Relaxing day

Hello everyone.  We are LOVING the comments!  Keep them coming.  

We are leaving tonight at 1am to drive to Nikopol.  Well, we're not actually doing the driving...we have a driver to do that.  I wouldn't dare attempt driving here.  It is so crazy!  We thought the parking on the sidewalks last time was bizarre, but here in Kyiv...they actually drive down the sidewalks.  Heaven forbid you are walking on one when a car is coming.  It seems that the drivers have the right-of -way and pedestrians are just moving targets..haha.  Not that we've actually seen anyone get run over but we sure do hear alot of honking.

Anyway, we just spent a lazy day in the apartment.  It is a little chilly (no snickers from you Canadians eh!)  so we just ate and took naps and read.  It was a nice break from all the walking.  Lucas set up his "office" in the living room and spent the afternoon seeing clients or something.  I spent the time reading the latest Harry Potter (which I picked up at the airport in Houson).  Chris and Lucas did go for a short walk to the park while I took a nap.  They ran into another family that I have been in contact with, who had their appointment the same day as us.  It is so weired that he would run into fellow adopters in a city this large.  

We decided to make one last trip to the internet cafe since we didn't know when we would get another chance.  We stopped at McDonalds (Old McDonalds as Lucas calls it) and ate dinner.  So all that is left to do is pack up our stuff and head out at 1 am.  We should be able to meet the little girl sometime tomorrow morning.  We're very excited to get this show on the road!  

We'll update as soon as we can.

Lisa, Chris & Lucas

A great day indeed...

Hello from rainy/partly sunny Ukraine. I won't keep you in suspense. We arrived at the SDA (2 minute walk from our apartment) at 2:15. Luba arrived shortly after and we spent time talking about what to expect in our appointment. At 3:00, a very nice young lady greeted us at the door and explained that she would be our translator for our time there. Luba waited for us outside. She took us to a room and introduced us to our "'psychologist". She was another young woman who was also very nice. She asked us a few questions about Lucas and what we were looking for (age, health, gender). After we answered her questions she brought out a few files. She went through each one, explaining age, location, known health, and known family history, etc. She answered any questions we had with each child. All the files were of girls ranging in age between 2.5 and 6. We narrowed our choice down to 2 (the two oldest) and we had some difficulty deciding between them. We asked Lucas but he wasn't much help...he kept picking "this one"..."no wait, that one". So, we talked as a family and made our decision. We chose to visit a little girl in Nikopol, age 5 (almost 6). The whole appointment took no longer than 45 minutes and we felt very happy when it was over. There are many more details that I really can't go into but I will tell you that we are very, very happy. Actually, relieved is probably a more appropriate word to describe how we are feeling right now. We will receive our referral paperwork tomorrow evening and then we can travel to Nikopol either by train or by car...we haven't decided yet. So, if all goes well, we could meet this little girl on Friday.

I need to give props to Lucas for a moment. We were really worried that this trip might be a bit much for him but much to our surprise, he has handled himself better than we could have ever imagined. We must have walked at least 6-7 miles yesterday and we expected him to complain about being tired (like at the mall!!) but he would only say "Let's sit down and take a rest". We found several playgrounds on our travels and he has had a blast playing on the old, metal slides and equipment. He has also been cracking us up constantly. Everytime he sees the Ukrainian flag hanging somewhere (there is a huge one on one of the official looking buildings) he keeps saying "Why do they hang my flag?". He doesn't quite understand that the flag belongs to this country and it isn't HIS personal flag.

Oh, Lucas just walked up and wants me to tell you "Her's a girl and I picked her". So there you have it. He's taking all the credit for picking her.

Well, I have to go. I'm not able to send any pictures on this computer but I will try to send some soon.

We miss you all.

Lisa, Chris & Lucas

We're here...

Well, we made it. The flights were long and tiresome but were uneventful and successful...meaning they got us here in one piece...and our luggage made it too. Lucas was GREAT on the plane. He was able to sleep for about 4 hours. However, his pillow (that would be me) was not quite so fortunate. When we arrived at the airport in Kyiv, we had some difficulty at customs...OK...I had difficulty at customs. Apparently, I am quite capable of completing a complicated adoption dossier 4 times, but I seem to have some difficulty with filling out a simple customs form according to the instructions. But, we made it through. We were met by our lovely translator and our driver. Our translator's name is Luba and she is very nice and is very experienced in adoptions so we feel we are in great hands.

We are staying in an apartment overlooking a street vendor haven. It is a great location (though quite expensive) and we are very comfortable. We spent the evening last night looking for a grocery store and ended up going in the opposite direction of where we needed to go (this seems to be a theme for us as you will soon read). But, we found our way and got water and juice and went to bed early (which was really late for us from our time zone). I tried to get our laptop hooked up to the internet but wasn't successful so that is why you have had to wait so long for an update...we couldn't find an internet cafe until now.

We woke up late and left the apartment at about noon to explore our area. We were particularly looking for Independance Square. Well, as luck would have it...we went in the opposite direction and spent 4 hours (YES...4 hours with a 4 year old) walking all around Kyiv. We did see a McDonalds...which I will tell you felt like the heavens had opened up and the angels were singing...we were starving. Nothing like the big M to make you feel at home...well...except...it was CLOSED!!! But we wouldn't let that get us down. We found our way to a tram that would take us back up the long hill that we had come down in our travels. Lucas charmed his way into the company of 3 sweet young ladies. 2 were from Arizona...in Kyiv to teach English for the summer, and the other was Ukrainian whom they had met through their youth group. Anyway, Lucas sure can pick up the ladies. And speaking of ladies...apparently I packed way too many clothes. It seems clothing is optional for the female population here, or at least the amount of material is kept to a minimum at all times. I feel quite frumpy in my kacki's and t-shirts. My attire screams "tourist" at every turn. Oh well, Lucas seems to enjoy the sights...and I dare say my husband is too. Can't say I blame them though. I've never seen more beautiful women in my life. Breathtaking really.

