Homecoming pictures at last!

Here are some belated pictures of the day they brought Sean Paul home (May 22nd) and we were all reunited, after John/Daddy and Haylee being gone since April 19th (and Traci/Mommy having been home for 3 weeks awaiting their return with the rest of our children. It was a blessed reunion--and such a relief and joy for them to be home. God is good!

John, Haylee, and Sean (behind John in a carrier) finally coming out of customs with their luggage, after waiting over an hour for them.

Our sweet Haylee finally home!

Elsie has "her Daddy" at last :)

Sean playing with his helium "Welcome Home" balloon

A happy Mommy & daughter

The children loving on their new brother Sean

Greeted by Grandaddy (& Nana)

Sean getting some energy out after a very long flight

THE ADAMSON FAMILY--TOGETHER AT LAST!

Riding home together...

Sean's first time in the carseat....

Sean and Elsie did not last long before they were fast asleep :)

Fun in the Sun (and Mist!)

We had a wonderful time at Bethany Beach the last few days, where the family of my mom's special friend Margaret opened their beautiful beach home to our family. We weren't sure how it would go (with the girls having chicken pox) but figured it would be a blessing just being together.

I'm amazed at how God provides in big and little ways for us. The first day there the older kids and Daddy enjoyed some time at the beach while the younger ones took naps and later we took an evening walk on the beach all by ourselves. It was beautiful, and a joy to introduce Sean to the ocean. The summer has not officially hit yet so the beach wasn't at all crowded. The next day we were able to take the whole family there in the afternoon...there was a heavy mist or fog so you could not see very far in any direction and the sun didn't come through very much but it was warm enough to be able to wade in the water. Again we were the only ones there except lifeguards and the kids enjoyed the sand and running around in the water. I was glad the sun wasn't hot with their chicken pox, and the girls were feeling much better and their playful selves, and weren't at all bothered by the sand or the salt water. The next day we went back in the morning, as a thunderstorm was coming, and when we went the sun came out, warmer but still not too bad, and there was only a few groups there at a distance. All the children had so much fun collecting shells and building sand castles--I'm glad we had the opportunity, as they had really hoped to go to the ocean while we were back East. We're so thankful for the kindness and generosity of our friends. We ended up being able to stay an extra night--which again was a blessing because there was a bad thunderstorm our last night there, which is when we would have been driving home. Praise God for the way He takes care of us.

Sean really loved the sand. We knew he would as one of his favorite things to do was to play in the dirt at the orphanage -- I think he would've been content to play in it all day, if he hadn't discovered THE OCEAN! He was really enthralled with the water. We had a lifevest on him (just in case) that had a strap that John held on to. John thought it was a great workout for his balance :) He also enjoyed playing with a cooler filled with water--washing is hair and getting inside it too. He also thoroughly enjoyed getting icecream and french fries at the ocean.

It has been a blessing to see our (biological) children so loving and welcoming to Sean--he truly is seen by them as their brother. Elsie and Annabelle will often give him hugs and kisses... it is precious. Haylee, Naomi and Jonah so willingly play with him and help "watch" him and help him with things. At times I have felt a bit overwhelmed at having 6 children with the newest addition so active and curious and having absolutely no fear; but God shows me again and again how it is our entire family that He called to adopt Sean and that all of us are a part of meeting his needs. Sean has been very sweet with the children-- occasionally a push over a toy or something but so far nothing serious, and he seems to really enjoy everyone in the family. It is a blessing to me to see him with my husband and the relationship they have formed through this. He is learning to listen and obey, to eat what we give him, to go to sleep in his bed (now a pack-n-play), to make some basic signs, and to be a part of a family. Its been neat to open his world to new things--places we've gone and things he's gotten to see and do--but the absolute best part is his learning that he belongs to our family.

We had to postpone our flight back to SD a week just to make sure the kids are able to travel. Their blisters are healing well and we expect within a day or 2 that they will no longer be contagious at all. Though we'd hoped to have some time back at home together before John returned to work, we hope to make the best of it and take the children on some great fieldtrips here this week before we fly home on Saturday.

My goal now that we're back from the ocean is to finally get some pictures on here!!!

Update of our first week home

First let me say that we should have some pictures on here soon! Sorry for the delay but our camera cord isn't working. I was able to get shots at the airport and Sean's first week here with my parent's camera so we have to figure out how to use load them. Stay tuned :)

We have been doing well here in MD, enjoying being together though longing to get to our home. John and Haylee are still feeling some effects of jet lag and no doubt Sean as well. Sean has been adjusting well to our busy family...he seems to love being around our other 5 children. He is generally very sweet and inquisitive with them, though excitable. We were warned by other adopting families that children from orphanages often exhibit certain behaviors, which we also witnessed firsthand at the orphanage...like agression or biting. Sean did bite some during the 2 week wait which John worked hard on teaching him not to and we've talked to our other children about this. So far there has been some occasional pushing and we're watching him carefully with the younger kids, but he has done pretty well so far, especially considering at times he has a few siblings trying to get his attention at once :)

He has been getting used to his carseat while we've run errands (not his favorite place to get into but once there he does fine) as well as his temporary bed of a pack-n-play which he doesn't especially like. He takes a little while to get to sleep --his sister Naomi loves to sing him "Jesus loves me" to settle him down to go to sleep. We were wondering what it must be like for him having been all his life in the same orphanage with the same routine, and then to stay in different apartments, now in my parents house, and soon to our home (not to mention a brief stay at the beach this week)! Considering all the change he has undergone, it is amazing how well he is doing. He went out to eat with us twice this past week...Taco Bell and for a sit down restaurant here, Don Pablos! He really liked chips and salsa!

