Yesterday, we left at about 2pm to head down to Florida. We got a late start mainly because we had been up late the night before and needed our sleep. Our trip took 2 hours longer than expected due to nightmare traffic!! The moment we got on the interstate about a mile from the house, we came to a dead standstill and traffic crawled from that point on for 2 hours before it opened up. As you can imagine, the stress level began to rise. It didn’t help that the kids kept saying “go faster, go faster.”
Right away Kristine wanted to sleep so she stretched out and put her legs across the back seat over Olegs’ lap. Of course, he didn’t appreciate it so the yelling and shoving match started. This was one of many that took place due to each kid’s invasion of the other’s personal space. So picture yelling and shoving going on in the midst of a traffic jam. For a moment Robert and I even contemplated returning home and forgetting the whole trip. Obviously, we couldn’t do that so we pressed on.
Once traffic opened up, it got better and we all relaxed. Both kids figured out a way to stretch out in the backseat without bothering each other. We made the mistake of leaving the food in the back where they could get to it. Seemed like every few minutes we heard another wrapper being opened and the sound of them gobbling up more fruit rollups and cereal bars. When we stopped we moved the food up front so we could control things.
Our first Florida stop was at my parents’ house near Tallahassee. When Kristine got out of the car, the first thing she wanted to know was which way the beach was. My parents live way out in the country and their house is surrounded by forest land and horse pastures so it looks a lot different than the beach scenes the kids expected. Kristine said, “This isn’t Florida, this is Australia.”
Luckily, there is a beach nearby so today we took them for a swim. We would have never heard the end of it otherwise. The weather was chilly and the water was ice cold but that didn’t matter to them. It was funny to see the locals walking by all bundled up while Olegs and Kristine frolicked in the water. There were a couple of guys out in a fishing boat near shore and we could hear one of them say in his country drawl, “I don’t think they’re from around here.” It was pretty funny.
My parents have friends next door who have some beautiful Arabian horses so we also got to visit with them. We fed them treats and brushed and pet them. Kristine is a horse lover like me so we could pet them all day. The highlight of the day, however, was the Kawasaki Mule. It’s a rugged 4X4 golf cart that the kids got to drive. They took turns driving up and down the property and had a blast. That’s all they wanted to do the whole time. Kristine almost ran us into an electric fence on her first driving attempt but after that she was fine as long as Robert was sitting next to her and able to grab the wheel at a moment’s notice. Olegs was a pro the whole time.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
12/26 - Hockey Game & Some Tough Issues!
This evening, Robert, the kids and I took Ilga (the kids’ chaperone & our friend) to a hockey game. The kids had said they didn’t particularly like hockey but once they got there their tune changed. The loud music and festival atmosphere made it fun. Our time with the kids this time around has been much different though. Kristine, in particular, doesn’t seem to be as happy with us and is testing us more. It was just nice that we were all able to get out and have some fun. A lot of that had to do with Ilga. She is an amazing woman who is adventurous and loves to try new things and go new places. She’s always fun to be around and she is someone that the kids trust.
The hockey game was exciting, but after awhile it kinda got old…at least for me. I was so glad that our team scored the winning goal during the last few seconds so we didn’t have to sit through overtime.
When we got home the mood quickly changed. All it took was us asking the kids to brush their teeth and get ready for bed and Kristine proceeded to throw a fit and spout off some not so nice (I couldn’t understand the words but the tone was clear as a bell!) words in Latvian. The tension had been building for awhile and that was the moment we put our foot down and called Ilga at 11pm at night to ask her to speak with Kristine. I must confess that Robert and I even wondered if Kristine was having second thoughts about us adopting her. If so, we needed to find out now before we follow through with our trip to Latvia next month. Kristine confided in Ilga about some of what was bothering her and Ilga was able to relay that to us so we could understand what was going on.
Kristine was very upset that we got Ilga involved but we told her we had no other choice. We all have some very serious decisions to make and we must make sure there are no misunderstandings. After Kristine talked with Ilga, I sat up with her in her room until about 2am just talking about what was bothering her. It took awhile but she finally started confiding in me and sharing her fears and some personal things about her life that help to explain why she’s been acting the way she has. I think we’ve all had some unrealistic expectations of each other and we need this hosting period to work through our issues. We explained to her that if she is not happy with us that we will not force her to come live with our family, but if she does live with us she will need to follow our rules. She needs to think long and hard about what she wants. I told her that we all have a lot to learn about each other and it will take time but families stick by each other no matter what. There were lots of tears but it was somewhat of a breakthrough to be communicating on a new level.
