Stahlke Adoption

A Door Wide Open

You haven't heard from us for many days because we have been very busy. On Wednesday at 9:30 am, we got word that our NAC appointment was on for 10:00! I'm glad our apartment was close to the NAC! We got dressed up and walked over there quickly.

We were shown the notebooks with info on sibling groups and worked through them from about 10:30 until lunchtime at 1:00. By then, we had narrowed the groups down to three, and over lunch, Masha made some calls and found out that one of the three was no longer available. Jonathan and I talked, and one of the groups definitely pulled at us more than the other. So after lunch, we had to wait until 3:30 and then got into the room again to write down everything we could about this group of children. Among the information was the following:

Ruslan age 11, Bohdan age 10, Ludmila (nicknamed Luda) age 9, Olena (nicknamed Lena) age 7, and Mihailo (nicknamed Misha) age 6.

In addition, there is a sixth child who is not currently available for adoption. He is 2 years old, and for reasons that remain unclear, the parental rights of the father have not been terminated. We are working to find out more information about this little boy.

On Thursday, we left about 6:30 am and traveled by car to the city where these children live. Kirovohrad is an oblast (state) capital about a 5-hour drive south southeast of Kyiv. Masha met first with the inspector of the county guardianship office, showing her our NAC letter of approval to meet the children. The visit with the inspector went very quickly and did not require an interview with us (good!), and before we knew it, we were driving to the orphanage. Barely time to comb our hair, let alone eat any lunch! We met first with the orphanage director, who answered some of our questions and then called in the orphanage doctor and lawyer to give us some background on the children's health and family situation. Then the director called for the children to meet us, right there in her office.

The two youngest came in first. Misha is 6, with bright brown eyes and a shy smile. He was standing in such a way to make himself look as tall as possible. Lena (7) is a dark brunette with loads of energy and is especially good at gymnastics. Then the next two came in--Luda (9) has lighter hair and is very gentle, quiet, and conscientious. Bohdan (10) is named after one of the famous historical leaders of Ukraine. He is almost charismatic in his manner, with a winning smile and a sparkle in his eye. We've continued to meet with the children twice a day on Friday and Saturday, playing games and getting to know them better. Misha starting calling us "Mama" and "Papa," from the start, and now all four have followed his lead. They are all very interested in being adopted and coming to the U.S. to be our children.

Ruslan is off at camp on the Black Sea, in the town of Skadovsk on the western side of the peninsula leading to Crimea. Tomorrow we will travel in Andrei's car with the orphanage director in order to meet Ruslan and ask him if he wants to be adopted. The distance is about 400 kilometers, which is four or five hours each way depending on the condition of the roads. We will go and return all in one day, since the director has to be back at work in the orphanage on Monday morning. Assuming Ruslan says yes, the paperwork can then move forward. The director is very, very good with children, and her influence and authority will hopefully help things go smoothly. Ruslan is also young (11), and children this age are usually excited about adoption.

Well, a lot's happened since I last wrote, and I have a lot more to tell. But we need to run to get some toys and fruit together for our visits this afternoon and tomorrow. We're happy and thankful for the events of the last few days. It's been a whirlwind!

posted by Stahlkes @ 2:16 AM