30 hours...

I was picked up at the apartment at 3am Thurs. (this is 7pm Wed. at home). My flight was scheduled for 5:35, but didn't actually leave until 6:35. This is where the day started to show what was in store for us. The first flight was supposed to be from Kiev to Frankfurt. In Frankfurt, I was supposed to have a 1 hour layover. Well, for those of you doing that little bit of math, you just realized that the delay in Kiev made me miss my connecting flight in Germany. But wait, let me backtrack a bit...In Kiev, I met up with Kevin (an adopting dad I had met previously) I was so happy to see that we were travelling the same route all the way to Chicago. We get along well, and he was so wonderful and willing to help me with my luggage and Patrick. OK, so back to Germany. Kevin and I had missed our flight. The person at the counter told us to go down a hallway to concourse A65 and get our new ticket there. We had to go through passport control first. Kevin went through first, no problem. I was next, PROBLEM! I didn't have a boarding pass at this point, and since Patrick has a Ukrainian passport, I needed a boarding pass for him to get through passport control. They wouldn't let Kevin come back through, they acted like it was a HUGE deal to change his status, so I told him to go ahead, I would catch up with him after I checked in at the other counter. OOPS! I walked back with Patrick to the other counter, but was stopped in the hallway. The hallway was packed, and closed off. Why? Because someone had left a bag unattended, so they called in the whole frickin' bomb squad and sniffer dogs. I waited almost a full hour for access to the counter. By this time I just knew Kevin had gotten on that plane already and I was on my own. I got to the counter after waiting in line, to learn that I was still at the wrong counter. I had to go over to the other line. Yes, I am dead serious, another line. I, at this point, had been in Germany for about 1 1/2 hours! This line was slow, because of this bomb scare, many people needed to switch there flights. When I finally got up there, they informed me that they couldn't get me on a flight with there airline, they were sending me to another airline. NOT HAPPY, new airline SUCKS, but I want to go home...so, I take the tickets. Of course, in switching airlines, I now have to go down a different corridor, which means I can't check to see if Kevin is still in Germany or not. I was hoping he had left, but had no way of checking. I got stopped at the security checkpoint, had to show my adoption papers to them, they unpacked my bags, read my court decree, everything, by the time I got to the gate after all that mess, they had given away my seat, I was on stand-by. I almost started crying at this point. The plane was scheduled to leave in 10 minutes, and I was on stand-by. They had given away my seat, so I didn't see much hope in me getting 2 seats. By the grace of God, I made it on this flight. Instead of going to Chicago, I headed to Philadelphia. This flight also left late, so again I arrived late in Philly. I had a 1 1/2 layover in Philly, but the flight was 45 minutes late. Yes, I had 45 minutes to get through customs, immigration and get to the ticket counter to get my boarding pass and recheck my bags. Guess what, they too chose me to do a thorough security check. I missed this flight as well! My layover turned into a 3 hour layover in Philly. At this point I hadn't slept, had barely eaten and I was startin' to get a little grouchy. Patrick was doing great. I still had no way of talking to anyone. I had called from the payphone to let Bill know flight status, but hadn't talked to anyone, and still was worried about where Kevin had ended up. I was able to get hold of my mom while I waited in Philly, so at least I knew my messages were being received by Bill. Anyway, I got to Nashville at 10pm Thurs. night, and walked in my door a little before midnight.

30 hours of travel, and I am still exhausted, and Patrick is and has done great. This little guy was a trooper! As bad as my day was with airlines and airports, I was blessed that Patrick was as good as he was. I wanted to act up and he held it together. In fact, while we were strolling around the Philly airport (if I sat down, I was afraid of falling asleep and missing another flight, so I walked the whole time!) he just sang his little songs and made so many people smile. It was nice to be on the side of the world where he was getting smiles instead of stares. I was even able to share our adoption story with 3 families and an airport worker. 1 family, the mom was a special needs teacher, so she was wonderful to speak with. The airport worker had been looking into international adoptions, so when I talked to her, I told her about Reece's Rainbow and all the great kids on there. She was so sweet, got down on the floor and was talking to Patrick...I hope she looks at the RR site and falls in love with someone!!

