Yesterday we tried calling Ira to wish her a Happy New Year and to see if the package had arrived yet. Not to mention see how she was doing. We had a lot of trouble getting the phone to actually ring there. Yulia (our interpreter) was so sweet to put up with us trying and trying since we had to hang up with her every time we tried again. We finally got it to ring and for some reason it had put us through to the wrong number! We tried turning my phone all the way off and restarting it and that time we were able to get through to the orphanage. Even though it was only 8:30pm their time, we were told that Ira was already in bed. We thought that was strange on New Year's Eve, but hey.
We called again this morning, a little earlier this time, and were able to talk with her. As always, it was good to hear her voice. What was especially nice was that she seemed very happy to talk to us this time. Last time she didn't seem unhappy we'd called, but this time she seemed very excited to hear from us. It was just different. Yulia asked her why she'd gone to bed so early the night before. I guess someone from the village (maybe a worker at the orphanage? We haven't figured that out yet) had taken all but three of the girls out for the night and she was one of the three that didn't go. I don't know if it was something she'd done or just that they'd only had room for a certain number of girls. We didn't ask. She said she'd been very bored and it hadn't been a great New Year's. Sad for her, but that could be very good for us. It may have had something to do with why she'd been excited to hear from us as well.
Anyway, she is still taking dance classes of some kind and loving it. Husband did get bold enough to tell her that we have good dance classes here too. LOL She said they were all watching some dance show (sounded like kind of a "So You Think You Can Dance?" show or something like that) before they went to bed. The package hasn't arrived yet, but she is excited for when it does. She's made us a card that hopefully will get mailed to us soon. We're excited for that.
Little Ira wanted to talk with us as well so we did. She was practicing her English and it was very cute. "Hello. How are you? Goodbye!" LOL She asked Yulia when the package was going to arrive and before even telling us, Yulia told her not to worry and that it should be there soon. LOL That sounds very much like Little Ira. :^)
Our Ira got back on the phone soon after that we told her we miss her and love her. I was trying to remember how to say "I love you" in Ukrainian and was too focused on that to hear her say "I love you" in English. Yulia caught it though and as soon as Ira hung up she said, "Did you hear that?" :^)
Nothing was said about adoption or anything like it. We are very encouraged by how well it went though. We are still nervous about how it will all turn out, but we have a bit more hope now than we've had for a couple of weeks.
We actually talked with Yulia for about 15 or 20 minutes more after we hung up with Ira and got to know her a little more. She is such a sweetheart and we can't wait to meet her as well. We will go do that before we head to Ukraine so we can take a picture of us all and show Ira who she's been talking to. She said she is getting rather attached to Ira as well so hopefully this all works out well and we're able to bring Ira to meet her when we get back.
It was a good day. :^)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Some News
Today we received some news. There is a family (lots of you know, I'm sure) that just got back with their kids a few months ago. They called Ira to see why she changed her mind and to tell her of their experiences. What it boils down to is that she doesn't want to leave her friends. Things are going well for her now and when told what's going to happen when she turns 16 she said she didn't care about that right now. Basically, she's 12 years old and can't see far enough ahead to understand what is really going to happen to her. She also has a family there in the town that takes her out and does fun things with her every so often. No, they've never mentioned anything about adopting her. She does like us and enjoyed her time here.
The good thing is that at the beginning of the conversation she was still, "No, I don't want to be adopted." By the end, however, she said yes she does, but no she doesn't. To me at least this isn't a, "No way" kind of a thing and there is a chance she'll change her mind.
Our plan of action right now is to call her often and send her pictures of the things we're doing together. Not to mention, keep praying. Hopefully things will go even a little better when that package arrives. It should be there sometime this next week.
The good thing is that at the beginning of the conversation she was still, "No, I don't want to be adopted." By the end, however, she said yes she does, but no she doesn't. To me at least this isn't a, "No way" kind of a thing and there is a chance she'll change her mind.
Our plan of action right now is to call her often and send her pictures of the things we're doing together. Not to mention, keep praying. Hopefully things will go even a little better when that package arrives. It should be there sometime this next week.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
We Have a Date!
We got word from Ellie today. We've got our date for February 9th. Move us on up, Andreas! Now if we just knew what was bothering Ira and if there is a chance she'll change her mind.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday Maybe??
Amidst all our phone calls to Ellie on Thursday we were hopeful to have our SDA date either later that day or Friday. Friday rolled around and we still hadn't heard from her so Brandon called to see if we'd gotten it or not. I guess we have our paper all printed out and ready to go, but they didn't catch the person that was supposed to sign it and then it was too late. He won't be back in until Tuesday so we'll have to wait until then. We *should* have it Tuesday though. We're thinking it will either be for February 9th or February 12th.
Honestly I'm going back and forth between being excited to have the date and having that excitement tainted by her not wanting us anymore. We're hopeful that maybe it's just that she's afraid (and who wouldn't be??) and that she'll change her mind again. She really didn't want to leave and seemed so happy here. When we talked to her the first time she was still so excited to have us come. We've got a few thoughts as to the sudden change of heart, but we don't know for sure. We didn't feel that phone call was the time to grill her on "why?" We honestly didn't really know what to say after that.