Overall, Rob and I still feel that Kristine is meant to be our daughter but there’s still no guarantee until we’re on that plane bringing her home from Latvia. We’re just taking one day at a time.
The hockey game was exciting, but after awhile it kinda got old…at least for me. I was so glad that our team scored the winning goal during the last few seconds so we didn’t have to sit through overtime.
When we got home the mood quickly changed. All it took was us asking the kids to brush their teeth and get ready for bed and Kristine proceeded to throw a fit and spout off some not so nice (I couldn’t understand the words but the tone was clear as a bell!) words in Latvian. The tension had been building for awhile and that was the moment we put our foot down and called Ilga at 11pm at night to ask her to speak with Kristine. I must confess that Robert and I even wondered if Kristine was having second thoughts about us adopting her. If so, we needed to find out now before we follow through with our trip to Latvia next month. Kristine confided in Ilga about some of what was bothering her and Ilga was able to relay that to us so we could understand what was going on.
Kristine was very upset that we got Ilga involved but we told her we had no other choice. We all have some very serious decisions to make and we must make sure there are no misunderstandings. After Kristine talked with Ilga, I sat up with her in her room until about 2am just talking about what was bothering her. It took awhile but she finally started confiding in me and sharing her fears and some personal things about her life that help to explain why she’s been acting the way she has. I think we’ve all had some unrealistic expectations of each other and we need this hosting period to work through our issues. We explained to her that if she is not happy with us that we will not force her to come live with our family, but if she does live with us she will need to follow our rules. She needs to think long and hard about what she wants. I told her that we all have a lot to learn about each other and it will take time but families stick by each other no matter what. There were lots of tears but it was somewhat of a breakthrough to be communicating on a new level.
Overall, Rob and I still feel that Kristine is meant to be our daughter but there’s still no guarantee until we’re on that plane bringing her home from Latvia. We’re just taking one day at a time.
Monday, December 25, 2006
12/25 - Merry Christmas!
Rob and I woke up to the sight of a beach ball being tossed at us at about 7am. Kristine opened our bedroom door, tossed the ball towards my head and ran away. That was her way of letting us know they were ready to open presents. We had told them they couldn’t open any presents before we got up. They had permission to go through their stockings without us but we were surprised that they didn’t even touch those before we got up.
They seemed to enjoy their presents, although they were quick to point out that they preferred Gameboys to the handheld games we got them. They were a lot more grateful for things in the Summer but this time they seem to expect more, just like American kids. Our new response to them when they complain about something is “Too bad, so sad!” Obviously, we couldn’t get them anything too expensive because they can’t take everything back with them. They were also quick to point out that we forgot to get them Heelys (those shoes with the wheels on the heel that all the kids have these days). I’m sorry, but I’m not spending $60-$70 on shoes that will most likely get stolen when they take them back. It’s a challenge to instill in them to be thankful for what they have gotten. They, like many of the other Latvian kids, seem to think all Americans are rich and will buy children whatever they want. Sorry, but that’s not gonna be life in our household so they’d better get used to it. Once they really looked at their presents, they were happy. We got them some plug ‘n play games that they could play on the TV. Olegs also liked his walkie talkies and cars that he got and Kristine was happy with her Barbies. The big hit was the perfume and cologne though. Olegs would practically bathe in his Drakkar everyday. We called it his “man perfume.” LOL!
Kristine was quick to tell us that she didn’t believe in Santa Claus. When we told her some of her gifts were from Santa, she immediately replied “I not idiot,” which was her way of saying she doesn’t believe in Santa. So we had to explain that we weren’t implying she was an idiot, etc. Talk about being a “Debbie Downer!”
We fixed the traditional American Christmas meal of turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, apple pie, etc. Olegs & Kristine made faces at much of it but they did like the turkey. We’re making them try lots of different foods before declaring they don’t like something. We also watched one of our favorite classic movies, “A Christmas Story,” which airs on TBS for 24 hours beginning Christmas Eve. They got a kick out of Ralphie’s adventures.
