it and doesn't think she will get it, even though she can and will eventually. "Lets go for a walk Dasha. We'll clear our heads, get some fresh air and enjoy the beautiful sunshine." NO. Now come on, I thought that one was going to work but she doesn't like to walk for the sake of walking. She would much rather stay inside and watch TV or play computer games. Amber is like that to and I just won't let it happen. Life happens outside, in the world around us! Not on some stupid TV screen or computer. (Right now Donna is laughing saying to herself, "but when you get home from work you lazy bum all you want to do is watch TV." Well the rules don't apply to me honey! :))))))) Once you get her outside though, she usually is fine. She always wants to hold your hand. Love that part. I get her outside. So, I thought I had gotten her outside.

During our battle royale, the phone rang and Dasha talked a few minutes. Then she promptly tells me ok Daddy lets go. I'm thinking yee ha. Victory. Ah, only a partial victory. We go for our walk. We get to the McD's and I say, which way you want to go. She shows me a few hand motions, "up/down stairs." I'm thinking ok, lets go right and go down the big steps in Odessa. She pulls my hand and says no daddy. Then I figure that she meant go down the steps to go under the road to the left and back up to go to the Church where we bought the souvenirs. Yup, that's what she meant. We walk around a bit and and then sit down. The phone rings, it is Alonya for the internot. Dasha and her talk for a few minutes and then Dasha says to me, "Alyona meet us here." I said, "what." "Yes, Daddy Alyona come here." Then the pieces come together, that little bugger got a call from Alyona just before she put her shoes on and they made arrangements to meet at the Church. Now I'm angry because she did not ask me and we're supposed to meet Dan, Dima and Olya anytime now. So, breathe .... and I say, "Dasha, you did not ask me if you could meet Alyona and I am not happy. We have to leave the minute Mr. Dima calls and you might not be able to see her anyway." So we wait and wait, Dasha keeps calling her and Alyona keeps saying she is on the way. After about 30 mins, Dima called anyway and we had to leave. I told Dasha to call Alyona and tell her we can't see her because we have to leave. She does. Alyona then tells her there is no school tomorrow and can we come to the internot. NO. We are leaving tomorrow. Say goodbye Dasha.

I feel bad for Alyona because Dasha and her were very close. They have lived together for the past three years and Alyona has seen many kids come and go the eight years she has been with the internot. What I don't understand is that she has family in the area. They buy her clothes, shoes and bought her a cell phone. Why don't they give her a bed to sleep in and a family? Soon three more kids from Dasha's class will be adopted and brought to America. The 6 class is getting smaller each year.

So there are several lessons from the story above:

1. You can not let your kid answer the phone. If she/he does they need to promptly tell you who was on the phone.
2. Your kids will struggle and are going through all kinds of things all at once. Be patient and breathe through it. Tomorrow is a new day and possibly a better one.
3. Be consistent.
4. Distract them when they've left the planet.
5. Love your kids unconditionally. They want to feel loved. Dasha has said to me more than once, Daddy, I want a hug." She gets one every time. I've told her more than once, I will always love you but I might not be happy with you right now.
6. Feel free to add to the list parents.

After all of this, we came back to the apartment and eat some dinner (eggs, kielbasa, toast) and watched an English movie. Then off to bed. We're ready to go and can't wait to get on that plane.

We're coming home!!!!!!

April 19th - Counting down

2009-04-19T02:21:00.002-04:00

Today is April 19th and we are one day away from leaving Odessa. I can not wait to get home. I want to hold Donna and Amber. I want to pet my dogs and want to sleep in my own bed. I just want our lives to get back to normal. I thought I would be able to work much more than I have and that frustrates me but right now, Dasha has to be my number one priority. She needs attention, love and comfort. I can't tell you how many times she has said to me, Daddy, you love me? Yes, Dasha I love you. I will always love you. I might not be happy with you at times but Mommy and Daddy will always love you. It will take time for her to understand that. She also needs to keep up with her lessons :)) I'm going to work some today so that I can get a little caught up.

Today my freind Dan and his new daughter Olya will be visting Odessa along with our facilitator Dima. I look forward to seeing them and hearing about his adventures. Being in Odessa is quite different than being where they are. We're living the life of luxury in comparison.

I paid my final payments to Scott at Odessa Executive Suites. I had paid for a month and we still had five days left when we came back. So, I only owed him two nights rent. Not bad $110.00 for two nights. I'll pay $120 a night in Kiev for half the space and no kitchen. I want to get outa here as soon as possible. Anyway, if you are coming to Odessa, I highly recommend staying at OES. The staff is nice, they speak English and the accomodations are pretty good. The location is outstanding right in the heart of things. Close to the malls, markets and most importantly the McD's! You're basically in the heart of things. Don't stay anywhere else. You'd be wasting your time and money.

I will miss Alyona and Slavick. They have been so wonderful. Not only do they love the Lord but they love the kids. It has been a joy to be around them. Together they make a great facilitation team here in Odessa and KNOW how to get things done. Again, if you are planning on adopting in Ukraine first consider my new friend Dima Subatenko and if you happen to find a child in Odessa or are adopting a known child in Odessa, ask for Alyona M. to be his onsite facilitator. Dima will be coming to the States this Summer and we hope to see him again.

I mentioned in my posting yesterday how they took us to a basketball game and took us on a tour of the parts of Odessa we would never have seen. When people have told me Odessa is a beautiful city I now understand. The City center is one thing but go outside the city and a whole new world appears. I wish I had been able to show Amber and Donna that part of Odessa!

Yesterday we wnet back to the internot. I really struggled with the decision because Donna did not want us to go. She was afraid, rightly so, that Dasha would have mixed emotions again and would have to go through the letting go phase again. When we got there, there were no kids around. No Alyona, no Sergey, no Elaine, no Luba. Just my buddy Grisha, Myrat and Kristina. I did get to say goodbye to one of Dasha's teachers Ms. Tatianna who speaks English. That part was nice. Dasha called Alyona and said where are you? She said I am at a family members house and I'll come back. I asked Dasha when? She said 20 mins. So I said ok we'll wait and in the meantime you can go play with some of the kids. She did. I asked Dasha where was Alyona and then she said that she was not coming back. So I said, lets go then. Nothing to do here.

So while I was concerned, it turned out to be no big deal. We had set some ground rules before we even got there and she did pretty good. When I said it was time to leave she didn't even try to get me to let her stay. As we were walking out I told her to turn and take one last look at the place she had spent several years. She did. I told her to say goodbye and that was it. We left. The next words out of her mouth were, when are we leaving for America? I can't wait Daddy to see Mommy, Amber and the dogs. I told her what I tell her everyday. VERY SOON.

Today, we will just hang out until Dima calls us to let us know they are on there way. Happy Orthodox Easter!

April 18th - Basketball and Math - Which one do you think was fun?

2009-04-18T10:39:00.002-04:00

First the goodnews. I actually saw Dasha's passport!!! Which means we are officially done in Odessa. Yippeeee. Alyona took it with her and will give it to me on Monday with the rest of the paperwork I need to hand to Dima Tuesday morning. Next step is a flight to Kiev and then a trip to the Doctor and the US Embassy. Five more days till we come home. Not soon enough!

Slavick, Dasha and I went to a professional basketball game to see the Yehmik team. The are well know in this area and in Europe. We had a great time. Dasha at first said she did not want to go but once she got there was screaming with the rest of them. We had an awesome time!!!

On the way there though we found out that Grandma Lela the US Missionary who works at #4 with Harvest International fell and broke her hip. I'm not sure of her status but if you could all please say a prayer for her she would appreciate it I'm sure.

Also, on the way there we stopped off at a farm that is owned by a church. The farm is worked by Slavick parents. We saw pigs and cows and chickens. Dasha loved it. I would have never guessed that a place like this could even exist but once you get outside the city limits Oblast region is beautiful. I wish I had brought the camera but forgot it. Anyway, we drove past the black sea and the water was spectacular. Colbalt blue. Just beautiful.

Math did not go well this morning. I'd say she is at a kindergarten or 1st grade math level but we'll just have to keep working at it.

I'm sure there is more to say but I'm outa steam.

April 16th/17th am - Fun learning English

2009-04-17T04:30:00.003-04:00

Well we had a pretty fun day except when we were doing English lessons or trying to do math. She is way behind in math and I'm quite concerned that even 5th grade will be too much for her. If we have to hold her back two years, I'm not sure what impact that will have on the girls given that Amber who is ten will go to sixth grade and Dasha who will be 13 would be in 5th. We'll see how it goes over the summer. Like most kids, when she is doing well, she is happy, when she is not, she is miserable and wants to quit. We had quite an interesting time when trying to do some simple addition. I simply won't let her quit and then she keeps going.

Rosetta Stone is awesome and she really enjoys it most of the time. She likes to get 100% and if she doesn't, she starts that module over. That's fine by me because the more practice she gets the better. She can do it a hundred times if she wants. We'll need to find some math learning games. She seems to like to learn that way and who wouldn't? Yesterday to help her with her counting in English, we played a dice game I borrowed from Amber. You role the dice and hope to get greens. If you get a red your done. Anyway, I made her count each green and then add them all together each time. We focused on counting the numbers first in English and then adding. She reverts back to Russian often and I say to her "English" and then she starts to count again.

It's going to be a long summer for all of us but we need to make sure we get her started on the right track AND allow her to have the childhood she never had. That means the appropriate balance of play and work.

Everyday starts off the same, coffee, breakfast, English/Math, a walk and then lunch. We then either watch a movie, play a game or something else. Yesterday (16th) we went souvenir shopping and go some stuff for back home. I think Mommy and Amber will like what we got them. We'll get Amber one more thing when in Kiev because we couldn't find something here. Later in the afternoon, Dasha was tired and took a two hour nap while I worked. And boy did I need the time. I'm falling a bit behind because I'm not able to work as many hours as I would like. After dinner, we watched Superman in English and then bed.

This morning, we did some more English and she did awesome. After Rosetta Stone, we did flash cards and she knew a lot of the simple words through letter I. She has trouble with vowels and especially any letter that is close to a Russian letter. That will take some time but I was SOOOOOOOOO proud of her today!!!! Now she is watching another movie and then we need to head out.

Alyona called and said our passport will not be available until later this afternoon, so we're going to need to meet her at the passport office after that. Then we need to run around some more, get Visa photos taken and then get something to eat before calling it a day. That should be it for Odessa.

We'll let the OES staff know that we are outa here on Monday at 4:00. This time, I'll actually have mixed emotions about leaving. Odessa right now is beautiful as the sunshines and the trees start to bloom. I can imagine by the end of the month it will really be nice. Anyway, I'm an American through and through and it will be a wonderful moment to step back onto US soil and here Welcome back to the United States of America. Wouldn't want to live anywhere else!

April 15th - Last visit to Internot #4

2009-04-15T13:23:00.005-04:00

Today was another fun filled day. I already told you how the morning started off. Then Dasha and I took a long walk down to the Promenade, past the Opera house and to the big steps. She said no way Daddy I am not going down there. I said Amber and Mommy both did and she just looked at me funny. So we kept walking. Chalk one up for Mommy and Amber, they conquered the steps and did the Rocky dance!

At about 1:00 we went shopping for the party. Man o man was the market crowded. Took us awhile to get all the supplies, but we made it outa there with about 30 mins to spare. Then it was in a cab to the internot. Took a cab because we had so much stuff. Party supplies, suitcase full of stuff for the girls and Sergey and a Hot Wheels track for my facilitators husbands oldest son.

When we got to the internot we were told that an inspection was going on and we could not enter. So we sat outside with Alyona, Slavik and Tatianna. Sergey came out and he spent time with Dasha just chatting. Once the inspection was done we were able to sneak in and have the party for Dasha. We had cake, sausage, cheese, bread, chips, bananas, sprite and candies. It was a blast. The kids enjoyed the food. Whoofed it down is more like it. The boys hung together and so did the girls. After about 30 mins, it all broke up. Alyona, Elaine, Luba and Kristina all went outside after saying there final goodbyes. Alyona in particular was withdrawn and distant and I can understand why. We've got to find a family for her. In fact all of these kids deserve a family.

Elaine asked me when is it my turn, the only thing I could say was soon. I know where her parents are in the process but they asked me not to say anything so I didn't. I wouldn't lie to her though so soon was close enough. She kept after me though and said 20 days. I said you'll have to wait for your Mom and Dad to tell you when. She is very excited that her turn will probably be next!

The six class is going to get much smaller with Elaine, Grisha and Andre leaving after Dasha. The more families the better!!

Dasha and Sergey took their time saying goodbye. I wanted to honor that and gave them as much time as they needed. At first he did not want to be with us but I encouraged him and said it was ok. We got him a cell phone today so we can stay intouch and Dasha practiced calling him so she knows that it will work. I told her she can call him as much as she wants while we're in Ukraine and then we'll need to work out a schedule when we get to America. Sergey walked us down to goodole bus number 133 and we were off. By-the-way, Dasha needs to learn, "Stop, Look and Listen." She almost ran out in front of two cars today. Talk about heart attacks. Mom/Amber that will be your job when we get back. We'll "practice" some more while we're here though.

Dasha said to me after we left, "Daddy when do we leave for America?" I said next week and again she said, "Too long."

So what's next in the process. All our paperwork is done and Alyona talked to the passport office today and we will have her passport first thing Friday morning. Yeah. Since Monday is a holiday there is no sense in going to Kyiv. Instead we'll just hang here, have dinner with Dan, Olya and Dima on Saturday and leave for Kyiv on the 6:40 flight Monday evening. We'll check-in at the hotel and then Dima should have us on the run all day on Tuesday and most of the day on Wednesday, so Dasha and I can catch our flight on Thursday morning.

