Video from today's visit

Matthias took this video. I was completely unaware, as you can see. lol

It's a bit boring, but this was part of today's visit. Emory wasn't really himself. Towards the end he cried a lot, whenever Emerald would fuss. It was strange because he has never really cried with us, besides the first meeting.

A couple other blog posts in the works including Emory's new name and our court experience. Stay tuned.

We passed court!

WE PASSED COURT!!!! 10 day wait, then starting the process to come home! We were the youngest they had seen. More later...

Court is Tomorrow!

I apologize for not blogging the past several days. Unfortunately, I must have gotten food poisoning or something like that because I was pretty sick. All is well now though. The camera is in the bedroom with sleeping Emerald, so there will be no pictures tonight. But, hopefully tomorrow!

We finally have court tomorrow! It has been 31 days of waiting since our SDA appointment in Kiev. Wow, that's a good while! Time flies! But, then again, some days have been loonnnggg. We have had great bonding time as a family. We've watched Emerald grow and grow. She's talking so much now. We've had adventures in a foreign country that we would have never been able to have. I'm so thankful for all of this, even the mundane, frustrating moments.

Anyways, court is tomorrow. We are expecting that to go well. I'll be sure to update tomorrow with the good news and some pictures. Today we got to see where Emory sleeps. We saw his crib and playroom and learned all about what he eats. We learned his general daily schedule. We got to take pictures of it all too, so I look forward to showing them to you.

Have I told you how thankful we are for you? For the prayers, kind words, baby items, support, money...we wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Emory would be preparing to go to a mental institution, not home with us. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stories by Matthias Part II

 

Ok, so we had been in Kiev for about three days now and we had all the papers and everything that we need to head down to Sevastopol to see Emory. Our train leaves at 6pm, so that morning we decided to take all of our luggage to the train station and leave it in lockers until our train left. We did this because we still had some errands to run and didn’t want to have to carry our luggage with us everywhere we went. So Vanya and I headed to the train station to do just that.

Vanya called a cab for us that met us at our apartment in Kiev, we loaded up the luggage and were off to the train station. We arrived about 10 minutes later and proceeded to unload our bags and head to where the lockers were to store our stuff. The picture below is this size of the lockers that we had to put our stuff in.

                                                      

We were trying to fit it all into two lockers to save a little bit of money so we started strategically stuffing our bags into the very small lockers. We started on one side that had open lockers right next to each other. We decided to use the ones close to each other so that it would be easy to find the two lockers that we put our stuff in. Although we came very close, we could not fit all of our stuff in only two lockers. We decided to relocate to another set of lockers on the other side of the room and try those. Somehow we managed to get all of our things in the two except for the stroller. It was just too long to fit inside the lockers so we had to take that to where they store bulk items that will not fit into the lockers. We took the stroller there and left the train station to meet back up with Lindsay and Emerald.

We met them back at the apartment and headed out that morning to try once again to find Lindsay some shoes. This time we headed towards McDonalds craving something similar to home. It was very refreshing having just a little taste of home, even if we were in Ukraine. From McDonalds, we headed back out on the street to look for a shoe store. We found in about 30 mins and Lindsay was on her way to buy some new shoes. Still wanting cute shoes again, but now with a little voice of reason helping her choose (ME), she decided on some tan shoes that would not try and bite her every time she walked.

From there we were going to meet up with Theresa who is the director of His Kids Too, the organization that we are using to adopt Emory through. She was here to build a community center in one of the towns as an outreach. We met up with her at a place to eat and had a very nice meal. It was the kind of restaurant where you load as much meat and veggies and stuff in a bowl and then they throw it all on a huge grill and cook it in front of you. It was really cool and really yummy. I got mostly meat on mine and Lindsay mostly veggies.

