We're home!

After 20+ hours of non-stop travel (no long layovers, thankfully), Mira and I are safely home!! Jacqueline is home too, and enjoying her last week before school starts with her family. Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement. We have a busy week ahead with doctor visits and possibly a surgery if they can get us in. Don't dispair if you don't hear from me right away if you call or email, I'll be in touch when I can.

As soon as I can, I'm hoping to move everything from this blog over to my Wellspring Hope blog and make our whole adoption story public. I'll let you know as soon as I do that, but in the meantime you can follow our family's story at themommypages.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Thank you!

Thank you so much for all your prayers. Jacqueline and I had quite the day yesterday. We found out on Tuesday that Mira has severe prolapsed rectum which is/could be indicative of several things. When I saw it, I went into a short of shock and Jacqueline and Yulia (our facilitator) nearly fainted. I couldn't imagine caring for this until we got home and wasn't even sure that after living with this for 2 1/2 years that Mira could have it repaired. It is not something that is seem in the USA, usually only in underdeveloped countries. I won't go into too many details, but Mira is needing some serious testing now, including one for Cystic Fibrosis and parasites. She also will be referred to a surgeon for this type of thing next week. We have a full work-up on Monday morning at our pediatrician's office.

So, yesterday, Jacqueline and I left Priluki at 4:45am on a local bus. Quite the experience. After a 2 1/2 hour trip, we had our first experience with the "standing" toilets. My thigh muscles could barely stand it. We then met our facilitator and driver at the regional capital, Chernigiv. We then drove 1 1/2 hours to the record of deeds office near the village of Stara Rudnya, where Mira was born. We spent three hours here getting proof of termination of parental rights and the new birth certificate!!!!!

We drove the 1 1/2 back to Chernigive and spent another 3 hours there getting Mira's passport. That was quite an ordeal and I can't go into details on how we got this done, so email me if you need the details. It was costly- I'll say that:) All that, only to find out that Mira's name is spelled wrong on the passport!!! We didn't have time to change it as we HAD to be back in Priluki by 5:20 and it was already 3:45pm. Please be in prayer over this passport issue, because if the visa is issued with a different name it could cause problems. I'm checking with the embassy tomorrow to see if they can work with me.

Our driver wore his seatbelt on the drive back to Priluki. Which means that he drove OVER 100 most of the way. I was scared and carsick. Have you SEEN these roads? We got back in time to get all of Mira's state money signed over to the orphanage- nearly $2000!!!!! YAY for more diapers!!! I also got to meet the executive director of the orphanage and she is so nice!! Everyone is so happy for Mira.

We then packed up our hotel room and checked out. We went to the orphanage to pick Mira up. They were happy that she has a family but her caregivers were a little sad. It was a sweet, sad moment. I almost felt sad about taking her away from there. Almost:)

We drove 2 1/2 hours to Kiev and fell through our apartment door, exhausted!!! Mira went to sleep pretty easily and slept all night. She woke up happy and has been pretty content today. She had her medical check up this morning and now we are headed to the apartment for a nap! I'll check email again tomorrow! We are pretty close to an internet cafe here.

By for now!

Prayer request

Hi all! Just needed and WANTED to ask for your prayers. A medical situation has come up with Mira and we are trying to leave the country THIS Friday. Please pray that everything for her passport goes through tomorrow and that we can get the embassy stuff done on Thursday. Our facilitation team is having to really pull some strings for us- so pray for them too!!! We don't want to do anything to cause problems with other families in the future. Pray for safe travels for Myself, Jacqueline, and Mira! God knew all this beforehand and maybe THIS is why He moved our homestudy and USCIS clearance so fast. Maybe THIS is why we had a Aug 5th SDA appt even though the Crimea Region was having it's issues.

Thank you!
Love you!
Lyds

More info

Even though Rich and I are making a monetary donation to the orphanage, we wanted to buy something special just for Mira's group. We asked what they would most want or need and were told that they wanted a carpet for the nursery and that a big need was diapers. The rug they wanted was about 3 meters by 5 meters (figure that out using the U.S. measurement system). We found one that we liked for a VERY good price!! 1/10 what it would cost in the USA!

