This past weekend we traveled to my parents house to finally celebrate Christmas together! We are so thankful our family was willing to wait until we were home with Rance to celebrate! It was definitely weird wrapping presents, decorating a Christmas tree and filling stockings in the middle of February! It was so fun to watch Rance do all of this for the first time! It truly was treasured time with family!
Thursday evening we decorated the tree, well, mostly Rance and his cousin Gracie decorated the tree. My mom had found some plastic balls on clearance for them to use along with some candy canes. They were so proud of their decorating!
**First for Rance
-Decorating a Christmas Tree
-Spending the night at Grandma and Papa's house!
He got to sleep upstairs with his cousins! It melted my heart to hear their giggling after they had been tucked into bed!
The weather was pretty nice on Friday so the kids were able to play outside and enjoy being at the farm. Rance loves being outside, although I think he was a little unsure of all of the animals!
I think the highlight of our day was when Rance and our nephew put on their new costumes. Rance loves Spiderman and was elated with his new and first costume. He and my nephew began jumping on my sister's bed, wrestling around and being boys in costumes. The funny thing is every couple of minutes Rance would jump down off the bed to look at himself in the mirror. At first he would just look at himself, but eventually he began acting silly, showing off his muscles the costume provided and making faces. The rest of us sitting in the living room were rolling with laughter watching him. It was moments that will forever be embedded on my heart. Moments that every child should experience, much before the age of 6.
**Firsts for Rance
-Haircut
First thing on Friday Matt and Rance went to get haircuts. They went to an old school barber so I'm not loving the cuts, but I suppose its better than the shaggy hairdo's they were sporting! He did great!
-Swinging
He tried to swing on his own, which was pretty funny and quite cute, but I think he was starting to get it figured out by the end of the weekend!
-Seeing farm animals
He got to see some brand new baby calves, horses, and a duck. Probably more.
-Playing in the haybarn.
Definitely not scared to jump around on those haybales!
-Playing with sidewalk chalk.
-Riding a bike!
-Opening Christmas Presents!
Friday evening we opened our gifts from each other, except for those from my parents.
-Wearing his first costume!
Saturday we awoke to three months of shopping from a person who loves to give gifts. We heard Rance's favorite word, "WOW!" with every present he opened. It broke our hearts yet filled them with joy at the same time. With one gift we even heard a "Really Wow!" We're not even sure where he learned the word really, which made it even more sweet.
Saturday was a relaxing day with our traditional family brunch after opening gifts, then time to play games, and enjoy being together. The only thing missing was a fire in the fireplace, but it was just too warm. My mom tried to convince my dad to turn on the a.c. to balance out the fire, but he didn't go for it.
**First for Rance
-Christmas morning, presents and stockings.
Sunday morning we got up and went to church with my parents. It had been a long time since I had been to the church I grew up in. With Matt working every Sunday we normally come home on Saturday nights. However, the church family had been so supportive and encouraging to us through the adoption process I wanted them to be able to meet Rance. So while Matt went home Saturday night, the boys and I stayed behind. Everyone loved meeting Rance and Grandma and Papa loved showing off their newest grandson.
Its good to be home once more, although I again face unpacking, laundry, and trying to find a place for all of the new toys the boys got. I am so ready to have my house organized!!Tomorrow I will begin shopping around for some cheap shelves, tubs or whatever I can find to help me get organized!
Today I got some things done, but it takes forever when you're having to rearrange everything to try and squeeze in the new things. I did finally take down our Christmas tree and the few decorations I had gotten out! I was sad at first, as I love Christmas, but then I remembered I could get out my hand painted eggs from Austria, which I also love.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Finally
We have absolutely loved being home, but boy, the unpacking has been brutal! It would help of course if we were home!
Saturday we traveled to Palmyra to celebrate the life of my Great Uncle Walter Tuley, Sr. While most people hardly know their great aunts and uncles, Uncle Walter was in many ways like a second Grandpa to me. In fact, after my own Grandpa passed away, I remember Uncle Walter coming over to me, putting his hand on my shoulder and telling me it would be ok, he would be there for me, and he was. Uncle Walter and my Grandpa were alike in so many ways, so while a few of his grandchildren shared memories of their grandfather, I couldn't help the tears that came to my own eyes as many of their memories were just like mine.
**First for Rance
-Drinking out of a Water Fountain! Hilarious to say the least! Not sure what received more water, Rance's clothes or his stomach!!
We had been debating on if we should take Rance to church on Sunday or not. However, we figured if he had survived the massive Tuley family with flying colors he could definitely handle church! Rance was a little more shy on Sunday morning but he did great. He played with Cavin and I in the nursery the first hour and then went to church with me the second hour. During church he couldn't get over the big "television screens" and he absolutely loved the music! He clapped away and tried to sing along! We were again impressed with how well he did in completely new surroundings and meeting lots of new people!
**First for Rance
-Eating his first donut!! He loved it!
Monday we took Rance to his first day of school. Although he is 6 and should be in Kindergarten, we decided preschool would be a better fit for him at this time. I am not sure what Rance's perception of school is, but every time we have asked him if he wants to go, he says no. So I had to literally drag him to the car Monday morning to leave for school. We went into the Valentine's Day party and he was able to meet his friends (he was again shy), and participate in the party. He didn't want to give his Spiderman valentine's away at first, then I showed him that the other kids had valentines to give him. Once he realized what was happening, he was happy to put a valentine in each box. I think he really liked school and he told Matt last night during his bath that he went to school and said yes when Matt asked him if he liked it. He did ask to go home a few times, asked to go play with Cavin once, and still says he doesn't want to go back to school!
**Firsts for Rance
-Going to School
-Using scissors and glue
-Valentine's Party!
I was really tired yesterday for some reason, so my plans for a big homecooked meal complete with Matt's favorites for Valentine's day didn't happen. Instead he ended up going and getting 2 Little Ceasar's hot and ready pizza's. I fell asleep at 7:30 while Matt watched KU lose to K-State. What a romantic Valentine's day, huh?
