Day 11

Can you believe that it is day 11 already? I can't and I am here living it. You live for the next day to happen. I go to bed every night praying that God makes the next day come faster.
Today we tried the bus again and let me just tell you SUCCESS!!! Yippie! We got on in the right spot, got off in the right spot, we are very proud of ourselves. I did take a nose dive this afternoon after we left the orphanage. I slipped on some ice, and went down. It hurt like crazy, but as I was telling my friend Jen tonight my ego hurt worse. But oh well you get up, you dust yourself off, and you keep going. :)
Today's visit was great. Andrew went and picked Johannah up from her groupa, and at first the workers wasn't going to let her go with him because they thought he was our friend Christiana's husband, and Johannah began to cry and he finally was able to get them to understand that he was there for her. She knew he was her papa and wanted to go with him. Bless her heart. I went and picked up Ellee today, and she was so excited to see me. While they were getting her dressed though she kept asking for papa, and the caretakers were telling her heres momma, but she continued to ask for her daddy. I think we have a couple of daddy's girls. :) I am going to sound a little selfish and coincided but that's ok (lol) but I love seeing the love my girls have for me and I know I have that same kind of love for them. They are amazing, and I am beyond blessed to be able to call them my daughters and be their mommy.
Thank you to everyone who prayed for us to have a quick court date, we got news today our court is Friday at 9 a.m. Yippie!!! :) Andrew will be leaving this weekend to head back to Kiev and then on Tuesday be headed home. I already miss him, we haven't been away from each other for more than a couple of days at a time. So please pray for traveling mercies for him, and that flights aren't delayed and he has smooth flights home.
Now on to what you have all been waiting for...

Day 10

Today was another great day!!! We got up this morning and left the apartment around the same time we always do but this morning we were going to the corner to meet Christina and then head to the bus stop. We thought we were doing great, we got on the right bus number, but the whole time we are going he's not going the way we needed too, not going the way we need to go and everyone is off the bus at that point and we go ummm what do we do. So we used the little bit of Russian we know, and the address that is written in Russian, and tried to ask him if he would eventually be going our way. He told us to sit lol so we sat. About 10 mins later, we still hadn't moved, which we would later find out is normal because they are on a schedule and they stop every so often and take a break, but Luda calls (our paperwork facilitator in Kiev) and asks how we are doing this morning, and I said ummm and she said "I am ready to listen, what is wrong" so I explained to her. She got on the phone with the bus driver, and sure enough we were on the right bus, sorta, lol. 5 or so minutes later we begin to move, about 20 mins later we arrive about 2 blocks from our destination, which is normal. So here is what we should have done, we should have crossed the street to the other bus stop and got on the bus going in the opposite direction and we would have been there in 10 minutes. Big goof for us, but we lived, we learned and now we move on lol
The visit with the girls was short because we arrived an hour and half late, but it was still a great visit! I have said this once and I will have to say it again, and again, and again, and probably a billion more times I am in LOVE!!!

***Prayer request we hope to go to court this week, please pray that we go to court early this week and that everything goes smoothly***

Ok on to the good stuff...

Day 9

Today was a great day. It was a quite day at the orphanage because it is Saturday, but when we got there Johannah was eating so they asked us to wait so she could finish eating, because is she sees us she won't finish. So we went and got Ellee from her groupa. After a few minutes here comes Johannah down the hall and it was so funny because she was going as fast as her little legs would take her, and her poor caretaker was trying to keep up with her. After a few seconds she just let her go and let her run to me. What I didn't realize, and it was probably 5 minutes before I realized it, was she had stuffed a whole cookie in her mouth because she was so excited to see us. So I did what any mommy would do and made her spit half of it into my hand. We of course threw that away, and we played for a little while before we had cookies and juice. We were in a different playroom today because the other playroom had a lot of little bitties in there today and so we got to play in the room that has the ball pit and the slide, and boy do our girls LOVE  to slide. The visit went by so fast today. :( Johannah did NOT want to go back to her groupa today, she kicked and screamed at her daddy. I had to stay out in the hallway, it just broke my heart to see her doing that. But soon very soon!!! I just have to keep reminding myself of that. Ellee is always ready to go back because it means it is time to eat. She gives kisses and hugs and she is gone. Her new thing that we taught her was how to blow kisses. She is so cute doing. She also learned to sign more. Yay!!! They are such smart girls! Luba, most of you know her, but she is adopting Sophie through Reece's Rainbow and she is from Russia, and she has been such a blessing because she was able to ask Ellee's caregivers today some questions for me. We were going to ask Johannah's caregivers some questions too, but she was so upset when we left I didn't want to go back in there an upset her more. After we left the orphanage today we took the bus, it was interesting and we did good, of course Luba was there with us and was a BIG help. Tomorrow we are going to try it on our own, we will see how that goes. But it is a quarter to ride the bus anywhere you want to go!!! Who could pass that up? Ok Ok on to the good stuff... First picture is the picture if Johannah with the cookie in her mouth.

