Stahlke Adoption

Properly Dressed

Jonathan and I can always tell when an occasion is important to Ruslan--he insists on wearing what he considers to be the proper clothing. In Ukraine, Jonathan and I prepared for the court appointment by purchasing dress shoes for all the children (the orphanage provided dressy shirts and pants for them). The boys were very happy to have new shoes, and they latched onto almost the first pairs we showed them.

Less than a week after the children's arrival in Chicago, we pulled out their Ukrainian dress shoes and some formal shirts, pants, and dresses in preparation for the baptism service. The children were nervous about the coming event, but most were happy to wear their new clothes. Ruslan, however, complained that his dress shoes were too small and hurt his feet. I believed him that the shoes were small, in light of how speedily he had chosen them. We were pressed for time, however, and figured he could wear them just long enough to get through the worship service. He had, after all, worn them for hours on the day of our Ukrainian court appointment (less than two weeks beforehand).

As we drove to St. John's for the baptism service, he insisted that he couldn't be baptized in those shoes. Jonathan and I had to figure out what was going on--this was his way of telling us the importance of baptism. His shoes had to be right, out of respect for the occasion, and in addition, he didn't want his feet to hurt when he wanted to think about other things. So . . . we stopped at Walmart on the way to St. John's, and bought him a pair of dress shoes. We arrived at the church with three minutes to spare, rushed in with children in tow, made the obligatory bathroom stop, and then sat in the front pew. For many of our friends, this event was their first view of the children, so lots of people were watching all of this (and smiling). Whew, we made it!
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Last Friday, Ruslan saw a Chicago Blackhawks hockey game with one of our neighbors. The event was not only his first time in Chicago's United Center, but it was also his first ever attendance at a professional sports event in the U.S. He was nervous but wanted so much to go. We knew how much this game meant to him when we saw what he chose to wear. The basketball team at his school had started practices last week, with the first game scheduled for today (Tuesday). On the very day of the hockey game (last Friday), the school had issued him his basketball uniform. One's first professional game requires the best athletic clothing available--a brand-new uniform!
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This morning, Wendy visited us for the inspection to maintain our foster home license. It went just fine--our water temperature was on target, all the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors worked properly (except for the one that was slow to stop its test beeping!), and no unforeseen issues came up. Nevertheless, it's always stressful to have someone inspect your home. I've talked to lots of adoptive parents and discovered that this stress is a female thing. The husbands seldom seem to care as much as the wives.

In the half hour before Wendy's arrival, Jonathan and I were washing dishes, cleaning the bathroom, and packing away some recently-given boxes of clothing. The telephone rang. Ruslan had just learned that his team needed to dress in formal clothes (with a tie) for the hour before their game (while they watch the girls' team play). Oh my! I'm trying to get the house in shape, and suddenly have to find him some dress pants, a nice shirt and tie, dark socks, and dress shoes. And this for a child who doesn't like to wear formal clothes and therefore doesn't have many of them! And of course the laundry is behind because I've been preparing for the inspection!
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Well, I found the clothes, we had the inspection, and afterward I treated myself to a full breakfast at our local diner. I gave myself permission to blow my diet on a day like this!

posted by Stahlkes @ 12:15 PM