Mira's group play room. The white tables are where they eat their meals. The white door at the far end leads to their bathroom. The giant crib is for the severe special needs kids to lay in while the higher functioning children play.

Every child has a locker for the day's clothing.

Mira spends quality time with Daddy.

The day before Rich left, we took the time to tour the inside of a very beautiful Orthodox church. It was quite lovely, very ornate- lots of gold! No photos allowed, though. I wore my head covering so I could get in:) We also walked over to this statue of someone near the churches.

Cake is a huge deal here. My kinda country:) The cakes are small and they aren't very moist, but the layers are frosted with mousse and whipped toppings that are so yummy. And they are all packaged in cute boxes like this:

Ice cream here comes in a bag! It is SO good!!! (Especially with bananas)

My new friend, Anne, who is a missionary in Kiev, picked Jacqueline up from the airport and they made the 2 plus hours trek to Priluki with Anne's two little girls. Thanks Anne!!

Jacqueline and I are having fun! Today is Independence day here, so I'll show you photos of that later. Tomorrow, we head to the region's capital to start paperwork for Mira's passport and to pick up her new birth certificate! Please pray that Mira's passport comes in by Friday!!!! This is a must, since we need to leave this region Monday morning to head to Kiev.

Schedules

Hmmmm….what details of life in Priluki should I share with you today? Well, for one, the weekly schedule here has been very confusing for us. In the U.S. people start their days early. We get up and get ready for school and work and are usually headed out the door by 7:00 or 8:00 am, Monday through Friday. I don’t have to go out, because I home school, but we are ready to roll by 7:00 most mornings. Here in Priluki, nothing seems to move much until around 9am when the shops open and the pastry ladies and flower vendors set up their sidewalk stands. Did I tell you about the pastries yet? Oh man…be still my stomach.

This is the Ukrainian version of a pierogie. NOTHING like the frozen kind we buy in the USA. It is a hot fried dough with a filling. The dough tastes JUST like beignets from Senegal. Beignets are a fried doughnut-hole kind of treat you can buy on the streets of Sengal, West Africa. I can’t compare the dough with anything to be found in the U.S.- it really has to be made from scratch. Trust me, I love to cheat my way through a recipe with store bought shortcuts- but it can’t be done if you want authentic tasting beignets. Excuse me a moment while I wipe the drool from my lips…

Anyway, these “pierogies” are filled with different types of fillings. For the sweet tooth, there is a fruit filling that tastes very much like apricot. Then there is a fish filling, also a meat filling of some sort (we can’t figure out WHAT type of meat this is), a potato filling (mashed potatoes). There is Rich’s favorite which is filled with chopped boiled eggs, onions, and chives. Then there is my favorite- fried cabbage, carrots, and onions, all perfectly seasoned and enrobed in fried dough. MMMMmmmmm……I have been eating these every morning for breakfast. Which would explain why, despite all the walking I am doing I am not losing weight here. I sometimes eat them for snacks too. And for lunch. And dinner. I’m bringing the recipe home so I can continue to eat like this and spread it to some of my friends and family also.

On our main street here in Priluki, there is a flower vendor right next to the pierogie ladies. There are flower vendors on sidewalks around the town. There are multiple flower shops- one on every corner! There are flowers everywhere here. Even in the most run-down apartment complexes, there will be beautiful flowers planted by the entrances. The people of Ukraine love flowers!

Back to our confusion of the weekly schedule in Ukraine: So in the USA, our days start earlier and they run much longer. Here in Priluki, most shops are closed by 6pm. The grocery stores stay open a little later than that, and of course restaurants and anywhere else that a person can “socialize” is open late. Here in Priluki, life is not dictated by the work schedule. Life is not dictated by making money, although money is certainly appreciated here! Life is more about the relationships one develops and has with others. People here will stop and talk for a very long time to someone that they meet on the street, even if they may have somewhere important to go. Co-workers just talk and talk and still get the job done. All the ladies who work at our hotel seem to be good friends and to enjoy each others company. We will walk into the hotel lobby and they will all be taking a break on the couches and just laughing and chatting way. Sometimes, one of them will be laying down and resting- in the middle of the day, on the couch in the lobby, while ON THE JOB!!! Would this ever happen in the US? Well, it might, but she wouldn’t keep that job. Here, it’s just life. Be relaxed, be friendly, enjoy life and don’t work yourself to death. Socialization is HUGE here. Yesterday, a sweet old man just talked our ears off while we were touring an old church. He just loved chatting with us and had a good story to tell. I sure wish we knew what he said…