We're Home

I'm really really tired, and not really up to actually typing a post right now, but I wanted to let you all know trhat we are home and he loves his new brothers and sisters, and they love him! I will post pictures and our eventful return info when I can actually see straight. This jet lag thing is crazy!!!

It's Time......YAY!!!

I am getting picked up in 5 hours to head to the airport. For those of you doing the math, that means I am getting picked up at 3am (Kiev time). It is an awesome feeling, knnowing I am taking my son home to meet his family. I am so excited. This journey has helped me learn a lot about myself. I think I have grown a lot during this time. I have never been "on my own". I was very scared to be in a foreign country without my family, especially Bill, but I made it, and I think I am leaving here a better person than I was when I arrived. I have a new appreciation for my family. I have always appreciated them, don't get me wrong, but I think being away from the people you love the most makes you more aware of how much they mean to you. I am aching to hold my children again, and I can't wait to be in my husband's arms!

Ukraine will always hold a piece of my heart though. This country gave me Patrick, and I will forever be greatful to Ukraine and even Patrick's birth parents for this opportunity.

I hope that as JoAnn and I walked down the street this past week with 3 Down Syndrome children that someone saw us and learned that these kids deserve a chance. I hope that in adopting Patrick I have helped other people see the need for orphans around the world that need a forever family.

Next post will be from home, and...."There's no place like home!"

Funny Old Lady

Patrick likes to chew/ suck on his fingers when he is tired/ bored. Earlier today we were standing on the sidewalk waiting for Joann, and this old lady was walking by. SHe was just as cute as could be, so I smiled at her (i can't help it, she was an itty bitty cute old lady). Well, apparantly that smile gave her an invite to come over and give me a talkin' to! She did NOT approve of him having his fingers in his mouth. She raised her voice at me, while motioning that he should take his fingers out. I just smiled and said "it's okay, he's allowed". Of course, she didn't understand me, so instead she walked over to Patrick, pulled his fingers from his mouth and slapped his hand. He just laughed at her which kind of pissed her off. I laughed too at that point, cause that just doesn't happen in America, lol. It was funny. No harm done, she didn't beat him or anything. And, after he and I both laughed at her, she walked away with a look of disapproval. Funny too, because all this time since I've had Patrick with me and getting stared at, I though they were staring because he was "different", which didn't bother me, but maybe they were staring because he was sucking his fingers. This must be a much worse offense, lol. I'm actually gonna miss being here a little. It is a lot of fun, and this culture is amazing. I love watching and seeing the similarities and the differences. But still, I love America, I love my home, and I miss and love my family.

See you all soon!! :)

Return Flight Booked!

Yes, we have seats! We are booked and ready to go, but not until Thursday. Tomorrow is medical and visa day. But, other than that, we are done, and we are outta here!!!!!!!!!!!!

It came!

Yes, you read it right, the passport came! We are going home!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Frustrated

His passport did NOT come today. I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up, but I really want to go home! I miss my family, a LOT!

I bought Patrick an Mp3 player the other day. He really likes music, and I thought this would be nice for him on the long flight home. I downloaded some American children's songs, that was easy! I uploaded 2 cds that I brought with me that he seems to enjoy, that also was easy. Then I thought it would be nice to have some Russian children's songs on there too, not so easy. Oh, I found them, that wasn't hard, Amazon has several downloadable Russian tunes for kids. The problem is, you have to be in the US to download them. How dumb is that? I have to be in American to download a Russian song? I mean, it is actually in Russian, I heard samples....understood NOTHING! Why can't I get that while I'm actually here? My next step is to go and buy a Russian cd and upload it for him. I will just have to trust the sales clerk to point me in the right direction.

Please please pray that his passport comes tomorrow. I need to see my other children and my husband, I miss them soooooo much!!!