After that we had a little time before we had to leave so we decided to go to the Ukraine Wal-Mart…I would call it. We didn’t want to buy too much stuff, we just wanted to see what all they had in there. They had just about everything you could want and more. They even had a huge gun store in the same building where you could buy your own AK 47. I mean, what more could you want from a store than to be able to buy you own heavy artillery and your groceries at the same place?

Running out of time we said our goodbyes to Theresa and headed to the train station to board our train that would take us to meet our soon to be son. We were so excited to see him--not so much excited for the 13 hour train ride that was ahead of us. We headed back down to the lockers where we had put our luggage that morning and opened the two lockers that we had put our stuff in.

We started pulling everything out and stacking it either on our backs or rolling it if it had wheels. We had everything out of the lockers, but I was missing something. I brought a green hiking backpack with me that I put most of our important stuff in. It had our laptop, camera and cell phones and stuff like that. But it was no where to be found, somehow we had forgotten to put it in one of the lockers. This was very bad news because we had to board our train in about 20 mins and now we had a missing bag.

Quickly Vanya and I started to think what we could have down with it. Vanya rushed up to the counter where you buy the tokens for the lockers and told them of the situation. One of the ladies came over and started to help us look for it. It had to be there somewhere, right? Trying to retrace our steps, we remembered that we had started on the left side of the room where we had first tried to put our bags in lockers. We ran over to that side and started to look in the lockers where we had put our bags in the first time but they were all locked.

Could this really be happening? Had I forgotten to take my bag out of one of the lockers on the left side and someone snagged it earning themselves a free laptop and much more? Prayer was in the foremost of my mind at the moment pleading with the Lord that we would find it. The ladies starting opening lockers where we thought that we might have left it, but to no avail. Time was running out so we decided that we could not miss our train. We started to head for the train, one bag down and very upset at the recent turn of events. We were almost through the door to where to trains load when one of the ladies called us back and asked us to look in one of the lockers they had opened.

To our delight there was my beautiful green hiking backpack that I had gotten from a REI garage sale for 20 dollars. They asked us of the contents that were in the bag to make sure that it was really ours and I proceeded to tell them what was inside. Upon opening it I found everything just how I had packed it that morning. It was a true answer to prayer. We had somehow dodged a huge bullet.

Once on the train Vanya told me that the ladies said that one of them saw it in the locker and decided to lock it. Thank goodness for some honest people still left in this world. So we were on the train and ready to head to Sevastopol.

Wait where was the stroller, oh no, we had forgotten about it in all the excitement with the backpack and there was no time to head back now to get it because the train was about to leave. Well, at least it was only a 6 dollar umbrella stroller and we could live with a 6 dollar loss over a 600 dollar loss. Vanya said that we could get when we come back to Kiev, but they charge you like 50 cents a day to keep it so when we get back we may just leave it because it will cost more to get it back than it is actually worth.

So we were off on the train ride into the night. We made our beds and tried to fall asleep as soon as we could knowing that tomorrow we would meet our new son Emory.

Stories by Matthias Part I

This is Matthias talking and I wanted to share some exciting stories that have happened since we have been here in Ukraine. If we travel back to the beginning of our trip all the way to September 10th which was the day that we left, I will begin there.

We awoke that day at about 7am EST and started to make final preparations for our trip. I, as always, went to the coffee pot and started a pot that I would most likely drink about three fourths of(I usually make about 8 cups). I then proceeded to the computer to make sure that I had all of our bills and everything up to date so that we wouldn’t have to worry about any of that while in Ukraine. I also made sure that we had the right times for our flights. Lindsay’s mom arrived at about 8 and most graciously offered to make us omelets which are always sooo good. They were filled with peppers and onions and some kind of meat and oozing with cheese. We finished breakfast around 8:30 or so and made one final check of all the bags. We were going to be gone for 6 to 7 weeks so we wanted to double and triple check that we had everything. We left our apartment at about 9:15 and headed to the airport for our 11:00 flight to Newark.