Overall it was a good day. We are so thankful we could spend Christmas as a family.
They seemed to enjoy their presents, although they were quick to point out that they preferred Gameboys to the handheld games we got them. They were a lot more grateful for things in the Summer but this time they seem to expect more, just like American kids. Our new response to them when they complain about something is “Too bad, so sad!” Obviously, we couldn’t get them anything too expensive because they can’t take everything back with them. They were also quick to point out that we forgot to get them Heelys (those shoes with the wheels on the heel that all the kids have these days). I’m sorry, but I’m not spending $60-$70 on shoes that will most likely get stolen when they take them back. It’s a challenge to instill in them to be thankful for what they have gotten. They, like many of the other Latvian kids, seem to think all Americans are rich and will buy children whatever they want. Sorry, but that’s not gonna be life in our household so they’d better get used to it. Once they really looked at their presents, they were happy. We got them some plug ‘n play games that they could play on the TV. Olegs also liked his walkie talkies and cars that he got and Kristine was happy with her Barbies. The big hit was the perfume and cologne though. Olegs would practically bathe in his Drakkar everyday. We called it his “man perfume.” LOL!
Kristine was quick to tell us that she didn’t believe in Santa Claus. When we told her some of her gifts were from Santa, she immediately replied “I not idiot,” which was her way of saying she doesn’t believe in Santa. So we had to explain that we weren’t implying she was an idiot, etc. Talk about being a “Debbie Downer!”
We fixed the traditional American Christmas meal of turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, apple pie, etc. Olegs & Kristine made faces at much of it but they did like the turkey. We’re making them try lots of different foods before declaring they don’t like something. We also watched one of our favorite classic movies, “A Christmas Story,” which airs on TBS for 24 hours beginning Christmas Eve. They got a kick out of Ralphie’s adventures.
Overall it was a good day. We are so thankful we could spend Christmas as a family.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
12/23 - Two Overwhelmed Latvians in a Target Store!
I was just setting myself up when I had the bright idea to take the kids shopping again today in the midst of all the chaos of the holiday season. My sister gave them each a Target gift card for Christmas so they were both eager to go pick out something. Kristine wanted more clothes and Olegs wanted a truck of some kind. I am not the most patient person in the world and navigating through a gazillion people who are wandering around aimlessly with their shopping carts just drives me bananas. Is it me, or does it seem like there’s always someone standing right where you’re trying to go no matter what direction you’re trying to move???!!!
We went round and round in the girls’ clothing section and Kristine just couldn’t find anything. Then the one or two things she did like weren’t in her size. We temporarily gave up on her finding anything and switched to Olegs. Of course, what he found first was way more than his gift card amount so he had to keep looking. He’s learning that we have spending limits and can’t just buy anything we see. He is much more understanding of this than Kristine. Olegs kept looking and finally found a cool gun toy that shoots darts with suction cups. He was happy so we turned our attention back to finding something for Kristine. She kept eyeing the most expensive things so after about an hour of this, we finally had to just say we’ll come back another day. A pouting session resulted right on cue.
This afternoon we went to our neighbor’s daughter’s birthday party at Chuck E’ Cheese. The kids had never been to a place like that and they had a blast. Robert and I tagged along so we could spend some fun time with the kids. Poor Olegs was the only boy at this party so it was good that he and Robert got to have some guy time playing games together. I love watching them together. I think their favorite was the race car game where they could sit and race each other. Before they began playing, Olegs insisted that he and Robert switch seats on that game and Robert quickly realized once Olegs was beating him so badly why he wanted to switch. Olegs had gotten Robert to switch so he could stick him with the machine that didn’t work right. That little stinker! LOL!