I'll enjoy the next five days with her here in Odessa. She might not with me but we'll see how it goes. I'm praying for the best :))) LOL

More pictures have been posted of our day!

April 15th - Morning Daddy here's your coffee

2009-04-15T00:50:00.002-04:00

I'm getting spoiled and I know it won't last long but I am going to savior every waking moment of the time I have with her now. Once she is Americanized and has been with us, I'm sure the honeymoon will wear off but for now let's enjoy it. God after all has a plan!

For the last two mornings, Dasha has gotten me up around 7:00am. Which is ok because I'm up before that anyway to go to work but how she gets me up is the best part. Each morning, she comes up with a fresh cup of coffee. She sets it down and says to me, "Daddy it is time to get up." She then leans over and gives me a kiss and a hug and a hurry up. My heart just melts and my day couldn't start out any better. Well, that's a half-truth. It would be better if my WHOLE family was together because I miss them but since we are separated by time and space, I'll take what God has given me. A wonderful chance to bond with my new daughter.

I know from talking to a few other Dad's out there (and you know who you are) that these moments are ones that will last forever. What greater gift (beyond His own sacrafice for our sins)could God have given us then to be fathers and husbands.

My life will be forever changed because of this time!

Someone get me the tissues will ya!!!!!!

Oh and Donna - forget about sleeping in or napping, those days are over :))))

April 14th - Paperwork Paperwork

2009-04-14T10:20:00.008-04:00

When talked to Donna this morning she told me she got some messages from folks saying what's the deal with the blog, no updates? Geez, I guy has to sleep ya know and it's even tiring with a tween at your side 24X7 who only speaks a little English. It's been a blast but a tiring two days. She is a joy to be around and we can wait to get home. Let me tell you about the past two days.

Sunday/Monday - I left home at 1:00 and headed to the airport to get through security and wait for the airplane to board. The first leg of my trip was to Washington with a tight timeframe between that flight and my flight to Austria. All looks good when the pilot comes over the intercom and says they have a cracked landing light and the FAA won't let them takeoff. He says it will be about 30 mins for the mechanic to get here and fix the light. Now the flight was already 30 mins late because the plane was late and then this. So I say to the flight attendant that I have an international flight I have to make. Am I going to make it? She says, you should. To cut the story short, I arrive in Dulles at 5:00 and my Austrian flight boards at 5:15. Of course, I have to change terminals and run all the way down to the end. I'm the last person to board at 5:30 pm. Whew! Well at least I made it!

I sit down in my seat and the lady next to me is talking to herself. I'm like ok, she's just nervous. She was like that the whole 9 hours. I think she was off her meds but I'm not sure. THe flight was uneventful, the food was ok and I was able to get some sleep. So overall, not too bad. We get to Austria ontime and I have about 2 hours between flights. Good stuff. The airport in Vienna is small and they way the handle check-in is a bit odd. I got off the plane and went to an Austrian air desk to checkin for my flight to Odessa, she says they will board from A5 (next door to where I just arrived) and to have a seat. Sit where there are no seats. So you go down the hall a bit and you find a common seating area. It was ok. I got a latte and waited for my flight. About 30 mins before it was going to takeoff I went back to gate 5. The way they handle checkin is that every gate has its own security screening. There is no common screening like you would find in most US airports. No problem, sailed right through an took a seat. The flight to Odessa only had like 15 people on it and it was a nice smooth flight. I got to ODessa right on time!

By the time I got to the terminal, the luggage was already there. Amazing because the Odessa airport is TINY. I mean tiny. Anyway, I don't see my bags. I'm like ok maybe they haven't finished offloading yet and mine is on the second load. Nope. NO bags. So I go over the the first person I see and say English? She says some. I say, no bags, she says ok, sit down and she worked with me to fill out a bunch of paperwork. I then went to the customs section and they asked me about the medication I had in my luggage. I said it was to help me sleep. He laughed and passed me through.

My faithful facilitation team Alyona and Slavick were waiting for me. I told her what happened and gave her the paper they gave me about my luggage and she took me upstairs to the Austrian air office. She said, it happens all the time. No worries, they will bring it to you. So, I filled out another paper and the guy helping me said it might not have made it from the United States. Ah, the lightbulb went on. I had to run to my flight and I'll bet ya the luggage never made it on the plane. Oh well, you survive.

Slavick and Alyona took me to the Internot to "Spring" Dasha. It was a reunion that I will remember for as long as I live. Alyona motioned outside the Directors office and Dasha and "Elaine" were in the hallway. Dasha was hiding, so I went outside and she ran into my arms and gave me a big hug. She then looked up at me and said "Daddy we go to hotel tonight?" I said yes honey, we go to hotel tonight. She was so excited. The paperwork at the internot took a long time. The Director then asked Dasha to come in. I ran into Sergey in the hallway and asked him to come in as well. The Director gave Dasha a talk about being a good daughter, student and sister and then said that she was happy for her. She reminded her to stay intouch with her brother. We will remind her of that as well. Then we walked out. We chatted with Serey for awhile asked how he's been and if he needed anything right now. I told him tha I have clothes for him but that our luggage was lost and will give them to him as soon as it comes. Also reminded him that I'm getting him a cell phone and he said thank you. Dasha and Sergey then took a few minutes to say goodbye and that we would see him for her party. Then we were off to OES.

Our first night together started off with a trip to.....? Anyone want to take a guess? Yup, McDs. I should write a letter to them telling them that my daughters first meal out of the Orphanage was McDonalds. Then, since we had no clothes etc, we needed to get a few things at the market, plus I needed coffee etc. So off the market we went. We also went and bought her another pair of shoes because we only packed one set and they are sorta slipper/sandal type shoes and it's still a little chilly. She picked out the cutest pair of Nike's Amber will want them. After all the shopping Dad was wiped out so we just came back to OES and watched a little TV. The shower was a fun thing. She must have stayed in there about 30 mins. She shaves her legs now so that was a lot of fun. Not used to hearing about how my tween daughter cut herself in the shower. Can't wait for Amber to start that. Bed time was about 9:00 for Dad because I had been up for way more than 24 hrs. I let Dasha stay up a little longer to watch TV. I of course woke up at 1:00 am wide awake. Plus it was freezing which didn't help. So I turned the heat on and took half and Ambien. My daughter then woke me up at 7:30 am.

Tuesday - Today was all about the paperwork. More and more and more. We started our day off at 9:00am with a trip to the birth certificate office. Alyona had everything arranged. Amazing. Went in signed a form and we were off to get some other paper and then off to the passport office. Again, tons of people waiting in line but Alyona arranged for us to get in there first. Dasha smiled pretty, signed her name and then I signed. Since it is already Tuesday and Monday is a holiday, I need to have the passport on Friday if I have any chance of getting outa here on Thursday so paid and expediting fee. We'll see if it was worth it. If I don't get the passport on Friday I'm going to be upset. After passports, it was off to another government office to register her new birth certificate and officially sign her out of the Internot. Then we celebrated our accomplishments with a good meal. Now it's time for showers, a movie and some popcorn.

Oh by the way, we got our luggage. Dasha was so helpful with that. The driver did not speak English and he was talking to me and I said hold on talk to my daughter. He did and she said he'll be hear in 20 mins. He called back 20 mins later and said Russian and talked to Dasha again. She says, come on Dad and runs out with cell phone in hand. Next thing I know we're downstairs and the guy is waving to Dasha. We got our luggage. I'm so proud of her.

I have to say it has been an absolute blessing to be with her these past two days. It has meant a lot to me and is starting our relationship off right.

That's all for now. Tomorrow I have to get some work done, we need to shop for her party and go for a tour of Odessa.

Dasha is safe in David's care

2009-04-13T09:21:00.003-04:00

It if finally here..the day we have been waiting and praying so long for!! Dasha is no longer an orphan!!! She is safe and with David right now and she is now Dariya Louise Strainick (Dasha).
David arrived around 7:00am although the luggage did not. Hopefully it will arrive sometime tomorrow in Ukraine and he can go get them.
Praise Jesus for EVERYTHING!!!!
Amber and I can't wait for them to get home in America!!
We spoke with Dasha and she is very happy and excited to not be in the orphanage anymore. The first thing she asked David was "Hotel tonight?".
Yes Dasha. No longer will you have to be alone at night with out someone there for you. No longer will you have to be alone when you are sad. No longer will you be sick without someone there to help you get better. Not one day longer that you will not hear the words "I love you" again.
We love you so very much and we are so happy that you are now a part of our family!!
We are counting down the days..you will be home very soon..until then have lots of fun with your Dad!!

Packing - One more time

2009-04-11T08:47:00.002-04:00

Friends of ours who are in Ukraine right now know how to pack light. They brought one carry on and a personal item. We on the other hand can't seem to figure that out. As I begin to pack for the trip, I in fact could have brought one carry on and a personal item but that will not be the case. Why you ask? Because I live in a house full of women :)))) Yeah Yeah go ahead post nasty comments but I say it jokingly and with a loving heart because I would not want it any other way. Instead I will have two checked bags, a carry on (because there is two types of luggage - carry-on and lost) and a backpack.

So you are probably wondering what the heck is in all that luggage. Well one bag is full of clothes for the girls in Dasha's class (donated and/or purchased by Donna's Aunt Margo) as well as clothes for Sergey (essentials + some new shirts -(black of course and jeans). I'll want to offload that stuff quickly so I'll have to work that out with Alyona (my facilitator) when she picks me up. The second bag has another gift that Alyona asked me to get for a special boys b-day (it's a cool hot wheels track) as well as clothes for my tween daughter and I for a week.

In the carry-on I'll have the emergency clothes, plus the essentials we'll need and a change of clothes for Dasha Monday night when I spring her from the Internot. I PRAY AND PRAY that Alyona is able to get the court decree, that everything is in fact ok and I can get her that night. I don't want her to spend one more night there than she has too. Plus, I want to get crackin on the paperwork for the passport on Tuesday so we can get outa dodge as soon as possible.

Well, I look forward to getting there and bonding with my new daughter. It will be good for us because she will get a chance to see what a real Dad can be like and I will get to experience life in a whole new way through her. The one part she won't like is English lessons with Rosetta Stone everyday but she'll get past that in a hurry.

Till, Odessa ... God bless you all on the Easter weekend. HE HAS RISEN!

3 More Days..

2009-04-10T11:49:00.002-04:00

I called Dasha's BFF today, Alyona and Dasha was no where to be found. Three more days and we will finally know where Dasha is at all times!! Three more days and when we want to talk to her, we can. Only three more days!!

4 More days

2009-04-09T12:21:00.003-04:00

Dasha, only 4 more days to go and you will be able to have your family forever. We can't wait to tuck you in at night, to hold you when you are not feeling well and to comfort you when ever you need us. We love you and we are counting days down for you to be home with us in America!!

What the heck is a Lisfranc fracture?

2009-04-08T12:27:00.002-04:00

Never heard of it until Dr. Cohen says to us, "you see the shadowing of these bones here and the misalignment of the middle foot." I said, "yeah but what does that mean?" He said, "it means Donna has a dislocated middle foot and a spider break on two bones in her foot." Commonly referred to as a Lisfranc fracture. Huh? He says, "when can we schedule surgery?" Huh? "Oh, you're going to be out of the country. Ok, then Donna will need to wear a split on her foot/toe and the special boot. She can take the boot off to shower and sleep then right back on. Then come back in three weeks and we'll check it to see how it is healing. We'll decide then if she needs to have surgery." Whew.

Our friends Marty and Alisa have both broken bones in their feet and their oldest daughter just broke a bone at karate (we think their bad Karma wore off on Donna since we see them so much)so they have some experience with this and recommended Dr. Cohen. Dr. Cohen is the foot doctor for the Eagles and the Sixers. In fact, while we were there, someone from the Eagles called and he was chatting them up while working on Donna. Real nice guy and funny as all get out. So we think we're in good hands and will wait to see what he says when I get back from Ukraine. In the meantime, it's RICE for Donna.

Five more days till Dasha is outa the Internot for good.

Dasha, do you want to talk to Mom - No

2009-04-07T07:48:00.002-04:00

Hmm, seems our little one has forgotten about us already. Well not really but it is clear that there is something going on with her. I suspect that some of the other kids are saying things to her and that the emotions of the past four weeks have finally caught up to her.

Her BFF Alyona has a cell phone and we've been calling every other day just to chat with her and to talk to Dasha. Yesterday Donna asked if Dasha was around and Alyona said yes and asked Dasha if she wanted to talk to Mom. She said no. Ouch. Donna was crushed but I told her that she has a lot going on and we've seen and heard this before from other families during the waiting period. We'll call her again on Saturday right before I leave and remind her that she is outa there as soon as Dad gets off the plane. Hopefully she'll talk to us then.

Donna's Aunt got a boat load of clothes for the girls in Dasha's class. Some new, some slightly used but the girls will love them. I can't wait to leave.

Went to work for the 1st time in over a month. Got on the train and the power dies, so I sit. I'm thinking great way to start off the day. I finally get to the office and jumped right back into my routine when I get a frantic call from Amber that there is 5" inches of water in the basement. Yes, my brand new FINISHED basement. I saying let me talk to mom and I can hear Donna in the background saying I can't get it all and in a panic. So, I run down the hallway to my collegues office and tell them I have to leave. I get home and most of the water has been cleaned up but the place is a mess. Luckily I was smart enough to hang the drywall an inch above the ground like you're supposed to so the water dosen't soak it. We also have a dehumidifer and had that thing cranking all night and I steam cleaned the carpets. So, good as new. The plumber should be here in another hour to fix the problem. Worked from home the rest of the day. Thank goodness I have that flexibility but wish I could have been in the office the whole day to reconnect with folks.