On arrival to the airport we said our final goodbyes to Lindsay’s mom and headed to the baggage check in. A lady met us there and started to help us checking in all of our bags. For some reason they told us the travel agency that booked our flights put all of the tickets in Emerald’s name. It took them a little while to sort it all out, but they finally did and we got our boarding passes and were ready to go. We headed to our terminal and readied ourselves for what would be a long journey to Ukraine.

We arrived at our terminal at about 10 and tried to busy Emerald as we waited for our flight. We tried to make a barrier that Emerald could not get through, but that never works. She is the master of getting away, so we would have to chase her down until we boarded our flight. Thankfully, they let people with children board the flight first so we got on the plane as soon as we could. The flight was very short--only about an hour and a half--and we were landing in Newark. Emerald did fine on this flight and we were done with the first flight of the trip.

We had about a 4 hour layover in Newark so we decided to do a little exploring of the airport. We had brought a baby leash with us that Lindsay’s grandma had bought us and tried that out with Emerald, but that didn’t work at all. When we tried to go somewhere she would just sit down or start throwing a fit so we had to either just carry her or chase her down as we walked through the airport. Thankfully we had brought a couple of baby slings that we used quite a bit in the airport and still use them a lot now. We browsed shops and as always Lindsay wanted to buy something in the stores but I reminded her that we had about 7 weeks to buy stuff and we didn’t need to start buying stuff while we were still in America.

We decided that we needed a little food so we ate at Chili’s in the airport before we headed back to the terminal to board our flight to Germany.We were getting ready for the long hall, the flight that would test Emerald and how well she could sit still. The flight was supposed to be about 8 hours long and it was through the night, thankfully. We were off over the Atlantic and into a world where we didn’t know the language…only that we were going to rescue a boy that would soon be our son. The beginning of the flight was okay, they served us a meal that was decent. I think it was some kind of pasta with cheese and some veggies and a roll. It was pretty good for being airplane food. Once done with dinner we decided to try and get some sleep. Lindsay nursed Emerald and she fell asleep fairly well and we both nodded in and out of sleep. The flight seemed to go by fairly quick except for the last hour or so. Emerald woke up and was very upset which I am sure all of the people around us enjoyed. I think that it may have been the air pressure in her ears. Once we made it about 15 minutes from landing she calmed down and all seemed to be alright.

We arrived in Germany at about 6 am EST I think and didn’t have to go far to our next terminal. It was  just above where we landed so we headed to the terminal to try and get some sleep before our next flight. We had no luck in doing so, but got a chance to meet another lady who was also heading to Ukraine to adopt. She was bringing back three siblings with her. She was very sweet to Emerald and a joy to talk to. It is pretty cool to meet people who have the same heart as you do. It just makes you feel like you are not alone in all of this.

From there we boarded our final flight to Kiev. It was a fairly short flight also and we made it to Ukraine in about 2 hours. We called our contact Vanya and let him know that we were about to land. He said that he would meet us at baggage claim and we would go from there once we got our luggage. Unfortunately, our luggage was lost somewhere on the flights so we had to wait in the missing luggage line to make a claim for our luggage. That took about an hour and then we were off to our apartment in Kiev. We rode in a taxi from the airport to our apartment that we would stay in for about 2 days and then head down to Sevastopol where Emory lives.

Once we arrived at our apartment in Kiev the first priority was finding Lindsay some new shoes and getting something to eat. Lindsay had bought a pair of shoes a couple of days before we left that she had worn for the flight. They were not good shoes at all even thought they were very “cute” according to her.They gave her giant blisters on her heels and on her pinky and big toes. No fun if you have to walk a lot of places and in Ukraine you have to walk a lot of places. So we immediately set out to find some shoes and a nice meal. We found some food to eat and then tried to find some shoes but had no luck. We decided that we had had enough excitement for two days straight and wanted to head back to the apartment and try and get some rest before our appointment at the SDA the next day.
More to come… I am not used to writing so much but hope you like it. I will try and post an exciting story about my backpack going missing next time.

