May 30, 2011 - Awesome Day!

We now have a new son, Kirill Michael Landry.  Court went very well and once it started it was very quick.  The courthouse is a pink building that is fairly run down and court is actually just held in an office.  It was crowded with all the people who needed to be in the office along with the judge and the two people who work in her office.

Kirill did fantastic and he told the judge how much he wanted to live with his brother in America because he liked him so much (at this point mom got very teary eyed).  Our lawyer was very impressed with how well Kirill did when the judge asked him questions especially given his age.  During court the lawyer commented how smart Kirill was because when the judge asked him where he lived, Kirill's response was "Ukraine for now".

It was an awesome day but it was very hard to say goodbye to Kirill and the other children at the orphanage.  We really enjoyed the time we were able to spend at the orphanage.  There are many great kids there who need a loving home.  We made Kirill a calendar and marked when Paul would be back in Kyiv and when he will be able to go and stay with Paul in Kyiv.  We hope he understands (he seemed to and we had someone explain it to him Ukraine as well) and that it will help him during the next 10 days while he waits for Paul to get back.  Once Paul is back in Kyiv he will start the process to get Kirill a passport (it will be a Ukraine one but it will have his new name), a medical exam and a visa to enter the US.  This will take 2-3 weeks.  Kirill will be able to stay with Paul in Kyiv during this time.

Outside the courthouse after court.

The Kyiv Region Courthouse!

 



Enjoying lunch with mom and dad after court.  For the first time, we were able to walk with Kirill by ourselves down to the market that is near the orphanage.  We missed lunch so we picked up items for sandwiches and of course we had to have chips (Kirill loves his potato chips!).



Friday, May 27, 2011 - We have a court date!

We received great news today.  We have our court appointment at 10 am on Monday, May 30.  This is sooner than expected and we are thrilled.  Paul and I are scheduled to fly home on Tuesday arriving in the evening after a full 24 hours of traveling.  It will be very hard to leave Kirill (especially for me) but since Paul will leave again on June 8 to be in Kyiv on June 9 to start the next phase of the process he wanted to get as much time at home as he could.  After 2-3 weeks in Kyiv , Paul will then return to MN with our new son and a new American citizen.

Over the past week, Paul and I have enjoyed time with Kirill and did more sightseeing.  We obviously haven't seen everything in Kyiv but we got the chance to see everything we wanted too.

Max has been doing well back in MN at David and Ann's but the time apart is getting long for all of us.  It will be great to see him again.  He had the biggest grin on his face when we told him we were coming home on Tuesday (Skype is great!).  He has been enjoying the end of the school year activities as well as playing baseball.  He will spend this weekend at his cousin's house in Hayward, WI so he is pretty excited about that.  As a family, we go to Hayward every year for Memorial Day.  Max was glad he would not have to miss it as he really likes spending time with his cousins.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate and they will be able to get in the annual canoe float.

Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend.

Sunday, May 22

We have now been in Kyiv 2 weeks.  We are hoping to hear news this week on a court date.

This past weekend we were able to spend a lot of time alone with Kirill.  No other families were visiting the orphanage this weekend and on non-school days all the kids have quiet/nap time in their rooms from 1-4 pm.  If your family is visiting you during that time, you get special treatment and do not have to have quiet time.  For us parents, visiting during that time period meant we got uninteruptted time with Kirill. 

We have been working on English and math problems with Kirill each day.  He tries to talk us out of having to do this school time each day but we think it is important and it is an opportunity to bond with him.  He has really impressed us with his English and math skills.  He tries really hard to sound out words and he is does quite well.  Our insurance agent donated some crayons and coloring books to the orphanage.  On Sunday, we took out a box of the crayons for Kirill and he looked at the box and very clearly pronounced State Farm.  It is great to see the joy on his face when he knows he has pronounced a word correctly.

Kirill doing math while Paul studies his Ukraine.



One of the caregivers was very sweet and prepared tea for the three of us.  Paul and I enjoyed this special time with Kirill - drinking tea and eating cookies at the little kid's table.  It is surprising to me that these young kids drink hot tea but they all seem to like it (yes they do add a fair amount of sugar).

