June 12, 2007 Our "Gotcha Day"

Up till midnight or so packing, then journaling – why, oh why, do I ever think it ever won’t take me long to pack? Didn’t sleep great – too much to anticipate, I think.



Andre picked us up around 7:30/8:00 (I’m writing this after two eventful days, and the details are already escaping me). Knowing we had lots of waiting time built into this day I was well-armed with medical literature and knitting. We reached the boys home town (leaving Kharkov in the vicinity of Alec and Nadya’s home) before 9:00 AM, which is when the office opened. Several people were already waiting under nearby trees because of a light rain. When Sasha took cover until the entrance, one of the women came over and told him we would have to wait our turn, they were there first. He assured her he was just taking cover. I waited under the trees for a bit, industriously reading article summaries from AAP Grand Rounds until the mosquitoes drove me away. When the entryway barricade was removed we filed in and took our appropriate place in the line. Each party entered a formidable heavy door one at a time, the door closed until that party finished and then the next entered. We entered at 9:30 – not bad. Inside were two desks – the main person and her secretary. There were only two additional seats, so the secretary retrieved a third from some place. After Sasha provided all the necessary paperwork, included the sealed decree from the judge granting our petitions (that we be allowed to adopt the two listed boys, that their names be changed as we requested, and that we be listed as their parents on the birth certificate). The secretary brought the pertinent files. At 9:55 we (John and I) were invited to sit in another room for the approximated one-hour wait to have the new birth certificates made. We were escorted back through the hallway of waiting people to a door at the other end. The secretary opened the lock and invited us to sit down. The room had large windows, two wicker chairs and a small table. We took our seats. That is precisely where I finished Nick’s sweater. John also read a couple of the article summaries, but on this day that became more boring than doing nothing. Usually he finds them far more interesting. Meanwhile Sasha was at the bank making the payment for the creation of the documents (that’s how they do it here – no direct payments to the governmental offices). A woman came into our room once. We guessed she was looking for Sasha. We didn’t understand what she said, and when she saw it was just the two of us, not understanding her, she indicated we should still sit, then left, closing the door. We joked about whether she locked the door behind her again.



In a little less than an hour we were invited back to the office, after some signatures and verification of accuracy, and with a bit of ceremony (she made another couple at the secretary’s desk step out) she presented us with the birth certificates. It was heady to see our names on the certificates of Nickolai John Thur and Dennis Andrew Thur. She handed them to John, and after a thrilling few seconds, Sasha asked for them and quickly, safely filed them away. The women laughed that it seemed he didn’t trust John with them. I can only imagine if they got lost, or weren’t available just when needed at this point . . .



Then it was back to Kharkov. We had to have the seal/signature authenticated, then have notarized copies made, then lunch at McDonald’s while waiting for the Ukrainian passport office to open at 2:00. At the passport office Sasha and Andre’ did all of the work while we waited. They finally came out and Andre’ said “maybe tomorrow”. Since they had already had us sign a slip of paper that said we had received the passports, we were confident that was a joke. In fact, after a bit more waiting we were led to a different area of that floor of the building and presented with the boys’ Ukrainian passports, and verified the accuracy. Hurray!



Then it was off to the train station to book seats (we planned to buy out two compartments with four beds each). Guess what? No seats available! That was a dilemma, because taking the train the next morning would (we thought) decrease our chances of getting both the medical examinations and processing at the US Embassy all done the next day. Also, Sasha would be unable to travel with us the next day as he was needed in another city to be with a family in court. In addition, Andre’s van was broken, so he couldn’t drive us himself, and for once this man of otherwise endless resources, connections and local knowledge couldn’t find someone with a large enough vehicle to take all of us and our luggage. John called our friend Alec, and he thought he might know someone who could take us. He would call back.



We had to dash home to pick up clothes for the boys (John and I hadn’t realized we would spend the entire day with S&A) and rush to the orphanage to pick up our sons. It was already 5:00 and the orphanage director had been calling Sasha a lot, upset that it was the end of the working day and we hadn’t come yet. When we arrived she was polite enough with us, but we did have some lengthy formalities to complete and the secretary also seemed less than thrilled to stay the additional hour. At last, however, the last paper was signed, the last forms handed over, and we went for the boys. For the first time since the first day Dennis cried when I took him from the caregiver. Did he have any idea just what it meant to go with “Mama and Papa” today? We took off the orphanage clothes and put on an outfit I thought would be comfortable for travel. We said good-bye to the caregivers, who had us quick explain the family members in the photo album we had left, and went for Nick.




Nick’s group was all outside their room, near the front entrance. He was jumping up and down when we first arrived, and was still excited – as were all the children. We indicated we would step inside to redress him, but the caregiver indicated “no”, and we did it right in the middle of his friends (including the new, non-white underwear). Good-byes were said again, and some of the other children took the opportunity to get a couple of hugs from us themselves. I can’t remember a time even on the mission trips when I so badly wanted homes for these group-mates of Nick we had become acquainted with.




Then it was into the car and on our way. If receiving documents about the boys was heady, I just don't have the words for the emotions experienced when we took the boys away from the orphanage as our sons. No words.



In the midst of all this, a friend of Alec’s father was engaged to drive us to Kyiv. He could be ready by 9:00 PM. We stopped at the Billa one last time for travel supplies, then back to the apartment to entertain the boys for a couple of hours. They were into everything! At last Dennis discovered the big empty jugs of water we hadn’t thrown away yet and happily amused himself carrying three or four of them at a time back and forth, back and forth. Nick wasn’t too bad because his much-admired “Sasa” was there for a while, before going to get some documents scanned and sent to Sasha in Kyiv. By 9:00 the apartment manager was waiting inside to get the apartment cleaned. I think she fills vacancies very rapidly. These apartment buildings are often remarkably rundown on the outside, and our entryway was dark and almost scary with a broken light (and exposed wiring) and broken flooring/steps, also filthy. But ten you step inside a very nicely finished and furnished apartment and the contrast is remarkable.



At last we met Misha, loaded up his lovely new ten-passenger van and climbed aboard. John with Nick and I with Dennis each had a row of seats - individual buckets that recline. Sasha sat up with Misha, his seat didn’t recline. We prayed together before setting out. It was good. Dennis went to sleep almost before we left Kharkov, saying on me as I stretched out across our three-seat row. Nick was quiet, but stimulated by all the lights and the new experiences, and didn’t sleep much at all.



I’m going to post this now, although John may have more details to add another time. It is Wednesday night, and the room he is sharing with Nick is dark and quiet. Sleep at last. I need to follow suit.