(don't I look hot in my head covering? A must-wear in order to visit the Orthodox churches here)

Another confusing schedule issue….weekends. Apparently Fridays are Sundays. Around here, Fridays are special. New sidewalk stands appear with different types of baked goods appearing on the tables. The sidewalks get a bit crowded. We see more children than usual. We hear church bells that we haven’t heard all week. We see people actually go in those churches. It’s a busy day. Then it’s back to normal, Saturday and Sunday are like normal weekdays here.

And then there is Monday. Monday confuses me. It seems to be a day of rest here. The street market and some restaurants are closed on Mondays. It’s quieter around town. Not as many people are out on the streets and sidewalks. So instead of having two special days together, like the American Saturday and Sunday(which I once thought the ENTIRE world did), Priluki has two “different” days separated by two normal days. Guess it breaks up the monotony of the work week. I like that idea. Regular living on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Go to church and spend time with family on Friday. Regular living on Saturday and Sunday, day of rest on Monday.
What do you think?

Town and Food (and a little Mira)

I had every intention of doing a whole blog post on food, but I find that I have WAAAAY too many photos of the food for one post. So, I’ll put a few food tidbits in every post.


While we were still in Kiev, we were told about this wonderful Ukrainian buffet across the street from TGIFriday’s. It is really cheap and everything was REALLY good! Here, you can see meatballs in sauce, bortsch, and pierogies filled with potatoes. Only these aren’t called pierogies here, I’ll show you what they call pierogies later on- they are NOTHING like ours that we buy frozen in the USA.

In and around Priluki:

The local post office where we can get internet. We use our laptops, but it is possible to pay by the minute to use their computers. (just in case those of you soon to travel wondered)

Our Hotel- Hotel Priluki

You can see that there is a door next to the main door. That is the hotel’s restaurant and the main party spot in town. The food is really cheap. We ate there once. Rich refuses to eat there again because he noticed this lovely fly paper hanging above the food and because we noticed that the food sat on the counter all day. You order what you want and they serve it from that dish on the counter. If it doesn’t all get eaten, it stays out overnight for people to order the next day.

Across from our hotel is a big square with a statue of what we think is Lenin.

Behind the square is my favorite place- the street market!!! It’s a flea market/bazaar. you can find everything here. Farmers selling their produce, grocery items, clothing, housewares, toiletries, school supplies, etc. Notice the dog laying on the ground. Dogs are all over the place here. There is no pet control, no leash laws (I think most of them are wild anyway)… They haven’t bothered us, except with their barking at night.

Ukrainian people love their glitz. Check out this whole market stall full of shiny belt buckles- Rhinestone City, here we come!

At the back of the marketplace is a nice little buffet restaurant. The food is really good. And it’s nice to point to what you want and know what you are getting.

Tongue (gotta try something different), potato stew, salad. Ukrainians LOVE their salads. You must have one with EVERY meal as a first course. Usually it is shredded cabbage, with cucumber and tomato in vinegar and oil. Sometimes mayonnaise is added.

Rich loves these mushroom crepes and meatballs.

I enjoy these dessert crepes (taste like cheesecake). Rice is so good with a thin red gravy and fried meat patty. The meat is interesting- we can’t figure out what it is. It’s like an italian meatball made with a ground white meat and then flattened out and rolled in some breading and fried. Very yummy!!! And fattening.

This potato soup was SOOO yummy!

Everyone told me how good bortsch was. I know I just spelled it wrong. Anyway, I tried it at a couple of different places- nothing special and actually kinda bland. Until….our street market buffet had it!!!! It was SOOOO good, I can’t wait until they serve it again. I need to figure out how to get the recipe from them.