And because everyone has been so great in following us and leaving wonderful comments about the pictures you get a Video :)

Day 8

First let say thank you to everyone who has left comments, who have emailed me, and those of you who have read the blog but not commented, and last but not least thank you to everyone who has continued to pray for us on a daily basis!

Today started out just like every other day lol but todays cab ride was so totally different than any other cab ride we have taken. We went out of our apartment and got into the taxi and it was a girl, well that was a first lol, but then bless her heart she was trying so hard but I don't really know how long she has been driving but all cars over here are stick shift, and we were being jerked like crazy, and then bless her heart she didn't know where she was going, and then her car kept stalling, and bless her poor heart these crazy Americans in the background who couldn't understand what she was saying. Oh goodness! Then we finally get to the orphanage and she didn't have change so we had to call our facilitator so she could translate for us, and our facilitator told us to go with her she was going to take us to the Anteka (pharmacy) and get change. Well she didn't take us to the pharmacy she took us too a corner shop, then they didn't have change, so Andrew set off and he found a street vendor who was selling little books, so he bought one and got change there. She then takes us back to the  orphanage and we get a big smile from her but BLESS HER HEART!!!
We went in and got the girls and boy were they excited to see us! I wish I could capture their faces, and Ellee's face was priceless, she kept turning around and looking at her caregivers and had this huge grin on her face and she was pointing at me and smiling, I could imagine that she was thinking this is MY mommy. She says mama and points to me. It melts my heart. We had a great visit with them today. Ellee finally sat in her daddy's lap today! That is a big step for her because she would get close to him and sit next to him, and get very jealous if he picked someone else up or talked to one of the other kiddos but she would never sit in him lap. Today she did! She will also be our eater :) Johannah will too but she is slower and takes her time, Ellee LOVES to eat! She will be like her daddy ;) Like clock work everyday at 11:15 Ellee tells me she has to potty so I take her to her room and they put her on the potty, and when she is finished she smells the food and she is ready to go to her groupa. I take her back in tell her paka paka and she gives me a kiss and she goes on her way lol She is very independent. I then go back to the playroom where Johannah and Andrew are at, and we play for the last 15 minutes before taking her back to her groupa. Today when we took her back she done the same thing as yesterday she latched onto my neck and would not let go. They had to take her from me, it just breaks my heart to leave them there, I know soon very soon I won't have to do that anymore! Now on to the good stuff right??? :)