Sean came home just in time for Annabelle's 5th birthday--so he was at probably his first birthday party and really liked the cake and icecream! He is quite a good eater-- sometimes spitting something out, but usually eating alot, which we figured from how sturdy he is and how he ate snacks we brought him at the orphanage. He is really enjoying his baths with gusto-- I've never seen a child so excited about playing with the water as Sean. We are getting used to having another toddler in our family...suddenly we have 2 in diapers. Elsie and Sean are a year apart but the same size :) Elsie talks alot, Sean says the word "hi!" (with much excitement) and "mam"a (otherwise makes excited noises and facial expressions) but understands alot more, and is learning some English commands (like come here, sit, etc.) and some basic signs (like more). Sean seems to like to be where the action is (the hardest thing so far is making sure we know where he is and what he's doing) and won't sit long like for a movie. I can tell I will have a big helper at home as he loves "sweeping" thee floor. His absolute favorite thing to do so far is to listen to music rings on a cell phone-- this will entertain him for quite a while. For the birthday, Sean also got to go on a train ride, a carousel, and see some animals which he really liked....I guess that was quite a lot of new experiences for his first week.

The children really adore him...it is very sweet. Naomi loves to put him in his car seat, Elsie calls him "her Sean", Annabelle is another little mother to him, and Jonah I think has found a future wrestling partner :) Today Haylee said, "before we went to the Ukraine, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a child with Down syndome, but now that he's here its like he's really my brother and an Adamson." :)

We are planning to stay at the beach for a few days this week...my mother's close friend has offered us to stay in her beach home. The children are very much looking forward to it, especially since we live so far away from the ocean now. It will be neat to see Sean's reaction to the water and the sand...we expect he will love it and that we will be busy! Our youngest daughters have just come down with the chicken pox :( but they are tolerating it well so far, and we've decided to still go and maybe play on the beach during off peak times when others are not around and the sun is not hot (if they are up to it) It may make the time go faster for them, we hope. We pray that they will recover quickly as our flight home is next Sunday, the 31st...we will have to see if they are recovered by then. We appreciate your continued prayers.

Together again :)

After a very long day, John, Haylee, Sean and Uncle Paul arrived safely in the USA! Praise GodWe are very happy to be reunited and for Sean to be introduced to the whole family. We gave him a welcome home helium balloon which he was fascinated by of course. Unfortunately we weren't able to see Uncle Paul because he had to go a different direction since he was connecting that night. By the time they got their luggage and through customs, he only had 2 hours before his boarding time so it wasn't enough time to try to meet up. Both Sean and Elsie (who hadn't had a nap) took a nice nap on the 2+ hour drive home from Dulles in traffic. Grandaddy and Nana helped us get home in 2 vans since we no longer fit in a 7 passenger and we couldn't rent anything larger. Haylee talked about the trip to Mommy and Nana the entire trip home almost :) Annabelle and Elsie have been loving on Sean--something he'll have to get used to! We hope to add some pictures of the airport soon (once we figure out Nana's new digital)! But now its time to sleep :)

On their way home!

Today is the day! John, Haylee, Sean and Uncle Paul are flying home today. They left Kiev around 6:30 am and connected in Munich. They fly into Dulles in Washington, DC around 2:30 pm (will feel like 9:30 pm to them). We are very excited here and looking forward to our family being reunited at last. Annabelle and Elsie are excited to meet their brother for the first time. :)
Please pray they arrive safely. We praise God for His provision and protection throught out this experience, and we know the journey is just beginning!

Kiev at last!

We had a nice train ride and we made it to Kiev and got all our paperwork done except the visa--we had to pick it up the next day. We saw Mr. Anatoly again and got our picture taken with Miss. Irina and Mr. Anatoly. It turned out nice! :) ..............
We went to the mission house and rested and played outside. Then we went to the store and bought some groceries. We went back, made dinner, ate dinner and watched a movie and even had ice cream with chocolate sauce :) We had a fun time. Miss. Jamie was nice and took care of us. On Wensday, we got the visa, said goodbye to Miss. Irina--she has been very helpful to me while my mommy is across the ocean! Then, we went sight seeing and ate at a cafe where we first tasted ukrainian food. We went back to the mission house and are enjoying the nice people here and talking right now.

Going well in Kiev (and in MD)

They made it to Kiev!...some getting more sleep than others :) but I'll let Haylee and John share more. Apparently there were able to get everything done (the paperwork at the US Embassy and get Sean's medical exam) today...they just need to pick up Sean's visa in the morning. They plan to relax and maybe sightsee weather-permitting the next 2 days, and fly out Friday early morning around 6:30 am. We decided to just keep their flight since if we change it, it would make it extremely expensive if we end up needing to make another change on our return flight home, since the charge for the second change is $175 a piece...with 8 of us that adds up very quickly. Hopefully the 2 days will go quickly for everyone....we are getting excited!
Naomi seems better today-- no sign of hives yet today and Jonah's pox are starting to disappear. We're thankful!

On the train

We're thankful the passport came in fine and that John, Haylee, Sean, Paul (John's brother who arrived last night!) and Irina our translator are on the overnight train to Kiev! They almost were not able to get a train car but managed to get one when they checked later in the day. Our friends Jamie and Yuri in Kiev wil pick them all up in Kiev and take them to the US Embassy in the morning to complete final paperwork and get SEan's visa as well as get SEan's medical exam. There is a possibility they could get it all done tomorrow which would be wonderful! We are trying to figure out if it woudl be worth it to change their flight to a day earlier, and what to do about our return flight to SD. If it will be too expensive they can enjoy somemore time with Paul and our Ukrainian friends. Thanks again for praying! I guess Sean has taken well to Uncle Paul...they were having a tickle session when I talked to John. I"m wondering how hel'll do onthe train and if John will get any sleep :)

Passport!!!!

