Here is the link to our post that day: http://fellersadoption.blogspot.com/2010/08/introducing.html
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| Family photo at the border of Ochakiv |
Friday, August 26, 2011
Our Family Day
Today is our family day! We have officially been a family for ONE
YEAR! Last year on this day, we went to court and the judge granted us
permission to adopt our Ukrainian blessings! Zhenya had to go to court
with us because he is older than 6 and had to tell the judge he wanted
to be adopted by us.
Here is the link to our post that day: http://fellersadoption.blogspot.com/2010/08/introducing.html
Here is the link to our post that day: http://fellersadoption.blogspot.com/2010/08/introducing.html
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Meeting Zhenya-August 14,2010
I am a bit late in writing my post about the day August 14, 2010 when we met our son! Preparing for and having the first week of school wore me out!! More on that later!
Zhenya was at camp when we arrived into town. The plan was to meet Leeza first due to the negative reports about her that we received from the director and her medical file. The concern was that we may not want to proceed with the adoption. Now this wasn't our concern, because we found it an unpleasant thought to reject a child just because they have some challenges. After meeting Leeza and confirming with our facilitator that we were still interested in pursuing the adoption, the internat sent for Zhenya. On our dime, of course. I had no idea it cost so much to drive 30 minutes!!!!
Jeff and I arrived at the internat, and we were escorted into the director's office. Jeff later said the director scared him!! She was a very forthright in her opinions and thoughts!! We sat nervously in the director's office, answering questions about our ability to parent Zhenya, when a little boy with sandy hair came quietly into the room and sat at the director's desk. He sat there answering questions from the director. My heart was gone from the first look at his face. The funny part about this is that when we first started the adoption process, I only wanted girls. Jeff was the one who wanted a boy. I never felt like I would be a good mother to a boy.....but Zhenya completely and totally stole my heart. When we left the director's office, we were allowed to take Zhenya with us for the night. We had to sign a document indicating our liability..etc.... How brave of this child to go off with strangers for the night! We made sure he had a lot of fun! The hotel we were staying in had an above ground swimming pool, so we stop to buy him a swimsuit! We also took him to a local aquarium and out to eat. He REALLY loved playing the Nintendo DS we brought with us! I showed him how to write his name in English and he copied it on the whiteboard I brought. To my EXTREME delight, we discovered he was lefthanded just like me!! Funny how things like that happen....I love the idea of having one of my kids being lefthanded too. God gives us the desires of our hearts even when we don't realize it is a desire. I KNEW he was my son!!
The next day, the director came to the hotel. (Let me tell you, she LOVED to be wined and dined.) Apparently she wanted to go swimming in the Black Sea which was next to our hotel. So over drinks on the beach with our facilitator and swimming in the Black Sea, we met her approval to adopt Zhenya. Of course, we also had to fork over our "donation" to the orphanage. The funniest part of this strange visit was when she came into our hotel room and laid down on our bed WET from swimming in the sea. Jeff and I did not know what to think. In the meantime, with the inspector present Zhenya had to write a note indicating his desire to be adopted by us. Sadly, Zhenya had to go back to camp and we wouldn't see him again until our court date. I was a nervous wreck that he would change his mind or that a teacher at camp would tell me the wild stories that are often told to the kids in Ukraine. I wanted to go see him at the camp, but our facilitator said we couldn't do that. Though now I think that was not true......
Our court date was set for August 26th...............
Zhenya was at camp when we arrived into town. The plan was to meet Leeza first due to the negative reports about her that we received from the director and her medical file. The concern was that we may not want to proceed with the adoption. Now this wasn't our concern, because we found it an unpleasant thought to reject a child just because they have some challenges. After meeting Leeza and confirming with our facilitator that we were still interested in pursuing the adoption, the internat sent for Zhenya. On our dime, of course. I had no idea it cost so much to drive 30 minutes!!!!
Jeff and I arrived at the internat, and we were escorted into the director's office. Jeff later said the director scared him!! She was a very forthright in her opinions and thoughts!! We sat nervously in the director's office, answering questions about our ability to parent Zhenya, when a little boy with sandy hair came quietly into the room and sat at the director's desk. He sat there answering questions from the director. My heart was gone from the first look at his face. The funny part about this is that when we first started the adoption process, I only wanted girls. Jeff was the one who wanted a boy. I never felt like I would be a good mother to a boy.....but Zhenya completely and totally stole my heart. When we left the director's office, we were allowed to take Zhenya with us for the night. We had to sign a document indicating our liability..etc.... How brave of this child to go off with strangers for the night! We made sure he had a lot of fun! The hotel we were staying in had an above ground swimming pool, so we stop to buy him a swimsuit! We also took him to a local aquarium and out to eat. He REALLY loved playing the Nintendo DS we brought with us! I showed him how to write his name in English and he copied it on the whiteboard I brought. To my EXTREME delight, we discovered he was lefthanded just like me!! Funny how things like that happen....I love the idea of having one of my kids being lefthanded too. God gives us the desires of our hearts even when we don't realize it is a desire. I KNEW he was my son!!
The next day, the director came to the hotel. (Let me tell you, she LOVED to be wined and dined.) Apparently she wanted to go swimming in the Black Sea which was next to our hotel. So over drinks on the beach with our facilitator and swimming in the Black Sea, we met her approval to adopt Zhenya. Of course, we also had to fork over our "donation" to the orphanage. The funniest part of this strange visit was when she came into our hotel room and laid down on our bed WET from swimming in the sea. Jeff and I did not know what to think. In the meantime, with the inspector present Zhenya had to write a note indicating his desire to be adopted by us. Sadly, Zhenya had to go back to camp and we wouldn't see him again until our court date. I was a nervous wreck that he would change his mind or that a teacher at camp would tell me the wild stories that are often told to the kids in Ukraine. I wanted to go see him at the camp, but our facilitator said we couldn't do that. Though now I think that was not true......
Our court date was set for August 26th...............
Friday, August 12, 2011
On August 12, 2010.......
Jeff and I walked into this building.
We were escorted up stairs to the director's office which was filled with 5 people inquiring as to our ability to care for a child. Soon, a tiny pixie faced little girl in a red lacy dress with a enormous white bow on top her head was brought into the room filled with 7 adults looking at her trembling from head to toe. They asked her questions and she timidly answered. She looked wide eyed around the room at everyone watching her. They told her to sit on our laps and we were instantly goners. This face took our hearts away........
and we hoped and prayed that she would be our daughter. We still had to meet her brother and we prayed that he would want to be our son. We had to wait two days before we got to meet him. In the meantime, we were completely and totally smitten by this precious face!
We also fell in love with her friends...who clamored for our hugs and attention whenever we came to visit.
Our lives were forever changed on that day!
If you want to read about that date, here is the link to our post. http://fellersadoption.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-meeting-81210.html
Our lives were forever changed on that day!
If you want to read about that date, here is the link to our post. http://fellersadoption.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-meeting-81210.html
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