At Last….

No beating around the bush…We have finally been invited to travel to Ukraine for our second adoption!!

As I mentioned in my last post, we were hoping to travel to Ukraine in late fall to begin the local process to adopt Lena. Well, ever the literalist, God has organized the timing so that we travel in the final week of fall—we leave on 13 December, just a week before the first day of Winter.

As with Masha’s adoption, the first step of the process is a meeting on Wednesday, the 16th in Kyiv with the State Department of Adoptions (SDA). The SDA manages all adoptions within Ukraine, both domestic and international. In order to protect the children and maintain a manageable process, the Ukrainian system operates on a “blind referral” system. This means that children cannot be matched with parents for adoption before the adoptive parents travel to Ukraine and meet with the SDA. In cases where parents wish to request the adoption of a child that they’ve previously met (like on a previous trip or through a hosting program), this meeting is the first and only opportunity to request a referral for that particular child. While there is a small chance that the SDA will not approve our request, we don’t foresee any significant issues.

Following that meeting (and the first of many sets of paperwork), we will travel to the region in southeastern Ukraine and begin the local process for adoption. If all goes well, we will arrive on Friday morning, and will finally see Lena and be able to hold her in our arms again!

As wonderful as it will be to see her again, our primary focus over the next several days will be on obtaining all the necessary permissions and executing documentation in preparation for our local court hearing. Typically, the court hearing is held about a week after the parents’ arrival in the region. In our case, we expect a little bit of extra documentation, but we are praying to have our court hearing completed by the 29th. It is important to understand that scheduling is a little less precise and rigid than in the US; some of you may remember that we had less than an hour’s notice for our hearing last time?

Following the court hearing, there is a mandatory 10-day appeal period. This appeal period must end on a business day; if the 10th day falls on a weekend, we must wait through the following Monday, and the final court judgment can be retrieved (and we can take custody of Lena) on Tuesday. For several reasons, local accommodations and extreme parental boredom included, parents are discouraged from remaining in Ukraine during the appeal period. You may recall that we stayed last time, but after living through that during *good* weather, we realize the wisdom in returning home, especially during winter!

Because of the holidays, we had to book our return flights for very early on the morning of New Year’s Eve. If we can’t make it to Kyiv in time for that flight, we’ll be stuck there through the middle of the next week!

While both parents must be present for the court hearing, only one is required to take custody and do all of the “outprocessing.” This includes obtaining a new birth certificate and passport, as well as collecting all the appropriate immigration paperwork at the US embassy in Kyiv. The current plan is for Christine to return to Ukraine and take care of all of this while Mark stays home with Masha.

Beyond our firm departure for Kyiv on the evening of the 13th, and our appointment with the SDA on the 16th, all dates are subject to change. We have learned to trust our facilitators and translators, knowing that they are as motivated as we are to get us back home…but it also means that we have no control and very little information about the timelines until events actually unfold.

Our travel anxiety is much lower. We have the advantage of being familiar with the city and understanding the basic process. We know that we can pack light, as we can buy almost anything we need in the local grocery stores. We expect to have Internet access from our apartment via broadband card (thanks to the Stillwells!!). I have already started loading up my e-reader with the many books I’ve been meaning to read (recommendations, anyone?), and getting the iPods updated with some new tunes. We will probably carry more weight in personal electronics than in clothes!!

Regardless, there are still many things to take care of before we leave, most importantly, the Care and Feeding of the Mashroom! We have a dear family friend who has graciously agreed to stay at our house with Masha so she can keep her routine close to normal while we are gone. Anna, you and Gracie are true blessings to us! We are diligently preparing house manuals and schedules, and trying to make this as easy as possible on everyone!

I’m not certain how much I’ll be able to post between now and our departure, but I’ll try to get a couple more posts up before we leave. Thanks to all of you for your endless support, prayers, and interest!!