Where to start?

Four days is a long time to be without internet when you are in a place like this. It feels like we dropped off the face of the earth at times. It's pretty interesting, huh? Internet has changed our lives in so many wonderful ways. But, I digress...

Where do I start? So many things have happened, or not happened, over the last week. I'll have many, many stories to share with you. But, I know what you really want. And you are going to have to read a little bit further first!

Thursday we learned how to take the bus and the Metro (the subway system) in Kyiv. We also found the U.S. Embassy. We'll need to go there in a few weeks. In the afternoon we packed up and headed to the SDA to pick up our referral, the paperwork that gives us permission to visit the boys. After that we headed to the train station.

The train was a neat experience. We pulled out of the station at 6pm and as soon as the train got up to speed the air conditioner kicked on. Before that we were just sitting in a sauna with our tongues hanging out! We both got a pretty good night's sleep and pulled into Simferopol about 9am.

Normally we would have gone to the social worker first, but she was not available, so we went to the detsky dom (children's home) first thing to meet the children. And so started a long, confusing, messed up day. Bleh.

First the meeting with the orphanage attorney. Problems with paperwork. Uggh. More money; I'll tell you later. Then meet with the orphanage director. He cannot believe that we have nine children. He cannot believe that we make enough money to support such a family. Uggh. Apparently our facilitator convinced him because then we went to see the kids! Yay!!!

I had prepared myself for Alec ahead of time. He was very tiny in his most recent photos, but nothing could have prepared me for the reality. We only had a short time with him so my first impressions lasted me, and haunted me all night long. He's more than small and that's all that I can really share for now.

Next we went downstairs to meet Zhenya! Here it is pronounced Jane-yuh, where the J sounds like the Zs in Zsa Zsa Gabor. This big solid boy was led out us and handed over to James. The caregivers said that he had been suffering since his best friend was adopted and left the home last week. He clung to James and didn't want to let go! He refused to even look at me. He sees women all day every day, so I didn't take it personally. It was just heartwarming to see the way that he desires to be in his daddy's arms!

More later...oh there is much much much more! Here are some photos of our first meetings. Enjoy!