Opening back up to the public

Now that I am nearing the end and will hopefully return home soon, I am taking my blog off of the private setting. Once I am home I will then close down this blog and only use the family blog. Afterall, Patrick is now offically a part of our family and should be on the same page. Plus, who has time for two blogs? I hardly have time to to read my e-mail these days! Thanks to all of you who have encouraged me and supported me through this journey. I am still shocked and amazed that I am here and that Patrick is mine. I am honored that I am allowed to raise this child along side my homegrown children. I can't wait to get them all together and watch my family learn and grow together.

Truth

Here is a post adoption truth. I want to keep it real without scaring anyone away from wanting to adopt. Some things aren't going to be easy though. Here is what life has been like these first few days:

It's like having a baby around. You know when they first learn to crawl, and they are exploring. They are too young to really understand the dangers but they are everywhere all the time. They are across the room and into something at the blink of an eye, and nothing you say can distract them because they just don't understand. That's Patrick, only able to walk and run at full speed. Same mind set though, same goal. He wants to explore and learn, he just doens't know how to do that safely, and it's scary.

He doesn't understand and know not to touch, not to take his clothes off, not to do certain things that our homegrown children learn just from watching us. Some things I never had to teach my kids, they just learned by example. Patrick has never had an example to learn from. It is hard to discipline or correct him, he just laughs. He doesn't even understand simple discipline. I've had to stop cooking in the apartment, because it just isn't safe. The stove top here is very low and he can reach the back burner, and he wants to touch it when there is a pot there. No matter how many times I say no, no matter how harshly I say it, no matter how many times I try and redirect...he only wants the hot pot on the stove. So, we eat out. He actually does amazing eating out (thank God for that!).

But, it's hard. Truthfully, it's very hard. It's physically and emotionally draining to keep up with Patrick. Is it worth it, YES! Would I do it again tomorrow if I knew it would be this hard, YES! Sad, YES! But, I love him, and he is worth this little bit of hardship for me. To know that he will never see the inside of an institution and to know that he will go to sleep every night knowing he has a mommy and a daddy who forever will love him, it's worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our decision to bring him into our family.

So, that's my truth for the day, and now, this tired momma is going to join my sleeping angel and go to sleep!

My apartment smells like s#%^

Why? Because Patrick has picked up a lovely new habit. He strips all his clothes off, refuses to sit on the potty (I think he may be used to a smaller kid sized potty chair)and proceeds to pee and poop on the floor. Well, not always on the floor. At one point today, while I was on skype trying to help another family, he climbed into his stroller and used it as his restroom. I got him all cleaned up, cleaned the stroller..all is good. We went out for dinner, came home, gave him a bath. While I left him standing with his towel, I went to get his pajamas, and he peed and pooped in MY SHOE! I'm starting to hate (strong word, I know) the orphange people for allowing these children to run around naked and pee and poop in the yard whenever they had the need instead of taking them in to use the toilet. I have to untrain him and then retrain him. It honestly would have been easier for him to not be trained at all. It's hard to unteach something. We'll get it done though, and in the mean time, I get new shoes tomorrow!!!

And, by the way, even with all the pee and poop everywhere, I LOVE THIS KID!!!!!!!

First night and first full day together...

Last night was loooong. He was very hyper and really wasn't sure about this whole sleeping thing. He is definately used to sleeping in his bed in the room full of many other beds. Once I got him to stay in bed, I layed next to him and just gently rubbed his head and back until he fell asleep. However, that is not where the night ended. He woke up several times during the night, and I mean several! He was a very squirmy sleeper, but when he awoke, he would sit up and rock himself. This broke my heart. He didn't know that I was there for him, so now I have to teach him that even at night, he is not alone, I am there for him. Everytime I felt him rocking, I would lay him down, talk to him in a whisper and rub his head again (that seems to relax him). I'm thrilled that he let me comfort him even when he is half asleep, I think that in itself is a very good thing, but I hope to get to where he knows he can ask for me and not have to even begin to soothe himself. It was just so hard to see that.