Well, after partaking of a sparse ham, bread and cabbage perogi's for dinner (I wanted potato and cheese but somehow that got lost in the translation...imagine that!), we decided to try to find an internet cafe. On our journey we came accross St Michael's Basilica and were moved by the sheer glory of it. We each lit a candle and enjoyed the silence. We then decided to keep walking and low and behold...Independence Square!! For the love of Pete...we found it!!! It is a mecca for tourists and natives alike. There are beautiful fountains and one you can walk in. Lucas loved that one. So here I am, we finally found an internet cafe so I could update you all. I told Chris that you would all be mad at me if I didn't update soon.

Our appointment at the SDA is tomorrow (Wednesday) at 3pm. Please pray that all goes well. We have waited for this appointment for 2.5 years and now that it is here, we are feeling the pressure. We will update you as soon as we can. We are meeting Sveta (our translator from our last trip) tomorrow night after our appointment. We can't wait for her to see Lucas. She is so special to us and we can't wait to see her.

Anyway, the boys are telling me they want to go to McDonalds (which incidentally, there is one here in Independence Square..yeah!) so I'd better go.

Miss you all and love to everyone. Keep those prayers coming (and you might want to add a little side prayer for us and better senses of direction...A. Monie...that means 2 candles)

Love,
Lisa, Chris & Lucas

Too cute...

I was heading to bed and Lucas (apparently too excited to fall asleep in bed) fell asleep on the stairs waiting for us to come up. I couldn't resist posting this.

We are "go for launch"

We are leaving tomorrow (Sunday) at 3:30 pm. We will arrive in Kyiv at approximately 1pm Monday (local time). We are ready...the bags are packed, the house is clean, the dogs are being spoiled as we speak (thanks Nancy!), and all that is left to do is get a good night sleep. Lucas's last words to me before going to bed tonight were "I'm so happy to be going to Mycraine". I can't imagine not bringing him with us. I would be a wreck right now if I had to leave him here and not see him for up to 6 weeks.

We will try to get our laptop connected to the internet in our apartment, but if we are unsuccessful we will update from an internet cafe. If you don't hear from us, it's because we can't find a connection...not because we don't want to talk to you all...haha.

Please keep us in your prayers. We are very excited...and scared...and nervous...and delighted all at the same time. We can't wait to get there.

Talk to you all soon.

Lisa, Chris & Lucas

Not long now...

Only 8 days to go. All that is left to do is pack! Lucas's suitcase is done and we plan to have ours packed by the end of the weekend. This is a different concept for me because I'm usually a last minute packer, but making sure we have everything we need for 6 weeks in Ukraine is an exercise in organization, patience, and compromise. Do I really need that travel iron?...you betcha! There are certain sacrifices that need to be made to ensure I don't have too many wrinkles...it's all a matter of priorities. Since we will likely have to handwash our clothes (we can't count on having a washing machine in our apartments), wrinkle reduction is a major issue for me...haha. I figure my quirks all balance out. I'm not a germaphobe, I don't mind using the squat toilets that are popular in Ukraine, the bathrooms on the train don't gross me out too badly, and I don't mind sleeping on sheets with a low thread count...but by golly I'm not about to wear a t-shirt with wrinkles in it...that's just uncivilized! Ok, perhaps a travel iron IS a bit on the "you've got to be kidding me" side, but I've come to terms with the fact that I have some issues and it's just easier to accept them than to...well...actually deal with them. Chris has learned to accept them too...when I showed him the newly aquired, dual voltage, compact travel iron, he actually said "Oh, what a great idea". That is why our marriage works...he knows just the right thing to say!

Lucas's surgery went very well. He was so brave and he could hear perfectly after he woke up. We were also brave...not a tear was shed by mama and daddy. I'm so glad it is over and my baby can actually hear me whispering. Well, it's actually been a difficult adjustment for us, since we had gotten into the habit of having conversations (usually about him) while he was in the room. Now he says "what are you saying about me??" or "stop talking about me". I guess selective hearing only works on his terms...not ours. Nevertheless, we're thrilled to have his hearing back to normal.

I will post again next weekend before we leave.

Lisa

Happy 4th of July

We had a wonderful (and wet) time at the Kingwood 4th of July parade this morning. Lucas was so excited to see the police directing traffic and the fire trucks leading off the parade. He even asked one of the firefighters if he would come to his birthday party...it was funny. The parade is comprised of local businesses, teams, groups (scouts, Masons, churches etc...) and they all throw candy, toys or beads from their "floats". It was rainy most of the time but that was better than the usual Texas July day of 1000 or so degrees.

We are leaving for Ukraine in 18 days and we are taking advantage of the time to clean out closets and do some much needed maintenance to the house. Well, actually I'm making the "honey do" lists and Chris is marking them off one by one as he completes them...haha. He is off work until after we return so he is using his time (or rather I am using his time) wisely.

Lucas is having minor surgery on Friday to put tubes in his ears and to have is adenoids removed. He has had fluid in his ears for quite a while and it isn't clearing on its own. He has 35-45% hearing loss because of it...which explains why we have to repeat everything 3 times and his most used word is "huh?". The tubes should help make the flight a little more pleasant for him as well. I'm not looking forward to sending my baby into surgery...no matter how minor the procedure...but I will handle it like any self respecting nurse would...I'll probably bawl my eyes out! Oh well, at least he'll be able to hear clearly again.

Lisa

PS: Shelley, we look forward to meeting you on the 25th at the SDA :)