The smiles on the kids’ faces are just priceless. Kristine finally got over her disappointing shopping experience and began having fun with everyone else. When the show started and the Chuck E’ Cheese character came out for a dance, we jokingly tried to get the kids to dance with him. I can’t imagine why but for some reason they just weren’t into going up to a person in a mouse costume and dancing around with little kids who were barely out of diapers. LOL! Olegs quickly said, “Chuck E’ Cheese phooey” and we had a good laugh. When we got home, we took them to ride bikes again. As I’m sitting here writing this, Robert and Olegs are playing the Tiger Woods golf game on Playstation while Kristine is sleeping nearby. This time we’re spending as a family is so precious. I don’t even want to think about the day we have to say goodbye again. It’s not gonna be easy.
We went round and round in the girls’ clothing section and Kristine just couldn’t find anything. Then the one or two things she did like weren’t in her size. We temporarily gave up on her finding anything and switched to Olegs. Of course, what he found first was way more than his gift card amount so he had to keep looking. He’s learning that we have spending limits and can’t just buy anything we see. He is much more understanding of this than Kristine. Olegs kept looking and finally found a cool gun toy that shoots darts with suction cups. He was happy so we turned our attention back to finding something for Kristine. She kept eyeing the most expensive things so after about an hour of this, we finally had to just say we’ll come back another day. A pouting session resulted right on cue.
This afternoon we went to our neighbor’s daughter’s birthday party at Chuck E’ Cheese. The kids had never been to a place like that and they had a blast. Robert and I tagged along so we could spend some fun time with the kids. Poor Olegs was the only boy at this party so it was good that he and Robert got to have some guy time playing games together. I love watching them together. I think their favorite was the race car game where they could sit and race each other. Before they began playing, Olegs insisted that he and Robert switch seats on that game and Robert quickly realized once Olegs was beating him so badly why he wanted to switch. Olegs had gotten Robert to switch so he could stick him with the machine that didn’t work right. That little stinker! LOL!
The smiles on the kids’ faces are just priceless. Kristine finally got over her disappointing shopping experience and began having fun with everyone else. When the show started and the Chuck E’ Cheese character came out for a dance, we jokingly tried to get the kids to dance with him. I can’t imagine why but for some reason they just weren’t into going up to a person in a mouse costume and dancing around with little kids who were barely out of diapers. LOL! Olegs quickly said, “Chuck E’ Cheese phooey” and we had a good laugh. When we got home, we took them to ride bikes again. As I’m sitting here writing this, Robert and Olegs are playing the Tiger Woods golf game on Playstation while Kristine is sleeping nearby. This time we’re spending as a family is so precious. I don’t even want to think about the day we have to say goodbye again. It’s not gonna be easy.
Friday, December 22, 2006
12/22 - The Reality of Life
This hosting is much different from the summer hosting in that we’ve scaled back quite a bit in our activities and spending. That doesn't mean we're not doing fun things but this time the kids are learning all about concepts such as running errands, eating leftovers, generic brands vs. name brands, etc. They’re seeing a more accurate portrayal of real life as it would be if they lived with us. They tagged along with me when I went to the vet to pick up medicine for our cat. Then we had to go to the post office to pick up a certified letter and had to stand in line forever. You would not believe the drama and the pouting. You would think they were being tortured to death. The mood quickly changed when we got back home and I took them down the street to ride bikes in a nearby cul-de-sac. I could just sit and watch them for hours as they laughed and grinned the entire time.
We’re trying to spend more time at home this time just doing simple things as a family. When Robert got home from work, we ended the evening with dinner at McDonald’s. Robert had mentioned something yesterday about having hamburgers and Olegs wouldn’t let him forget it. We made the mistake of getting the kids Happy Meals and again the whining and pouting insued. Oh, the drink cups were too small and on and on. They felt a little better once we told them that they could refill their drinks. They made it clear that they are way too old for Happy Meals. Well, excuuuuse me!! The final pouting session of the evening was at bath time and bedtime. We're not too hard on them. As long as the end result is that they do what we ask, we're letting them get away with a little pouting now and then. We wouldn’t change a thing, pouting and all. We love these kids do much!