Tuesday, finally a day at home for the boys and I! I wanted to take Rance to school, but we don't feel he is ready to be left alone yet, and I desperately needed a day at home to catch up. So we stayed home so I could get some stuff done! I have finally caught up on the laundry, I have one more load to fold and then I should be done for a few days! I jokingly told Matt if this is what laundry for a family of four looks like, maybe we'll be done having kids! I was able to get my kitchen cleaned up although I still have a lot of deep cleaning in there that I want to get done. But my big accomplishment was getting everything unpacked and put away. I have swept my hard floors but still need to run the vaccuum on the upstairs carpet. Not to bad, I don't think, with lots of breaks inbetween to play with the boys, help them with something, feed them, change diapers and the like. It feels so good to have my house somewhat organized and cleaned again!
Firsts for Rance
-Blowing bubbles! Someone gave him a bottle and he has been dying to use them. Finally this afternoon we went outside and he blew bubbles! Lots of giggles!
Tomorrow, we try school again....praying Rance does well!
Saturday we traveled to Palmyra to celebrate the life of my Great Uncle Walter Tuley, Sr. While most people hardly know their great aunts and uncles, Uncle Walter was in many ways like a second Grandpa to me. In fact, after my own Grandpa passed away, I remember Uncle Walter coming over to me, putting his hand on my shoulder and telling me it would be ok, he would be there for me, and he was. Uncle Walter and my Grandpa were alike in so many ways, so while a few of his grandchildren shared memories of their grandfather, I couldn't help the tears that came to my own eyes as many of their memories were just like mine.
**First for Rance
-Drinking out of a Water Fountain! Hilarious to say the least! Not sure what received more water, Rance's clothes or his stomach!!
We had been debating on if we should take Rance to church on Sunday or not. However, we figured if he had survived the massive Tuley family with flying colors he could definitely handle church! Rance was a little more shy on Sunday morning but he did great. He played with Cavin and I in the nursery the first hour and then went to church with me the second hour. During church he couldn't get over the big "television screens" and he absolutely loved the music! He clapped away and tried to sing along! We were again impressed with how well he did in completely new surroundings and meeting lots of new people!
**First for Rance
-Eating his first donut!! He loved it!
Monday we took Rance to his first day of school. Although he is 6 and should be in Kindergarten, we decided preschool would be a better fit for him at this time. I am not sure what Rance's perception of school is, but every time we have asked him if he wants to go, he says no. So I had to literally drag him to the car Monday morning to leave for school. We went into the Valentine's Day party and he was able to meet his friends (he was again shy), and participate in the party. He didn't want to give his Spiderman valentine's away at first, then I showed him that the other kids had valentines to give him. Once he realized what was happening, he was happy to put a valentine in each box. I think he really liked school and he told Matt last night during his bath that he went to school and said yes when Matt asked him if he liked it. He did ask to go home a few times, asked to go play with Cavin once, and still says he doesn't want to go back to school!
**Firsts for Rance
-Going to School
-Using scissors and glue
-Valentine's Party!
I was really tired yesterday for some reason, so my plans for a big homecooked meal complete with Matt's favorites for Valentine's day didn't happen. Instead he ended up going and getting 2 Little Ceasar's hot and ready pizza's. I fell asleep at 7:30 while Matt watched KU lose to K-State. What a romantic Valentine's day, huh?
Tuesday, finally a day at home for the boys and I! I wanted to take Rance to school, but we don't feel he is ready to be left alone yet, and I desperately needed a day at home to catch up. So we stayed home so I could get some stuff done! I have finally caught up on the laundry, I have one more load to fold and then I should be done for a few days! I jokingly told Matt if this is what laundry for a family of four looks like, maybe we'll be done having kids! I was able to get my kitchen cleaned up although I still have a lot of deep cleaning in there that I want to get done. But my big accomplishment was getting everything unpacked and put away. I have swept my hard floors but still need to run the vaccuum on the upstairs carpet. Not to bad, I don't think, with lots of breaks inbetween to play with the boys, help them with something, feed them, change diapers and the like. It feels so good to have my house somewhat organized and cleaned again!
Firsts for Rance
-Blowing bubbles! Someone gave him a bottle and he has been dying to use them. Finally this afternoon we went outside and he blew bubbles! Lots of giggles!
Tomorrow, we try school again....praying Rance does well!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Long Awaited Pics!
This is our second family picture taken of us. It was taken just a few days before we were finally able to pick Rance up from the orphanage forever! It was taken the day we had brought the clothes we had bought for him to try on.
Love my boys!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wow!!
I can't tell you how many times we have heard this word. Everything is so new to Rance. His eyes light up, his smile is big, and with awe he will whisper "wow!" It melts my heart!
We arrived home to discover a couple of surprises. We hadn't done much to prepare for the addition of our newest son, since we were so unsure on ages and sizes and interests. We knew Rance would be sharing a room with Cavin, so we cleaned out the closet to make room for Rance's things and rearranged the room to add a toddler bed in the mix. The rest I was planning on figuring out and organizing when we got home.
After finding out Rance was 6, some of our closets friends decided it would be helpful and fun to get the room ready for us. I am not a fan of surprises, and I am a perfectionist, which creates two problems. One, I am sure my house was not up to my standards yet company was in it. Secondly, I am typically really picky on how I want things, to the point normally Matt just stays out of the way.
I will say I knew something was up, as my friends had my mom trying to hint around and ask questions without letting me know what was really going on. But I wasn't expecting anything quite so big. Rance has his very own twin sized bed, complete with the comforter I had been saving up to buy for him! They also redecorated the walls a bit, something I was wanting to do after we got home. They also bought a nice 6 cube shelf for the closet to help organize clothes.
Rance walked in his room and his eyes lit up, and with a look of awe on his face he said, "Wow!". Matt and I wholeheartedly agreed! All four of us really love the room! Although it might of pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit, it has been a tremendous blessing to us!
They had also organized a "shower" or sorts and we walked into our living room to find several gifts for Rance. He had fun opening each gift, although like any child he much preferred the few toys over all the clothes! We had bought only 1 pair of pants and 2 shirts so it was perfect that we had some clothes here for Rance to wear!
