Thursday here had only a few surprises and deviations from any other day.
We moved hotel rooms again for the 4th time. (If we stay in a different room every night until we leave, we will have stayed in every room in the hotel.) The first room was huge but had no shower curtain so you had to keep your back to the wall while using a handheld spray nozzle. The second room was too cold (for Pam, not Stephen). The third room was okay but we noticed that a must larger and nicer room had become available. In this hotel, you can tell that the a room is empty because the key is in the door. So, you can walk into any room to determine if you want it.
Stephen spent almost an hour on the phone with Delta and got our tickets changed and bought a ticket for Katrina. We'll be flying home on Saturday, February 7th. We leave Kiev at noon, have an approximate 3 hour layover in JFK, and then finally arrive in Denver at 10pm on the same day. It's 19 hours of travel time. There is a chance we could fly standby on Thursday, February 5th, if we can get through the medical and embassy stuff without a hitch. Stephen wishes we could get home even a few more days early as his Cub Scout Pack's Blue and Gold banquet is Wednesday the 4th. He would love to see Darian get his Bear badge and Trevor get his Wolf badge. And, he also wants to be there to see all the other boys get their badges of rank, as Stephen is Cubmaster for the pack.
Our nice surprise was the joining of a new family. Maria and Fernando, from Guatemala, have joined us at the orphanage. They have 2 daughters by birth (9 and 13 years old) and are adopting three boys: Santiago (3), Nico (4), and Fernando (5). Maria and Fernando are staying in Kramators'k, as they alternate days between orphanages. Santiago and Nico are here in the orphanage in Artemosk (1-hour drive from Kramators'k) and Fernando is in another orphanage about a 2-hour drive in the opposite direction. When they are here, we have 3 boys (Santiago, Nico, and Kyle), 1 girl (Katrina), and 6 adults (Maria and Fernando, Sherry and Justin, and the two of us) in the same room. Talk about wild and crazy!! It seems the adults spend most of their time trying to make sure their child/children aren't eating the food of the other children. But it's a lot of fun, and all the adults enjoy having grown-up conversations.
More photos of Katrina for you to enjoy.
Darian and Trevor, Daddy is rooting for the Cardinals to win the super bowl. Alexis, both Mommy and Daddy can't wait to give some lovin' to their little "girdlfriend." We love and miss all of you.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am Kelly, and have been working with the Artemovsk Baby House for years. I know Katrina (Vika) well and have many, many photos of her that I'd love to send you on a CD. I would love to be in contact, and would welcome an email from you! You can email me at operationukraine@hotmail.com Also, please tell Marielle hello - I know their son Nico (Roman) VERY well and have been in contact with them for some time. Also, I know Kyle (Oleg) very well and have photos of him for YEARS! :-) Tons of them! Please ask them to email me as well. I am always thrilled to see children from Artemovsk make their way home finally - especially after watching them all for years on my many trips over. Oh, and I also have two sons from Artemovsk (who are now 9 and 17) and one from Mariupol (who is 8)!!! So I am also a fellow adoptive parent! :-) So thrilled to see such a smile on Katrina's little face. What a beautiful story.
ReplyDeleteHello Pam! My name is Valerie. We adopted our son Evan from the baby house is Artemovsk in December 2007 and had the wonderful privilege of being able to spend some time with Katrina while we were there. She is such an amazing little girl and there just are not words to express how happy I am that she has found her forever family! We have been praying for this day for a very long time! Like Kelly, I also have several pictures of her that I would be happy to send to you. I also recently started a Yahoo Group for families who have adopted from the Baby House in Artemovsk and would love it if you and Stephen would join us:
ReplyDeletehttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/artemovskbabyhouse/?yguid=258714934
Congratulations!
Valerie (valerie@avitria.com
Hey guys!
ReplyDeleteIt's incredible but someone from reece's rainbow commented on your blog and we just jumped in. Thanks for your comments!! We're also very very happing to have met you two as well as lovely Katrina. Please try to follow our blog too. It's in spanish but at least you may see some nice pictures. Blessings!!
Marielle & Fernando
http://nuestraadopcionenucrania.blogspot.com/
Hi Pam!
ReplyDeleteI also have a son from the baby house in Artemovsk. Our son, Xander, was adopted from there in August of 2007. The orphanage workers will know him as Naum Freidman. We saw your Katrina when we were there and we too have been praying for her to find a family.
I've looked through your blog and the hotel you're staying at was actually being renovated while we were there. It seems like so long ago!
Congratulations on your adoption! Please join the yahoo group Valerie listed so we can all get to know your family.
Hi guys! I haven't been able to check out your blog in a few days with Scott being in DC for the inauguration, but WOW, so much has happened in those days! Congratulations on becoming parents again. I'll bet the boys and Alexis are so excited to meet their new sister, and how lucky is Katrina to have them to show her the ropes and to play and grow up with. We are so excited for you and hope the rest of the process is drama free. We get back from Thailand the day before you guys arrive, so I'll be able to check all your posts then. Safe travels and best wishes, Miche and Scott
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