We went to the temple this morning with a couple other families nearby. That was really, really nice. Just what I needed actually. It was so nice to visit with the other two couples as well.
I am amazed at how the Lord has provided me with this built-in support group. Between Thursday and Friday I called (or was called/texted/messaged/emailed by) a few of my new friends. Some I had specific reasons for calling (with support being in there as well) and honestly, others I just called to talk to because I knew they'd understand and I needed that. It's also interesting to me that some of these friends I got to know during the hosting and some I've actually only gotten to know since the kids left. For every one I'm very grateful though. I'm grateful for those that have gone through this and offer advice and support and also for those that are going through the process with us that support me as well. What a tender mercy.
This week could end up being really good or really bad, both in the decisions made by the Ukrainian government as well as by Ira. We shall see. First, let's get to Tuesday.
Honestly I'm going back and forth between being excited to have the date and having that excitement tainted by her not wanting us anymore. We're hopeful that maybe it's just that she's afraid (and who wouldn't be??) and that she'll change her mind again. She really didn't want to leave and seemed so happy here. When we talked to her the first time she was still so excited to have us come. We've got a few thoughts as to the sudden change of heart, but we don't know for sure. We didn't feel that phone call was the time to grill her on "why?" We honestly didn't really know what to say after that.
We went to the temple this morning with a couple other families nearby. That was really, really nice. Just what I needed actually. It was so nice to visit with the other two couples as well.
I am amazed at how the Lord has provided me with this built-in support group. Between Thursday and Friday I called (or was called/texted/messaged/emailed by) a few of my new friends. Some I had specific reasons for calling (with support being in there as well) and honestly, others I just called to talk to because I knew they'd understand and I needed that. It's also interesting to me that some of these friends I got to know during the hosting and some I've actually only gotten to know since the kids left. For every one I'm very grateful though. I'm grateful for those that have gone through this and offer advice and support and also for those that are going through the process with us that support me as well. What a tender mercy.
This week could end up being really good or really bad, both in the decisions made by the Ukrainian government as well as by Ira. We shall see. First, let's get to Tuesday.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
2nd Phone Call
We called Ira again today. It didn't exactly go as we thought it would. At first it was great. It was nice to hear her again. We told her we'd gotten together with a bunch of other families and sent a big package of things. Inside was a box for her as well as for Little Ira. There was also a bunch of things for them to share with all the kids.
She told us the kids were learning some dance steps and about what they were doing for St. Nicholas's day tomorrow. I guess someone is coming to visit the orphanage and the kids are performing for whoever it is that's coming. I got the impression it wasn't like having our Santa coming. She seemed very excited for that.
Then she told us that she really wants to see us again, but she likes living in Ukraine and is happy there. She doesn't want to come live in America.
Yeah. Still trying to process this.
She told us the kids were learning some dance steps and about what they were doing for St. Nicholas's day tomorrow. I guess someone is coming to visit the orphanage and the kids are performing for whoever it is that's coming. I got the impression it wasn't like having our Santa coming. She seemed very excited for that.
Then she told us that she really wants to see us again, but she likes living in Ukraine and is happy there. She doesn't want to come live in America.
Yeah. Still trying to process this.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Getting Antsy
It's been more than 2 weeks since our paperwork was submitted to the SDA. I did really well at first. It was out of my hands and there wasn't anything I could do, except pray. I had (and still do, actually) a TON of things to do and I kept quite busy. Now that it's been more than 2 weeks though, I'm getting antsy. I'd really like to know an exact date we'll be getting to Ukraine. We actually called Ellie on Monday and she said we should be hearing any day now. She also said that people that had their paperwork turned in before us have already received their dates in February. I'm wondering if that means we'll be going more like mid-late February instead of early. I sure hope not. Two months is already too long!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Our Story (short version)
It occurred to me when I sent out an email to people we know about this blog that I've never mentioned anything about how we got into this on here. In order to let people know, I'm going to give the short version of the story so as not to lose anyone part way through!
A few months ago I saw a link on a homeschool yahoo group I belong to from a name I recognized. Her family was going to host a couple of boys from Ukraine in the fall and here was the link if anyone else was interested. It's quite interesting that I even looked at the post, let alone checked the link out since that is not something I would normally have done. Come to find out, this organization brings kids over here every fall and a lot of the families end up going back and adopting them. Adoption has always been something we've been open to, but not internationally and not an older child. After talking about it with Husband we decided to call them up and get more information. We had a few concerns, but really felt this was something we needed to do and do this year instead of wait. A few days later we'd visited with the lady in charge, picked out an adorable little 8 year old girl to host and were all excited.