Rance slept great in his new bed and Matt and I couldn't get over how comfortable our bed was! Cavin slept ok for not feeling well, and was up at 4:30am.
Yesterday we took Cavin to the doctor to find out he had one ear that was healing from an infection (Kiev) while his other ear was becoming quite infected. While Matt took Cavin to the doctor I went with my mom and sister to get some necessities for Rance and other things we needed for ourselves. I needed to pick up a few clothes for Cavin as he has gotten so tall, so we stopped by the Carter's outlet and I found some great deals on clothes for Cavin and of course, some clothes for Rance! I got everything for only a couple of dollars except for one shirt that was $4!
We came home to eat lunch and relax for a bit, but then we decided it was so nice to be out that we left again! We went to get Matt's glasses fixed and look at some frames for Rance. Then we headed to Target. Oh, how I have missed Target!
Next we headed to see our chiropractor, whom we have really missed! It felt so good to get adjusted! Even Rance got adjusted! After watching mommy and daddy do it, he didn't hesitate when the doctor said it was his turn. He just climed right up on the table and laid down. I had Matt check while he was being adjusted, and Matt said he had a grin on his face the whole time! As we were leaving the doctor gave him two stickers and one silly band bracelet, both items a first for Rance. To each item Rance promptly said "Wow!" in his awestruck way. I couldn't even get him to zip his coat up over the stickers on his shirt to go outside!
We made a few more stops on our way home, well I did. The boys waited in the van. We have all this lovely snow outside, so I was looking for snowpants for the boys and a couple of sleds. Rance has never played in the snow before! I think people here are a little ahead of themselves though as I couldn't find a single pair of snowpants in Rance's size nor any sleds in the Wal-Marts and Targets I looked in. I could find everything one would need to get their swimming pool up and running, swimsuits, and lots of shorts and tank tops!
Last night we had a nice, relaxing evening at home. The boys played while Matt and I began to tackle our mountain of laundry and the tedious task of unpacking. I really don't like unpacking!
We arrived home to discover a couple of surprises. We hadn't done much to prepare for the addition of our newest son, since we were so unsure on ages and sizes and interests. We knew Rance would be sharing a room with Cavin, so we cleaned out the closet to make room for Rance's things and rearranged the room to add a toddler bed in the mix. The rest I was planning on figuring out and organizing when we got home.
After finding out Rance was 6, some of our closets friends decided it would be helpful and fun to get the room ready for us. I am not a fan of surprises, and I am a perfectionist, which creates two problems. One, I am sure my house was not up to my standards yet company was in it. Secondly, I am typically really picky on how I want things, to the point normally Matt just stays out of the way.
I will say I knew something was up, as my friends had my mom trying to hint around and ask questions without letting me know what was really going on. But I wasn't expecting anything quite so big. Rance has his very own twin sized bed, complete with the comforter I had been saving up to buy for him! They also redecorated the walls a bit, something I was wanting to do after we got home. They also bought a nice 6 cube shelf for the closet to help organize clothes.
Rance walked in his room and his eyes lit up, and with a look of awe on his face he said, "Wow!". Matt and I wholeheartedly agreed! All four of us really love the room! Although it might of pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit, it has been a tremendous blessing to us!
They had also organized a "shower" or sorts and we walked into our living room to find several gifts for Rance. He had fun opening each gift, although like any child he much preferred the few toys over all the clothes! We had bought only 1 pair of pants and 2 shirts so it was perfect that we had some clothes here for Rance to wear!
Rance slept great in his new bed and Matt and I couldn't get over how comfortable our bed was! Cavin slept ok for not feeling well, and was up at 4:30am.
Yesterday we took Cavin to the doctor to find out he had one ear that was healing from an infection (Kiev) while his other ear was becoming quite infected. While Matt took Cavin to the doctor I went with my mom and sister to get some necessities for Rance and other things we needed for ourselves. I needed to pick up a few clothes for Cavin as he has gotten so tall, so we stopped by the Carter's outlet and I found some great deals on clothes for Cavin and of course, some clothes for Rance! I got everything for only a couple of dollars except for one shirt that was $4!
We came home to eat lunch and relax for a bit, but then we decided it was so nice to be out that we left again! We went to get Matt's glasses fixed and look at some frames for Rance. Then we headed to Target. Oh, how I have missed Target!
Next we headed to see our chiropractor, whom we have really missed! It felt so good to get adjusted! Even Rance got adjusted! After watching mommy and daddy do it, he didn't hesitate when the doctor said it was his turn. He just climed right up on the table and laid down. I had Matt check while he was being adjusted, and Matt said he had a grin on his face the whole time! As we were leaving the doctor gave him two stickers and one silly band bracelet, both items a first for Rance. To each item Rance promptly said "Wow!" in his awestruck way. I couldn't even get him to zip his coat up over the stickers on his shirt to go outside!
We made a few more stops on our way home, well I did. The boys waited in the van. We have all this lovely snow outside, so I was looking for snowpants for the boys and a couple of sleds. Rance has never played in the snow before! I think people here are a little ahead of themselves though as I couldn't find a single pair of snowpants in Rance's size nor any sleds in the Wal-Marts and Targets I looked in. I could find everything one would need to get their swimming pool up and running, swimsuits, and lots of shorts and tank tops!
Last night we had a nice, relaxing evening at home. The boys played while Matt and I began to tackle our mountain of laundry and the tedious task of unpacking. I really don't like unpacking!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Flying Home!
We woke up at 1:30am Kiev time to begin our journey home. Matt and I both wanted to shower and we needed time to pack up our last minute things. We woke the boys up at 2 after Matt and Yuri had very carefully crammed all of our stuff into his car. It was about a 30 minute drive to the airport. It wasn't until we arrived at the airport that it actually began to feel like we were on our way home! Because we had two kiddos in tow we were whisked through check in, customs, and security. It was wonderfully free of stress! Both of the boys ran around like crazy until it was time to board flight one of three. Our first flight was from Kiev to Frankfurt and was rather uneventful. Once Cavin fell asleep Matt napped with him while I stayed awake with Rance.