Today, is another work at home day because we're going to see the orthopedic guy about Donna's foot. I really wanted to go hear what the deal is with it. I'm hoping its not broken but if it is we'll take it one day at a time. It's easier for me to be supportive of Donna in these situations when I know first hand what's going on. Plus, I just want to be there for her.

Anyway. tomorrow I plan to spend the whole day in the office and hopefully reconnect with some folks, including my boss who will be back from VAC. Then it is only a couple more days before I leave again.

Back to normal

2009-04-05T08:22:00.004-04:00

Well today was the first day that the whole family is back to US east coast time. We all slept passed 7:30 am. Yesterday I bit the bullet and bought Rosetta Stone levels 1, 2 &3. It's like a whole months worth of wages but everyone who has bought it for their kids has said well worth it. (Just kidding about the wage part but it is expensive). I plan on loading it onto my laptop and having Dasha do at least an hour per day while we are waiting for passports etc. That will give her something to do besides watch TV.

Yesterday we also went to Walmart to stock up on food. After being gone for a whole month the house was pretty barren. We also bought a number of things for the kids. For Sergey we bought socks, underwear, t-shirts, etc. essential stuff. For Dasha we also bought her essentials for while she is with me and Donna is planning on going back to get her jeans etc. WE already bought her some shoes to wear. The hard part is trying to find a light coat. It's Spring time on the east coast and there are no jackets to be found. I told Donna she is going to need to go to Burlington coat factory mostly likely for that. We'll try and hit the clearance racks at Kohls and Boscovs to see what they have. I don't want to pack too much because I can always do laundry but when she leaves the orphanage, I need to provide everything for her. She can not take anything with her except a few personal items.

Donna's family is rallying together for the orphans as well. They are raiding their closets for clothes that might fit the girls in Dasha's class and trying to find clothes that would fit Sergey. My suspicion is that I will have a full suitcase of stuff for them when I leave. Glad they came up with space bags!

I also started a spreadsheet yesterday so that Donna can start to organzie all of our receipts this week while I'm at work. Wow, we have a ton of them. It's like paper overload! Plus, they are all in Russian so it's difficult to figure out whats what. TIP: If you have a laptop, catalog them each day. It will make it a whole lot easier. We also started working on all of the pictures we've taken. Close to a 1000. Most of them are up on Dasha's blog but I've started to upload them to Snapfish so I can order prints. Donna wants to make a special book for Dasha to have as a memory of her life and country. Amber wants to do a similiar project so she can remember her trip. I think they will be awesome keepsakes. Donna did a book for her Mom like that and she did an awesome job on it.

Our friends the F's have court this week as well as our friends the T's. Then some parts of each family will be coming home. We pray that their court hearings go smoothly.

Well, guess that's it for now and more to come later in the week.

Court and the long flight home

2009-04-03T09:07:00.012-04:00

Hi everyone, we've kept the posts short the past few days because of travel or just pure exhaustion. The time change home has been 10 times harder on us than the flight over. We've been getting up the past two days between 4-5:00 am. Horrible. Hopefully by Monday we'll be back to normal. Then of course I leave next Sunday again to finalize the process and bring Dasha home!!!

Amber went back to school today because next week they have Spring break and she wanted to say hello to her friends and classmates before the break. Poor thing should be wiped out by about noon so we're going to have lunch with her and then bring her home. I started back to work today (well sorta). I have about three meetings I need to attend and then it's nap time for me as well. Monday I'll work in the office.

I can't tell you how much we've missed the American culture and just being able to speak and for people to understand you. We went to Walmart yesterday to get a few things and then ate Mexican. The waiter said to us, you just get back from Ukraine and you eat Mexican. We said we were jonesing for it. Guess we coulda had Philly Cheesesteaks instead to really feel at home!!!

Anyway, we've been doing laundry and yes using the DRYER, and cleaning a bit. You wouldn't believe the amount of dust that collects in a months time. Man Donna really does a great job keeping this place spic and span.

Ok, enough of how much we love America and are glad to be home. Let me tell you about our court date.

Our cab picked us up at 9:15 for our 10:00 court appearance. Alyona met us at the courthouse with Sergey, Dasha, Dina the Social Worker and the Adoption Inspector. We sat around and waited for about 20 mins and then were called in. The clerk told the kids to stay outside so Donna and I went in by ourselves. The rules state that you have to have a preliminary hearing before your case can be heard. It is just a formality so the judge can at his/her discretion do it all at once. Thankfully Aloyna worked it out in advance for our judge to do just that. Our hearing was about an hour long. Every time the Judge addresses you, you must stand. He will ask you the question, your facilitator will translate and you will answer. They ask you question like, tell me your name, what you do, how much money you make, tell me about your house, home life, health and why you want to adopt the child. They will then ask your spouse the same exact questions. Oh a tip. Make sure you find out from your facilitator what income number they used for the court papers. When the judge asks you that question it better match what is on the document. If Alyona hadn't told me the number they used, I would have said the wrong thing.

Anyway, after the formalities are over they then ask if it is ok to begin the "debates." This is the time when anyone in the court can ask questions. It is also when the prosecutor asked us about her brother. We answered truthfully on how we felt and why we were asking for the separation. They were tough questions but we got through it. They then asked the kids to come in. First Dasha. The poor thing looked terrified as she stood in front of that BIG microphone and was asked a number of questions. She said that she wanted to be adopted by us, that she loved us and considered us to be her Mom and Dad. She then said that she understood that she was coming to America without her brother and that she was ok with that. Dasha left and they then called in Sergey. They asked Sergey if he understood what was happening and if he was ok with Dasha being adopted by us. He said yes he was and that he wanted his sister to go to America to have a better life. They also asked him what he was planning to do and said he wanted to stay in Ukraine, finish his schooling and then get a job. He then left the room.

After the questioning period the judge asks the Prosecutor, the Adoption Inspector and the Orphanage Social Worker their opinion of the adoption. One after one, they each said how obvious it was to them how much we cared for Dasha and loved her and that in their opinion, it was in the best interest of the child to grant our petition of adoption. There was still the issue of the separation but each said that they would leave that up to the court. The judge then asked us to leave so the court could deliberate.

We stepped outside for about five minutes talking to Dasha and Sergey and praying for a miracle. They then called us back in and the judge read his statement. The jist of it goes like this.

We AGREE that it is in the best interest of the child Dariya G... to be adopted by David and Donna Strainick and that they will from now on be her Mother and Father. We further agree to change her name to Dariya Louise Strainick with the same date of birth and birthplace. This court order will become effective in 10 days. Of course, since our court date was on an Tuesday and you can't pick-up the court decree until day 11 that actually made it 14 days and I'll get Dasha on April 13th.

We were so happy and ran out to tell Dasha and Amber who both looked stunned. The Social Worker then said that we could take both Sergey and Dasha to lunch and needed to have them back by 2:00.

At lunch we asked Sergey how we might help him and keep the lines of communication open. He said he very much wanted to stay in touch with his sister. We asked him if he would like us to buy him a cellphone so that Dasha could call him. He said he would like that. Cellphones are pretty cheap in Ukraine. We also asked him if he needed anything right now and he said he needed a new spring jacket, some new shoes and some light sweaters. So later we took him to get some of those things and we left him with some money until I come back for any other basic needs he might have. We've also talked with the missionaries if we could move him to a program called the House of Hope. This would allow him to leave the Orphanage, attend a regular school and learn a trade. When he turns 18, there are a number of other alternatives to explore. When I head back to Ukraine, I'll be bringing him a whole suitcase full of clothes for him. Donna's family is going to gather things for him and we'll get him some stuff. We'll do our best to keep the kids connected and we'll send care packages for him.

For the parents that have adopted before, they know about the lonely walk back through the gates of the orphanage. Before we took Sergey to get some things, we had to drop Dasha off and say goodbye. She cried and said too long too long. Meaning it was too many days before I came back to get her. We all hugged and kissed her and told her we loved her. She then turned and made the lonely walk back through the iron gates and into the orphanage. She won't have to do that much longer.

New pics have been uploaded to the site. Check them out.

Home sweet home

2009-04-02T16:29:00.002-04:00

Well we made it home yesterday after a very pleasant flight on Lufsthansa. We had bulkhead seats which made an amazing difference. My mother-n-law and brother-n-law picked us up at the airport (thanks!) and brought us home to some very excited dogs. They jumped, wagged and smooched us to death. Our very good friend Alisa stocked our house with some essentials for us so we would have something to eat (a BIG thanks!) and left balloons in Ambers room and in the kitchen (ain't she sweet). Our other friends from down the street Maria, Nick and Kathy came up and brought us a monkey cake (yum!) and sat and chatted for awhile. And of course how could we not publically thank Jimmy and Jared for taking care of our pooches while we were gone. Couldn't have done it without them. Words can not express the gratitude.

Well we're going to go get some dinner. Amber will go back to school for one day (next week she has Spring break) and I'll work from home tomorrow.

More about our final days when I've got the energy. Promise!

Day 31-In Germany

2009-04-01T05:38:00.002-04:00

Quick update to let everyone know that we are in Germany waiting for our flight to PHI. The women in Kiev messed up our tickets and had us all over the place so had to have it fixed in FRA. Unfortunately Mommy and Amber will sit together and Dad will sit one row over. We'll touch down at 5:35pm and we should be home by 8:00pm. Dogs here we come. And, we look forward to a goodnights sleep in our own bed.

Day 30 - coming home

2009-03-31T09:04:00.000-04:00

We're on the way to the airport and coming home. Dariya Louise Strainick has a new Mom and Dad.More to come later. Please pray for our 14 day seperation to go fast.Dasha cried on her way back into the intrenot and said too long for me to come back for her. It was a sad lonely walk. After we dropped Dasha off we went to get Sergey some things. He was very happy and looks forward to hearing how Dasha is doing in the United States.

Day 29 - The call we have been waiting for

2009-03-30T03:22:00.003-04:00

Ok, I was going to tell you what the deal is at the end of this post and further describe our day yesterday but for you blogger junkies out there that need their "fix" as soon as they get up, here it is.... COURT IS TOMORROW AT 10:00 AM. After a 10 (business day wait) Dasha will be all ours. That's another thing that is frustrating. Calendar or business day wait. The law reads 10 days but the region interprets what that means. So of course in Odessa, it is going to be business days... that means Dasha will actually have 14 days to wait because of the weekends.

Our morning started with a call from Alyona at 9:45 to tell me that she met with the judge and that he will hear our case at 10:00 am tomorrow. She said he was very nice and that she expects everything to go smoothly. We could really use something to go smooth for a change. Everyone said Odessa is the hardest region to adopt from but we didn't expect it to be this hard. Anyway, to Him be the glory for getting us this far!

Now, back to the past few days...

Saturday - Saturday was like any other day. We get up, we have breakfast, I work some, Donna surfs the web, Amber surfs the web, we all get on each others nerves and then we go to the internot. We want to go outside because it is a beautiful day. Dasha says, "It's too cold." So we tell her that's fine but we're going outside in the sun. When you haven't seen the sun in a month... you go outside regardless of the temp. Anyway, we new that if we went out, she would follow eventually. About ten minutes later she comes out and says, "I'm going to go get my dance shoes." I said, "where is it and how far?" She says, "I walk, I go past supermarket, then I get on bus, I walk some more and then I go buy shoes."

Ok, now let me pause here for a minute because if I were having this conversation with Amber it would be a very very different one. But alas, I have seen the light through our involvement with the Post Institute (web site link at the top of our blog). The Post Institute is an organization dedicated to helping kids and their families with behavioral issues (ADHD, Attachment, Lieing, Anger, etc...). We just recently finished a course called, "Healing for the Attachment Challenged, Angry and Defiant Child." In that course, by Bryan Post, PhD., LCSW, we learned that the typical way we would parent a child won't necessarily work with a child like Dasha. Now don't get me wrong, Dasha does not have the typical issues that most kids who have been institutionalized have but she has never been parented before in the true sense. So not only has she not been parented, we also have a language barrier to overcome. Keep these things in mind as I describe the interaction.

Back to my conversation with her. So, I wrap my arms around her and tell her that Mom and Dad love her and that it is not safe for her to be walking the streets of Odessa by herself. She says, "I don't understand" and with frustration. So I knew she understood some of it. So I let go of her and then embraced her again. I said while holding her, "Dasha safe." Then I let go of her and moved my fingers and pointed outside and said "Dasha not safe and I do not want you leaving the internot by yourself." She walked away very angry but she got the jist of it. At least we thought... So I'm not saying that the conversation was perfect but at least we tried to establish some boundaries with her in a loving way. Doesn't always work the first time but ya got to keep trying. Keep in mind, this is the same kid that asked us in advance if she could get her tongue pierced, so she is starting to get it.

Finally, it did get cold and we all went in for the night. Dasha laid down on the couch to take a nap, we kissed her goodbye and told her we would see her the next day (Sunday) at the same time.

Fast forward to Sunday. You probably got the jist of the story from my posting yesterday but I'll add a few more tidbits of info. As you know we got to the internot and no Dasha. We ask where she is and get different stories. Eventually we find out that she went to her Aunts house to show her the pictures of when she was in America... about 20 mins away. By the way, with permission from the teacher and by herself. So, while I know that this is just the way it is and these kids pretty much do what they want and she was probably ok, Donna, Amber and I were still worried about her. A little angry too but more worried. So I called her friend at 5:00 and still no Dasha (now she was supposed to be back by 4:00). I call again at 7:30 pm and she was back. I ask to talk to her and the first thing she asks is what happened to Mom? Meaning what happened to Mom's iPod. I told her it was stolen and moved on to the question of where were you? She said I went to get my shoes. Wanted to explode but took a deep breath and asked did you also visit your Aunt. Yes. Ok, well I'm glad you're ok and I will see you tomorrow.