Day 7

Today we got up at 6:00 and Andrew Skype with his kiddos back home and then we started getting ready, because we can go to the orphanage at 9:00. I called Violette around 8:30 to ask her to call us a cab. She asked us if we minded riding with another family who is here, and we actually met the day before, and of course we didn’t. We were picked up around 9:00 and then we went and picked up the other family. Once arriving in the at the orphanage we went and got their girls out of their rooms. They are in separate rooms. They were so excited to see us! It melted my heart!!! We then took the girls to the playroom, along with the other family, their little boy is in Johannah’s room. Once in the playroom the girls let loose. They are so fun and so active. They like to play with everything, including the piano, I bet they played on that thing for 2 of the 2 1/2 hours that we spent with them lol. They are so smart! We set down and colored and as most of you have seen from the video on fb Johannah likes to see how many times mommy will go pick up the crayons. We really enjoyed our time with them today. They again love to give kisses and hugs! Very loving little girls. Around 10:30 the little bittys came in to have music and play time. Ellee went around and made sure all of them had music instruments, and toys, and if they cried she tried to soothe them. She is our mother hen. She is a great big sister! At 11:15 Ellee had to go potty so I took her back to her room to go potty and after she was finished going potty she smelled the food so she was ready to go back to her room. So I gave her hugs and kisses and she went and sat down with her groupa. I went back to the playroom where Andrew and Johannah were and one of the caretakers came in and told us it was time for them to eat. So we took Johannah back to her groupa. She was not very happy that we had to leave her. Breaks my heart, I can’t wait until I don’t have to leave her anymore!
After we left the orphanage we went to grab lunch with the other family at this restaurant called Silvers. Our facilitator says that all the foreigners  enjoy this restaurant. It was really good. I got these stuffed mushroom things and they were delicious. Andrew got a hamburger and if his had been cooked a little more than he said his would have been great. We then walked to the market and got some things we needed, and then said our goodbyes to the other family.  After I woke up we decided to go to the open market and check it out. It was basically like the flea market. It was really cold and they were closing most of the shops so we decided to come home. Once back at the apartment I took a nap and while I was napping my husband hacked my fb account and posted a video of the girls.
Tonight we went to Mario’s Pizza and had dinner. Again wonderful food, a great place to eat, and very cheap. I wish stuff like this was this cheap in America. On the way back to our apartment we found a little corner pastry shop and stopped in to see what they had. Oh did everything look so good, smell so good, and again CHEAP! (can anyone tell I am cheap) We got a few small things to try.
We are now back at the apartment. We have tried a few of the pastries and they are delicious! But now on to the good stuff! Who’s ready to see pics??? Hope you all enjoy!

Day 6

Day 5 where do I begin… Today was GREAT!!! It
started with us still on the train. The train was fine, I slept pretty good on
it, but it felt like forever! LOL We arrived in the girls region at 9:50,
Violette and Sasha picked us up from the train station and took us to the
social organization, which is basically social services in America, we sat down
with the head social worker, she asked us a bunch of questions and at the end
congratulated us and guess what I done you guessed it I cried, but the head
social worker was very nice and gave me a big hug lol After we left there we
went to the orphanage where we sat down with the director. She told us more
about the girls and about their history and about them now, and then she asked
if we were ready to meet them. Ummm YES!!! They went and got the girls and
brought them in and they were very excited to see the candy bowl lol but they
urged the girls over to us and said Mama Papa and the girls came right over to
us. They switched between Andrew and I and gave us big hugs, and loves. Oh my
heart is overflowing right now. It has been several hours since we went to see
them and I am still on cloud 500 We were then taken to the
playroom and was give 30 minutes alone with them and play and get to know them.
They are 2 very active little girls, full of love and joy. We played with
everything in that room I do believe. They love to give hugs and kisses.
Johannah has a laugh that is very contagious, and Ellee has a smile that will
melt your heart. I am in LOVE!!! After our 30 minutes was up the two workers
came in to get the girls because it was time for them to eat and they did not
want to go. Johannah grabbed my neck and would not let go, and Ellee cried as
they took her away. That just broke my heart!!! After leaving from the girls we had to go to the notary to get some
paperwork done. They told us if we waited there it would be 5 hours, so
Violette and Sasha took us to our apartment. Our apartment is HUGE, very nice
and very spacious. The lady from the organization told Violette to tell us we
were such a sweet couple. AWW After we got the keys and info and everything
Violette and Sasha left. Andrew and I were starving because all that we had
since 11:00 a.m Tuesday was some peanut butter and some fruit. So we set out in
a new city to find our way. We finally found this little restaurant and we went
in. They gave us pictures to order from. I’m not sure what I had, waiter said
Swine, but it was good. Andrew had something like pork loin his was good too.
We left from the restaurant and there is a big market right on the corner from
our apartment so we went there and got some things that we need. We came back
to the apartment, where our internet is still not working but they are
sending someone to fix it in a little while, and waited for Violette and Sasha
to come back and pick us up to take us back to the notary to sign the paperwork
they were working on. After that and signing our life away some more, we came
back to the apartment where we are still waiting on the cable guy.