 On Saturday when we arrived at the orphanage there was a big group of people busy at work putting in some new playground equipment, painting and fixing up steps and the equipment.  This group spent a good portion of their Saturday fixing up the outdoor play area for the kids.  (Last Saturday there was a different group at the orphanage that also did some painting and put in some new benches.) The thing the kids were maybe the most excited about though was the opportunity to sit on the 13 motorcycles that many members of this group had driven to the orphanage.  It was clear this was not the first time this group had been there.  After quiet time as the volunteers were getting ready to leave, the kids raced out of the building towards the motorcycles.  The kids were allowed to sit on the motorcycles while they were running (I was very nervous about this as there was not always an adult standing next to the bike), beep the horns and rev up the engines.  It was so loud but the kids had huge smiles on their faces!


The motorcycles that brought many smiles.

 On Sunday, we brought a few little gifts and candy for the kids.    Although the gifts (playing cards, hair clips, stickers and glow stick bracelets) would not be deemed anything special to many kids I know, the kids were so appreciate and we heard thank you (in English) from all of them multiple times that afternoon.  A note for families who follow after us, if you bring gifts you may want to bring the same thing for the boys and girls.  We didn't know how many boys and girls there were when we bought things at home so we just guessed.  The girls were not happy that the boys got playing cards and they got hair clips, they wanted the cards.  There were two extra packs of cards and the girls quickly talked me into giving the five of them the two packs to share.  It was very fun to see most of the kids playing cards outside that afternoon.  They were not allowed to play on the playground equipment due to the new paint and cement still drying so cards turned out to be a great thing for them to do outside after tea time.

Choosing stickers

Some of the kids enjoying their new cards.

During outdoor playtime on Sunday, we also watched the kids witness the abandonment of a newborn puppy by its mother.  A sad situation anytime but to watch these children who all in some way have experienced their own abandonment witness this was heartwrenching.  We assume the puppy was left outside on the sidewalk near the orphanage by one of the stray dogs in the area.  When Paul and I came outside several of the kids came and got us to show us the puppy and they were saying things like 'no mama', 'its mama left him'.  The kids were clearly upset by this and you could see tears in some of their eyes and the pain in their faces.  The caregiver was telling the kids to stay away from the puppy and therefore Paul and I didn't feel like we should go over to the puppy (not sure what we could have done as it was probably only an hour or so old).  Paul walked around the yard to see if he could find the mother to bring her over to the puppy but he didn't find her.  Jessie, the 'orphanage dog', keep trying to help the puppy but at times it seemed she was hurting it.  The kids let her know when they didn't like what she was doing.  We hope that after all the kids went inside the mother came back.

Friday, May 20

Yes, I am posting this well after the fact but on Friday we were able to participate in a special event at the orphanage so wanted to capture that in our blog.  Two boys had their farewell party at the orphanage as they were flying home to MN on Saturday morning.  It was definitely a party were there were clearly different emotions showing on the children's faces.  Those who parents are here already were clearly happy to celebrate with their friends, others who are waiting or don't have families identified yet were happy for their friends but you could see sadness (or tears in some cases) in their eyes.  We wish Jason and Nathan and their families all the best and we look forward to reconnecting with them in MN.

Farewell party with tea and cakes.  In addition to the children, there were 5 MN family segments also there joining in the celebration.

Another MN family who is here got the wonderful news on Friday that their court date is on Monday.  They and the two children they are adopting were thrilled (they have been here for over 5 weeks so they have been waiting for this day for a long time!).

We enjoyed time with Kirill at the orphanage.  Every time we are there he asks us about school and he is wondering if he has to go the next day.  (Note:  in a previous blog we believed that he was done with the school year but we have learned that is not the case - we think it goes until the end of May.)  Most of the other families who have been here recently have withdrawn their child(ren) from school but we have chosen to leave Kirill in school for now.  He is done by 1:45 pm each day so we still get a few hours with him each day and there will be days where we will ask that he not be sent to school that day.  Kirill clearly does not like his parents decision in regards to him still attending school! 



Will Kirill be happy or sad when he finds out he doesn't have to wear a suit to school in America?  Some of the kids are very dressed up for school and others are not.  We haven't asked why that is.  (New fashion statement - Nikes with a suit?)

