Friday

We just came from spending time with K. He is so cute and very bright. He is already saying "more" as in give me more food! We hope to be able to see N today but that is up in the air.

It was a good but difficult time with K. When we got there his care givers asked him who was here and he answered "Mama & Papa" we were having a great time until we started to tell him no about things. (No you can't dig in the backpack, no you can't have all the cheerios at once, no stay here with us, etc. typical) We figure that with so many children in his group he probably doesn't have too many boundaries. It will be a challenge to give him those. He is pretty strong will and wants what he wants when he wants it.

While the children seem well fed, they can never get enough food. And you can tell they are used to protecting what they have. Don't come between K and his food! BUT there was another little boy with his adopted parents on the playground with us and K definitely wanted to share his juice and his cheerios with the other boy :-) He is also very fastidious about being clean. Wants to have his hands and face wiped off after he eats.

Some words about Ukraine itself. Today is the first sunny day we have seen. Other than that it has been overcast and rainy/drizzly. Where we are is very flat farm land (Elbert's get out your maps we are in Novagrad-Valensky which is west of Kiev about 2-3 hours) The people are very warm and friendly. The food is also really good. We tend to have a light breakfast in our room, a big lunch, and then a snack supper (Meat, cheese, bread, fruit). We think this is the pattern for most Ukrainians.

The biggest difference (OK maybe not the biggest but the one Bruce feels most keenly) are the beds. They are quite short and always have foot board. This makes it hard for big ole Bruce to stretch out. We figure the mattresses are about 6'3" or 6'4" in length and are rather hard. (The hardness is only a problem for Lori) We are pleased to say that our hotel has hot water all the time and we have a shower in our room. However the shower leaks all over the floor. This seems to be expected so we are just learning to manage.

Viktor is our fabulous driver. He can get his wondrous VW Bus (Punch Buggy Van) any where. He is fearless and is never ruffled no matter the circumstance. The running joke is that all of the dogs keep trying to run out in front of him. He hasn't hit one yet!

Sveta, Viktor's wife, is our translator/facilitator. She is also wonderful and very efficient. She knows exactly how everything should be done which is very good because no one in this region has done a foreign adoption before. She is essentially guiding us and all the town officials through the process.

The big winter holiday over here is January1-7. Everything closes! We are hopeful that we can get a court date early next week so we can be through our waiting period before the 1st. If not we will be stuck here an extra 7 days. I think things on this end look good as long as the paperwork from the US arrives (Have I mentioned I'd like to know where that stands?)

There has been a request for pictures. We are hesitant to put up any on the blog for the safety of the kids. Maybe tomorrow, depending on Internet connection, we will try to email some out to various points of contact. Those people can then email and print to their hearts delight.

On a side note, I have just noticed how much mine and Bruce's English is beginning to sound like Sveta's. Bruce says "When in Rome . . ."

We love you all and miss you very much! Keep those emails and posts coming it helps us feel connected. Prayers are what we need most. We tend to end each day emotionally rung out.

Peace of Christ,
Lori & Bruce