It has been a GREAT DAY!!!! And did I mention I am in LOVE!!!

And if you are reading this it means we got interent!!! Now what you all been waiting for...

I hope you enjoyed!!! :)

Day 5

I didn’t sleep very well last night and I think it was
because of all the excitement in store for the day. I woke up at 3:00 sitting
straight up in the bed like I missed something. I laid there for another 30
minutes before deciding that I was just going to get up. Andrew was sleeping so
well and I laid there all restless so I thought it would be best for the both
of us if I just get up. So I got up and got some water when I realized its 7:30
at home Monday night chat! So I jumped on and everyone of course was shocked
that I was up lol but I stayed on for about an hour and a half. Then finally I
decided I needed to lie back down, because today was going to be a busy day. I
laid there until 7:00 and when I finally fell asleep the alarm went off, I turned
it off think I would lay there just a little while longer, and I laid there
until 10:00. JoAnn called me because we were going to meet with her before we
left so we could give her some food and stuff that we couldn’t take with us. We
got up and got ready and were out the door by 11:30. We headed to JoAnn’s
apartment, but we passed it, we finally realized what we had done so we set off
back towards her apartment, I had to call her because we couldn’t find it so
she said she would meet us outside, and of course about the time that she was
coming out the door we had found it lol. So then we went to the little pizza
place that is across the street from TGIF, and ate lunch there, and boy was it
good and CHEAP!  After we got done eating
JoAnn’s cell phone rang and it was Mary Malone, they were meeting up for lunch,
so we left and JoAnn showed us to the outdoor market and then she went on her
way to meet Mary. Andrew and I browsed around the market a little and we found
a stand that sold fresh fruit, and the guy and his wife were so lovely. They
tried to understand us while we were trying to understand them, and it was
great we worked together to understand each other. We got some wonderful fresh
fruits from him so that we could have it on the train to eat, because we
weren’t going to have time for dinner or breakfast (Wednesday) because once we
get to the girls region we will hit the ground running and get things done and
then meet the girls. YAY!!! Once we were paying for our fruit and nuts the
gentleman gave me a Ukrainian pear, he said you must try this. They were so
very sweet! Once we left the market we headed to the bakery to pick up some
bread so we could have peanut butter sandwiches for supper. (Umm word of advice
if you plan on having peanut butter sandwiches on the train make sure you find
some plastic silverware so you have something to spread the peanut butter onto
the break otherwise you end up dipping the bread into the pb and eating it that
way lol) We went back to the apartment so we could pack our stuff and wait for
Yulia to give us a call. After we packed I called my mom on Skype and talked
with her for a few minutes, and after I got off with her, Yulia
called and said the taxi would be there in 15 minutes to pick us up to take us
to the SDA where Niko would pick us up and take us to the train. We got to the
SDA to get our referrals and we had to wait a little while before they had them
done. We met another American family there adopting, they aren’t a RR family,
but they were there to get a referral on a precious little one too. Once we got
our referrals we headed out. Niko took us driving around town a little bit
looking at different things until he could get some other papers from Serge.
Once he got the paperwork from Serge he took us to the train station. And boy
is this a train station. Wow it is huge!!! Very nice and very pretty and very
huge! lol Niko took us to our train and then took us to our cart where he told
us the things that would be happening. A few minutes before our train was set
to leave Niko left. Our train was scheduled to leave at 6:40 and it left right
at 6:40. It has not been as bad as I thought it would be. It has actually been
pretty nice. Not bad at all. It is one of those things where you stress and
stress and stress about something and then boom it is nothing what you expected
and you think why did I worry so much about that. LOL so for all of you who
told me you can say “I told ya so”

We are
scheduled to arrive in the girls region at 9:50 a.m. and we should meet them
shortly after. (Since we don’t have internet on the train you will actually see
this after we have met the girls!

I can’t believe we are
finally meeting our girls!!! Oh my Goodness!!!