A Bittersweet Day – 3 April
My mother left this world on Sunday evening, 1 April, after a 2 ½ year battle with lung cancer. She died peacefully at Visiting Nurse and Hospice Home surrounded by our family. While I miss her terribly, I could not have chosen a better way for her to pass. The people at VNHH were the best…kind, caring, and dedicated to keeping Mom comfortable and caring for all of us during her stay.
We held a family calling on Tuesday, 3 April, to say goodbye to Mom. Joined on this day with the sadness of this final goodbye was the sweet joy of receiving word of our appointment date in Kiev, where we will receive permission to travel to Masha’s orphanage to begin the final steps in our adoption!
We meet with the officials in Kiev on Wednesday, 16 May…our ninth wedding anniversary! We will most likely travel to Ukraine over Mother’s Day weekend, and will probably be able to see Masha on either Thursday or Friday of that week!
Once in her city, we will begin proceedings by requesting a local court appointment to hear the case for our adoption. If all goes well, we understand that this will probably be a little over 2 weeks after our appointment in Kiev. At this hearing, we hope to be granted our petition to adopt Masha. Then we have a mandatory waiting period of ten business days, which is required following all decisions in Ukrainian courts.
After this waiting period, our adoption will be final and the official decree will be signed and translated for us. Once all the papers are issued, we will scramble to get amended birth certificates and a new passport issued, and then we head back to Kiev for about three days of appointments at the US Embassy for her visa.
In all, we expect to be in Ukraine for just about 5 weeks. While it seems like a long trip (and I’m sure we’ll be VERY ready to come home), it’s nothing in the perspective of the lives that will be changed from it!
Now that we have news and movement, I expect we’ll be posting a little more frequently. We are beginning our travel preparations, and Mark’s sister is planning a “baby” shower for us! Lots to do…and we leave in about 5 weeks!
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About Christine
I am a writer, a project manager, and a corporate refugee with a heart for orphans around the world. My two daughters were adopted from Ukraine at ages 12 and 14. I post about writing, chasing dreams, and making a difference in the world, and sometimes I share fun snippets of fiction in-progress.