Thursday morning the corrected court decree was ready and we raced to pick it up and get both boys birth certificates and other Ukrainian requirements filled. As the day drew to an end my facilitator said " we will pick up the boys tomorrow." Well that my friends was the moment I broke. "No we will NOT. These are MY children and I have the court decree and birth certificates to prove it. MY children will not spend one more night in an orphanage. Call them now. I am coming tonight. Period." I had all legal right to remove my children and I was NOT going to willingly let them spend one single night away from their mama. Two hours later the three of us entered that orphanage and took my boys! I was not feeling anything other then pure determination. Funny, I thought I would cry or feel elation of some sort. Nope just raw mama determination. I would have to say my walk out the gate was more of a mafia gorilla march! We returned the next morning to say goodbye and hand over the boys bank account money. I certainly could have used their government funds as we are still short for our tickets home or even to set aside as the boys have future needs. However I needed the orphanage to give me the boys medical information for the US Embassy and other personal items from their files. They can and will be difficult if they want to be. The orphanages expect that money to be donated and the reality was my boys were at a decent orphanage and I was confident the money would be used for the children. The director thanked us endlessly and our translator repeated her lengthy blessings, wishes for happiness, etc. when it was my turn to speak I simply said "Spasiba". (Thank you). I did not have any more energy for Ukrainian hypocrisy.
The boys have adjusted incredibly well over the past four days! Unbelievably fast! I had prepared myself for the absolute worst. None of my fears have come true. They are wonderfully wonderful! :). Learning about their preferences and personalities has been so much fun. Dunham is attached to Genesis like glue! She is always holding him since I am juggling "wild monkey boy"! Dunham is so gentle, quiet and easy going. We still haven't broken the news to Dunham that I am the mama not Genesis. The House family may be getting an eighth child! ;). Edgar is a wild three year old and thinks being out of the orphanage is "the bees knees"! He has some strange sleeping habits....preferring to climb under the bed and sleep on the hard floor? I tried to put him back on the bed but he insists and falls fast asleep. He will take short naps or fall asleep on the bed but somehow winds up back on the floor! I figure his new freedom is about choices. Something he never had in the orphanage so if you like the floor... Why not? :) Genesis and I marvel at how quickly the boys have begun to heal physically. Edgar's bruises are healing and their rashes are nearly gone. They both eat constantly and the good nutrition has already improved their tone. They are becoming curious about each other and expressing all types of interest....love, curiosity, gentleness, not so gentleness! They are already bonding and behaving like brothers and I am incredibly blessed to be an observer.
Then there is Genesis. What an incredible young lady. She has been an absolute joy! She is patient, calm, helpful. She is a great listener and has been a calming "English speaking" presence. She
understood my demand to get the boys immediately and listened quietly when I complained. Never voicing her own aches pains or disappointments. She sat with the boys for hours in the car while I signed papers and juggled bureaucratic Ukraine craziness. Once while she was in the hot car with both boys and a non English driver, Edgar decided to have explosive diarrhea. The driver must have been tired of the smell because he called my facilitator and she sent me to the car. Genesis did not stress in the least and helped me restrain "poopy pants" and change his clothes while she simultaneously held Dunham! She handles everything with a calm grace and laughs at my lame jokes. She cooks breakfast, makes coffee, feeds the boys and takes amazing pictures! She likes to explore and her curiosity and love for Ukraine pulls me out of my "mission" to take walks, sight see, and simply appreciate the small things. If you are traveling to adopt you MUST bring a "Genesis"! :)
Edgar is stirring from his nap..... Let the madness begin! ;)
I absolutely LOVE <3 Reading your blog and having an update on Dunham. I think about him daily, and often cry that we didn't get him, BUT i see that God has put him into a family that loves him and appreciates him. I'm gonna share something with you that recently happened that has my heart in piece to this day. It's even worse that my own husband has caused this pain to my heart. We were driving in the car, when he spoke out of no where and said "i need to tell you something, but you can't take it personal, or get upset" At this point i got nervous. He said "I do NOT want to adopt a child with Down Syndrome, ( A Child with a disability)". At this point i stopped listening to what ever it was he said after that, i had already broke down. I couldn't hold my tears back anymore, this news already had me in tears and had me wanting to jump out of the car. I yelled with every fiber of my being...."How dare you, A child with down syndrome...is NOT a child with a disability in my eyes, how could you sit there and say something like that to my face, A child with DS is just the same as any of us, BUT even more special then you or I. They have more LOVE to give, and would give me more love then you ever will." At this point i was completely broken, falling deep into my seat with no more words to be found. I was speechless, and very upset. I have no clue the next steps to take to this day, i have the power to keep trying and i hve the will to earn the funds to do this on my own, i will show him the love for a new child with DS isnt more diffecult then the 3 children he already has. He will fall in love with a child with DS if i have to drag him around the world to meet every single human with DS then i guess thats what ill have to do. It will take more then alot of of me, but i have to show him. I also told him that he needs to find God again, and talk to him and pray, because God would help his heart see what i see in every child. I hope i worded everything right, im a horrible writer. LOL Thanks for listening and reading. BUT most of all thanks for saving Dunham, thanks for letting me watch him grow, thanks for everything you've went through to get him, i can go on, and on with thanks....BUT this could get very long!
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