Family Pictures

Test shot!

The HANDRICH family! Mommy, Emory, Emerald, and Daddy

Sweet Emory checking out his sis.

Take TWO!

Death grip on my nose.

The face he makes when there is food around.

Things are going well here. Visiting Emory at least once a day. The visits are good. He seems happy to see us. I got to change his diaper the other day and really get a good look at his surgery. I can't wait to take him to a doctor. I have no idea if what I'm seeing is good and normal? Speaking of diaper, the other day I went in to get him and his group was outside except for a couple who were with a nanny getting ready and they had left him all alone on his potty! I'm sure he must have been there for 5 or 10 minutes alone. I went in and he was just sitting there, all alone in the big room with a little potty with his hands in his lap. I was very happy to scoop him up that day! The only good news, I guess, is that he went poop and pee in the potty.

Emerald is growing up before my eyes! She's like a mini-little-girl. It's so beautiful to see, but I have to admit, slightly painful to see her growing up so fast---life is so fast, but a vapor!

Yesterday I/we had a perspective change. It's all in how you look at things. We are realizing that even our lengthy time here is a special gift from God, that we will probably never have again. This trip should not be a drudgery, but each day one to grow in relationship with the Lord and as a family and experience new adventures. Please pray for us! We want to go deeper in God, seek Him more, know Him more...but there are so many distractions.

We are so thankful for everyone who has made donations. Things are going to cost significantly more now because of our lengthy trip, so we are grateful for every dollar. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

PS- You will love my friend Tiffany's blog. She's an old friend and a wonderful mommy--full of love and creativity. Check it out and vote for her! See the Skyline
Also, check out my sister in law Jennie's page. She is an extraordinary cake maker and you will LOVE her work! "Like" her page and you could win a handmade apron! Jennie's Cake Creations

Time

I thought I would try to explain the adoption process to help readers understand why we have to be here for seven weeks. Yes, seven weeks. Some people escape with child in 3-4, but not us. :) Don't get me wrong, I really do like Ukraine, but there is no place like home. Where you know people and have: Mexican food, peanut butter, Southern hospitality and charm---though I have met a few here who have it as well ;), a reallly comfy bed, less fear when crossing the road, and of course family and friends. But what would I do without Ukraine's AMAZING cookies??? I should probably work on a post just on cookies.

After our awesome facilitator submitted our dossier (big pile of papers that were notarized and then notarized again by the state) we were waiting for our SDA appointment, which we got...September 12. This is when we officially accept our Emory's referral. The next day we traveled to his region and met him. Later we found out that here in this city the judge only has adoption hearings once a month. We arrived a few days too late and would not be able to have our court hearing until October 14. That's the day we're counting down to currently.

After the court hearing, assuming we pass, we still have a TEN DAY WAIT, where we just continue doing what we are doing, living life, visiting Emory. After the ten day wait there are some other important things to do like get a birth certificate and apply for a passport, but we can snatch that sweet boy out of his orphanage finally! Then we head back to the capitol for a few days of visiting the Embassy and medical checks, then we head home!!! What a glorious day that will be. We're hoping to be home the end of October.

My awesome friend Deanna over at Mother the World's trip was pretty short, only about 3-4 weeks. Some people make two trips. Because of the blessing of Matthias' awesome job letting him be gone for so long and a generous donation to compensate his salary while he gone, we have decided to stay the whole time. It seemed like the best and most cost effective thing to do for us. I'm truly so thankful for the quality time we have gotten. Some days we like to just "unplug" and find new ways of having fun. Those days are my favorite.

Emerald is growing a ton. She's talking so much. She calls her new brother  "Bubba" and gives him lots of kisses. I hope they're best friends. Here is a sweet video of Emmy showing off some of her vocab.

That's all for now. I'm hoping to get Matthias to blog some. He says I "never tell stories". I guess I should work on that too.

Much love from Ukraine!