Our layover in Frankfurt was short, just enough time to grab some coffee for me, Coke for Matt, and a snack for the boys. I got some cute pictures of both boys in front of our plane. It was a "double-decker." Rance was in awe and couldn't get over how big it was! We were blessed this time with bulkhead seats, in my opinion, a definite must for any flights with little ones, but especially long flights! There is actually space for a child to get down and walk or play in front of the seats without getting in the way in the asile.
The first part of our second flight was rough. Cavin's fever had returned and I could tell he was exhausted and not feeling well. He was crying with quiet, but still high pitched, screams mixed in. He cried for 45 minutes until I finally got him to sleep. Eventually we were able to get the bassinet put up and we were shocked as Cavin slept for 5--yes 5--hours out of our 9 hour flight. It took us a while to convince Rance that he needed to sleep as well, but once he sat still for a few minutes he was asleep as well. He slept for about 4 hours. I was able to sleep most of the time the boys were, while Matt dozed while watching a movie.
The last part of the flight was filled with coloring and playing and entertaining both boys. We were very pleased with how well both boys did during the 8 hours and 50 minute flight!!
We arrived in Chicago and Rance stepped foot on United States soil for the first time, becoming a legal citizen!! After we got off of the plane and out of the way, I stopped on one knee and told Rance "Welcome to America." As we walked towards customs Rance kept repeating "America" over and over again, pronouncing it A-mer-ri-ca, rolling the second r sound, with a sound of awe in his voice. Too cute.
Going through customs was a little stressful, you have to pick up all of your luggage, take it to get scanned and then recheck it with your airline. Plus we had two little boys who just wanted to run and exert all of the pent up energy from being cramped in an airplane for almost 9 hours, when we needed them to be still! Thankfully most of the security officers were understanding, and we made it through in okay time.
We got our bags rechecked and through security again and headed off to our gate for our final flight only to find that our flight to Saint Louis had been delayed over an hour. Ugh. We stopped at Chili's to eat a little bit and rest while we made our first phone calls in over 2 and 1/2 months!
It was hard keeping the boys calm while we waited, but thankfully Cavin took a short nap and Rance rested while listening to some music on an ipod. He is starting to sing along with some of the songs! He still needs to learn not to sing along so loudly...
We finally borded our flight to Saint Louis, which thankfully was up, and basically right back down. Rance sat next to me and we colored most of the way while Matt and Cavin played with his busy book. Rance loved seeing all of the lights on the ground, lots of "ooh's, aah's and wow's!" We landed and were off to meet family!
Papa and Grandma Tuley, Unce Nate, cousins-Gracie and Samuel, and Aunt Becca were there waiting to meet us! Rance was pretty shy, but still said hi to everyone and gave them all hugs. Cavin and Rance both slept on the drive back to our house.
We were so excited to finally be home. All day Rance had been asking us when we were going to be at his new home. When we landed in Saint Louis he asked if the airport was his house, even though he had seen pictures of our house, I think he was just so ready to be there already!
Our layover in Frankfurt was short, just enough time to grab some coffee for me, Coke for Matt, and a snack for the boys. I got some cute pictures of both boys in front of our plane. It was a "double-decker." Rance was in awe and couldn't get over how big it was! We were blessed this time with bulkhead seats, in my opinion, a definite must for any flights with little ones, but especially long flights! There is actually space for a child to get down and walk or play in front of the seats without getting in the way in the asile.
The first part of our second flight was rough. Cavin's fever had returned and I could tell he was exhausted and not feeling well. He was crying with quiet, but still high pitched, screams mixed in. He cried for 45 minutes until I finally got him to sleep. Eventually we were able to get the bassinet put up and we were shocked as Cavin slept for 5--yes 5--hours out of our 9 hour flight. It took us a while to convince Rance that he needed to sleep as well, but once he sat still for a few minutes he was asleep as well. He slept for about 4 hours. I was able to sleep most of the time the boys were, while Matt dozed while watching a movie.
The last part of the flight was filled with coloring and playing and entertaining both boys. We were very pleased with how well both boys did during the 8 hours and 50 minute flight!!
We arrived in Chicago and Rance stepped foot on United States soil for the first time, becoming a legal citizen!! After we got off of the plane and out of the way, I stopped on one knee and told Rance "Welcome to America." As we walked towards customs Rance kept repeating "America" over and over again, pronouncing it A-mer-ri-ca, rolling the second r sound, with a sound of awe in his voice. Too cute.
Going through customs was a little stressful, you have to pick up all of your luggage, take it to get scanned and then recheck it with your airline. Plus we had two little boys who just wanted to run and exert all of the pent up energy from being cramped in an airplane for almost 9 hours, when we needed them to be still! Thankfully most of the security officers were understanding, and we made it through in okay time.
We got our bags rechecked and through security again and headed off to our gate for our final flight only to find that our flight to Saint Louis had been delayed over an hour. Ugh. We stopped at Chili's to eat a little bit and rest while we made our first phone calls in over 2 and 1/2 months!
It was hard keeping the boys calm while we waited, but thankfully Cavin took a short nap and Rance rested while listening to some music on an ipod. He is starting to sing along with some of the songs! He still needs to learn not to sing along so loudly...
We finally borded our flight to Saint Louis, which thankfully was up, and basically right back down. Rance sat next to me and we colored most of the way while Matt and Cavin played with his busy book. Rance loved seeing all of the lights on the ground, lots of "ooh's, aah's and wow's!" We landed and were off to meet family!
Papa and Grandma Tuley, Unce Nate, cousins-Gracie and Samuel, and Aunt Becca were there waiting to meet us! Rance was pretty shy, but still said hi to everyone and gave them all hugs. Cavin and Rance both slept on the drive back to our house.
We were so excited to finally be home. All day Rance had been asking us when we were going to be at his new home. When we landed in Saint Louis he asked if the airport was his house, even though he had seen pictures of our house, I think he was just so ready to be there already!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Visa!!!!
We cannot believe the adoption process is finally over...its really finished...we're kind of in shock!
We to got to the Embassy, paid the fee for the visa, and then submitted another paper they were needing. Then we waited for our names to be called for the interview.