Our passport has come today (on Monday)!! Today, we went sight seeing and ate at a fancy Ukrainian restuarant. We also bought some souvineers. Please pray for us. We will be in the US soon!!!

Love,
Haylee

A request for prayer

Please pray for John's brother Paul who is flying in to Kiev, then to Odessa today to help John bring Sean Paul and Haylee home! We're so thankful he was able to join him and know he will be a great encouragement to them as the waiting is dragging and they long to come home.

Please join as as we pray that the Sean's passport is ready Monday and that everything was done correctly...

we were told IF it comes, it may have errors which would mean it would need to get redone and wouldn't be ready until maybe Wed. which would make it possible they would not make their Friday early morning flight home. They are in the home stretch and just as our RR friends the Hollis' warned us, the last week is going very slowly for them, though they are glad Sean is with them. As I've read John's posts I've been thinking though about how even though its been slow and trying, Gods has purpose in this time of waiting and separation as he gets to know Sean with some undivided attention and God is teaching him....as He is here as well through these trials of sickness away from home. Though its challenging, I am thankful for how God draws us to rely on Him and trust Him. A good friend shared Isaiah 40:29, "He gives power to the faint; and to them tht have no might He increases strength."

We have appreciated the prayers for the kids health here in the States... Jonah is healing well and no sign of illness so far with the little ones. Naomi continues to show breakouts of the hives...this morning she woke up with coughing,sneezing,and itchy hives again. We're not sure if it is from a virus or allergic reaction or due to a med she is on. We're keeping a close eye on her.
Today we'll clean our friends house up and tonight we plan to move back to my parents house to await the homecoming of our beloved family in the Ukraine....hopefully Friday or before!

What it is like in Odessa..

It is very busy in Odessa.. and since Miss. Irina left, it has been boring. Sean has to be watched alot or he will be digging into food or something! He is so cuddly if he wants to be and so handsome! I feel like Sean is my brother, now that he is out of the orphanage. Odessa is like a busy city in the United States. Please pray that we will get the passport on Monday-- we want to go home to the US! Thankyou for your continued prayers! There is a super market underneath the apartment building we are staying in that is very handy--we go there everyday--we are always forgetting or needing something at the store! There is also a mini playground that has 2 swings, a little climbing toy, benches and a sandbox.

It is interesting to live with Sean!

Maryland update

Just a note to say we are doing okay here in MD. We were able to get the 2 sick ones seen at a clinic and get Naomi started on antibiotic for little pneumonia she's developed, and a medicine for her hives which the dr thought was some kind of allergic reaction. I can see some improvement already. Jonah has been a real trooper...done much better than expected. His cough was worse last night and still had a low fever but today seems improved and seems to be only mildly itchy (only certain areas). He is pretty covered and doesn't like how it looks but seems to be tolerating it well and has been playing well. So far the younger ones don't show any signs of illness but it could show up from 7-21 days after exposure. We are praying for God's grace upon them and wisdom to know what to do about traveling....Jonah must be cleared up and the girls free of signs to fly home.

We are so thankful that we have been able to stay at our friends house here this past week--they are away for vacation and graciously allowed us to stay here, and have been very understanding about all this. Definitely not the relaxing waiting time (doing fun outings and visiting friends and family here) I'd hoped for but I'm trying to remember to be thankful.

I am so thankful Jonah did not come down with this while overseas, that we didn't expose any of our young friends here, that Haylee has not shown signs of it overseas, and that Sean has already had it atleast. Also thankful for all of your prayers...keep them coming!

Update of the first full day in Odessa... a couple days from today-- sorry.. I got caught up!

After a restful sleep in my own room, I woke up and Sean was there! He had wokeup at 6:30 in the morning! He woke up Miss. Irina and Daddy too. We had a big day before us-- we had to get the new ID number, get the new birth certificate, and apply for the passport.. Miss. Irina hoped that we would get done at 5:00 pm. We ate breakfast, and got ready for the day. Wensday was Miss. Irina's birthday-- . She did not want to celebrate it-- she said her gift would be applying for the passport. We did several stops, and then stopped for lunch at a georgian cafe-- the international one. It was good-- we ordered some georgian lemonade, mashed potatoes for Sean and I, a greek salad for me, a kabob for Daddy, and borsch for Daddy, a schkabob (I don't know if I am spelling it right) and 2 coffees for Miss. Irina, and bread for everybody except me-- I have wheat allergies. They brought out this grape- flavored drink, and I asked Daddy if we could have some, and Daddy said to wait for the lemonade-- Miss. Irina said that it was the lemonade flavored with grape.. it was good! It was really bubbly and good. We had a good meal, and then (in the van that we were driving in) we waited for an hour and then went to see if the birth certificate was ready. We got it, and then we went to do the passport. They took a picture of Sean, and Miss. Irina promised to bring a birth certificate copy with a special stamp or something. We were hoping that we would get it on Friday, but she said that 99.9 percent was negative that it would come on Friday. We went to the place that does that special stamp, and then went to the big super market, and bought some groceries and made beans and rice for dinner.. we at last found tomato sauce with Miss. Irina's help! It was yummy, but Sean did not like it so we gave him kefir, but he did not like it so Daddy ate it. We gave Sean cheese and yogurt. Sean had his first bath which he loved! At first, he did not want to, and then Daddy showed him how to splash, and then he liked it and Daddy said he got almost as much of the bath as Sean!! We are getting used to Odessa-- it is busy!

Love,
Haylee

A better day, and some new challenges...