We’re trying to spend more time at home this time just doing simple things as a family. When Robert got home from work, we ended the evening with dinner at McDonald’s. Robert had mentioned something yesterday about having hamburgers and Olegs wouldn’t let him forget it. We made the mistake of getting the kids Happy Meals and again the whining and pouting insued. Oh, the drink cups were too small and on and on. They felt a little better once we told them that they could refill their drinks. They made it clear that they are way too old for Happy Meals. Well, excuuuuse me!! The final pouting session of the evening was at bath time and bedtime. We're not too hard on them. As long as the end result is that they do what we ask, we're letting them get away with a little pouting now and then. We wouldn’t change a thing, pouting and all. We love these kids do much!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
12/21 - Shopping & Christmas Lights
Today’s mission was clothes shopping. We tried going yesterday afternoon but the kids just weren’t into it. All we could find were socks and underwear. The latest style for girls seems to be camouflage in all different colors. Kristine tried to talk me into some pink, white and grey camouflage pants that had a monkey embroidered on them. They even had a small stuffed monkey clipped to the belt loop. I had to put my foot down on that one. I told her absolutely no monkeys!! LOL! It was pretty much downhill from there after that so we decided to wait and try again today.
Today we had a lot of success. Kristine found some cute creme color camouflage pants which were much better and NO monkeys on them so she got those and found some cute jeans, tennis shoes, pajamas, etc. Olegs is a little more particular about his clothes. His jeans have to fit him just right and we went to three different stores to find him just the right pair of jeans. I felt like I had held up 100 pairs before I FINALLY held up a pair and got a big “YES” from him. That was a big relief. Then he found some Shaquille O’Neill tennis shoes that he liked.
Later in the evening, we got together with Ilga for dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. We had the hibachi meals where they cook at the table. Rob and I were so surprised when the kids tried everything, even sushi. They loved it when the chef made the table top flame up and tossed his utensils around. Our chef turned out to be a little klutzy. He tossed his knives and spatulas up in the air and dropped them a few times. We think he may have had a little too much of the Christmas punch or something. He made us a little nervous but things turned out fine. No one was sent to the hospital with a knife wound. LOL!
After dinner, we took Ilga to look at some nearby Christmas lights. A local college in our area decorates their whole campus and it’s fun to drive through. Kristine slept most of the way but Olegs was snapping away, getting the best pictures by sticking his head out of the sunroof. It was a fun time. When we got home and put the kids to bed, Rob and I put some of their wrapped presents under the Christmas tree. We want to see how long it takes them to notice. We asked them if they believe in Santa Claus and they said no. Kristine is quick to make quotation marks in the air with her fingers as she says "Robert is Santa Claus." They’re pretty smart and understand the whole Santa Claus myth. They may not believe in him but they’re quick to accept presents that are labeled “from Santa Clause”.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
12/20 - They're Here!
The sun hasn’t even come up yet, but we’re up and going at full speed already. We woke up early to the sound of the kids laughing and playing with Winston, our black lab. They’re all running around chasing each other. That dog is one happy pooch!! He loves those kids so much and they love him too. Cartoon Network is blaring on the TV and I have a headache but I wouldn’t change one second. It’s funny, Olegs and Kristine are the ones that flew thousands of miles and should be jet lagged but I’m the one who is exhausted from lack of sleep. Of course, the second I hear them stirring about I want to be with them. We’re savoring every second of this 3 weeks.
As you can imagine, we couldn’t focus on anything else yesterday as we waited for the kids to get here. We were able to track their flights online and I was glued to the site all day at work. When the kids got to Detroit, I was able to call and talk to them. They were both very tired and had gone to McDonald’s for hamburgers.
The wait at the airport went by pretty fast. The kids arrived right on time. Our anticipation and excitement had been building all day. The moment we saw them, we motioned for them to come over and we all hugged and kissed each other intensely. What a moment. I wish I could bottle up these moments and save them. When we got home from the airport, Robert fixed eggs and bacon for Kristine. Olegs and I weren’t hungry so we hung out in the living room so Robert and Kristine could have a little father/daughter time. It was so sweet to hear them laughing while they cooked together.
This time we have separate bedrooms for the kids. Last time we let them share a room since everything was new and we thought they might be scared. We showed them their new rooms and they both seemed happy but Kristine was a little scared about sleeping in a room by herself. They are both used to having others in the room with them at the childrens’ home. We stayed up pretty late and both kids fell asleep on the couches in the living room. I just wanted to sit there and stare at them as they slept. They are so precious. We covered them with blankets and kissed their little foreheads before going to bed ourselves. This is where they belong.