Today we walked to the market to get some t.p. and other supplies, and on the way back got a phone call that our code thingy was in and we were going to apply for his passport today. So, we thten had to rush home, unload te groceries, repack the diaper bag and get to where we were getting picked up (all in less than 30 minutes). We were picked up at 11am and didn't get home until 3:30pm. It was a long day at the passport office, but one well spent. Thankfully tey had a playground outside, so while we were doing all this waiting, at least we had something fun to do. Poor guy was just worn out after so much adventure. In fact, it is 5pm now and he is still asleep, I am about to wake him up so we can go eat dinner.

Maybe he will sleep better tonight after such an active day?!

Anyway, all things considered, I think he is doing great! Have I mentioned just how much I love this guy??!!

Gotcha Day!!!

I have been waiting for this day since the middle of January. Some families wait longer, some shorter, but all wait, and wait, and wait. Today, I was able to walk out of the orphanage gates for the first time with Patrick...the best part, it was also the last time I will walk through those gates with Patrick! I hardly slept last night. My mind was racing, "do I have this, do I have that", "what if...", "can I do this", "what if he hates the real world". All night I prayed for God to clear my head and give me the confidence I needed for today, to give me the strength to make it through today, and to give me the knowledge to raise Patrick the way he deserves to be raised. I finally fell asleep around 5:30 this morning, and woke up around 7. I got up, got ready, sat and waited. I couldn't eat, my nerves were in knots.

My driver picked me up at 9:30 and we headed to Vorzel. The ride took longer this morning that usual, not really, but it sure did seam like we were never going to get there!

I got to the orphanage, my facilitator was in the office finishing up on paperwork, so I went on in and played with Patrick for a little bit while I waited. My phone rang and I was told to head to the office to sign some documents. So, I gave Patrick back to his caregivers and went to the office. Here I signed several pages of something, and then waited some more. I was standing outside his gates for a little over an hour, just waiting. I still don't really know what I was waiting for, but when they said to go in, I did. His caregivers had dressed him in the clothes I had brought for him, the ones his daddy had picked out. He looked so handsome! It was a little sad taking him away from his caregivers, my favorite one was there today, she has known and loved him since he was 2. She was very attached to him and him to her, but she is happy for him and my family, she knows I love him too and that I will take good care of him.

I carried him down the pathway, through the gates, and that is when it hit me. No tears until I literally walked through the gates. That's when I knew this was real. I have never been allowed to walk through the gates with him before and today I did, and it was AWESOME! My friend Gillian was standing right outside the gate and she was crying with me. I am so glad I was able to share that moment with someone.

We piled into the car and drove to the photo place for passport pictures. Patrick LOVED the car. His eyes were so wide while taking in all the new sites. He walked nicely into the picute place, holding my hand and stood nicely and smiled for his picture (thankfully Nadia was there to direct him in Russian for this). He listens so nicely, if he understands what you are telling him!

After that, Oleg was taking us all to our apartments. On the way to Gillian's, Patrick started stinkin'. Thankfully he had a diaper on. But, I underestmiated what that diaper could hold. Before I knew it, my legs were covered in diaper overflow! Oleg's car will never smell the same again! We were stuck in traffic at this point, so I proceeded to line Oleg's seats with plastic bags to change Patrick's diaper. Welcome to motherhood, right? (no seatbelt or carseat laws here, so this was totally legal too). Oh, what a mess!!! I ended up, because of the limited number of bags I had (some lining the seat and now gross, and some used to hold all the grossness) having to throw away his gotcha day outfit. It's ok, I still have my boy!

We got home, nice and clean now, I fed him some yogurt and crackers, gave him some milk. We played, and played and played and explored. He wore me out! I gave him a bath, fed him dinner, we played some more and now he is sleeping soundly in my bed. What a great day! I wouldn't have changed a thing. Not even the blow-out, I mean, what a great story, right??