I hope I did not sound too miserable and whiny last time, but the Lord has been dealing with me a great deal the last couple days. Today he reminded me of how we have just ripped everything that Sean knows to shreds and turned his life upside-down. As a very high funtioning and intelligent child with Down's, he is probably dealing with a lot. He did much better today, ate well, and I have been able to work on some basic stuff with him, like throwing away his own diaper and taking his clothes to the dirty clothes pile. We even had quite an exciting and tiring tickle session:) Now he sleeps soundly by my side, very tired from sight-seeing and 2 bus rides and 2 excursions to the store under us and trying on all the slippers in the house, etc. I think he will adjust well once we establish a routine at home.

Please continue to keep Traci, Naomi, and Jonah in prayer. Traci took them to the urgent care center last night in MD, and Jonah definitely has chicken pox, and Naomi appears to have pneumonia and an allergic reaction. I am thankful she brought her. Naomi is now being treated for both. Unfortunately, the timetable for Annabelle and Elsie to likely get chicken pox is about the time we were supposed to head back to Rapid City. Please pray that they either get it quickly (so that they will be non-contagious so we can fly) or that their immune systems fight it long enough to get home so that we can have them convalesce at home and I can return to work as planned June 8th. To top it off, Traci's debit card stopped working, and when she called the bank, she was informed that our credit card (used for such emergencies) was being put on hold because of suspicious out of state purchases- hmmm- wonder where those came from- could it be MD?:) So, she is out of cash. We will work something out, though.

Please continue to pray for grace from our friends and families who are assisting Traci and the others in their time of need. Lift Haylee and I up, as we support one another. Please pray for me to have wisdom, as we have this weekend without Irina present for me to work on some basic training with Sean, and to just relax all together here. Please pray for all to have greater understanding of God's purposes not only in this adoption process, but also as He works out the fruits of our adoption as sons and daughters of our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thank you all for your lovingkindness with supportive remarks and prayer. We couldn't make it without you!

Grace and peace from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

John

update from "Gotcha" day!! (a few days later)

Gotcha day!! The day we have been waiting for!! Here is the advanced details (: :

On Tuesday morning, we finished packing, and ate breakfast. Then, Miss. Irina called us: this is basically what she said: "I went to the court, and the people said we will likely have to wait until tomorrow. I will wait for the head of the court, and he will give me the final answer". (We were supposed to leave at 11:30-- 12) We were upset.. we prayed really hard and went outside on a bench to get fresh air. Daddy called Miss. Jamie and asked her to pray for us. He also called Mommy and Jonah was sick with chicken pox. Miss. Irina called us back.. this is what (basically) she said: we will be able to get Vladik out today, but at 3:00 pm. We were upset that it was not earlier, but it was better than waiting until the next day! So, we gave the keys to Miss. Snezhana's dad, as our landlords were out of town. Then, we got the luggage, and drove in the cab (with Miss. Irina) to the orphanage to give the remaining gifts, and give some extra diapers to one of the caregivers for Sean. Then, we went sight seeing. We went to this old turkish church that is a museam and went into a room that had a mosque of the turkish and russian war. There was a speaker that spoke about it and there was a replica of supplies and stuff that might have been in that time and dirt. It was neat! Then, we went to look across the water that seperates Romania and Ukraine. We took a walk on the sidewalk near the water, and looked at the ships.
We went to the mashed potatoes place and ate there and then went to the orphanage at 1:00 pm. Daddy signed and wrote on the paper that we wanted to give Seans bank account to the orphanage, and some other papers, and Daddy was tired so he rested in the doctors room, while Miss. Irina and I got the court decree. Daddy saw the Italian couple that had the same gotcha day as us, and when they went to get their court decree, they said to come back tomorrow at 8:00 am. It was not fair to them. They said goodbye to Daddy by putting their cheek against Daddy's. That is a different way of saying goodbye!! Finally, when we got back from the court, we gave one of the doctors Seans new clothes, and we waited in the doctors office. They brought Sean to us and he was so cute! He looked better than in the orphanage clothes! They gave us different socks and shoes because the socks were too thick, and the shoes were too little. Then, the doctors waved us out the front door and said goodbye, and then we piled into the taxi, and speaking of which, Sean just got into the taxi by himself! Then, we were off! We played with Sean and gave him a banana, and then watched a movie: "Cars"and ate popcorn which Sean loved! Sean fell asleep after half or so of it and we were not able to watch all of it because the battery needed charging. We stopped half way (2 hours) and each got a drink or a snack and went to the bathroom. I took some pictures of outside and looked around. By the time we got to Odessa, Sean was tired of the car, and so were the rest of us. We went to the apartment, (this apartment building has a elevator and the apartment is Miss. Irina's friends) and Sean stayed upstairs with me watching him while Daddy and Miss. Irina carried the stuff up. The apartment is nice. Sean loved these extra slippers and tried them on. We went to the store under the apartment building, and had some food at a cafe in the store. Daddy had a bad head-ache and Sean had a stomach ache, so Sean got plain rice, and Daddy had a few bites of salad. Miss. Irina had some squash and a salad or something, and I had potatoes and plain rice. We were very tired and went to sleep when we got back. Miss. Irina slept upstairs on a thin mattress, and I slept in an enclosed bedroom near where Daddy and Sean slept on a foldout couch. We had a restful night. This was the day we have been longing for a long time!!

Tough times at home, and what have I gotten myself into?