After about 15 minutes we were called back for the interview. I didn't really know what to expect, but beings they call it an interview I was expecting to be asked some questions. However, all they did was make us swear that we had filled out the paperwork truthfully, then sign all of the papers. Then we were told, "Congratulations, your visa process is completed!" Please wait while we get the visa printed within the next hour!
So we walked around the corner to a waiting room where they had some toys and books. I read a few books to Rance while Matt kept up with Cavin. Then I began speaking with a woman who was adopting their third child, an adorable 22 month old girl, from Ukraine (they had adopted the older 2 siblings last year). In about 30 minutes our names were called again, Rance's visa was printed and ready! I wrapped up my conversation with the lady and out we went!
We're now back at the apartment and soon the packing will begin in earnest!
Still cannot believe the adoption is finally complete!! We are really getting excited to be home!!
Please pray for packing to go smoothly, for the boys to go to bed early so we can finish up and get some sleep ourselves. Yuri will be at our apartment to pick us up at 2:50am...yah. It will be interesting trying to cram all of our stuff into his car and then waking the boys up at such a crazy hour. Our flight leaves Ukraine at 5:30am, which is 9:30pm tonight STL time. We have layovers in Munich, Germany and Chicago. Total travel time:22 hours.
Please pray for no delays in our flights and for safe travel!
We're praying the boys will sleep during our first flight to Munich and the first part of our transatlantic flight to help with the time change back to the States. Then we're praying they will be well behaved for the remainder of our flight time.
My next blog update will be Stateside!! I know you are all anxious to see pictures, please be patient with us, they are coming, we promise!
We to got to the Embassy, paid the fee for the visa, and then submitted another paper they were needing. Then we waited for our names to be called for the interview.
After about 15 minutes we were called back for the interview. I didn't really know what to expect, but beings they call it an interview I was expecting to be asked some questions. However, all they did was make us swear that we had filled out the paperwork truthfully, then sign all of the papers. Then we were told, "Congratulations, your visa process is completed!" Please wait while we get the visa printed within the next hour!
So we walked around the corner to a waiting room where they had some toys and books. I read a few books to Rance while Matt kept up with Cavin. Then I began speaking with a woman who was adopting their third child, an adorable 22 month old girl, from Ukraine (they had adopted the older 2 siblings last year). In about 30 minutes our names were called again, Rance's visa was printed and ready! I wrapped up my conversation with the lady and out we went!
We're now back at the apartment and soon the packing will begin in earnest!
Still cannot believe the adoption is finally complete!! We are really getting excited to be home!!
Please pray for packing to go smoothly, for the boys to go to bed early so we can finish up and get some sleep ourselves. Yuri will be at our apartment to pick us up at 2:50am...yah. It will be interesting trying to cram all of our stuff into his car and then waking the boys up at such a crazy hour. Our flight leaves Ukraine at 5:30am, which is 9:30pm tonight STL time. We have layovers in Munich, Germany and Chicago. Total travel time:22 hours.
Please pray for no delays in our flights and for safe travel!
We're praying the boys will sleep during our first flight to Munich and the first part of our transatlantic flight to help with the time change back to the States. Then we're praying they will be well behaved for the remainder of our flight time.
My next blog update will be Stateside!! I know you are all anxious to see pictures, please be patient with us, they are coming, we promise!
Monday, February 7, 2011
U.S. Visa:Part One
This morning Matt and Rance left the apartment at 8am to head to the International Hospital here in Kiev to start on the first part of getting an immigrant visa for Rance to enter the States. Since Cavin was still feverish and not feeling well he and I stayed behind. Matt said they had to wait a long time before they were seen by the doctor. Definitely glad I stayed behind with the fussy baby! They finally got in and Rance was examined by the doctor. Then she looked through his medical history, filled out a vaccination chart in English and then filled out a bunch of paperwork for us to submit to the U.S. Embassy on his medical history.
Meanwhile I was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to come and pick Cavin and I up for our appointment at the Embassy at 10:30! Finally around 10:10 Yuri called to tell me they were close and to head downstairs. Our appointment was smooth and easy. I stood at a window and a very kind lady helped me finish filling out the parts of the paperwork we were unsure about. The lady had sent Matt and the boys to a waiting room around the corner to play while I finished up the paperwork. It took me about 20 minutes to get everything finished up and then we were on our way!
Tomorrow at 2:00 we will go back to the Embassy for our second appointment, which is our official interview. We don't really know what to expect, but I imagine it will be fairly simple. We should have his visa around an hour after our interview! Once we have his visa we are completely ready to come back to the States!
Tonight we will begin reorganizing things and packing up!
One of Rance's new phrases is "I don't know." He first heard it during a phone conversation with my mom and has since mastered the phrase. Today while they were waiting for the doctor Rance was trying to name Ukrainian letters using the English alphabet. He would ask what a letter was and Matt would say it, then he would repeat it. Until they came to a letter in the Ukrainian alphabet that is unknown to Matt, he would say "I don't know," which Rance would then repeat. Its pretty cute!
We also tried McDonald's again today. We would have rather ate elsewhere but like in the States, its much cheaper than other places to eat, so that's where we headed. The first time we tried a cheeseburger which Rance didn't know how to eat and wasn't fond of. So today I tried chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce, and we he devoured all 4 of them, using the entire thing of sauce! He even tried to eat the sweet and sour sauce straight from the container, which we quickly told him no too. But it made me think of my Grandpa Tuley, who first introduced me to sweet and sour sauce! He loved that stuff, I suppose he would be proud I have continued to pass the love of the sauce down to my kiddos too. Lol.
I'm off to get the boys to bed and to get some stuff done before we finally get some sleep.
Please be praying for us to get the visa tomorrow shortly after our appointment!
Please also continue to pray for Cavin to get better! His fever is still hanging on, his nose is still running, and he still isn't feeling well. We are praying he is much better by Wednesday when we travel.