Here are the pictures from today...all 4 outfits. He starts out in his "orphan" clothes, on to his gotcha day clothes, to his back up clothes (good thing I packed those this morning) then to his lounge/ sleep wear. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings with my little dude!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today's the day

Today is "gotcha day" the day when I will take Patrick out of te only home he has ever known and start a new life with him. It's scary to think that everything we see and do from here on out is going to be new to my 5 1/2 year old. Yet, it's exciting for me to be able to share so amny new adventures with him as well. I was upset that yesterday wasn't gotcha day, but today I am glad that it is today. Today is also my brother's birthday, so now this day will forever have double meaning!! Please pray for Patrick to not be afraid. Pray that we have a good life together and that we will be able to join the rest of our family soon.

Pictures later...wish me luck!!!

Ok, another one

In this video you will notice a little pair of hands that keeps popping into the shot. These hands belong to a certain little girl mentioned in the earlier post. She noticed she could watch the video in the screen and wanted to show her hand motions as well. I turned the video off and took pictures of her and showed them to her, she loves posing for the camera! You will also notice in both videos, that Patrick was scratching...this is not his chicken pox, these were little bugs flying around biting us. His chicken pox are 100% crusted over and the only remaining marks are on his belly and back.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here it is

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today was a very good visit

I got to the orphanage this morning, and the children were in the yard playing. Usually they are on the porch when I get there, which is walled in with a gate, so Patrick has to wait for me to get to him. Well, today I got to experience him running with his arms out to me! Wow, that does a momma's heart good. He ran right into my arms with the biggest smile and an even bigger hug for me. Man I love that little dude! We played with his groupa today instead of on our own. This was nice, cause I get to see how he is with the other kids and he enjoys showing off for me. His caregiver today (who just happens to be my favorite one!) sat them all down on a blanket and started singing children's songs with finger plays. It was so sweet. I have seen her do this with him before, because she was showing me how smart he was, but today I got to see her do about 30 minutes of songs and he did the motions for all of them and even "sang along". I have no clue what the songs were or even what most of them were about, but he did, and he LOVED it. I got video of him, he was all smiles. Another little girl got in my lap and was showing me how to do the motions, he thought that was great that momma was playing along too. He's okay with this one little girl sitting in my lap, but when she got down and another child tried to get in my lap, he jumped up and pushed them away and said "momma" and glared at them. I have to admit, I chuckled. He didn't want to share me, but he will let me hold this one little girl. I would bring her home in a heart beat. Her and Kylie would get along so well, but she is not adoptable.

So, after my visit, I met up with JoAnn for lunch at our buffet (we've claimed it as ours since we eat there so often...it's filling and cheap!). We then decided we should get some groceries since we are both getting our kis on Monday. Yes, you heard me, I am brining Patrick to the apartment on Monday!! I am so excited. To be honest, the only I am nervous about is cooking for him. Those of you that know me understand this better than those of you who only cyber-know me. JoAnn is going to help me make a chicken soup/ stew that i am hoping lasts a couple of days. I also bought him oatmeal and fruit and snacks. Sunday I will go back for yogurt, milk, bread and cookies. I haven't bought a huge thing of water yet, but there is a market right next door I will go to for that. It would have been to hard to carry too much with me up the street to my apartment. As it was, I ended up taking a taxi 3 blocks to my home. This was good, because as I got out of the cab, my bag broke. That would have been so much worse if I would have had to walk a long distance with a broken bag. From where he dropped me off, I just had to walk up the steps to my building with a broken bag, that could have been much worse.

For those of you coming to Kiev, here is a helpful bit of info. They charge for bags here. It's not much, but it is an extra cost. So, you have to know how many bags you will need (and you will bag your groceries yourself) before the transaction is complete. You can bring your own bags most places...ladies just keep them in your purse until check out time.

I think that's all I have for now. I am going to take a nap for now, it is over 95 degrees here, so I am not going anywhere for a while. Watch for some happy pictures later!!!!

On a happy note...

I was able to get Patrick's birth certificate today! He is offically on record as Patrick Thomas Shupp. Isn't that one of the sweetest names ever?!?!