The Adamsons at home are suffering greatly, with now Naomi covered in spots and apparently hives- to Traci looking different than Chicken Pox. Not only is Traci having to deal with very itchy and poor feeling older kids, but also having to deal with 2 very active (for now at least- before CP hits!) littler ones who have not quite been deprogrammed from spending 2 fun and spoiled weeks with grandparents. Please pray earnestly for her and the children.
Please don't think too poorly of me, but today I had a real strong feeling of "what have I gotten myself into?" I can look back and see how God's hand has directed us and provided for us the whole way, but at the same time sometimes I realize that we have taken on a considerable amount. Today he alternately did things that made me glad we took the step of faith and rescued him, and other times I wish I had a good strong length of cord so I could strap him down to a chair in order to have about 30 minutes of uninterrupted time where I or Haylee don't have to be watching him (BTW, thank God for Haylee being here with me!). He managed to pull my laptop off a (thankfully) short table because he decided to play with the cord. He just kicked me in the face while sleeping next to me. He is adept at getting into everything very quick.

But... he plays a mean game of making faces with Haylee, looks really cute when he starts to go to sleep as he sucks his thumb and plays with his hands, and was a riot when I gave him his first bath today and introduced him to the fine art of splashing. (He also demonstrated to me that he is quite able to chase the water down the drain as the tub emptied!) He gives great hugs, and loves to be held by me or Haylee. And... he was obviously also meant to be my son.

The Lord has revealed to me, more and more during this trip, that I am a very selfish lover of people. I love so conditionally at times that it is a shock to me, a Christian who is supposed to have the agape love of Christ in me. I realize more and more that the Lord has not just sent my family into Sean's life, but He has sent Sean into my life to teach me about areas that I really need to grow in. I look at Haylee and the love she obviously has for Sean and am humbled.

Please pray for me. I know in part the whole process in wearing on my nerves, and I feel right now that I have little reserve. I am tired of being separated from the rest of my family, in a foreign place, and not having a true routine. I want to be used by the Lord while here, but I feel somewhat empty spiritually. I believe though that the Lord is teaching me, and nothing I am going through now is impossible with the Lord.

Please also pray for me to lovingly guide Sean towards better behavior. Please pray for Haylee, as I started her on Prednisone tonight for her asthma. Please pray for all of us to learn something of the lovingkindness, tender mercy, and longsuffering that the Lord has towards us.

John

Good news!

Sean Paul Adamson (AKA Slava or Vladik) is OUT!!!

I heard from them that they are on their way to Odessa :)
I'll let Haylee add the details later but wanted to share the good news!

Some bumps in the road....

Now we know.... those green dots the kids had at the orphanage....that we were told when we first got there were antiseptic for bug bites......they were most likely from chicken pox. It makes no sense to me as we had heard from other families how very careful they are to isolate children who are sick from visitors and other children.

Our son Jonah came down with a fever Sunday night and has started getting bumps/blisters :(
Please pray for us that we can get over this quickly so we will be able to go home when they finally come home from the Ukraine!

John and Haylee won't be able to update today so heres the latest...
They were told this morning that because of the holiday, they couldn't get SEan today because it had only been 9 days... however they really have waited 12 days by our counting. Our translator went to talk to the judge and he is letting us get him out at 3 pm. So they should be in process of getting him out then driving to Odessa later today. Unfortunately we will lose a day since they won't make the 4 pm appointment in Odessa regarding the birth certificate.
I'm looking forward to hearing that Sean (Vladik) is finally out of the orphanage today! Please pray for their safe travel and a smooth process as they get the required paperwork done to bring him home.

Thanks so much!
Traci (Mommy)

Odessa soon....

Some of the "beauty" in the yard of the orphanage.

Part of the orphanage building

One of Sean's favorite things to do-- looking in the windows!

Just "cute" Sean!

When we get to Odessa, we will post as soon as we can! Right away, when we get there, we will go to an appointment with the person who will give us Sean's origanal birth certificate, and then we will apply for Sean's passport, and then so on... Thankyou for your continued prayers!!!

They are a great help while we are across the ocean!

Love,

Haylee

Prayer

Dear friends,
please pray for Jonah (my brother) because he has a fever and has a bug bite that Mommy thinks might be causing it. Please pray that Mommy will have wisdom and that his fever will go away. Also, please pray for us as we drive 4 hours to Odessa in a cab that drives fast (: Please pray for safe travels, and no problems tomorrow with getting Sean out!

Thankyou,
Haylee

Its almost there!!

Only one more day until "Gotcha Day"!! Yesterday night, we started packing and we will finish packing tonight! Today, we will bring the gifts for the caregivers and children, and tomorrow bring the gifts for the doctors, directer, and the donations to the orphanage as today is thier last day of their Independance day. Here are a couple more pictures! (Sorry Mommy-- right now I can't seem to put a picture of Daddy on here-- it won't let me rotate it clockwise and it is upside down).

Love,
Haylee

More pictures..

Pretty purple flowers on a flower tree!

One of the french families who are adopting: the father and his son with me (Haylee), Sean and the wife is not in the picture.. in the sandbox!

Sean running away from Daddy to see my camera!

There are lots of bugs here.. Mosquitos, crawly bugs and bees. We are tired of being at the orphanage... we want to get out of here with Sean!!! Infact, we want to go home!!!!

Here are some pictures...

Love,

Haylee

pictures

The single (right where it is) beautiful tulip of all of them!

Some beautiful flowers by the side of the road /big sidewalk

Sean playing with one of his favorite toys-- a older kids game!

Our cord to load pictures into the computer is not working, so we will just have to use old ones that you have not seen yet. Here are some pictures! (:

Love,

Haylee

At the outdoor market..

Today, when we went to eat at the cafe that has mashed potatoes, we saw lots of people walking around and music. And people dressed nicely. Today, May 8th, is thier Independance Day. We also saw a parade with flowers too! People here like flowers. Our driver went with us to the outdoor market because we wanted to look for last souvineers in Izmail and they will be closed Monday and Tuesday, and maybe tomorrow. We bought a DVD video of music for Sean, and a couple gifts for friends and family. It was very busy!

Love,
Haylee

four more days!!!

Today, we realized that we only have four more days until "Gotcha Day"!! Then we ride with Sean in the cab to Odessa to get some paperwork done and get his original birth certificate and then we go to Kiev to do some stuff and then we fly home!!!!! We are excited and we will start packing soon!

Love,
Haylee

A fun outing on Thursday!

This morning, Miss. Irina called Daddy and told him that she would arrange with the director for us to bring Sean in our cab to get his picture taken for his visa because its 3 times as much money to get it done at the other place. At our morning visit from 10-12, we had a fun time. Sean found another thing that he likes to do. We found a beaten up tent with the kids toys outside, and he loved it! He went in it and sat in it and played in it. We were surprised that he was not into the sand box today. He liked the swing and the tent better. The couple who are adopting 2 children without special needs had thier court day today. The Italian couple already had thiers the day that we had ours. After the visit, we ate at the cafe that has mashed potatoes and other yummy foods that is my favorite (: Then, we went to our apartment and did some of my math and journeling, and Daddy did laundry by hand. Then, we went to the orphanage and to the directors office who told one of the doctors to tell the caregivers that Sean was allowed to go with us to get his visa picture taken. A secretary of the orphanage needed to do an errand, so she came in the cab with us. They brought Sean down in a very cute and nice outfit. He had tights on, a nice shirt and sweater, comfortable jeans/pants, a orange jacket, and a warm, colorful hat that Daddy and I loved! That is alot of clothes! He did well. We gave him some cheerios which he usually gobbles down and asks for more, but today he held them in his hand and stared and looked and looked at the inside of the car, and out the window. The man got a nice picture of him and we went back to the orphanage. Near the end, Sean tried to get up in the front seat but Daddy put him on his lap and held him close. When we got back, a caregiver came outside, and changed him into his "usual" clothes. We think that is the nice outfit for outings!
Then, we played with him a little longer and we left early (5:30) because the people who own the apartment we are staying in (Mr. Sasha and Mrs. Snezhana) invited me to watch "Brother Bear" with thier daughter little Sasha. So, we went home and made a vegatable and chicken dish and rice on the side and ate and got ready to walk to thier house (a apartment too). We watched "Brother Bear" and had a fun time. I met a girl from Izmail named Vika (short for Victoria) and she came over with her little sister and we all watched the movie together. Vika does a sport called "fencing" and she has a competition invited me to come, but we will be too busy packing.

We had a fun time, and I made a new friend. We went home and went to bed.

I hope you enjoyed this post,
Haylee

Some things to consider before you come to Ukraine...

Not too many times does the job of posting get relinquished to me, as Traci and Haylee keep the blog amply busy, but I thought it high time for me to add something. For those of you preparing to travel to the Ukraine, along with the excellent advise you have received from those who have gone before us, I thought I would add some thoughts:
1) Do whatever you can to at least learn the cyrillic letters and what they sound like. Cyrillic is the letter style that is the basis for Russian and other slavic languages. I had the benefit of studying biblical Greek in seminary, so this made this a bit easier for me. You willl find that while in Ukraine, if you can pronounce the words on the signs, you will figure out some of what the store/restaurant/etc. is. Some words on signs are pure transliterations of "English" words. This will also help you pick up some stuff over here.
If you have a bit more disposable time on your hands, I can recommend http://www.livemocha.com/. It helped me the 2 months I studied on it to get some basic useful words and work on pronounciation.

2) Do not come too judgmental. What I mean is this: I am assuming that most reading this post are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Most people here are not. We are warned in 1 Corinthians to not judge the unbeliever on their behavior. Does this make what they do in the sight of the Lord right? By no means! But these people often don't know their right from their left hands when it comes to "godly" behavior.
You will see some things at the orphanages, even nicer ones like we are at with Sean, that will at best make you scratch your head, and at worst make you bite your tongue and increase your blood pressure. However, we who have had the benefit of growing up in a country that was founded on biblical ideals on the backs of godly individuals, and we cannot imagine the moral bankruptcy of a country that grew up for some 70 years under the thumb of a godless Soviet dictatorship. This does not mean that there are no good people here trying to take good care of these children, but their basis is Darwinism, and that worldview affords no love for those who are not "fittest."
Let your love for these children with special needs be light and salt as a sharing of the gospel without words to those in spiritual darkness.
Also, we have to remember there is pressure on parents with newborn special needs children to put these children in the orphanages and have nothing to do with them, in part, because the healthcare system here is not good. Ukranians feel that children and the raising of them is a key to good family life, and if the parents feel they cannot provide for their child, they may be made to believe the state can do better.
So, come without any judgment in your heart, armed with the love of Christ, and pray for the Holy Spirit to work mightily in Ukraine!

3) If you take a taxi, be prepared to not have seatbelts available, or to have the driver indicate to you that you do not need one. This is a personal offense to the drivers here, because by state law they are not allowed to wear seatbelts, and they feel you are saying they are not good drivers by wearing them. I have chosen not to wear one, in part because my wife and kids could not find available ones in the back, but also because I felt the God is in more control than a seatbelt, and I wish to be a witness as much as possible here. I am an ardent seatbelt wearer in the states, since as a physical therapist I have seen my share of head injuries.
You will have to make your own decision on this one of course. Just be patient with the drivers. They make next to poverty level income.

4) Speaking of income, don't be surprised by the number of doctors you see on hand at the orphanages. At ours, there are 5, as well as the head doctor/principle. This is because the average state doctor makes approx 2500 grivnas (about 312 USD) per month. Many professionals get a pittance to live on here.

5) There are no Starbucks, so be prepared to suffer latte-withdrawel! :)

As other things come to mind, I may post them. If you know of others coming to the Ukraine for adoption, pass it on. Also, I welcome comments of other less commonly known helpful hints.