Here are a few more pictures:

The children at the orphanage were playing house on Friday afternoon.  They use blankets and clothes pins to make their house.  Even the boys were playing and you could here them deciding who got to play be papa and who was going to be mama.  It was fun to listen to them but I couldn't help but think that playing house has a much different meaning for them than it did for me when I played it as a kid.

Kirill with Jessie.  Jessie is a stray dog that has made the orphanage her home.  The kids all love her even though she is always running off with their hats or balls.  She is quite protective of the kids and of "her space".  There are many stray dogs in Kyiv and whenever another dog wanders into the orphanage's fenced area, Jessie is quick to let them know they are not welcome there.  Jessie is the most laid back dog I have ever seen.  The kids pull her tail to get her to move and she just looks at them but I have never seen her bark or growl at them.  I believe Jessie is the reason that Kirill loves dogs.

Andriyivsky Uzviz street.  This is one of the oldest streets in Kyiv.  The cobblestones on the road reflect their age!  This is a popular street in Kyiv and it is a very long street that descends down a hill towards the Dnipro river that runs through Kyiv.  In the daytime, there are many street vendors selling souvenirs in their booths on the side of the street. 

Wedneday, May 18

It was a great day.  We got up at 6 am to skype with Max who was one tired boy after traveling all day and not having slept a wink on the flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Chicago.  It was good to see him and know that he along with Leah and Doug had made it home safely.  Max's aunt, uncle and cousins (Paul's brother's family) picked him up at the airport and gave him a wonderful welcome with balloons and other gifts.  They then took him to Noodles for dinner and followed that up with a trip to Dairy Queen later in the evening (two of Max's favorites places to eat).  Thanks Russ and Shelly!

We left our apartment bright and early (for us anyway on this trip) at 7:45 am to meet up with another family, the Moore's who were escorting us on the Metro to meet up with our lawyer.  Our lawyer than took us to the Juvenile Services office where we had a quick interview (do you have any other other children, why do you want to adopt this child) and then we were off to the orphanage for our official visit where from a legal standpoint they note we have established contact with the child.

It was a happy reunion with Kirill who had big hugs for both Papa and Mama.  As part of the process, Kirill has to write a letter to the judge stating he wants to be adopted.  When Natasha, the social worker from the orphanage, told Kirill he needed to write a letter he said he already done it and he went and got his letter/picture.  It says Mama, Papa, Max in several places and there is a drawing of the three of us along with a house (see picture below).  We asked what the words said but he was very shy and only said Mama, Papa and Max.  The lawyer said it says something to the effect of I love and you are beautiful.  It was very heartwarming to see his strong affection for us and to know he does think about us even when we are not with him.  As sweet as his letter was, it was not what they needed to give to the judge so Kirill had to take a few minutes and write his letter to the judge which he took very seriously.  After that we got sometime to play with him while the lawyer and social worker finished up the rest of the paperwork.  There was a Papa and son football/soccer game, an UNO card game and snack time.  It is obvious Kirill has been working on his English.   It was fun to hear him speaking in English especially during the UNO game. 

It was a short visit as we needed to go with the lawyer and the Moore's to a notary office to sign papers that need to be filed to request permission from Juvenile Services and the SDA to adopt Kirill.  The papers should have been filed today with the Juvenile Services offices and they have 5 business days to give us a consent to adopt Kirill.  Upon their consent, another document is filed with the SDA and they have 5 business days to grant us permission to adopt Kirill.  At the conclusion of those 10 business days (and we expect it will take the full 10 days) we hopefully will receive a court date.  So for the next 2 weeks we are in a waiting period and just get to enjoy that time with Kirill.  If we understood correctly, Kirill's school year just ended as today was grading day for 1st graders.  The timing worked out well in that regards.  Whenever Kirill would ask when we were coming to get him I always told him it would be near the end of the school year (I got lucky as I had no idea the school year ended in May). 