I haven't posted many pictues lately. Without Bill there, it's just me visiting, so the camera doesn't come out as much, so I dug through and put a montage together of some of my favorites.

Enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Control

One thing I have learned about myself during this adoption process is that I don't like it when I don't have control of a situation. I never knew this about myself before. I thought I was a laid back kind of person. Never did I realize how upsetting it could be to not know what the day has in store or when things are going to happen. To have to put your trust in another person or people that you don't really know is scary. When completing an international adoption, you have to trust the people you are paired up with in country to be honest and to do the right thing. You have to do this while not really knowing what's going on. It's hard! It's scary! And, you do this without the support of the people at home that make you feel stronger (yes, they support you/ me, but they aren't HERE) than you probably really are. I say this not to scare anyone away from adopting internationally, but to prepare you. You HAVE to learn to hand it over to God, and learn it well! I'm still learning this little trick, and I know this whole process would be much easier if I could hand it to Him and leave it with Him....problem is, I keep taking it back. So, the truth is, I shouldn't be putting my trust or faith in these paople I barely know, but I should be placing it with God. I should be trusting Him to pair me with people who are trust worthy. I think He did. I like to think everything is on schedule and going as planned, but I just don't know. But, I am trying really really hard to have faith and trust in God that things are on schedule. I have to let go and be okay with the lack of control. That's really hard for a mom, I'm used to controlling the day...what happens, when it happens, and who it happens with. Not here, not now, I have no control!

I got nothin'

I hate to keep neglecting the blog, but there still isn't anything to report. I went and saw Patrick yesterday, and his chicken pox look much better. He is scabbing up nicely. i couldn't go today and I've been told I can't go tomorrow, but I'm not sure why. Nothing was done today, at least not by me and I've been told to stay in my apt. and wait tomorrow. I was told that I can for sure go see him on Wed. That's great, but I can't go Wed., because I have to switch apartments on Wed. My original lease has expired and they told me I could extend it but failed to mention that that meant moving. So, Wed. is moving day. So, hopefully I will be out of here by next Tues., or I have to move again. I'm ready to get Patrick and go home. I miss my husband and I miss my kids. I am tired!

Two choices

This e-mail was sent to me today, and I couldn't stop the tears as I read it. I had read it before, but now that I have Patrick in my life, it means even more than it did before. I pray Patrick has a community that will accept him the way these boys did Shay. I pray that this world accepts him and others like him with arms wide open and the purest of love in there hearts. The world would be a better place if we all acted as these children did for this one child:

What would you do?....you make the choice.

My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.Where is the natural order of things in my son?'The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact...The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher...The game would now be over.The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game...Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!Run to first!'Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!Shay, run to third!'As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team

'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.

Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

No news is, well, nothing!

I haven't posted in several days. Sorry about that. The truth is, there is just nothing to post about right now. I visited Patrick on Tues. and he has the chicken pox. I couldn't go Wed or Thurs because my driver had to put his car in the shop. I went today, and he has more chicken pox than before, but the ones that were there have already started to blister and crust. This is good. I think I start the post-adoption paperwork on Monday. Other than that, there is nothing to tell you. Sorry for the lack of excitement. But, now ya know!

My Monday

I was super lazy today. I knew I wasn't going to the orphange today, so I didn't set my alarm. I slept until 11:30! (guess i was tired...I haven't slept much since Bill went home) Anyway, I got up, read a little, did some laundry (stop laughing Patti, yes, I did WORK!!!) and took my shower to start my day. About 3:00 I finally left to get some lunch. After lunch I decided to do some shopping. walked through another mall and of course, after eating lunch and an ice-cream, I needed to visit te ladies room. They charge for this...2 grivna. So, I paid my way, started to go in, and the lady stopped me and accused me of not paying. I tried to explain that she took my money and didn't give me my ticket, but I guess she thought I was lying. So, I paid her again....she still didn't give me a ticket and charaded that I needed to pay her more. This was crazy! I was not going to continue this, I was only a few blocks from my apt. So, I gave her my evil eye (yeah right), turned around and headed for home. On the way, I decided to stop at another store (okay, I didn't have to go that bad!) and look at these really cute jeans... one of the stores in town had a pair of really cute jeans that I really really want, and they were on sale for only 100 grivna (like $23). I went in to try them on and they didn't have my size....European sizes are much different, and after trying on a size 40 and them not going much past my knees, I knew this was not good on my self-esteem! The other pair I bought were sized s, m and l...much easier that way! So, I gave up on the cute jeans. Gillian called at this point and I headed to her place, stopping at my apt. to "freshen up".