Yesterday

Yesterday, after our visits with Sean, we had dinner out at the super market with our friends: Mr. Sasha and Mrs. Snezhana (our landlords right now). It has a cafe with a variety of food.
They have a older daughter (Dasha) and a 3 yr. old daughter (Sasha). We had a fun time!

Haylee

Feeling better in the Ukraine

John mentioned that they wouldn't have internet access until evening today so I thought I'd do a quick post that they are both feeling much better there. They were able to visit Sean (Vladik) twice yesterday and this morning. I'll let Haylee post more about those. We are so thankful that they seem to be over the illness they had. Thank you for praying for them.

Its been almost a week since we left there, and we are doing well here in MD with my parents. The kids are enjoying it very much--though we sure wish the sun would come out (its been rainy). We are still adjusting to the time, as Jonah has been falling asleep around dinner time and yesterday I did the same :)

We're praying that once they get Sean out (probably next Tuesday, the 12th) that things will go quickly with getting his birth certificate and passport so they could come home sooner than May 22nd. That would be wonderful. We miss them very much.

Our day-- a couple days ago!

The "Saboka" (dog) that Sean loves!

Outside when we take a walk around the building

Sean swinging on the only swing again!

Sorry-- our internet stopped working a couple days ago and we had to go to "Kyiv Star" to

get more time put on it and it worked! Here are some pictures of Sean and pictures of

walking around the building and about our day... today we played and walked around the the orphanage. He loves the dog (Saboka) and makes a happy sound when he sees it and tries to run towards the dog but we pick him up and get away from there! He also loves the swing...

After lunch, we decided to go to the market to get a few things including a red suitcase as one of ours is falling apart, gum and chicken and a couple other things. There was a older lady (dressed nicely) the age of a babushka and we put the bar to separate our food from hers. Then, she put a few things in our section. Daddy put them back in her section, and a few minutes later, we notice that she is putting a big thing of meat with our stuff! So, Daddy said, "this is yours, this is ours".

The lady at the counter laughed. Later, I asked Daddy why she did that. He thinks that she thought that she could do it, because the silly Americans would not be able to communicate, and she could have some of her stuff paid for! It was kind of funny.

We watched "8 below". We had borrowed it from our landlords here: Mr. Sasha, and Mrs. Snezhana. Then we went to sleep.

Post from the US--Quite an adventure home!

Hi everyone! Thought I'd do a post from home while John and Haylee rest in Izmail. For those who are interested in the travel details--I know my Haylee will be :) I had to leave my camera with them so sorry, no photos!

We are doing well here. It was quite the adventure to get home and we are so thankful to be here in the USA and back to everything familiar, except that we wish John, Haylee, and Sean could be with us...it was hard taking off in the airplane and leaving them behind. Now they are sick which is even worse but we are thankful they have some medicine there and that our translator Irina and the family we got to know that live near by are helping them.

To come home we had to take a 4+ hour drive by taxi to Odessa where the train station is. We left at 5:45 pm and I think got there after 10. Our translator had to meet us there...so I was definitely way outside my comfort zone going in a taxi with 2 children in a long drive that felt more like a car race because they drive so fast --with no seatbelts available. I was holding on to them and praying the entire time that we would get there safely. We stopped twice on the way to use the "toilet" which were a hole in the ground to squat over (one didn't even have doors)--it was not pretty and the funny thing is that you're expected to pay to use it! Thankfully the taxi driver who took us is one of two who have driven us every day in Izmail and this one has been very kind and helpful to us and he paid the fees for us and helped Jonah to the men's room. Still, I was so glad to get there.

What I saw of Odessa at 10:30 at night was a bigger city with lots of buildings and buses/cars and lots of people walking around on a Thursday night. Our facilitator met us there and we got to the train car...there were 2 bunkbeds in a small compartment with a place for our luggage underneath. Irina took the train with us which we were glad about After getting settled the train started and we slept during the 9 hour train ride to Kiev. The kids slept pretty well but I kept hearing a noise like someone was trying to get in--it may have just been the door. We were glad to be able to lay down and rest. Once there around 8 am, our friend Jamie (american missionary in Kiev) met us at the train stop and she and Irina helpd us take our luggage to Yuri's van. We dropped Irina off at the bus stop and said goodbye and then Yuri drove us to the guest house there. We were so glad to be there where we could just relax for the day. (It was May Day in Ukraine so Kiev was gearing up for a big day of parades and holiday but since we arrived early we avoided much of the traffic...it would have been neat to see what they do, but we were tired and ready to relax)

At the guest house there was another american missionary there with a couple from the US who were there to help her with her mission work for a while. We enjoyed visiting with them over breakfast, then they went out for the day and we had the place to ourselves to rest...I took a nap and the kids watched movies. Jamie took very good care of us--feeding us a good lunch and helping us call loved ones and coordinating for us to have the downstairs so we could leave early for our flight out. For dinner we enjoyed an american meal of hamburgers with our new american friends (they don't eat alot of beef here--mainly pork and chicken), learning about their ministries and sharing about our adoption. Yuri our driver and owner of the house we stayed in was celebrating his 50th birthday- his "jubilee" year--so they had lots of family/friends next door at his house. I felt bad that he had to get up so early to drive us on his birthday weekend but he didn't mind. The kids enjoyed playing with Teras--our Ukrainian friend who had shown us around Kiev when we first got here in April.
We had to get up a little before 2 am to head to the airport with Yuri and Jamie--who got up too to help us. June the other missionary had drawn a map of inside the airport and wrote in Russian how to ask to get our seats together. Jamie was able to take me to the checkin and thankfully the lady spoke English. Jamie prayed with us and we said goodbye and headed through security and to our gate. We had 2 hours and went to spend our hgrivnas for some muffins and it cost more than I had, but a nice american man sitting near us offered to pay the difference for us. So, we made it onto the first flight fine, depite feeling like zombies :) We had a snack meal and landed in 3 hours in Frankfort.
Frankfort was much bigger than Kiev's airport and we got shuttled from the plane to the terminal. Our airline counter wasn't open yet (we had a 5 hour layover--which I preferred over our other option of an hour) so we managed to call John with a phone there, exhange some currency and buy a few snacks/small souvineers--Germany was very expensive!! so my "euros" went fast. We checkin (with English speaking agent) and got seats together thankfully. Then we had to walk to a shuttle to our gate where we met a nice couple from Texas there with a group from church after visiting Israel. Security/customs went fine and we found our gate and waited another 2 hours, eating some snacks we brought.

