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!).