Praise-We Had Court Today!

Jim:

Tuesday, December 30, 2008-Court Date! We went to bed knowing the documents were signed in Kiev last night around 7 pm. This morning Vitaly went to pick up one inspector in Gola Pristan. Oksana met the train at 10:15 a.m. to get our documents from Kiev, then she picked up the Kherson inspector. We walked to court and met them all there. Kari and I decided to go to court without Austin and Tatum since Ashley and Joshua don’t need to be there, and Oksana seemed to think that we should not bring them. Austin wanted to go, but he said he’s OK with not going.

First, Kari and I went shopping for nice keepsakes for Ashley and Joshua. We went to the department store and found a nice decorative box for Ashley and a pocket watch for Joshua and had them wrapped. Then Oksana called and we met her outside the department store. We walked to the court building and waited a few minutes for the inspector from Gola Pristan to arrive, then we went inside. We had to show our passports to the security guard, then we went to the 6th floor. We waited outside the court door for about 10 minutes, and the first inspector we met here in Kherson came out. She gave Oksana a singing, dancing cow for a New Year’s present. Soon we went into the courtroom, which was a very nice office with the standard setup – a desk for the person in charge (the judge), and a short table sticking out from it. This is where the two independent jurors sat. They were two older ladies. There was a secretary/court reporter next to the judge, and the two inspectors and Oksana along the left wall. Kari and I sat against the wall facing the judge. The judge was a woman in her 40’s, and the meeting was fairly formal. The judge stated why we were there, then she asked Kari and I to stand. She asked us several questions:
Do you want to adopt?
Did you have a good meeting with the kids?
Have you changed your mind? (we thought that was a funny question)
Tell us about yourself – where you work, your home, how much you make. When I mentioned our house, Oksana prompted me to tell them it was a big house.
Why do you want to adopt?
Do you have any biological children?

Next, each inspector stood and talked for a few minutes telling about Ashley first, then Joshua. They told how each mother has lost her rights, and that no one comes to visit them. They talked about our initial visits. The inspector for Joshua said that he was very excited to see us, running into our arms. She said something like, “I could tell they were a family.”
The jurors had some questions about Austin and Tatum – how old are they, what grades are they in, etc. Kari asked me to pull out the picture collages and the jurors and judge looked at them. Kari pointed out our kids in the photos, and Sasha, too. They enjoyed the pictures, as did everyone we showed them to. So for those traveling, bring lots of pictures. We have given almost all of ours away.
The judge then flipped through many of the documents, summarizing each one. Finally, she asked the two jurors if they had any objections, and they said, “Nyet”. The judge wished us well and good luck and hopes that our new family grows close together quickly. With that, it was over. Oksana said we’re 90% parents. Kari said she won’t believe they are ours until we all get on the plane home. Kari and I bought some groceries and went home and told Austin and Tatum about court, and we had lunch.

Around 1:30 Oksana picked us up, and we headed out to SB. When we arrived, we were told that Sasha and most of the younger kids were at a New Year’s celebration down the road, so we drove off to find them. They were in an auditorium watching some singing, and we stood on the side. One by one the kids saw us and smiled and waved. At the end of the show, they poured little glasses of real champagne and handed it out to the adults. They gave Austin a glass, which he thought was hilarious. Since the kids had to walk back to SB, we decided to walk with them. Oksana said several kids could ride in our car, so Natasha was the first chosen since she’s been sick, then 5 other of the smaller kids also – Andre, Sasha, Vasya, and a couple others. So we walked and ran back to SB. I offered to hold Ilona’s hand, but she said no. Then she put her arm in mine, and we walked together that way all the way back. She proudly told me that she was wearing Babuska Judy’s jeans, shoes and coat, so we took a picture of her when we got back. Later she showed us an email from Grandma Judy that Oksana translated for her.

**Photo-Yesterday I (Kari) sat on the couch at SB and was immediately surrounded by kids who wanted to snuggle and would physically put my arms around them and vie for the spot next to me. It is obvious how much they crave love and attention.**

We took several pictures, then pulled Sasha aside to talk to him alone – just Oksana and the four of us. I told him that we had our court hearing today, and that we asked them for permission to adopt him, and they said it was OK. I told him that in 10 days he is going to be our son. Then I told him we’re also adopting a girl. He asked, “Natasha?” So I told him about Ashley, that she’s at a different orphanage, that she’s almost 13 and that she smiled when we told her that she would have a younger brother. To that, Sasha said, “But I’m already 13.” We laughed (probably not the best thing to do), and told him that he was only 11. I said, “I’ve seen your birth certificate.” Oksana explained to him that he was born in 1997. That seemed to throw him for awhile. I explained that after the 10 day wait, he would come stay with me and Ashley, and a couple of weeks later we will fly home to Colorado. He quickly asked about visiting his Babuska and sister. I told him that we will visit them after the 10 day wait. He is very interested in them, so I hope that visit goes well. He didn’t seem too phased one way or the other about Ashley. He doesn’t show his emotions too much. We took some pictures, then sent him out of the room with Austin and Tatum and told him to send in Vasya. Vasya came in and sat down. I asked him if he knew why we were here. He said, “no.” I told him we were here to adopt Sasha. Then I told him that we also really wanted to adopt him, too, but we can’t because of some Ukrainian laws. Kari asked him if he knew that he has a brother. He said he doesn’t have a brother – he has a cousin. We told him about Vitalik, and that he really is his brother. He seemed to like hearing that he had a brother who looked a lot like him. Oksana then explained to him that since Vitalik has only been registered since September, he can’t be adopted internationally until next September, and that since siblings can’t be split, that means Vasya can’t be adopted internationally yet either. Kari saw that Vasya was tearing up, so she pulled him onto her lap where he started crying and turned and hugged her for a very long time. Kari told him that we love him and a lot of people are praying for him to find a family. We don’t want him to give up hope. Then he came over and hugged me and cried on my shoulder. It was very sad and hard. After Vasya leaves the room, Austin and Tatum return, and we tell them what happened. Then we make a fairly quick exit with hugs for all the kids. I see Tatum start to cry when she hugs Vasya goodbye. We promised them that we will return tomorrow.

On the way back to Kherson, we stop and buy two more phone cards, a 100 grivna (about $13) one for Ashley and a 200 for me. We stop by her orphanage and go up to her room for a very short visit. We just want to tell her about court and give her our gift. Today she seemed very happy to see us – she had a big smile and was quick with hugs for all of us. When she hugged me I held onto her hand for a while. Then I gave her the phone card. Obviously it was more than she expected, judging by the look on her face. I told her that she talks on the phone A LOT. We go and sit on her bed, and she opens her gift, which she said was cool. I hope she likes it. I told her that we won’t be giving her gifts every day once we get home . Kari told her that this was a special day and that the gift was a keepsake to remember it by. We took a few pictures and left.

Prasie-Around 11:30 pm I got a text message from John McGowan saying Maxim’s passport was picked up and is on the train to Kiev right now, so hopefully Martita can get the visa tomorrow and fly home on Thursday, one day behind John and their other kids.