When it was time to board, we were bused to our plane (3 buses full) --we were so glad to finally be on the plane as we were so tired. Jonah was a little bummed that there wasn't any kid movies like the way out here (different airline) but enjoyed talking to a nice man next to him who didn't speak much English and playing his leapster, and Naomi had a nice young lady from Bulgaria next to her. Naomi and I took naps and Jonah finally collapsed later for several hours. We had meal (pasta), lots of drinks (the kids love!), and a sandwich snack before we landed. We had a few bumpy times but thankfully we finally landed in the USA around 3:45 pm!! I finally got to journal a little and was thanking God for the amazing ways he had taken care of us over in the Ukraine so far, especially through some wonderful christian people who took us under their wings and really went the extra mile to help us however they could. We had a few bumpy times but thankfully we finally landed in the USA around 3:45 pm--we were so glad to be back home.

We had to wait a while for a shuttle (good old Dulles airport) but security/customs went pretty fast. As we walked into the area where people receive you and I spotted my parents and the girls, I cried I was so happy to see them and finally have them in my arms. They were both so beautiful (also decked out in matching dresses from Nana) and happy to see us--it was a sweet reunion and Elsie hung on to me the rest of the time. We called John and Haylee and I found out they are sick there :( We grabbed some food and headed home to go to bed!! I'm sure it will take some time to get readjusted. I heard the next morning that John and Haylee were doing a little bit better and taking it easy today on Sunday. Thank you for your prayers. God is good!

The verse I thought alot of in the Ukraine and the way back was from Psalm 139...
"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your Presence?
If I go up too the Heavens, You are there. If I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast." as well as one my friend Mary shared, from Isaiah 30:13 I think, "in quiet and trust is your strength."

They arrived safely!

Mommy, Naomi, and Jonah arrived safely in Washington, DC at 3:30 MD time and 11:30 Ukraine time. They are glad to be home back in the United states...we wish we be there too!
Thank you for your prayers!!

Love,
Haylee

Please lift us in prayer...

Yesterday I awoke feeling a bit queezy and having some loose stools. Then Haylee got sick at the restaurant we were at. Then this morning I awoke with pretty bad diarrhea. (sorry to share such intimate details of bodily functions:) Fortunately, Traci had left behind a single dose pack of arithromycin for use with diarrhea, and Irena, our translator, had the cab driver pick us up a herbal remedy that is supposed to help absorb the bad stuff in the gut, and it does seem to be helping some. I believe I was susceptible because I have been on prednisone for several days now to combat asthma issues, so my immune system is down. We had to cancel our yesterday afternoon visit with Sean, and have cancelled both for today already.
Please pray for a quick resolution of the symptoms. Haylee seems to be doing better today, and at least does not have the diarrhea.
John

A different day....

Daddy's creative Ukrainian buckwheat/rice/vegetable dish
Sean and Valarie, another adoptee, swinging in the only swing at the orphanage.

Haylee dancing with Sean

Hi everyone! This is our 2nd day away from Mommy, Naomi, and Jonah. Today, we left for the orphanage. It was overcast, and Daddy and I were not feeling the best. Today, Sean was very happy to see us. He ran to Daddy and hugged him and he was happy see me, too. We went near the sandboxes, and he danced with me.. above is a picture. He also got some dirt all over himself which he usually always does (: Daddy found a boxing bag which Sean hit with a broom like a pinyata. While I waited for Daddy to order the food, I got sick. I felt a little better while eating, but we decided to cancel our afternoon visit. The driver (through Mrs. Irina's help) got me these pills that are supposed to help your stomach, and now I feel much better. Above, is a picture of the Ukrainian Rice Vegatable Dish with buckwheat added. It was good! More updates later...

our day

Today, we went to the orphanage to visit with Sean. Sean was a little confused that Mommy, Naomi, and Jonah were not visiting, but after a while he seemed content. We went and had a snack (yogurt) one of his favorites! Then we played in the bigger sandbox with him, he went on the swing with another boy who is in the same groupa that is being adopted. Sean seemed very content for about 15 minutes, and then he decided to walk. We walked around the orphanage, and he tried to climb these green stairs, but Daddy said "Nyett". He did it a couple times. A worker of some sort was giving out crackers and she gave us some for Sean.. she tried to give me some, but Daddy explained (through his russian dictionary) that I am allergic to wheat. She gave us some more for Sean. He liked them and we saved some for our next visit. We then left him, and went to the the Potato House...our favorite place to eat! We then went to the market to buy stuff we needed and then went home and did some stuff we needed to do. After an hour and a half, we headed to the orphanage. While we drove, it was raining hard, but we don't think that it reached the orphanage. We did pretty much the same thing: eat snack, play in the sand, take a walk, and talk to the other people who are adopting. Then we went home and we are making dinner now: rice with vegatables (pepper, green onion, carrot and tomato) a Ukrainian dish! And we are adding buckwheat (a Ukrainian main food). We will post later.

Haylee