After the process was finished up at the notary office this afternoon, we had the pleasure of riding the Metro back to our apartment with the Moore's who were bringing their newly adopted daughter/sister and son/brother back to their apartment for the first time.  They are now in the home stretch and we pray they are able to finish up their paperwork and exams quickly so they can get home where mom and another brother are anxiously awaiting their arrival.



Kirill sitting on Papa's lap holding the letter he had written prior to our arrival today.

 

A happy and relieved Kirill.  Many other families have came to the orphanage in the last few months and I am sure he has been wondering when his family was coming.



Tuesday, May 17

A day of mixed emotions. 

Max, Leah and Doug flew out very early this morning (left the apartment at 3 am Kyiv time) and it was hard to say good bye to them.  Paul and I will really miss having Max here with us and we know he will have some hard times being a way from us.  He was a bit torn about leaving because he had fun here but he was also looking forward to being back in MN where things are familiar and comfortable.  A big thank you to Leah and Doug for flying over to get him.  We had a good time with them here and we did a fair amount of sightseeing - it felt like a vacation.  Also a big thank you to everyone who will be helping with Max back home while we are here.  We truly appreciate having family and friends who are willing to help us out.

Now onto the positive emotions - we had a successful appointment at the SDA office and Paul and I picked up our referral document from the SDA this afternoon at 4 pm.  Tomorrow we will go to the Juvenile Services office with our lawyer and assuming there are no problems there we will finally get to go to the orphanage with a social worker for our official visit.  We are very much looking forward to that visit.  It is the first big step forward in the process here in Kyiv.  Hopefully, tomorrow we will have some pictures of Kirill to share in our blog!

Paul and I did move apartments again today and we are now back close to where we were at the beginning of the trip (and in the same building as another family from MN).  It is a basically a one room apartment.  It will be interesting to see how this works since at home I am usually in bed at least 2 hours before Paul.  We also will be getting our exercise since it is on the 5th floor and we are not crazy about the elevators here.  Our other apartments were on the 3rd or 5th floor so you would think I would be used to it by now but I still feel the burn when I hit the 3rd floor on the way up.

Thank you to all of you for prayers and positive comments throughout this process.  We pray that the process moves very quickly from here on out.

Here are a few more pictures from Kyiv:

 

Max telling his special wish to the cat statue near the Golden Gate.  Apparently this is a statue of a real cat and it was built as a life size replica (this was one big cat).  The legend is that you whisper your special wish in the cat's left eye and then rub its left ear and tail at the same time.  You can not tell anyone your wish until it comes true.  Next time you see Max, ask him about his wish.

 

One of the chapels at the Kievo-Pechersky Lavra or the 'Caves Monastery' as it is commonly referred too.  We visited this place on our tour on Sunday and Paul and I intend to go back when we have more time to tour some of the caves where monks once lived.  The Lavra is a national religious shrine and it is the headquarters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Max setting on the globe statue (I don't know the official name) in Maidan square.  The statue is out front of the central post office of Kyiv and all mileage to other regional cities in Ukraine are measured from this point.



 The view from our 2nd apartment.  This was taken on a Sunday evening when it was very quiet.  In the daytime there were cars and buses everywhere in this intersection.  There is a metro stop under the building with the Levi's sign.  There is also a McDonalds in that building where Max discovered Big Mac's (it was the only thing he was comfortable pronouncing and once he tried it he quickly discovered a new item to order at McDonalds).



Paul, Max, Leah and Doug riding the longest escalator any of us have every seen down to catch the metro.  Paul and I will get the chance to ride this escalator every day when we start making daily trips to the orphanage.



Traffic is crazy in Kyiv and you have to be very careful on the sidewalks.  The cars drive and park on the sidewalk.  The picture above is of a sidewalk all the cars you see (yes even the white one) are on the sidewalk.



Saturday, May 14

Leah and Doug arrived safely yesterday.  We have spent time walking around Kyiv seeing some different areas and tomorrow we will do a guided tour with an English speaking guide for a few hours.  We thought it would be good to learn some of the history of the area while we are here.  It should also be a good history lesson for Max (and me as well).

We are doing fine and hope to have some good news on Monday by having a successful appointment at the SDA.