Gillian met me at her metro stop and we went to her MIL house. I really enjoyed my visit over there. Her MIL and BIL were very kind and Elaina put on several entertaining shows for us. We had pizza for dinner (good pizza!) Evie started getting sleepy, so Gillian's BIL walked me back to the metro stop. It was a fun night and I really needed the company today.

Now, I am back in the apartment and am about to put in the first episode of Everwood (I think that's what it's called)...we'll see if it's any good. Heck, even if it's not, I'll probably watch it, I don't have any English channels, lol!

Tomorrow, I see Patrick!!!

Guy on the street

Earlier, I was helping another RR family find some souvenir shops to buy things for there kids back home (this particular family is/ was only in Kiev for a few days before going on to another region, so they didn't have much time for exploring!), we had originally planned on doing some siteseeing with another RR family, but decided to stay a bit closer to home. All 5 of us were standing, looking at a map, and this "kid" walks up to us and asks if he can help us find where we are going. We were trying to figure out where this one museum was so that the one family could go there and I could go shopping with the other family. However, the map didn't show this one museum. The kid had never heard of it, and went off to find someone who knew where it was. He spoke near perfect English and was so excited to be able to help, it was kinda cute. Well, the 2 groups went our seperate ways, but then we bumped into this kid again and he started talking about European football (soccer), hockey and some other sports stuff. He talked forEVER, he was so proud that we understood him. Come to find out he had taught himself english, he had never been to an "english class" or even university. He was completely self taught. I think he was watching American ESPN and picked it up, because he was really only comfortable talking sports, lol. It was just too cute not to share. I hope this kid gets a job where he will be able to grow his english skills and have a good life, he had a good heart!

Todays visit

Patrick was sweet and cuddly when I got there today. They took him in for his morning snack and he returned as "crazy kid". Heehee! He was really testing me today to see if I would be able to control him without papa around. I did, it wore me out, but he knows mama is just as tough as papa now. It's hard to set boundaries when you are always being watched, and you really have no clue what these people think of you or what they are saying half the time. We play outside, the weather has been nice and hot, and inside has no air, so outside is better! However, they have this belief that if you sit on the ground you will get sick. Have you ever tried playing with a 5 year old and only sitting on a bench? I sit on the floor at home, outside, at the airport, you name it, I sit on the ground everywhere! This is really hard for me, because they don't want me on the ground either! I tried sitting on the ground and letting him sit on my lap, and they come running with there hands flying like I have done the unforgiveable. It's kinda funny actually, but also so annoying! I'm still enjoying my time with Patrick and getting to know him and all his quirks. He is quite the little character and I think he and the other kids will get along just fine!

I will post more pictures later, I know I am behin dwith pics of both Patrick and Kiev, but the upload time takes forever and I never have that much time! Maybe tomorrow?

Anyway, all is well here, as well as it can be anyways...will update more tomorrow. I'm off to bed!

I'm not so tough after all...

Bill left this morning at 2:30 (Ukraine time) and I hardly went back to sleep. Today, I haven't left the apt. and am feeling a bit down. It's very hard knowing your ENTIRE family is on the other side of the world. I thought this would be no big deal, and here he's not even on US soil and I'm already feeling mopey. There are plenty of RR families here so I know I will be okay, but it's just not the same as having my hubby or kids here with me. I pray this time goes quickly and Patrick and I can go join the rest of the family. Today I couldn't even visit him, maybe tomorrow I can.....guess we'll see!