Here are some meat-filled dumplings. And of course, anything resembling a crepe or dumpling is served with sour cream. And so is soup. And so is salad. And sometimes pizza. And…you get the idea. These people love their sour cream and mayo.

Well, that’s a start to life and food in Priluki.

I’ll close with a few pictures of the newest Wells darling.


Daddy and Mira

Playing with Mira

Sitting with Mira

Mommy and Mira

Walking with Mira

Reading to Mira

Singing to Mira

Court Date and other news

Yay!!! Court is over! As many of you know, we had court on Thursday at 4pm. I was calm until we got into the courtroom and the judge began to question us. The judge was very young, mid-30s, and casual in short sleeves and khakis. There was a man on one side of him and a woman on the other side. There is no equivalent for their roles in the USA. They mostly kept silent and listened to the hearing, but occasionally the judge would ask if anyone had any questions for us and the woman would speak up. Next to her was the court stenographer/recorder. She used a computer to take down proceedings. On a lower level in front of HER was the representative for the prosecuting attorney’s office. Now in the US, a woman in this position would have been in a power suit. Not here- this girl (younger than me, anyway) was wearing a VERY low cut dress- can anyone say, “EYE TRAP?”- and was dressed like a girl headed to the beach for vacation! She also asked us questions occasionally.

Seated with us was Yulia, our facilitator, and the Inspector of the region, who acts as a sort of regional minister for the rights of family and children within the State Department of Adoptions. The inspector is a very nice lady who seems to care about the children she is responsible for.

The judge began by reading our petition to adopt Mira and to change her name. Her birth name is Miraslava something something that someday I hope to have written down and translated so I can tell her when she asksJ Her new name is Mira Kathryn Wells!!!! Anyway, the judge asked Rich to stand and put forth questions to him, such as: how stable is your job/income, why do want to adopt another child when you already have 4, what size is your house, etc. Then I had to stand for my questioning. I was quite nervous and was shaking and blushing like a schoolgirl!! I was asked how I was going to handle 5 children, would I be bringing in outside help (AS IF!!!), did our family get along, did we live close to relatives, etc. After all this, there was a brief recess while the judge read his notes. He came back in and told us “Congratulations!” and cracked his first smile of the day. Yulia said, “Congratulations, you’re parents…again!”

Maybe if I had all typical births and children, the congratulations would get old after 5 kids. But well, Kimberly was my first born- CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Lauren was my miracle- CONGRATULATIONS!!! Brandon and Connor are my boys, my boys that I wanted since day one and which took bedrest and multiple tests and ultrasounds and an emergency c-section to get here- CONGRATULATIONS!!! And Mira. Mira is my adopted daughter, my daughter that I never even knew about until 1 ½ weeks ago. My daughter who is living proof of the faithfulness and care of my God. Miraslava means “Glory” and God has indeed shown me His glory and He is being glorified on this entire journey! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Here is a photo of the happy parents in front of the courthouse. We are now in our ten day appeals wait period. After this, I can start the proceedings to get Mira a passport, visa, medical clearance.

Now for other interesting news:

Our hotel seems to be the party spot in town. Music and loud people til all hours of the morning. We even got to see a wedding party!

This next picture is for my Yuku chat group- I miss ya’ll!!!!! Every Monday night we’d stay up talking about Ukraine, adoption, and special-needs children. One favorite topic of conversation was how nasty the bathrooms in Ukraine are, especially on the trains. So, some of us said that we would buy Depends just to wear on the very long train rides to region. Well, I didn’t have to take train rides, and I have only used the hotel bathroom so I’ve been fortunate. I did however, find a market stall selling lots of Depends!!!!

Some more sweet photos of our Glory- Mira Kathryn Wells!!!

All bundled up for the warm weather:) Ukrainians believe in keeping the children WELL covered here- poor Mira gets quite clammy.

Look at that sweet face!

Mira's sweet little feet. She will require surgery as one of her feet is a pretty severe clubfoot. I love that the caretakers still put shoes on her!

Mira loves to play with Daddy!!

Mira's first photo taken with BOTH her parents!

Thanks for all your prayers and sweet comments! We have lots more photos to show you!