Wednesday, May 11

Our appointment at the SDA did not go as planned today.  First of all, they were not expecting us for some reason.  Then after much searching on their part for Kirill's file we were informed his release date is not until tomorrow and there was nothing that could be done today.  They do not have any available appointments tomorrow and they don't do appointments on Friday so we will not have another appointment until Monday afternoon.  This likely means we will not have a referral for Kirill until Tuesday afternoon and we will not be able to do an official visit with him at the orphanage until next Wednesday.  We hope this is the last delay!  We do wonder what would have happened if we had come when our first appointment was initially scheduled in
April.

We have been spending time walking around Kiev getting to know our way around and doing some sightseeing.  We did ride the Metro (subway) yesterday so we feel pretty comfortable with that for when we need to really start using it to get back and forth from the orphanage and to other places.  We are moving to a different apartment tomorrow and we are hoping it is near where we are now because we know where things are in this area.  My sister, Leah, and her husband, Doug, are arriving on Friday and our new apartment will have more space for the 5 of us.  They will be leaving on Tuesday am with Max and then Paul and I will move again at some point to a smaller apartment.  Leah and Doug were kind enough to offer to fly to Kiev to get Max so he could be back for the end of his 5th grade school year>  Max really did not want to miss the end of the end of the school year as he moves to the middle school next year.  Paul and I thought it was important for Max to experience sometime in Kiev to learn about Kirill's culture so he came along for the first part of the trip (it has been a good experience for him already). 

I've included a few pictures to give you an idea of what we have been seeing.
 on our trip so far.

London Eye - per Max's research this is the largest ferris wheel in the world.  We rode this while we were in London and it took about 30 minutes to go around.  It moves very slowly and offers a great view of London.

Pictures from Kiev:

St. Michael's Cathedral - a beautiful cathedral this is just a short walk from our current apartment.

St. Andrew's Cathedral - it is right next to the SDA office which is also a short walk from our apartment.  It appears to have some renovations underway.

Paul and Max standing in front of the House with Chimeras.  An interesting house that was built more than a century again.  One brochure refers to it as one of the most unique structures in Kiev.

Monday, May 9

We spent our first full day in Kiev getting everything unpacked and walking around the area we are staying to get acclimated a bit.  Maiden Square (also known as Independence Square) was quite busy today due to Victory Day.  We spent a little time down there as we meet up with a couple of other families for ice cream.  They also showed us where the underground mall is and the entrance to the Metro (subway) that we will ride to take us part of the way to the orphanage (we'll have to then catch a bus to get to the town where the orphanage is located).  Tonight we are going to the fireworks for Victory day with one of the families and a couple of kids from two other families whose dads will be working at that time.  It has already been so helpful knowing other families who here adopting from the same orphanage as we are.  They have been able to show us around, tell us where to shop and which food to buy or not buy (e.g. which color lid on the bottled water means it has gas (carbonation) or no gas).  We are happy to learn from their experiences!

Our Boundary Waters camping experiences were good practice for life in Kiev.  We have to use bottled water to brush our teeth (Max and I forgot the first time we brushed), boil hot water to do dishes and string a clothes line to dry our clothes.  I've heard the locals don't even drink the water out of the tap here.  We do have a washing machine but all the dials are labeled in Ukrainian.  Paul and I used google translator today to try and figure out what they mean.  Not all the words translated to an English word and others translated to things like strip & squeezing and pump.  We figured strip & squeezing means rinsing and spinning.  Not sure about pump when it comes to a washing machine.  Oh well, the first load of laundry likes fine so hopefully we'll be as lucky next time.

In the next blog, I'll try to include some pictures of things we have seen in Kiev.  No time to try and figure out how to do that now as we need to leave for the fireworks very soon.

We are in Kiev!

We made it to Kiev safely today and are getting settled in our apartment.  Another family who is also here adopting (they are adopting a brother and sister) graciously stopped by and give us some tips and took us to a couple of grocery stores so we could get some food staples.  Tomorrow is Victory day in the Ukraine (celebrating their victory in WWII) and we understand it is a big event.  It will be interesting to see how the locals observe this holiday on our first full day in Kiev. 
Thanks to everyone for your positive thoughts and prayers.  We will continue to need them!
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms.