Picking up our referal and train ride!

Emerald's preferred mode of transportation.

Kinda bad on the back!

Some stands near the SDA.

Sweet little playground.

Sweet Ukrainian boy with Ds.

Started talking to his mom...see below.

All of us!

Emerald's balloon she carried around on my back.

The train station.

My (and Emerald's) bed. Not the best sleep of my life... :)

I am going to play catch up here...The past two days I will try to update tomorrow, okay?

We picked up our referral from SDA and went to the train station to get a train to Simferopol and then a taxi to Sevastopol. The train ride wasn't so bad, the room was just a little hot and the bench/bed small for a momma and her nursling.

We had the busiest day getting off the train and riding to Sevastopol and going to the social services office where they asked us why we wanted to adopt a child with Down syndrome. Then to the orphanage to meet with the director and meet our SON. Then running around getting things notarized and this and that. (Poor Emerald).

We did learn that Emory (I think that is what we are calling him, lol) has had three major surgeries in his short 3.5 years of life which has helped him, yet really set him back. He no longer has a colostomy, yay! But he is the only one in his groupa that is not walking. They said it was because of the heavy anesthesia and surgeries. The orphanage is a seemingly nice one. It is still an orphanage though.

Emerald is doing well, but it is definitely hard being so busy, mostly for her. Things will settle down though because it is looking like we may not get a court date until next month. Please pray that we can get one sooner. After you have a court date you usually are home for another 2 or 3 weeks...so, yeah...

Ok, more soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Check out Facebook for pictures if you can't wait!