So today, Aloyna (facilitator) is coming to the internot and I will pull Dasha aside and talk to her about yesterday. It is important for her to know that I love her no matter what, that I was concerned for her safety and that she cannot leave the internot anymore. The next time she leaves the internot will be when I come to get her because we don't want anything to happen to her that might prevent her from coming to America and that she must respect us when we say no.

We'll see how that goes. She'll probably just yes me and do what she wants anyway but that will all change when the customs officer says to her, "Welcome to the United States of America."

Before you parents of adopted children slam me, let me live the fantasy for a little while ... :)))

By the way, having another American family to hang out with makes a huge difference. You don't realize it until they get here. We went almost 2.5 weeks without another family and then found out the "T's" were here adopting a little girl from another internot. Since then we have been having dinner together and just fellowshipping. It's made a huge difference for us!

We'll I guess that's it for now. Tomorrow we pray that we have court and that we get on that 6:00 plane and our 5:30 am plane home.

Day 28 - frustration

2009-03-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

How is it that the kids can just go with whomever whenever? Today we get to the internot and ask where is Dasha. Alyona tells us that she went with her Aunt to get her picture taken before she leaves for America. Not sure we believe that but it's what we've been told. Alyona said she will not be back till 4:00. We'll we won't be here.

On top of that, yesterday Donna left her coat in the room with some of the boys while we went down the hall to play with some of the orphans. Today, she reaches for her iPod and it is gone. Why? We have only loved on these kids, brought them food and treats and this is how they treat us. It's infuriating. Donna is angry and frustrated but we will love on them anyway.

Also, this morning I was typing a new blog about our parenting moments with Dasha and our internt connection dropped and I lost everything.

So, overall it has been a frustrating day so far. Tomorrow, Alyona meets with the judge to find out when we can have court and it better be soon. We need to go home.

I will try and recreate what I wrote this morning. It was a good one.

Time to one hour ahead tonight

2009-03-28T06:06:00.002-04:00

Reminder for everyone..Ukraine clocks jump one hour ahead tonight. So we will again be 7 hours ahead of America time starting tomorrow.

Day 27 - I'll praise you in this storm

2009-03-28T04:06:00.004-04:00

Today I thought I would switch gears a bit and reflect on the spiritual battle we have been facing throughout these four weeks. Wow, four weeks already. This morning if court had gone ahead, I would be sleeping in my own bed with my dogs at me feet and my Kona whimpering in my ear to let her out. Instead we are still here, fighting to bring our Dasha home. Our facilitation team has done everything possible to move things ahead - each time asking the Lord to bless our steps and conquer the difficulties placed before us. And... each time He has been faithful clearing the way so that we can move forward. Satan does not want us to adopt even one of God's children. He does not want us to bring Dasha home because he wants the suffering of these children to continue. So he will continue to throw up road blocks hoping we will give up. Well we won't!

On Thursday when we got the call from Alyona that court had been cancelled I was crushed and so angry that I had to leave the apartment. I just needed to get some air and be by myself. I kept asking why? Why would we literally be a few hours from calling Dasha our own, from boarding a plane home, to sleeping in our own beds? God's plan is not always our plan. He does not always come with a roar but sometimes in a whisper. We at times are so caught up in our own lives that we fail to hear the whisper of Gods voice calling us in the distance. The bible says "to be still and know that I am." Sometimes we just need to be still, to be in the moment, so we can hear that whisper. He also wants us to remain faithful. He wants us to "Praise Him in the storm." To wait for His timing. To be patient. What will we do when we are tested?

On the bus to the Orphange that day, I got out my iPod and listened to a Casting Crowns song called "Praise You in this Storm." I needed to hear the lyrics of this song to give me the strength I needed to be with my daughters, my wife and the kids of #4. The song says ...

"I was sure by now God You would have reached down And wiped our tears away Stepped in and saved the day But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining As the thunder rolls I barely hear Your whisper through the rain" I'm with you"And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away And I'll praise You in this storm And I will lift my hands For You are who You are No matter where I am And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry to you And you raised me up again My strength is almost gone How can I carry on If I can't find You But as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain"I'm with you"And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away I lift my eyes unto the hills Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord The Maker of Heaven and Earth."

When we got to the Orphange that day we had a great time with the kids. We enjoyed every minute with them and it was as if the stress of the day had been lifted. Dasha was upset but she too remains faithful that soon she will be coming to America. Going home.

What prompted me to write this blog this morning was the time I spent with the Lord listening to Romans. I have the gospels on my iPod so I can listen to them over and over again. Just before I was about to turn it off for the day, I got to Romans 5 1-5.

"1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a]have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we[c] also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (NIV)

How fitting that on Thursday I would need the Casting Crowns song and today would need Romans chapter 5 verses 1-5. We are not suffering in the true sense of the word but we are certainly ready to go home. We continue to persevere because we have hope/faith and belief that that hope will not disappoint us.

I'd suspect that most of the people reading this blog are believers but to those that aren't and can't understand why we would travel half-way across the world to adopt a child we only met for a short time - to continue to fight for her - to continue to remain faithful - its is because of our relationship with the one who created us. We will continue to "Praise Him in this Storm." Pray for court on Monday or Tuesday.

Want to have that type of faith and peace? Then come to know Him and accept Him into your life.

Romans Chapter 3, verses 22-26: "22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." (NIV) AMEN!

Day 26 - I sing, dance, come after lunch

2009-03-27T12:25:00.006-04:00

We went to visit Dasha again today and you ask what time? Well, we ask Dasha the same question every day to her.."what time do you want us to come tomorrow?"..and the answer we get is the same every day. "I sing, I dance, you come after lunch, okay?". It is now our daily laugh on our way to the orphanage.

We got there and it was Luba's birthday today and we purchased a pair of silly socks for her. We wrapped it in tissue paper that Donna brought with her. We handed it to Dasha and she said "what is this?". We said it is for Luba's birthday and she started to open it before giving it to Luba. Donna said, no it is for Luba to open, she said "okay". After Dasha saw what it was she said she wants one like that too. So after Luba saw it Dasha said "today it is yours, tomorrow it is mine". That is what happens too. Nothing that they have in the orphanage is their's. They share everything. We thought what it will be like when Dasha finally gets to her own home, her own bedroom, her own things. We are sure that every once in a while she will go into Amber's room and want to share things with her since that is what she is used to doing.

Speaking of sharing, the kids got to see what an American child is like that has never had a brother or sister. A child that has never had to share. Amber had a bit of a fit when Donna drank half her Fanta drink. The kids did not understand why she was so upset and we had to explain to them that she doesn't understand sharing the way they do. In the orphanage they share everything, including the food and drinks they have. Amber has learned a lot on this trip and it will take her some time. We're willing to give her the time she needs to adjust but she will learn to share with Dasha. Don't get me wrong, they'll both have their own things but we won't let things get outa hand.

We played games with the children today and shared in Luba's birthday celebration.

We left with Dasha, Alonya and Sasha sleeping on the couch. We know that Dasha is so ready to be out of there and to come home to America.

In time Dasha, we promise to get you home to us.

Court cancelled till at least Monday

2009-03-26T05:40:00.003-04:00

We got a call at about 10:30 that court has been cancelled. The judge we were suppose to have has been reassigned and we got a brand new judge who has never done adoptions before, so is not prepared to hear our case. I got the sense from Alyona that our other judge was well prepared and that our hearing would go easily. Now we start over again. Alyona will meet with the judge on Monday and hopefully get a court hearing on Tuesday. We will need another miracle to get us out of here. We feel stuck, trapped, helpless and angry all at the same time.

We know God has a plan and we just need to wait for His timing but it still doesn't feel good.

So now, we'll trek back to the Orphanage another few days and visit the kids. Maybe that will make things better.

Oh, we got moved to a much bigger apartment and I'll post some pictures of it later. It's two bedrooms and huge. So at least while we're stuck here we can have some room to spread out.

Day 25 - and who knows how much longer

2009-03-26T04:22:00.003-04:00

Well, we just received a not so nice phone call that we are NOT having court today!! We are, to say the least, very upset about this. Not only did we book flights from Odessa to Keiv for tonight that now has to be changed but we also have to move from this hotel room to another one because they thought we were leaving today also AND we now have to change our flights out of Keiv to Germany to home because we were supposed to leave on Friday.
David is so upset because he needed to be back at work and Amber should of been returning to school on Monday.

Please be in prayer for all of us. We are mentally not doing so well today.

Day 24 PM - Leaving with heavy hearts

2009-03-25T14:53:00.004-04:00

Today we spent the last day as a family with the kids of #4. While we want to go home as quickly as possible, we will miss these kids. They have all, in some way, touched our lives. We've tried to make the lives of these kids just a little bit better and we hope we leave them with a lasting impression of the love of Jesus Christ.

Tomorrow we will get up and get ready for court. Our court hearing is scheduled for 12:30 pm. It should be over by 2:00 pm and shortly after, we will head for the airport to catch our 6:00 pm flight to Kyiv. I will post a short note on this blog to let everyone know what happens.

Tonight I am actually at a loss for words. We love these kids and wish we could adopt them all. We just talked to Dasha a few minutes ago via Alyona cell phone to say goodnight. They do not have anyone to tuck them in or say good night. They don't have anyone to read them a bedtime story and they don't have anyone to tell them that they love them. Instead, they have someone yelling at them telling them to get ready for bed. And then... Dasha says I have to go.

I'd ask that you send the link to friends that you may know who may be interested in adoption or even support the cause of the orphan. "Elaine" and Grisha will be adopted soon but the others will not. We think of Alyona who is such a beautiful creature that so desperately wants a family. Luba with the wonderful smile and Kristina the silent but smiles everytime she see you. They need you!

Please take a minute and read our friends the Nasekos blog posting. I think they have said it best. They adopted Karina from Dasha's class a few months ago. http://storeygraceinperu.blogspot.com/2009/03/we-will-not-forget-them.html

The plan is for me to travel back to Ukraine on Tuesday, April 7th to arrive on April 8th. This way I can free Dasha from #4 on April 9th. Please pray for her safety and sanity as she awaits my arrival.

We've posted some more pictures of the past few days. God bless.

Day 24 - court in the morning

2009-03-25T07:15:00.000-04:00

A quick post from the bus to let everyone know that the SDA has approved our documents and request for court!!!!! Thank you Dima and Alyona for working so hard. Tomorrow, Alyona will pick-up the kids, inspector and Social worker from the internot and bring them to court. We see the judge at 12:30. The decision is now in his/her hands now. We'll not really it is in God's hands. We will then need to wait until April 9th to spring Dasha from the internot. I will fly back on April 7th so we can get crakin 1st thing in the morning.

Please pray that court goes well tomorrow and we make our flight with happy hearts.

We are giving Dasha a calendar today with the dates so she can cross them off each day and know when I will be coming back for her.

More later!

Day 22 - 3 days and counting till court

2009-03-23T14:06:00.003-04:00

We had a nice day with Dasha. She's still sick and gave her some more medicine. She perks up about 30 mins after the meds hit her system. She was very loving today and consistently uses the words Mom and Dad or Mommy. Dasha and Amber roughed house with me a bit and chased each other around the room. They're actually fairly protective of each other.

We are counting the days down till we leave (3). Four more bus rides to #4. We found out today that I actually paid for our hotel room until April 5th (I paid for a full month) which means when I get back I'll have nine days of credit here at OES. That's very goodnews. We've been doing really well on cash by eating out only for dinner (most of the time) few lunches here and there but mostly just dinner. That saves a lot. We should be able to come home with enough to pay off our plane tickets and hotel stay. Of course, I'll still need to bring money back with me when I come get Dasha.

We're 90% sure we have court on Thursday. Dima said that he is 90% sure our paperwork will be ready by Wednesday and then in Odessa in time for court. Lets up so because I want to be on that 6:00 pm flight to Kiev. I didn't book plane tickets yet because there is always that chance. Unfortunately, that means paying a little more for the tickets because they will be last minute. When I come back, I will fly straight to Odessa.

For dinner tonight we tried a BBQ place. Great food, reasonable price, English menus and nice staff. It was called Buffalo 99. So if you come to Odessa, try this place. Turn right out of OES, right again then go two blocks and turn right again.

I worked some today and have been participating in a few calls with my boss. He leaves for VAC next week just in time for my arrival back in the States. Then when he comes back, I leave again. It'll be like seven weeks since I've actually seen him.

Day 21 PM - Back from the Orphanage

2009-03-22T11:00:00.003-04:00

Our daughter is sick again. This time with a pretty bad cough and cold. We gave her some of the magic medicine we got while we're sick and will give her some more tomorrow. She was pretty clingy today and just wanted to snuggle with Mom. She did play and run around for a little while. Amber and Dasha thought it would be fun to dumb water on Dad's head. So Dad thought it would be good to chase the kids with water as well. After a couple of hours, she said I need to go to sleep. We knew she needed a nap and wish we could have just brought her back to the apartment with us. So she said goodbye Mom, goodbye Dad and Amber. She gave us each a really big hug, grabbed a jacket and then off to bed.

While Dasha was eating Mom and Amber went out to feed the dogs. I guess their substitutes for our own sweet puppies. Donna bought dog food for them at the market and I guess will feed them some decent food tomorrow.

Oh, I snagged some pictures of Grisha's new haircut and Elaine skateboarding down the hallway.

Day 21 - Just waiting for Thursday

2009-03-22T04:44:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we visited Dasha for a little until she said she had dance class. We left around 2:30. We were a bit dissappointed because we look forward to the weekends when we can go visit Dasha for the whole day and spend time with all of the children.

While we were there though, we opened up the laptop and showed the kids all of the pictures we had taken over the past few weeks. That kept them occupied for a little while. They really enjoyed seeing themselves. They were also very interested in some of the pictures of Kiev and Odessa.

It was good for Donna. She was able to come back and put her foot up to rest. Today her foot is a lot less swollen and she is able to walk around on it much better. The medicine they have here is very good. When we had our colds, we took their medicine, and we were all better in 4 days.

Today we will go visit Dasha again and hope that she does not have anything going on. We know that she has a schedule to keep, we just know that our time with her is coming to an end for the 12 day wait so we want to spend as much time with her as we can.

I know that it will soon come when she will be home with us forever and we will have her around for always!!

Since we have a few blogger junkies out there following there kids as well here's a few updates.

Our buddy Grisha got a new haircut with these weird lines all in them. He looks funny but to him he thinks he looks cool. He makes fun of me cause I have hair on my arms. I told him that's because I'm a man and he is still a little boy. So now that's our running joke with each other. We'll try to grab some pictures today. Didn't see Dima.

Elaine, was as full of life as she always is. She and Dasha said they had a dance competition to go to and they were both dressed in black. Looked cute as ever. Dasha uses Elaine and Alyona for translation when we're talking to fast or she doesn't understand something we said. It goes both ways and Elaine is so helpful for us. Elaine, got an email from her Mom and Dad and really enjoyed reading it. I'm going to try and get her to write one back today. It's so wonderful that she has kept up with her English since coming back from the USA.

Kristina, was not feeling well and was trying to sleep on the couch before the teacher told her to get up. We did not see Luba at all and Alyona stays away from us when we're there. I think it hurts her too much to see us all together. She really wants a family and would make a great daughter to anyone.

The boys were out running around somewhere so it was pretty quite.

We also ran across another families blog while surfing the internet and foound out that they are staying right here at the OES. So, we're going to hook-up with them hopefully in the next day or so. It will be nice to share war stories.

Back from the Ballet

2009-03-20T15:17:00.007-04:00

What a beautiful Opera House!!! Magnificant is the only way to describe this place. Built in 1887 it was just remodeled two years ago and what a job they did on it. Ms. Dasha, Amber, Donna and I saw Swan Lake and enjoyed every minute. I know I'm getting older when I'll hang out with three women at the ballet but it was beautiful. The dancers were incredible and the costumes were stunning.

Right now court is scheduled for 12:30 on Thursday. We will then catch the 6:00 flight from Odessa to Kyiv and stay the night (sort of) and catch our 5:30 am flights back to the States.

Oh, forgot to mention there is a new pic tab at the top. We exceeded the number of pictures in our first picassa web album so I created a new one. Lots more pics of our trip and the Opera house. Enjoy!

Day 19 - PM update

2009-03-20T10:46:00.003-04:00

Well we went to the hospital and there are NO broken bones. Just a bad sprain. Would you believe we were in and out of there in about 1.5 hrs. If we had to go to the ER in America we would have sat there for four hours and they would have charged us $2000. We walked away with a 320 hrv bill (about $50). I did spend another 350 hrv for medicine and crutches.

So while we didn't get to see our Dasha today we will make the Opera and are still looking forward to that. Thanks for all th prayers! Donna is still in a decent amount of pain but she just took the first rounds of medicine they prescribed. She'll need to take it easy for a few days. Pictures of the carnage coming soon! :)))

Day 19 - Did Donna break her foot?

2009-03-20T04:39:00.002-04:00

I don't know but we'll be finding out soon when Alyona comes to pick us to take us to either the hospital or the doctor. Not sure which yet. Donna was playing with Dasha in the hallway with no shoes on and slipped while chasing her. Down she went. First we thought it was no big deal but now her foot has swelled pretty good and it is very painful to the touch so.... we will now experience our first trip to a foreign hospital. Not exactly what we were planning for the day. We're supposed to go to the Opera at 6:00 pm with Ms. Dasha. Hope this doesn't take very long!

I called my insurance carrier to see how this would work and it said "we're sorry, our office is closed..." What no emergency #? Anyway, guess I'll have to pay cash and then figure it out after.

Day 18 pm - Dima has the ball

2009-03-19T13:39:00.004-04:00

Our funny facilitator said he is on his way to the train station and will sleep over so he is right there when the train pulls in the station from Odessa. Why you ask, because our paperwork is on the train to Kyiv. Dima will submit it to the SDA tomorrow and we should get them back on Wednesday just in time for court on Thursday. Alyona met with the judge today to pave the way so to speak for our hearing next week. Would love to have been a fly on the wall for that one.

Dasha was a lot of fun today and wanted to know when court was going to be. We told her probably on Thursday. She then wanted to know when she would be leaving the intranot and going to America. We told her it was going to be about 19 days from today. She is so excited and can't wait to leave. We have not told her yet that it will only be papa coming back for her and we also have not told her yet that we are going home and then coming back. We think she'll be ok but I'm sure she will be a little confused. The important thing is that we are coming back for her and it a few short weeks she will be Dariya Louise Strainick a citizen of the United States of America.

As you can see from the pictures we spent a little time on the swing and then the girls got cold so we headed in. Then it was balloon fights, duck duck goose and UNO. Then our 3 hours was up and it was time to go. After some long hugs and goodbye Mom, Dad and Amber we were off to bus 133.

We decided to celebrate a bit and went to a steakhouse Sheila N recommended. It was awesome. That was the best food we've had since coming to Odessa. A little expensive (about 450 rph) but worth every cent. Thanks Shelia!!!! Tomorrow we're off to the Opera with big Dasha to see Swan Lake and we can't wait. Tickets were dirt cheap by American standards.

Our flight on Friday is currently scheduled for 5:30 am and we're going to need to change that unless we fly directly from Odessa to Kyiv. Not sure how expensive that is but we'll look into it. Otherwise, we need to see if we can fly out later in the day.

Day 18 am - To Him be the glory

2009-03-19T06:17:00.003-04:00

A quick post to let everyone know that the Director signed the papers and they will be on the night train to Kyiv where Dima will submit them to the SDA in the morning (Friday). We pray that we can have court on Thursday, so we can catch our already scheduled flight on Friday at 5:30 am. Not sure how we get there that early but we'll find out. If we can't get to Kyiv in time, we'll need to reschedule. After all we've been through, that's the least of our problems.

To Him be the glory for now and forever. Amen!

Off to the Internot to see our daughter and her friends.

Day 17 - Short post before bed

2009-03-18T15:53:00.003-04:00

Typical day and still no news. Alyona did tell us that she was told that the papers would be ready at 8:00 pm today but she hasn't called. So not sure if she figured it was too late to call or she didn't get them. Either way, we'll find out tomorrow. The papers have to hit the Thursday night train or we'll be stuck here into the last week of March. But we're faithful that they'll make the train and we can have court next Thursday which is two days later than we thought. I really need to get back to work and Amber needs to get back to school and Donna, well she just needs to get home.

Dasha is becoming more and more comfortable with us, gives plenty of hugs and throws around Mom and Dad as if we've been together forever.

Bad news from the homefront though. I got word that my Dad's wife Anita is in the hospital in pretty serious condition. She should be ok and make a full recovery but we wish we could visit her. Our prayers are with her and my Dad.

Well tomorrow I hope to post in BIG BOLD letters that the paperwork has been signed and we will in fact have court. The glory and praise will all be His.

Friday night we go to the ballet and we are so looking forward to a nice night out with Ms. Dasha.

Good night to all our family and friends!

Day 16 Cont...

2009-03-17T15:15:00.002-04:00

As you can tell we are quite frustrated but know that there have been many families before us that have had a much harder time and their are several in various parts of Ukraine without even the basics. We have to remain faithful. We have to believe that God did not bring us all the way to then leave empty handed. We are waiting for ONE signature before our paperwork leaves for Kyiv. Yes we know that we are doing something that has not been done before and yes we know that it is difficult and yes we know it takes time. We pray that this one man will look beyond the paper and instead look at what it is we are trying to do. Give a child that will have NO life if she does not get to come to America. Please Lord let this man give Dasha hope!

After spending the last two weeks with Dasha, we know that she is the one that has been choosen for us. She is so full of life. So full of energy and is a child of God. She and Amber have been having soooooo much fun together and it is like they have always been together. We have to believe that we can and will see this through. We just have to.

Alyona and Dima are doing everything they can to try to move this along but you can hear the worry and frustration in their own voices. But they continue to work on our behalf. They too have the Lord on their side and are working for His children. We pray for them as they navigate these difficult waters.

On a positive note, we saw the sun today and that lifted our spirits. We also heard from our friends Colleen and Dan that they will be travelling to Ukraine on the 23rd for their 2nd adoption. Maybe we'll get to see them.

We appreciate the thoughts and the prayers. We hope to have good news tomorrow. One signature is all it takes.

Day 16 - Still no News

2009-03-17T12:52:00.002-04:00

Still waiting on the government to sign the paperwork. So no court date and still no answer weather Dasha can come home with us. We are very frustrated.
Had a good day at the orphanage and fun with the children.

Day 15 - Cont...

2009-03-17T04:04:00.006-04:00

Still no news but yesterday we were so depressed we didn't give our faithful readers the full picture of our day. So... I'll add a few additional comments.

As usual we got up at about 9:00 am (I know livin lavita loca - whatever as our friend Sheryl says....) had some breakfast and then headed out for some sightseeing. Amber and I decided that Mom was up for a walk to the Opera house which I showed you guys a few days ago and the Odessa steps. So we walked all the way down there, went down the steps again and back up. Whew, that is a climb but boy does it burn off some energy. We ran into a nice sailor who spoke to us immediately in Enlgish. Again, who are the Americans - yup us! Anyway, I was a bit hesitant at first with my Dad radar going off and my fist curled in my pocket but as he spoke, I could tell he was genuine. He lives in Odessa but is a 2nd officer on one of the big cruise lines. He talked about Miami, New York and a few other spots only cruise ships can get into. He told us he was on leave because his father was sick and then after a few more minutes said have a good rest of your day.

After climbing the steps, we walked a bit further to see the the statue of the founder of Odessa - Empress Catherine II. You can see that her left hand is pointing towards the city. The text of how the city was founded can be found on our picture site. After seeing a few more statues and there are a lot of them, we headed back to the apartment.

At 1:30, again typical time to leave, we headed for the Intranot. Of course.... yeah you guessed no Dasha, she as eating. After a bit, Babuska Lela and Alyona (our facilitator) came in and we talked to them for awhile while playing with the kids. Lela and Alyona have a real love for these kids that can only come from a their love for Jesus Christ. There is another woman named Tatiana who watches the kids periodically - She also really loves these kids. You know how the rest of the day went from our post yesterday.

Thank you for all of the encouraging comments yesterday. We needed them. We'll head out again for some fresh air before leaving to visit Dasha. We know there are many families who have been in country a lot longer than us. We pray for their sanity as well.

Day 15 - No news

2009-03-16T14:34:00.003-04:00

For the first time I'm willing to admit that I'm homesick. I'm ready to leave and all this waiting is starting to get to me. We have a life at home we want to get back to. Amber has school, Donna has a home to keep and David has a job to do. We miss our dogs, family and friends. We could not stay here during the wait after court it would be just to draining on us and Dasha deserves better. While the city is beautiful, the weather is terrible. Gray all of the time. We were told today the sun comes out in July. We can't wait that long.

We still have not heard back about the final signature we need befor the "paper" can go to the SDA for final approval before court. We hope tomorrow which means court will be on Tuesday, March 24th. We should then be on the night train to Kyiv and then a flight to Frankfurt. We'll see.

On a brighter note, we celebrated the Hoffman's daughters birthday today. What a joy to see her face light up as we sung happy birthday in two languages and then had cup cakes.

Dasha was a lot of fun today and she said, "lets get to America now." We brought pictures of home today and she showed all of her friends. She told them about our house, her dogs and room.

Hope we have goodnews tomorrow. More pictures have been posted

Day 14 - Short but fun

2009-03-15T09:06:00.006-04:00

By now you've figured out the pattern. We go to the intranot and Dasha is no where to be found. Today, she was wandering the streets getting snacks with "Elaine", Kristina and Alyona. Today is "Elaine's" birthday and she is 14. So they got something sweet to celebrate and now Dasha is sick with a belly ache :). For a place that is locked down most of the time, on the weekends its more of a free for all.

Anyway, Amber, Donna and I made the trek out there and Dasha was the kid we remember from the summer. She was happy, running around and just being her. She has so much energy and is a joy to be around. She first walked in and started messing with us by ignoring us and going and sitting in front of the TV. I said Dasha, where are our hugs? Momma is here and so is Amber. She said, "I'm watching TV." And I said get over here or I'm going to tickle you. She said I'm just kidding and came over for hugs and kisses.

Today she called Donna Momma a bunch of times and in english Mom at least once. We told her court will be soon and she was very excited about that. She started telling stories about her bedroom, Chuckie Cheese, and our house to her classmates. We pulled up Google earth on my Blackberry and showed the kids where we live.

Yesterday, Dasha had a climbing competition and she one fourth place. Today, she has another dancing competition so we had to leave at 2:00. We were going to go to church again with Michelle today but Donna is just not feeling up to it so we will grab something to eat and then head back to the apt for some American TV I downloaded from iTunes (Thanks Alisa!).

More pics posted of the kids. We've got to find a family for Alyona. Please spread the word about her.

Day 13 - A down Day

2009-03-14T09:20:00.003-04:00

Day 13 is a big time down day. Dasha is at a climbing competition and since Amber and Donna are still not feeling great, we are just hanging out. It is not fun being cooped up in a small apartment with not much to do.
Tomorrow, if feeling better, we will all go to the orphanage to play with the children.
We will wait until March 23 or 24 for court date and then we think that we will plan on coming home to America for the 12 day wait (we thought only 10). Donna does not have to be here, she just needs to sign some papers, to bring Dasha home. So David will come back after the 12 days and bring her home. This way Amber can get back to school and get into a routine again before Dasha comes home. Amber has spring break the third week of April anyway so she can get back to school, then Dasha comes, and they can have a week together before Dasha goes to school too.
Continue to pray for our health here.

Day 12 PM - update

2009-03-13T11:52:00.002-04:00

Donna and Amber stayed home today because they are sick. So, I went to the intranot myself and had an awesome time. My daughter said Dad today in perfect english and it made my heart jump. I was so happy. I played tag with Dasha, Alyona, Kristina and Grisha. Of course Papa was it most of the time. My daughter kept teasing me the whole time and it was fun. A about she said I have to go dance. I said can Papa come and she said no. Bummer for me. So I spent some time playin with the boys and talking to Grandma Lela before heading out. I had a blessed day it really felt good to have one on one time with her.

Day 12 - AM

2009-03-13T05:54:00.003-04:00

We are just chilling this morning. Amber is very sick with a cold and so is Donna. David will go to the orphanage alone today to drop off a package for M and to see Dasha for a little bit. Maybe tomorrow we will all we feeling better to go visit Dasha. Our paperwork should go out today and then we wait until the following week to have the court date. We wish we would have brought movies with us, but we forgot. So we are reading some and Amber is watching her cartoons. Continue to pray for our health and that we make the right decision to either stay or go home during the 10 day wait after court date. Any advice on this would be appreciated!

Day 11 - finishing the paperwork chase

2009-03-12T10:37:00.005-04:00

Our awesome facilitator Alyona has been running around on our behalf so we can ship the final papers off to Kyiv tonight so Dima can submit tomorrow. We'll be meeting Tatiana downstairs at 6:10 pm to sign some final documents and then off to dinner.

Mom and Amber have the cold I got two days ago. Mom is far worse than Amber but we're all hanging in there. My cough is driving me nuts but we'll keep chugging along.

While Mom was sleeping, Amber and I took a walk down to the Opera house and then a bit further to a beautiful promenade overlooking the Black Sea (check-out the pictures). We walked about an hour total and enjoyed just being together as Dad and Daughter. Next Friday we are going to see Swan Lake at this very Opera House with Dasha's English teacher Ms. Dasha.

Amber and I tackled the world famous Odessa steps and walked both down and up. Talking about a leg burner. We should have waited until we felt a bit better but it was worth it! After our walk we got ready to see Dasha. You never know what to expect when you get there. Today, she was no where to be found. A few kids went to find her and she came bouncing in with her girl friends. Only Amber and I went because of how sick Mom is. For some reason today was awkward. No hugs no kisses nada. We sat down and chatted for a few minutes and then it was time for English lessons with Amber. Amber started to do the flashcards with her while I spent time with "Elaine" (being adopted by the Hoffmans) talking about her birthday and her time in the United States. "Elaine" is a very sweet kid with eyes so bright you don't need sunshine. She just lights up a room. Anyway after about 15 mins, the Director and Assistant Director walked in said something to the girls and then Dasha said I have to go sing. We had no idea how long or when she would get back and there was no goodbye Papa and Amber. She just ran out of the room. Very odd. Amber and I figured since we both still weren't feeling well that we would just head home. We left her a note in her locker and told our buddy Grisha to tell her we would see her tomorrow. Have to tell you though that my heart was a bit broken. I wanted to spend time with her and just didn't get a chance. There were issues with Dasha's father and it will take her awhile to grow attached to me. When she was in the States she grew very attached to both my friend Dan and me, so I know its in there it just takes some time.

We'll up date everyone later once the paperwork is on its way. At this point, we should be able to have court the 23rd. 24th or 26th.

Day 10 - PM update

2009-03-11T15:30:00.010-04:00

Well we had a fun day at #4. First we said hello to Sergey and gave him a pair of jeans to try on and see if they fit. We'll find out tomorrow and then we'll get him some more things later. Then we go to Dasha's class and there was no Dasha. She was singing somewhere in the building. Then we noticed the TV was gone. So we asked Ms. Tatiana where the TV was and she said the children were bad so they took the TV out. So me and my buddy Andre decided to go play basketball. About ten mins later our doch (daughter) comes running in with a big smile on her face and hugs all around. We then played basketball, vollyball and tried to play duck duck goose before we got thrown out by the teacher. Not exactly sure why.

Dasha has hers ups and her downs. Mostly down but the times that we see her smile remind us of why we are here. She won't really open up to us yet and probably won't until we get back from court and we know she is ours and she is coming home. She wants to come to America so bad and leave #4 behind but at the same time it is all she has known for the past few years. She has friends and an older brother she will leave behind.

Anyway, we went back downstairs and saw Alynoa and Grandma Lela in Dasha's classroom. So we spent some time with them and played some more with the kids. Our Uno game got stolen so we had to jump into a quick game of thumb wrestling with about four girls (Hillarious) then played some Rico Rico Rico. After that it was time to go upstairs for a play that was being put on by some little kids we guess from a dance troupe. They were adorable.

Our day ended with a trip to the supermarket, a meal at Top Sandwhich and a trip to the pharmacy for cold medicine. Oh that was a lot of fun. I can't read Russian and we needed cough medicine for me and cold medicine for the girls. I called Alyona and she talked to the Pharmacist who hooked me up with 300 Hrivna worth of "really good stuff." We'll see.

Till tomorrow. More pics posted as our faithful readers have requested. Donna tries to update the captions each day.

Prayer requests:

We feel better
The final paper work is completed and sent to Kyiv tomorrow
We have court soon
Safety for all of us

Day 10 am update - Sergey said Da

2009-03-11T06:21:00.005-04:00

Great news!!!!!! Dasha's brother wrote in his own handwriting his desire to let us adopt his sister and bring her to America. It is a happy day and a sad day. Happy because Dasha is one step closer to coming to America. Sad because we are splitting them up so that one can have a better life. Even though we do not have the room for him and our desire was to only adopt a girl, this decision still weighs heavy on our hearts.

We found out more about Dasha's parents. Both are alcoholics, still living and have NO contact with the children. We also found out that Sergey took care of Dasha since she was young. He did not go to school, instead worked to pay the rent and to make sure they had food to eat. Once her brother was old enough he ran away and then Dasha was taken to a shelter. The police found him in November and asked him if he would like to go to the orphanage where his sister was and go to school. He said yes.

Sergey knows that he can not care for his sister here in Ukraine and his sacrificial love is what will give Dasha a chance at a new life. We still have to go to court and he will need to repeat what he wrote down - that he wants to stay in Ukraine, finish his schooling and then get a job and place to live. Given that he was able to take care of Dasha for so long before they were separated, we're sure he can do it. At that point the judge will decide if we can take Dasha home.

We signed a bunch of papers today and they will go to the city government and then to the central government in Kyiv hopefully by Friday. Then we wait. We'll probably have court not next week but the following. Probably the 23rd of March. Which means if we stayed the 10 days, we would not get home till the second week of April and that's probably not going to work.

While we're here, we'll take this opportunity to get to know Sergey a bit better. So far he has been a bit distant which is understandable. We will get him some things for court and some things before we leave.

The next major hurdle is court.

Day 9 - Meeting Ms. Dasha

2009-03-10T14:17:00.008-04:00

Day 9 has been an up and down. Too be expected I guess. Donna has already shared what is going on with the adoption so I'll skip that. We did however get to meet Dasha's English teacher Ms. Dasha today. She has been so wonderful these past few months and we are glad we finally got to meet her. She's going to meet up with us later and possibly go to the Opera with us on one of our down days. Here's a picture of her.

My colleague Meghan wanted me to post about the bus we take everyday. It's an adventure to say the least but it gets us to a fro and all for 5.25 Grivna. Here is a picture of the line of buses. We take bus 133. Traffic is rediculous and there does not appear to be any rules. You basically drive and try not to hit anyone.

Here is a pic of Mommy and Amber on the bus.

Our friends the Naseko's called (specifically Sheila) and it was a blessing to hear from her. Just the words of encouragement are sometimes enough to get you through the next few hours. We also heard from Tasha who works with them and of course Dima.

For dinner we ate at Pizza City and had a delicious pizza. The bartender spoke English and took our order and a sailor and his wife behind us helped out. We asked where he learned English and he said he had to. Well we needed his help just at the right time. Thank you lord!

We posted more pics. That's all for now. Till tomorrow.

Prayer needed

2009-03-10T12:02:00.005-04:00

Well Alyona got a negative from the city government and they said it is all up to the brother to make the decision!! The orphanage director was supposed to talk to him today and then talk to Aloyna tomorrow about what he said. If yes, then he has to go to court with us and agree to it and then we will bring Dasha home. If no, then we pack up and come home without Dasha.
We know, he has told them already, he has told so many people already..I do not know what the hold up is, but IT IS ALL IN HIS HANDS!!!!!!

Pray that he makes the right decision on Dasha's behalf.

We are not sure why they did not make him sign something on Friday and what they are doing about this all now.

I am having a very hard time with the poverty, the stray dogs and the whole situation with her brother.

Thanks for the prayers!!! Donna

Nothing Today

2009-03-10T05:46:00.001-04:00

Aloyna just called us to inform us that we will not be needed today. So another day goes by with out any information. Continue to keep us in your prayers.

Spiritual warfare

2009-03-10T03:58:00.005-04:00

Right now our facilitator is meeting with the Odessa government to talk about our case. In alittle while she'll be calling us to pick us up so we can sign some papers and tell us what the next steps are. Our Dasha wants to leave so badly and we wish we could tell her when but only God knows that. For now, we just sit and wait.

In the meantime I want to point out a few special kids that really want families. Of course they all want families and deserve one but here are a few pictures. The first one is our friend Alyona (with Dasha) who is one of the sweetest kids we've ever met. She was hosted by a family in the USA this summer but they are unable to adopt her. Will you consider giving her a home? She already speaks English and is just fun to be around.

This is Luba. All of the Americans that have come to #4 have fallen in love with this kid. She gives hugs and wants to spend a lot of time with you. Just a doll to be around. Amber and Luba play often. We enjoy being around her.

The boys of class 6. Grisha (2nd from right) is already being adopted but the others are not. Some have just gotten to the Internot while others have been here for years. A few of the kids were out playing and others were of with family members for the weekend. If they have family, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents they can go spend the weekend with them.

Being in Ukraine this past week has been a trial not only physically, emotionally but also spritually. Your heart cries out for these children that have nothing. We can only do our best and know that we were able to help one and in some small ways have made the lives of the children we've touched a little better.

Several weeks to go before we can home to friends and family.

Day 8

2009-03-09T13:30:00.002-04:00

Today we slept in a little. David has a very bad cold. We went food shoppping for some breakfast foods and some snacks.

We bought some candies for the children and some cookies. We also bought Dasha a pair of slippers to walk around the internot. She loved them and wore them all day. (I went and bought this evening all the other girls slippers too for tomorrow. They deserve to have them too). The children loved the candy too and they just love getting any kind of food to eat during their day. Their meals are at 9:00 for breakfast, 2:00 for lunch and 7:00 for dinner. In between that, they do not eat. So when they get to have snacks, it is enjoyable for them.

The children had off of school today due to a Ukraine holiday called Women's Day. They celebrate all the women of Ukraine and celebrate them today. We got to the internot around 12:00. Dasha called us when we were in the supermarket. "Hello, it's Dasha. Are you coming?" Dad said yes. She said "when?" Dad said in one hour. She wanted us to be there as soon as possible.

When we got there Dasha was sitting on the couch. She was not feeling too well this morning. She was very cold so I put my coat around her and held her close to me. She finally warmed up some and seemed to feel a little bit better. Dad just layed there too because of his cold.
Amber and Dasha played Memory for a little bit until one of the girls had to clean and asked them to get up off of the floor. She has a broom that is only about 1 feet tall. She spit water on the rug so the dust does not go up and brused the rug off. Then one of the teachers came in and said get your clothes ready for school tomorrow. This next part amazed us...If their clothes were dirty, they had to wash them by themselves in a wash bin with detergent. The way they dry them is to squeeze the excess water out of them and then iron them with a warm iron. They do all of this themselves. They all take turns using the iron and putting their school clothes in their closets for the next day. The children are much older then they are because of all the responsibilties they each have!!!

David left around 3 to go home and rest. Amber and I stayed until about 4:30. Amber and Dasha played around for a while chasing one another and then the other children joined in some. I gave Dasha a water color paint set and some foam eggs. She started right away to do some art work on them. Some of the boys joined in too. They love any kind of fun activities to do instead of sitting around all day and watching t.v. Dasha made one for her friend Elaine for her birthday and put it in her closet area for later.

Each time we leave we keep saying it is one day closer to bringing her home. Tomorrow is a big day with the government. Please pray that we can bring our Dasha home with out any major problems now.

I have been enjoying really good yogurt for breakfast.
Tonight was just a McDonald's night for David and Amber and I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner.

We did not take any pictures today. Maybe tomorrow.
Donna posted today since David is not feeling too well.

Day 6 & 7 - Playing with the kids of #4

2009-03-08T15:10:00.008-04:00

The past two days we've gotten up and headed off to Internot #4. We catch the 133 bus near our appartment and then go all the way to the end (about 40 mins). The total cost of the trip 10.50 grivna, about $1.50. You just can't beat it. After we get off the bus, we walk about 10 mis down a dirt road to the Orphanage. Here is a picture of the Internot.

Everyday we bring something new for the kids to do and eat. The past few days we've brought chocolate, gum and cookies. They just love it all. We've been playing a lot of games with the kids and today I played basketball. Here's a shot of me and the kids.

At about 2:00 today our sweet little Dasha said ok I see you tomorrow and we said why. She said I have to go practice my singing and climbing. We said huh and then she gave hugs and kisses and took off. Felt a bit odd but we know she has a regular schedule to keep so we headed back to our Apt. got something to eat at this cool cafeteria in the mall across the street and then met up with our friend M to go to a small group. Oh we also bought me a pair of boots so I can just hose the darn things off everyday. We're still on the hunt for a pair for Donna.

When M picked us up we walked about 10-15 mins to a missionaries home where we met up with a number of other Americans to worship our God and to give thanks for His many blessings. we were honored to participate and enjoyed every minute.

I'm getting sick and Donna went to bed so this will have to be a short post tonight. Alyona called to check-in and said she would call tomorrow and let us know what time she is picking us up on Tuesday for round one of the battle royal.

God bless and please check-out the new pics. Dasha took a ton today with Amber.

Day 5 - Reunion with Dasha

2009-03-07T14:07:00.002-05:00

Thursday night we took the train from Kyiv to Odessa. We left at 10:00 pm and arrived in Odessa at 6:15 am. Dima helped us lug all of our luggage onto the train. We got into our little room and made our beds for the night. The train was very interesting. The smoke and stuffiness is a bit hard to take. There is also all of the rocking back and forth and the stopping and starting. I don't think you really sleep, you sorta rest for a period of time.

Alyona and her husband picked us up and took us right to our hotel. There was some confusion and our key was not available. So, we had to sit in the lobby until the owner could come over and let us in. That took about an hour. Then we showered, brushed our teeth and got dressed so we could head over to the Odessa administration building and that's where then fun begins. Here's a picture of our room. Not too bad but not like home. It's small and will be our home for the next month.

From Dasha

We sat in the car and waited and waited and waited. Finally after about an hour-n-half Alyona comes out with the "paper" we needed and then the "Inspector" came out. We all cramed into Alyona's car and her husband drove us to the internot. Alyona had prepared us in advance on what to say and how the conversation "should" go. Well the best laid plans don't always work out. Many of you who have been following this know we have a challenging situation in that Dasha is available for adoption and her brother is not. Ukrainian law says you can not split siblings. The fun began right after we sat down. But before I get to that let me tell you about how we reunited with Dasha.

As soon as we got near the Internot, one of her classmates said "for Dasha" and we said yes and that's when the yelling started. Her classmate was so excited that she started yelling for Dasha. While that was happening, we headed to the directors office. Suddenly a blur of black runs into to Donna's arms and it was our Dasha. She was crying, Donna was crying and we all just hugged each other. Our translator said, "that says it all why do we need the paperwork." After our short reunion, we were ushered into a room here Dasha was asked to write in her own handwriting that she wanted to be adopted and that she wanted to be adopted by us. Of course she said yes and signed away. Dasha's new name will be Dariya Louise Strainick after my Grandmother who was from Europe (Her nickname will stay as Dasha). After Dasha singed her papers we were ushered into the Directors office and that's where part 2 of our reunion began.

From Dasha

Keep in mind that this was supposed to be a happy time, they ask a few questions and off you go. The Director was very nice to us and Welcomed us to the Internot. We thanked her for seeing us and how much we appreciated what she was doing for the kids. The Inspector, Social Worker and Director spoke for a few minutes and then asked us about Sergey. Did we know that she has a brother. We said yes but that we also know he is not available for adoption right now. She asked us why we did not complete our paperwork for two children and we said we did not know about the brother when this process started. The inspector asked us why don't we come back when Sergey is available and we said that Dasha is our Daughter, that she has waited long enough and that we are here now to bring her home. We want to bring her home. They asked Dasha if she wanted to be adopted by us and if she wanted to go to America. She said "Da." The Orphange Director asked if we wanted to meet Sergey and we said of course please. They brought him in and we said hello. The inspector then "grilled" both kids about being seperated. Did Sergey know that we wanted to adopt Dasha only right now and was he ok with her leaving. He said "Da." They asked him what he was going to do after he left the internot. He said finish school and get a job. He said he did not want to leave Ukraine. It was all very uncomfortable and had to be difficult for both kids. They spent about ten minutes talking about our situation and how they could allow the kids to be seperated. I won't share all the gory details but in the end the Orphanage Director said they would do everything they could to help us adopt Dasha but that it was not up to them. They signed the papers we needed for the govt. officials where the kids were registered and said those govt. officials will be the ones to decide if we can seperate the kids. That decision will take place in another part of Odessa and we head there on Tuesday.

After that the Orphanage Director told us we could visit Dasha everyday M-F after 2:00 and all day on Sunday and Sat. We are not allowed to take her anywhere. We told her we understood and thanked her for allowing us to visit her each day. That was the end of the official meeting which for other families is generally quick and very pleasant. Here is a picture of us seeing Dasha's classroom. This is Alyona, Dasha, "Elaine" (being adopted by the Hoffmans) and our Amber. For more pictures, click pictures at the top of our blog.

From Dasha

This is Grisha, he is being adopted from Dasha's class as well. He is reading a letter we brought to him from his family in the US.

From Dasha

After playing with the kids for a bit we then went to a play and then took the bus home with Aloyna. For dinner we had McD's. We just were so tired and emotionally drained that we didn't want to deal with the hassles of language.

We'll blog about today's adventures later. We had a great day with Dasha and the class. Tons of new pics by clicking the link at the top of our blog.

Please be in prayer that the Odessa Govt. will approve our request. We expect this to be spiritual battle but we will NOT leave Ukraine without our daughter and we know that God will pave the way.

Day 4 - Lessons from Kyiv

2009-03-05T06:04:00.003-05:00

Here are a few lessons from our stay in Kyiv.

Rules to follow for all:

1. Where black
2. Where black
3. Where black
4. If all else fails, refer back to rule number 1!!!! :)))

In all seriousness, if you want to fit in in Kyiv, then bring black clothing. If you are a female, be prepared to wear high black boots and skin tight everything. Donna of course tells me I'm crazy if I think she's going to wear mini skirts and/or tight black jeans and Stelleto boots. The tight clothing is one thing but it is cold here and the women where tight tight mini skirts and tights. In America even in the trendiest cities you won't find that. The rumors are true and Donna says I can write this. The women here for the most part are stunning and we suspect our little Dasha will be that way as well. Skinny, blonde hair and blue eyes. It is no wonder she likes black clothing so much. It's all she is used to.

As we walk the streets everyone looks at us and knows we are Americans. Men do not wear white sneakers (again black shoes) and our little one is wearing the brightest colors and you can pick her out from a crowd a mile away :))) After four days we're used to it but if you want to cut down on it, follow rule 1.

Few other things.

TP - Bring TP. They only give you one roll in the hotel and living with two women you can imagine how fast you blow through the tiny rolls they give you. Once you get settled though you can buy some at the market.
Water - Thanks to our faithful commentors we figured out that you need to buy Bonaqua light blue top if you want regular water. Everything else has gas in it. We would have never figured that out!
Blow dryer - buy one in Ukraine. The American ones generally blow out even with a converter.
Pillowcases - Ah some comforts of home make sleeping easier. Although the beds in our hotel were foam and very comfortable.
Sleeping pills - get some from the doctor for the first few nights as you adapt to the change in time.
Money - When the exchange rate is high, exchange more than usual. It's been fluxuating but still over 8 hrv to a dollar. We've been exchanging money everyday.
Adapters - don't forget them!
Hats and gloves - For those travelling soon, it's still pretty darn cold so be prepared for that.
Camera - The cities buildings are quite beautiful so bring the camera

Yesterday we walked up past some of the government buildings and then to a beautiful park across the street where we walked all the way to the back and looked across the river. Spectacular view. We also walked across the famous bridge of "Good Luck" and ran into a wedding party. Then we made it back to the hotel. You walk a lot so bring good shoes. Just not white! We'll post some pictures later after we get them off the camera.

Today we visited a coffee house called Double Cafe. Great place!!! They have great lattes, they speak some English and the food is close to home. We enjoyed breakfast and some great coffee. It is only a few blocks down the street from Independence Square. While you're in Kyiv check it out.

We are chomping at the bit to get outa here. Dima is coming to pick us up at 4:30 to head to the SDA to get our referral and then we'll get some dinner and then off to the train. We arrive in Odessa at 6:30 am. Once we get settled we'll blog again.

Till then ...

If you want to email us offline, write to us at dbaskets13atverizondotnet.

Day 3 - The SDA

2009-03-04T06:06:00.003-05:00

Today we got up and met Dima to walk to the SDA. Of course the whole time we're nervous and excited at the same time. Like most who have come before us, we ran in to another American couple who was coming on a blind adoption. You wouldn't believe where they were from. Chesapeake, our old home town. The husband works at CBN and she is a teacher in Suffolk. We were all waiting for the gates to open so we could get let in and had a chance to talk about familiar things. That I think set the tone for the whole morning.

Here is how the appointment went. We were called upstairs by a lovely young women named Irina who sat us down and showed us Dasha's file. She asked us how we met Dasha, why we wanted to adopt her and did we ever think about adoption prior to meeting Dasha, have we been in contact with her, etc. We gave her the answers and our faithful facilitator Dima translated. It was a very pleasant conversation. We showed her the pictures of Dasha while she was with us and of our house, dogs, family etc. She loved them and said we have a big house and that we should adopt more. We quickly told her that we live in a 3 bdrm one and half bath house. I think that brought things back to earth for her. We showed her pictures of Dasha's room and then we got to the formal part of the review of Dasha's past. Dima read it out loud to us. Here's a few tidbits.

Dasha was born with cataracts and astigmatism, she has a fun personality and seems happy. She has a brother who turns 17 this July (more on him in a sec). Parental rights were terminated about a year and half ago. Reason was her mother could no longer care for her. We knew these things already but it was interesting to hear the "official" file.

As far as the eyes go, when Dasha was in the USA, our friends Colleen and Dan worked tirelessly to get her eye surgery so she could see - which we did on her left eye. We paid to get her glasses which were just stolen a few weeks ago, so when she comes home she'll need to have surgery on the other eye and then a new set of glasses. No other known medical issues. And since the Colleen and Dan had her all summer and we interacted with her as well we feel pretty good that she is fairly healthy.

In her file it stated that her brother was living at home with the parents. We knew that was not true because he was just moved to number 4 shortly after our paperwork was approved. So Dima spoke to Irina and the head of the International Adoption program (who sat in the same room with us - again lovely woman) and they went to do a little digging. She came back after 10 mins and said that Sergey is not eleigible for adoption and that we would only be getting a referral for Dasha. For those of you that have been following our story you know that this has been a concern and we feel God working. We still will need permission from Odessa to move forward but we feel really good about it as Sergey has already agreed to let us adopt Dasha.

So all and all, our appointment could not have gone better and we are greatful for Irina and Dima for making it so comfortable for us. I can only imagine what a blind adoption conversation might feel like. I would say to folks reading this, try and host first and meet the child you want to adopt. It makes life so much easier.

After the appointment Dima had to go make copies of stuff and gave us a packet to take to Alyona. Amber needed stamps so he took us to the post office to get some and then we went to the underground mall to burn off some adrenalin. I had a cafe latte and Amber bought some nail polish. After Mom gets up from her nap (for those of you that know Donna, you know how much she loves those naps!!!!) we're going to walk up to see some of the government offices. The buildings are beautiful here. Then to the food court to get some dinner.

I'd say it's been a full morning and we can't wait to pick-up our referral tomorrow and then get on the train. Dima will put us on the train around 9:30 pm and then say his goodbyes until we come back to Kyiv hopefully at the end of the month. Aloyna will pick us up at 6:30 am or so and then its off to the races! We should get to see Dasha on Friday. Please pray that Odessa agrees to let us move forward and we get a quick date with the judge.

Day 2 - Tuesday

2009-03-03T12:46:00.010-05:00

Well we are wrapping up day two here in Kyiv and tomorrow we visit the SDA to get permission to travel to Odessa. We are nervous and excited but know this part of the journey should be quick and fairly painless. Please pray for smooth sailing tomorrow.

We got a call from Dima this morning letting us know that he and his wife were sick. Probably from all of the travel they had done as well. We let him off the hook and walked around ourselves. Here are some pictures from the day.

Our hotel room. Not exactly four star but it will do.

Breakfast this morning was a bit interesting. Amber had fruit, mommy had fruit and very stale bread and Daddy had some scrambled egg thing and some vegetable mix. Not the typical American breakfast. Tomorrow we have to get up so early we're just going to grab some breakfast bars and head downstairs to meet Dima at 8:30.

Here is a picture of Amber and Mommy infront of the Hotel.

Mommy and Daddy near Independence Square

After our walk, we did a little shopping and bought mommy a hair dryer and then took a short nap. Amber and I then spent some Daddy daughter time together and read some blogs and sent a few emails.

For lunch Amber had to have McDonalds. Others who came before us said ordering at McD's would be easy. We found it difficult as you couldn't point to anything and the person helping us knew no English. Some how though she got the order right! Oh, one thing. Everything is warm. No ice in anything and the drinks are generally warm. We went to the Supermarket bought some water (which by the way is sparkling - hate it) and put some stuff in the fridge. Here is a picture of Amber at McD's.

For Dinner we decided to go American and found the only TGI Fridays in Ukraine. Our waitress spoke some English, the menus were in English and the food was close to being at home. Enjoyed every minute of it. A little expensive but good.

Well I guess that's it for today. More to come after the SDA. Day three is coming up.

Made it Kyiv

2009-03-02T10:16:00.002-05:00

Well we made it to Kyiv and we ain't in Kansas no more toto. We met up with Dima in Frankfurt and he and his lovely wife got us situated with a taxi at the airport and then we agreed to connect tomorrow. Did I tell ya that it took us 40 flipping minutes to get through the passport area. Anyway, Donna, Amber and I ventured out, exchanged dollars for Grivna and ate at a little cafe across the street. Let's just say that we'll probably be losing some weight until we get used to the strange food. Tomorrow we'll experience breakfast in the hotel and see how that goes. Donna is already complaining that she doesn't have a noise maker to sleep with so we'll have to do something about that. I also can't figute out how to use my blackberry to make a call back to the States. Seems simple but I can't figure it out and I know they turned on international features because I'm getting data.

Anyway, it's morning back in PHI and our home town is getting blasted with snow. Sorry guys but its just as cold here.

We'll tomorrow we'll take some pictures and for now it's time to get some shut-eye soon. Been up over 24 hours now and we're beat.

God bless!

Probably last post till we arrive in Kyiv

2009-02-28T08:02:00.002-05:00

Well, it's t-minus one day and we'll be outa here tomorrow. Our friend Jimmy is coming mid-day to see us off and my brother-n-law Bob is taking us to the airport. The latest prayer request is for decent weather tomorrow. There is a storm south of us that is supposed to hit tonight, break and then hit again late Sunday night. Right now the weather looks good for the time slot we're supposed to leave but PHI is notorious for delays in any bad weather. Hopefully mother nature will cooperate.

Our friends Marty and Alisa and the kids met up with us Thursday night for a final send off. We went to our favorite diner and some laughs and said see ya later. They're awesome friends and we'll miss them while we're gone!

Tonight we'll give the Nasekos a call to see how they're doing and get any last minute advice and call a few others.

We'll we have some last minute chores to do. Amber is getting her haircut and I've got to finish packing.

Till then ... thank you all for your support!!! :)

Wow..is it close now or what??

2009-02-27T17:13:00.002-05:00

I cleaned my house all day today knowing that we will not be here for a while. Guess what, when I come home, I will be doing the same thing!!
I am so excited, I can barely contain myself at times. I, of course, am nervous about the flight too!! I just want to get there and see Dasha!!
We spoke with Dasha on Thursday and her comment was "I am happy that you are coming". We are so happy that we are coming Dasha and soon we will bring you home to our family and give you the love that you have longed for and deserved.
Two beautiful daughters to love and spoil. I thought the other day, two proms to share with, two driving tests, two graduations, two college funds, two weddings..and the list went on. I can't wait to share in the two of everything with Amber and Dasha and I can't wait for them to share in it together as sisters.
So..2 more days to go and we will be on our way to bringing Dasha home to us and giving Amber the gift of a sister.
Continue to pray for our safety and that all goes well with the adoption process. Thanks.
Donna

so many feelings

2009-02-25T07:52:00.003-05:00

A posting from Amber:

I i'm so nervous but it's also exciting that i am going to have a sister. Everything's so stressing about school and homework. I hope that I enjoy my time over there ,but I want it to go fast. It is always going to be hard to have a sister.I know in my heart that dasha needs a home.I will keep you posted.

Why does the voice make the heart skip a beat?

2009-02-24T08:51:00.002-05:00

For you parents out there, you know what I'm talking about. There is something about each of our children that makes our heart beat just a little bit faster. For instance, my daughter is 10 but when I smell the top of her little head, it calms me. I used to smell that little head when she was a baby and it smelled so sweet. Still smells the same way, of course with a little added strawberry shampoo!!! Just to hear her voice on the phone lifts my spirits. The same goes when we hear Dasha's voice. That little giggle.

Anyway, Donna got to talk to Dasha this morning and just to hear about the conversation gave me such joy. I could tell in Donna's voice that she and Amber really enjoyed talking to her and Dasha as well. Dasha said she "was happy" and that she can't wait to "give us a hug." Amber and Donna tried out their newly discovered Russian skills and both Dasha's thought that was so funny. Dasha of course giggled and then responded to Amber's question of "How are you" in Russian. Dasha always asks about the dogs, remembers their names and can't wait to see them. She is so funny when she giggles and talks. Just to hear her voice makes our hearts beat just a little bit faster.

Everyday that goes by we are one day closer (five days to be exact) and we are ready to go. Obviously Dasha is ready for us to come get her and is probably just as anxious as we are.

Our new friends the Nasekos have been home three weeks already and it has been fun to here about the experiences of having Karina home. We look forward to sharing those same experiences.

Be blessed today on your journeys! As my friend David would say, "Have a calm and peaceful day!"

Sunday can't get here soon enough!

2009-02-23T08:29:00.003-05:00

Well this is it. The big count down and we feel great. We're prepared, probably over prepared. Last night our friends Colleen and Dan came over to give us one last pep talk and to ease any fears we still had. We really appreciated them taking the time to share their story again and to give us the last minute tips and tricks. They loved it so much, they're going back again!

The hardest part is going to be staying focused this week at work. I've got soooo much on my mind that focusing on work is going to be tough. I'm ready to go, Donna is ready to go and Amber is ready to go. I hate to rush our life away but Sunday better get here quick.

This week, we'll wrap-up any last minute things, go shopping for our friends that will be staying at the house and pack. And we plan to pack pretty light and buy what we need in country.

Dasha's English teacher is back from holiday and she said to call our Dasha tomorrow. Donna is very excited about it because she hasn't talked to her in awhile. I hope Dasha is excited because Donna really wants to hear that in her voice. It's ok though if she is not, she is probably having a whole lot of mixed emotions right now and probably scared about what's going to happen when she comes to the US. She has already mentioned about being scared about school and we'll have to be prepared for that. I'm working at home on Thursday and will call Dasha myself that day. That will be the last time we talk to her until we hold her in our arms and give her a big squeeze.

Please pray for:

Peace this week as we get ready to travel
Wisdom in what to pack
Safety for our travels
Wisdom for Dima and Alyona who will be facilitating all of this
Warm hearts from the SDA, Local government officials and Orphanage staff
Safety and comfort for our Dasha

We'll be online most of the time and will try to post as much as we can.

Love to all our family and friends who have been so supportive and to our new friends who we've met through this incredible process.

David...

Having fun learning some Russian

2009-02-19T08:56:00.002-05:00

For the last few days we've been trying to learn some Russian words so we can impress our daughter a bit and let her know that we care abot where she comes from. It's been fun!!! We gather around the computer and listen to the voice and the repeat the word both in Russian and English. It didn't make sense to by Rossetta Stone at $300.00 so I bought a $50 app called Byki. Cool little app and cheap. For what we needed, it does the job. I think we'll buy Rosetta for the Russian to English though so Dasha can practice each day. We'll see.

Anyway, another day down. None of us are sleeping well at this point with all the anxiety in the house but we're pluggin along. Hopefully we'll get to talk to Dasha next week before we leave to tell her we're on our way.

Guess that's it for now.

Is it 10 or 11 days?

2009-02-18T08:26:00.003-05:00

Guess it depends on how you count the days but either way, we're outa here on March the 1st at 6:05 pm. I was accused yesterday of being a slacker and not posting anything so I thought I'd get on it. :) This weekend was very busy. We took our packing list with us to our favorite store WalMart and bought just about everything we need to travel with. Travel size of probably too much stuff, medicines and games for the plane ride. Almost choked when the register was finished ringing up. Like most people, I think we're over packing, given that you can buy most of this stuff in Ukraine.

We also had over for dinner both of the incredible friends that will be staying at the house while we're gone. It was fun just to catch-up and share our story. Both of these men are incredible people for doing what they're doing. One is finishing up his Masters degree and then will decide what to do next (he'll be staying most of the time) and the other is finishing his bachelors degree and is getting married very soon (he's staying the week Jimmy is off exploring California). We are grateful for the both of them. God has truly blessed this whole thing.

Yesterday, Donna went and bought some small gifts for the folks in the Orphanage that have been taking care of Dasha these past few years. They are small things but we hope they will accept them in the spirit that they are given. We'll also buy flowers for everyone when we get there. Alyona will guide us along the way to make sure we're not doing anything we're not supposed to do. And... I'm sure she'll tell us exactly what to say and when.

We still have a few things to do but for the most part its about packing and praying.

Every time I look at the calendar I get more anxious and scared, mixed in with a little elation and thankfulness.

A package from M

2009-02-13T08:29:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we received a package from M (Thank you M!!!) Inside were letters that Dasha has written us over the past month, a picture she had drawn and a Christmas ornament she had made. I asked Donna what it was like to open the mailbox and to see the package. Like most Mothers, she said her heart skipped a beat and she couldn't wait to open it. We had received most of the notes from Dasha via email but it was nice to see her handwritting and to know that she was writting to us. She wrote one to my Mom and Mike and I'll give that one to them next time I see them.

We're counting down the days and tonight our friend Jimmy comes over to pick-up the key and just hangout with us for awhile. He's a the cousin of a couple of our really good friends. He'll be staying at the house most of the time that we are gone and has done it for us before. He's a real blessing and a lifesaver at the sametime. We couldn't be more blessed. We know our house and doggies will be just fine.

The friends I mentioned above M and A both stopped by this week to say hello, goodbye and good luck. They checked out Dasha's room and gave us the thumbs-up. Everyone whose seen what we did to the room loves it so far and we hope Dasha does too. She can personalize it when she gets here. And... I'm sure she will :) We've been so blessed by friends, family, co-workers, families that have been there and done that and the missionaries on the ground - we thank you all.

The nerves are beginning to increase and so is the fear factor. I don't mean to give the impression that we are terrified but we are nervous about what we are about to undertake. We're not sure what's going to happen when we get there but we know that God is with us and that the people we have hired to help us will do the best they can for us and for Dasha. We can already hear the gavel hitting the table as the judge tells us she is ours.

16 days to go.

Today is plane ticket day

2009-02-11T08:32:00.002-05:00

Today, we take the final step towards our journey and pay for our plane tickets. Later this afternoon I'll call Eldon at Golden Travel (who by the way is awesome) and pay for our tickets. Our seats have already been reserved but Lufstansa allows you to hold tickets without paying up to 14 days from departure. So, this will be the last big step we have to take. After this, it's all up to our Creator whom has shown us so much grace so far.

This weekend we'll make the trek to Walmart to stock up on the things we'll need for travel. We've gotten a few great lists from folks and from our new friends the Nasekos and Pretre's. It is so helpful to talk to people that have already done this. Our friends who live not far from us got us started down this road after hosting Dasha this summer. They've been a big help and can't thank them enough!

Monday, we go to get some shots needed for travel and yesterday Donna got a number of medications from our family doctor just in case. And... of course my lovely wife got the "magic" pills to keep her calm while flying. Did I tell you she hates to fly! Lets just say 16 hours with her should be an interesting experience. One day Dasha will appreciate the sacrafice her Mom is making for her. As our doctor has said before, "Better life through chemistry."

Thanks to all those prayer warriors out there. Keep those prayers coming.

20-yr-old female needs a host family

2009-02-10T13:11:00.002-05:00

This is an urgent note from the hosting coordinator at Frontier Horizon. If anyone knows of a family who might be able to help out, please spread the word.

____________________
Dear Host Families,

We have a girl from our orphan program that is here in the US on a Student Visa living in Michigan. The family she is with is no longer able to sponsor her and is looking for a family that would be willing to have her come to live with them to complete her studies. She is a wonderful 20 year old. I know this girl personally and can give you more information if you are interested. She is studying English and her student visa is renewable as long as she stays a full time student. She is a true orphan and therefore has no family in Ukraine. Please consider giving this girl a chance at a better life by sponsoring her. She really is an amazing young lady!
You are welcome to pass this along to anyone you feel may be interested in helping her as well.
Please contact me for more information.

Sincerely,
KT
KT Bronson
Hosting Program Coordinator
757.749.3922
"Defending Justice, Protecting Innocence"

A catch-up with the Nasekos

2009-02-10T08:32:00.003-05:00

Last night we were blessed to catch-up with Sheila who just got home with her daughter Karina. Matthew was out playing with the kids, so we hope to talk to him next time. We were having so much fun we were on the phone for like an hour-n-half and we finally had to let her get back to her beautiful family and out our Amber to bed. There is sooooo much you can learn from those that have been there before. She was telling us about Dasha, the orphange, the process, things to think about and places to eat. Since we're staying at OES like they did, we have a common point of reference. We also talked a little about Karina's transition and it was helpful to here about how well she is doing. I'm sure Dasha will do just as well and share some of the same fears that Karina had. Whatever they are, we'll work through it together as a family.

We'll talk to them again before we leave and we'll put together a list of other questions we might have. We can't wait to talk again. We also wanted to see if we could let the kids stay connected. Dasha could call Karina and Karina could call Dasha.. That will help them keep their Russian fresh and keep them connected with each other.

Right now we're the only American family to be at #4 so far and that might be a challenge in its own right but we'll manage.

Think that's it for now. Pay for plane tickets tomorrow and the "big" Walmart trip on Sat. for supplies.

Three and soon to be four

2009-02-09T09:57:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we went to the autoshow here in Philadelphia to look at the different cars. Dad of course feel in love with the new Chevy Camaro and to our surprise, Donna liked the Honda Pilot over the Toyota Highlander. We took Ambers friend O with us who is also from Ukraine. Donna and I commented as we were riding the train that soon this will be an everyday ocurance for us. We will no longer be doing things as a family of three but rather four. In exactly three weeks, we will be flying across Europe getting ready to land in Kiev for the adventure of a lifetime.

We wish it would get here already! Soon very soon.