Meanwhile I was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to come and pick Cavin and I up for our appointment at the Embassy at 10:30! Finally around 10:10 Yuri called to tell me they were close and to head downstairs. Our appointment was smooth and easy. I stood at a window and a very kind lady helped me finish filling out the parts of the paperwork we were unsure about. The lady had sent Matt and the boys to a waiting room around the corner to play while I finished up the paperwork. It took me about 20 minutes to get everything finished up and then we were on our way!
Tomorrow at 2:00 we will go back to the Embassy for our second appointment, which is our official interview. We don't really know what to expect, but I imagine it will be fairly simple. We should have his visa around an hour after our interview! Once we have his visa we are completely ready to come back to the States!
Tonight we will begin reorganizing things and packing up!
One of Rance's new phrases is "I don't know." He first heard it during a phone conversation with my mom and has since mastered the phrase. Today while they were waiting for the doctor Rance was trying to name Ukrainian letters using the English alphabet. He would ask what a letter was and Matt would say it, then he would repeat it. Until they came to a letter in the Ukrainian alphabet that is unknown to Matt, he would say "I don't know," which Rance would then repeat. Its pretty cute!
We also tried McDonald's again today. We would have rather ate elsewhere but like in the States, its much cheaper than other places to eat, so that's where we headed. The first time we tried a cheeseburger which Rance didn't know how to eat and wasn't fond of. So today I tried chicken nuggets with sweet and sour sauce, and we he devoured all 4 of them, using the entire thing of sauce! He even tried to eat the sweet and sour sauce straight from the container, which we quickly told him no too. But it made me think of my Grandpa Tuley, who first introduced me to sweet and sour sauce! He loved that stuff, I suppose he would be proud I have continued to pass the love of the sauce down to my kiddos too. Lol.
I'm off to get the boys to bed and to get some stuff done before we finally get some sleep.
Please be praying for us to get the visa tomorrow shortly after our appointment!
Please also continue to pray for Cavin to get better! His fever is still hanging on, his nose is still running, and he still isn't feeling well. We are praying he is much better by Wednesday when we travel.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Our Last Sunday!
Cavin has still been battling whatever sickness he has. Thursday night he spiked a low grade fever that turned into a higher fever on Friday. Knowing he had an infection and a fever was a natural part of fighting infection, I decided to just give him tylenol and wait it out a few days.
His fever would break with the tylenol and then go right back up as it wore off. This continued Friday, and all day Saturday. Worried he might have an ear infection and being so close to flying, I decided to call Dr.Yuri and he came back to the apartment Saturday night. Dr. Yuri agreed that the fever was part of the process of fighting off an infection, but also knew our concern with flying. We both decided it would be best to get some antibiotics and get rid of the infection before flying. He walked down to the pharmacy and came back with an antibiotic that we began giving to Cavin Saturday night.
Cavin slept well last night but you can tell our poor little guy is sick. He has still had a fever, although it hasn't been as high as it was. Hopefully he is on the mend and will be better by Tuesday night before flying Wednesday morning.
Saturday morning we kept hearing this beeping sound and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I went to change Cavin's diaper and lo and behold, the thermometer was on, in the pantleg of his pj's! In case you're wondering, his foot temperature was 97.1! Lol.
We have taken his temperature often so Cavin has naturally learned what the thermometer is for. Several times he has grabbed the thermometer and tried to put it down his shirt to take his own temperature. The funny thing is most times he can't get it back out, so he just lets it fall down his shirt or pajama's and goes on about his business!
Rance is doing well. He absolutely loves baths. Last night was the first night since we got Rance that we haven't done baths for the boys. Dr. Yuri was here late and we just didn't get around to it. Rance was pretty sad about it, but we promised he could take a bath "tomorrow." He is currently playing away in the bath tub while I type this.
**First for Rance
-Putting his head completely under water! I guessed he just did this by the amount of coughing I just heard and Matt just confirmed it. Now to teach him to close his mouth...
We have been going through the slide show we made him a while ago to introduce him to his family at home. He has Grandma and Papa down and is working on the names of all of his aunts, uncles and cousins! He had a really hard time saying Christen, the first few times he said it, it came out more like "Christmas!" Now he's got all of the names down and they have been added into the other words he randomly says throughout the day.
Tomorrow morning at 8 Matt and Rance will head to the embassy for Rance's medical evaluation/exam. Then they will come by and pick up Cavin and I and we will head to our first appointment with the U.S. Embassy for Rance's visa.
Prayer Request!
-That we will receive Rance's visa Tuesday night!
-For Cavin to get quickly get better so we don't have to travel with a sick baby!
His fever would break with the tylenol and then go right back up as it wore off. This continued Friday, and all day Saturday. Worried he might have an ear infection and being so close to flying, I decided to call Dr.Yuri and he came back to the apartment Saturday night. Dr. Yuri agreed that the fever was part of the process of fighting off an infection, but also knew our concern with flying. We both decided it would be best to get some antibiotics and get rid of the infection before flying. He walked down to the pharmacy and came back with an antibiotic that we began giving to Cavin Saturday night.
Cavin slept well last night but you can tell our poor little guy is sick. He has still had a fever, although it hasn't been as high as it was. Hopefully he is on the mend and will be better by Tuesday night before flying Wednesday morning.
Saturday morning we kept hearing this beeping sound and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. I went to change Cavin's diaper and lo and behold, the thermometer was on, in the pantleg of his pj's! In case you're wondering, his foot temperature was 97.1! Lol.
We have taken his temperature often so Cavin has naturally learned what the thermometer is for. Several times he has grabbed the thermometer and tried to put it down his shirt to take his own temperature. The funny thing is most times he can't get it back out, so he just lets it fall down his shirt or pajama's and goes on about his business!
Rance is doing well. He absolutely loves baths. Last night was the first night since we got Rance that we haven't done baths for the boys. Dr. Yuri was here late and we just didn't get around to it. Rance was pretty sad about it, but we promised he could take a bath "tomorrow." He is currently playing away in the bath tub while I type this.
**First for Rance
-Putting his head completely under water! I guessed he just did this by the amount of coughing I just heard and Matt just confirmed it. Now to teach him to close his mouth...
We have been going through the slide show we made him a while ago to introduce him to his family at home. He has Grandma and Papa down and is working on the names of all of his aunts, uncles and cousins! He had a really hard time saying Christen, the first few times he said it, it came out more like "Christmas!" Now he's got all of the names down and they have been added into the other words he randomly says throughout the day.
Tomorrow morning at 8 Matt and Rance will head to the embassy for Rance's medical evaluation/exam. Then they will come by and pick up Cavin and I and we will head to our first appointment with the U.S. Embassy for Rance's visa.
Prayer Request!
-That we will receive Rance's visa Tuesday night!
-For Cavin to get quickly get better so we don't have to travel with a sick baby!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Passport!!
Sorry for the lack of updates the past few days. Cavin has not been feeling well and has been demanding more of our time with keeping his nose clean and some fussiness here and there.
On Thursday evening we had a doctor come to the apartment to check on Cavin. He had been fighting a cold for over a week and I felt like it was getting worse, especially his cough. I also wanted to make sure he didn't have an ear infection before flying. The doctor was really nice, and did great with Cavin. He said Cavin had a viral respiratory infection and walked with Matt down the street to the drugstore to buy medicine. Then he walked back with Matt so we could write down the directions for the 6, almost all of them were all natural, medicines. Love that he was able to come the night we called, was so nice and thorough and helpful, and it only cost us $40.
We have been enjoying our time together as a family at "our" apartment here in Kiev.The boys have really started to bond and playing with each other, which melts my heart! Of course they are still learning to share with each other, and that's not always easy.
Rance has been doing really well for the most part. We have had a few tears, but only one time were they unrelated to getting in trouble. =) We continue to try and teach Rance English.We think he is beginning to understand a lot of what we say and he is learning new words everyday.
Yesterday we were walking and he was skipping so I began singing "Skip, skip, skip to my lou....skip to my lou my darling" and Rance caught on rather quick. He sings it "Skip, skip, skippy my lou, skip, skip, skippy my lou, skip, skip, skippy my lou skippy my lou my darling.." Its too cute!! Its nice for us to have a break from the alphabet song too!
Yesterday afternoon we found out that Rance's Ukrainian passport was finished! An answer to prayer that it was finished sooner than we had planned! We got a call late last night letting us know that it had arrived in Kiev. We are now completely done with everything in Ukraine, just need to get his U.S. visa and we're good to go! We have already been pre-approved for a visa for Rance, but we still have to fill out a lot of paperwork this weekend. Then Monday we will take Rance to the Embassy doctor to be checked out, then to our first appointment at the Embassy to turn in our paperwork. Tuesday we will have our interview and then we are praying we can get his visa picked up Tuesday night...normally this is the case....but due to our experience here we are a little nervous about this!
Today we walked just across the street to a pizza place. Before we left we asked Rance if he wanted to eat pizza and he got a big smile on his face and shook his head yes. However, he didn't seem to like it all that much and needed some prodding to finish his one piece. Hopefully he grows to love pizza as much as his daddy does, because we eat it a lot!
**Firsts for Rance
-Eating Pizza!
-Riding in an Elevator (Our apartment is on the third floor)
-Riding on an Escalator (Nervous to get on and off the first time, but thought it was pretty fun after that!)
-Ice (Both Cavin and Rance tried ice for the first time on Friday! They both loved it!)
-Cold Cereal (This morning instead of hot oatmeal we let the boys eat cold cereal, Matt wasn't sure if he would like it because it was cold, but I was like, of course he'll like it, its sugar coated! I was right, he loved it!)
Tonight we will begin finishing up laundry that we need to get done and beginning to reorganize and repack our suitcases. We are hoping to have pretty much everything done by Sunday night as we know Monday and Tuesday will be busy with getting Rance's visa.
Its hard to believe we will be leaving on Wednesday. We are so ready and excited to be back home, but after being here for over 2 months it seems unreal!
On Thursday evening we had a doctor come to the apartment to check on Cavin. He had been fighting a cold for over a week and I felt like it was getting worse, especially his cough. I also wanted to make sure he didn't have an ear infection before flying. The doctor was really nice, and did great with Cavin. He said Cavin had a viral respiratory infection and walked with Matt down the street to the drugstore to buy medicine. Then he walked back with Matt so we could write down the directions for the 6, almost all of them were all natural, medicines. Love that he was able to come the night we called, was so nice and thorough and helpful, and it only cost us $40.
We have been enjoying our time together as a family at "our" apartment here in Kiev.The boys have really started to bond and playing with each other, which melts my heart! Of course they are still learning to share with each other, and that's not always easy.
Rance has been doing really well for the most part. We have had a few tears, but only one time were they unrelated to getting in trouble. =) We continue to try and teach Rance English.We think he is beginning to understand a lot of what we say and he is learning new words everyday.
Yesterday we were walking and he was skipping so I began singing "Skip, skip, skip to my lou....skip to my lou my darling" and Rance caught on rather quick. He sings it "Skip, skip, skippy my lou, skip, skip, skippy my lou, skip, skip, skippy my lou skippy my lou my darling.." Its too cute!! Its nice for us to have a break from the alphabet song too!
Yesterday afternoon we found out that Rance's Ukrainian passport was finished! An answer to prayer that it was finished sooner than we had planned! We got a call late last night letting us know that it had arrived in Kiev. We are now completely done with everything in Ukraine, just need to get his U.S. visa and we're good to go! We have already been pre-approved for a visa for Rance, but we still have to fill out a lot of paperwork this weekend. Then Monday we will take Rance to the Embassy doctor to be checked out, then to our first appointment at the Embassy to turn in our paperwork. Tuesday we will have our interview and then we are praying we can get his visa picked up Tuesday night...normally this is the case....but due to our experience here we are a little nervous about this!
Today we walked just across the street to a pizza place. Before we left we asked Rance if he wanted to eat pizza and he got a big smile on his face and shook his head yes. However, he didn't seem to like it all that much and needed some prodding to finish his one piece. Hopefully he grows to love pizza as much as his daddy does, because we eat it a lot!
**Firsts for Rance
-Eating Pizza!
-Riding in an Elevator (Our apartment is on the third floor)
-Riding on an Escalator (Nervous to get on and off the first time, but thought it was pretty fun after that!)
-Ice (Both Cavin and Rance tried ice for the first time on Friday! They both loved it!)
-Cold Cereal (This morning instead of hot oatmeal we let the boys eat cold cereal, Matt wasn't sure if he would like it because it was cold, but I was like, of course he'll like it, its sugar coated! I was right, he loved it!)
Tonight we will begin finishing up laundry that we need to get done and beginning to reorganize and repack our suitcases. We are hoping to have pretty much everything done by Sunday night as we know Monday and Tuesday will be busy with getting Rance's visa.
Its hard to believe we will be leaving on Wednesday. We are so ready and excited to be back home, but after being here for over 2 months it seems unreal!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Second Day of the Second Month, 2011
Thankful for a low key day!
Rance woke us up singing his ABC's just before 8, which just made us laugh. While they ate some yogurt for breakfast we began to pack things up. Around 10 we were packed and everyone was ready so we walked a block to another one of our favorite cafe's for brunch. Then it was back to the hotel to load all of our stuff into the trunk of a small foreign car! It took Oleg and Matt a few tries to figure out how it would all fit, as there was no room to spare!
Then we were off to Kiev! We were not expecting to be able to return to Kiev until we had picked up Rance's passport. Thanks to Olegs lawyer friend in Kirovograd, who is picking it up when it is ready and sending it to us on the bus, we got to return earlier!
It took us about 5 hours to drive to Kiev thanks to poor road conditions and getting stuck behind slow driver. We arrived in Kiev around 5pm, just in time for evening traffic!!
We finally got to our apartment and got unloaded. Cavin had barely napped and Rance hadn't napped at all and they were both getting sleepy so we were thankful to get out!
After visiting with Yuri (facilitator in Kiev) for a little while he headed out and we put a few things away and then headed out for dinner.
**Firsts for Rance:
-McDonalds!! We ordered him a cheeseburger happy meal.
-First time eating a sandwich. We had to show him out to eat it! Lol.
He only ate about half of the cheeseburger and a few french fries. So far he has devoured everything we have given him, so we're not sure if he didn't like it or if he wasn't hungry. We had stopped around 2 for a snack.
Then we walked to the grocery store to get milk, yogurt, fresh fruit, lunch meat, cheese and bread.
**Firsts for Rance:
-Using toilet paper.
We had begun to get a little worried as Rance hadn't had to use the bathroom since leaving the orphanage. We had just went to the dairy department of the grocery store when he said he needed to use the toilet. We were thankful the grocery store has a public restroom and that we were right next to it when he needed to use it! Matt said Rance wasn't so sure about the toilet paper, but hopefully he'll get used to it. At the orphanage each child had a special towel to use as they could not afford toilet paper.
Once we got back to the apartment we let the boys play for a while before starting in on bath time and getting them to bed.
**Firsts for Rance:
-Sleeping in a room by himself! Maybe!
Our apartment here (same one we stayed in the first month in Ukraine) has a loft with a bed in it, where Rance currently is trying to go to sleep. We'll see how it goes.
We are thankful to be back in Kiev, in an apartment that is almost 3 times the size of our hotel room in Alexandria. Much more room for two very active little boys!
**First for All of Us:
-First time in over a month we are alone, without our facilitator.
It is so nice to have some family time, its nice that Rance doesn't have a facilitator to rely on, and that we can be more independent and do more on our own!
One week from today and we will be on U.S. soil! Finally!!!!
Rance woke us up singing his ABC's just before 8, which just made us laugh. While they ate some yogurt for breakfast we began to pack things up. Around 10 we were packed and everyone was ready so we walked a block to another one of our favorite cafe's for brunch. Then it was back to the hotel to load all of our stuff into the trunk of a small foreign car! It took Oleg and Matt a few tries to figure out how it would all fit, as there was no room to spare!
Then we were off to Kiev! We were not expecting to be able to return to Kiev until we had picked up Rance's passport. Thanks to Olegs lawyer friend in Kirovograd, who is picking it up when it is ready and sending it to us on the bus, we got to return earlier!
It took us about 5 hours to drive to Kiev thanks to poor road conditions and getting stuck behind slow driver. We arrived in Kiev around 5pm, just in time for evening traffic!!
We finally got to our apartment and got unloaded. Cavin had barely napped and Rance hadn't napped at all and they were both getting sleepy so we were thankful to get out!
After visiting with Yuri (facilitator in Kiev) for a little while he headed out and we put a few things away and then headed out for dinner.
**Firsts for Rance:
-McDonalds!! We ordered him a cheeseburger happy meal.
-First time eating a sandwich. We had to show him out to eat it! Lol.
He only ate about half of the cheeseburger and a few french fries. So far he has devoured everything we have given him, so we're not sure if he didn't like it or if he wasn't hungry. We had stopped around 2 for a snack.
Then we walked to the grocery store to get milk, yogurt, fresh fruit, lunch meat, cheese and bread.
**Firsts for Rance:
-Using toilet paper.
We had begun to get a little worried as Rance hadn't had to use the bathroom since leaving the orphanage. We had just went to the dairy department of the grocery store when he said he needed to use the toilet. We were thankful the grocery store has a public restroom and that we were right next to it when he needed to use it! Matt said Rance wasn't so sure about the toilet paper, but hopefully he'll get used to it. At the orphanage each child had a special towel to use as they could not afford toilet paper.
Once we got back to the apartment we let the boys play for a while before starting in on bath time and getting them to bed.
**Firsts for Rance:
-Sleeping in a room by himself! Maybe!
Our apartment here (same one we stayed in the first month in Ukraine) has a loft with a bed in it, where Rance currently is trying to go to sleep. We'll see how it goes.
We are thankful to be back in Kiev, in an apartment that is almost 3 times the size of our hotel room in Alexandria. Much more room for two very active little boys!
**First for All of Us:
-First time in over a month we are alone, without our facilitator.
It is so nice to have some family time, its nice that Rance doesn't have a facilitator to rely on, and that we can be more independent and do more on our own!
One week from today and we will be on U.S. soil! Finally!!!!
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