We decided to start getting all our paperwork going as if we were going to adopt. We figured that we would get this little girl here, fall in love with her and not want to wait very long before we could make things permanent. Besides, there was a strong chance (considering her age) that she would be taken into foster care or adopted by someone else before we could finish everything up and get her. She has to say she wants to be adopted by anyone (including us) but they're so easily persuaded at that age that we didn't want to take any chances that weren't necessary.
About 2 weeks before the group of kids was set to arrive we were asked if we'd consider hosting a 10 year old boy as well since it was getting close to the time they were coming and he didn't have a host family yet. Husband and I talked about it but decided to not since he was from a different orphanage and that complicates matters when it comes time to adopt. It's more time consuming and more expensive and we were already pushing limits. Not that we'd be obligated to adopt both, by any means, but we wanted to be willing. After finding out there was a 12 year old girl from our orphanage that also didn't have a host family yet we decided to host her as well. There were some concerns again, such as how would Little One do with two older sisters that shared the same experiences growing up and spoke the same language? Still, after much thought and prayer we felt it was what we needed to do. We got everything ready for two girls and were all excited for them to arrive. The funny thing was that they had the very same name.
The hosting time came and it was one rollercoaster of an experience! It started out great, even though the 8 year old didn't sleep at all that first night. LOL As time went on though, we began to realize that this little girl we were so sure we'd just fall in love with, wasn't going to work well in our family. It wasn't a good match for us, or for her. The 12 year old, on the other hand, seemed to be working out very well and we wanted a chance for some one on one time with her to make sure adopting her was what we wanted. Finally, a little more than half way into the program, our little 8 year old was moved to another family. It was very sad at first and both Little One and the 12 year old were having a hard time with it. It didn't take long, however, to know that we wanted to adopt Ira. She is very kind and obedient. She gets along well with Little One and plays so nicely with her. It just felt right. Little One was very excited about such a thought.
A couple of days before she had to fly back to Ukraine we asked her if she would want to be a permanent part of our family and she agreed. We had a wonderful last few days with her and it was very, very hard to send her on that airplane when it was time for her to go back.
Since then we've completed our paperwork and are now just waiting to hear when we might be able to go get her. It doesn't feel right having her all the way across the world and we can't wait to get her back here with us.
A few months ago I saw a link on a homeschool yahoo group I belong to from a name I recognized. Her family was going to host a couple of boys from Ukraine in the fall and here was the link if anyone else was interested. It's quite interesting that I even looked at the post, let alone checked the link out since that is not something I would normally have done. Come to find out, this organization brings kids over here every fall and a lot of the families end up going back and adopting them. Adoption has always been something we've been open to, but not internationally and not an older child. After talking about it with Husband we decided to call them up and get more information. We had a few concerns, but really felt this was something we needed to do and do this year instead of wait. A few days later we'd visited with the lady in charge, picked out an adorable little 8 year old girl to host and were all excited.
We decided to start getting all our paperwork going as if we were going to adopt. We figured that we would get this little girl here, fall in love with her and not want to wait very long before we could make things permanent. Besides, there was a strong chance (considering her age) that she would be taken into foster care or adopted by someone else before we could finish everything up and get her. She has to say she wants to be adopted by anyone (including us) but they're so easily persuaded at that age that we didn't want to take any chances that weren't necessary.
About 2 weeks before the group of kids was set to arrive we were asked if we'd consider hosting a 10 year old boy as well since it was getting close to the time they were coming and he didn't have a host family yet. Husband and I talked about it but decided to not since he was from a different orphanage and that complicates matters when it comes time to adopt. It's more time consuming and more expensive and we were already pushing limits. Not that we'd be obligated to adopt both, by any means, but we wanted to be willing. After finding out there was a 12 year old girl from our orphanage that also didn't have a host family yet we decided to host her as well. There were some concerns again, such as how would Little One do with two older sisters that shared the same experiences growing up and spoke the same language? Still, after much thought and prayer we felt it was what we needed to do. We got everything ready for two girls and were all excited for them to arrive. The funny thing was that they had the very same name.
The hosting time came and it was one rollercoaster of an experience! It started out great, even though the 8 year old didn't sleep at all that first night. LOL As time went on though, we began to realize that this little girl we were so sure we'd just fall in love with, wasn't going to work well in our family. It wasn't a good match for us, or for her. The 12 year old, on the other hand, seemed to be working out very well and we wanted a chance for some one on one time with her to make sure adopting her was what we wanted. Finally, a little more than half way into the program, our little 8 year old was moved to another family. It was very sad at first and both Little One and the 12 year old were having a hard time with it. It didn't take long, however, to know that we wanted to adopt Ira. She is very kind and obedient. She gets along well with Little One and plays so nicely with her. It just felt right. Little One was very excited about such a thought.
A couple of days before she had to fly back to Ukraine we asked her if she would want to be a permanent part of our family and she agreed. We had a wonderful last few days with her and it was very, very hard to send her on that airplane when it was time for her to go back.
Since then we've completed our paperwork and are now just waiting to hear when we might be able to go get her. It doesn't feel right having her all the way across the world and we can't wait to get her back here with us.
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