The kids came with very few clothes this time so we’re adding clothes shopping to today’s agenda. They each brought only a coupleof the things we bought them last time. Once the kids return to their childrens’ home, their clothes become community property and get shared with the other kids. That’s just how it is and there’s not much we can do about it.
Well, gotta get ready for the day. We’re also going to pick out a Christmas tree today. It’s gonna be a fun day!
Monday, December 18, 2006
12/18 - Kids Come Tomorrow & We've Got Court Dates!!!
Okay, sorry I’ve been slow with the updates. It’s like all of a sudden time is moving at lightning speed with not a moment to spare. We have lots of news. First of all, the kids will be here TOMORROW!!! Let the frenzy of activities begin! Rob and I still can’t believe it!! Secondly, we got confirmation that our first court dates in Latvia (for Kristine's adoption) will be on January 29th and February 9th. That means that a couple of weeks after the kids leave to head back home, we’ll be heading to Latvia!!! We’re in the process of securing flights. We’re so excited, but I don’t think our brains can fully grasp everything yet. We got so accustomed to waiting for things to happen that when they actually start happening we don’t know what to do. We’ll figure it out with help from our friends who have already traveled.
Right now we’re focusing on getting ready for the kids’ visit. Tonight I finished the last of our Christmas shopping. We laid out all of the gifts we got them to make sure they’re each getting the same amount of stuff. We don’t want any arguments about one of them getting more than the other. LOL! We got them backpacks, walkie-talkies (Olegs), handheld games, plug-in-play games for the TV, etc. Obviously, they won’t be able to take everything back. I think they’ll be okay with that if they know we’ll keep their things in their rooms for them until they come back. It just opens up a whole new world for us to be able to share Christmas with our kids. We are SO blessed to be able to have them here!!
Olegs and Kristine are so excited. We talked to Olegs again over the weekend. A funny thing has been happening lately. When we call the childrens’ home, sometimes we ask for Olegs first and other times we ask for Kristine. Well, lately when we’ve asked for Kristine, they’ve been putting Olegs on the phone. He still has that young boy voice so I keep mistaking him for Kristine. He promptly tells us “No. It is Olegs.” It was funny the first or second time but it keeps happening over and over. Hopefully, he hasn’t gotten a complex over it.
Rob and I (more me than him) had big plans of making a new welcome poster for the kids’ arrival at the airport. Well, by the time it was 11:00 and that blank poster board was still sitting there, we decided our old poster will do just fine. Actually, our new poster was only gonna say “Welcome Back, Olegs and Kristine”. The old one just says “Welcome”. Yes, I tend to get obsessed with these minor details but I’m learning to let it go. The kids won’t care if our poster says “Welcome” or “Welcome Back.” LOL!
I’ll try to keep the blog updated while the kids are here. We have lots of activities planned. First thing on the agenda is to take them to pick out a Christmas tree so we can decorate it together. Did I say how excited we are? I thought so!!!
Right now we’re focusing on getting ready for the kids’ visit. Tonight I finished the last of our Christmas shopping. We laid out all of the gifts we got them to make sure they’re each getting the same amount of stuff. We don’t want any arguments about one of them getting more than the other. LOL! We got them backpacks, walkie-talkies (Olegs), handheld games, plug-in-play games for the TV, etc. Obviously, they won’t be able to take everything back. I think they’ll be okay with that if they know we’ll keep their things in their rooms for them until they come back. It just opens up a whole new world for us to be able to share Christmas with our kids. We are SO blessed to be able to have them here!!
Olegs and Kristine are so excited. We talked to Olegs again over the weekend. A funny thing has been happening lately. When we call the childrens’ home, sometimes we ask for Olegs first and other times we ask for Kristine. Well, lately when we’ve asked for Kristine, they’ve been putting Olegs on the phone. He still has that young boy voice so I keep mistaking him for Kristine. He promptly tells us “No. It is Olegs.” It was funny the first or second time but it keeps happening over and over. Hopefully, he hasn’t gotten a complex over it.
Rob and I (more me than him) had big plans of making a new welcome poster for the kids’ arrival at the airport. Well, by the time it was 11:00 and that blank poster board was still sitting there, we decided our old poster will do just fine. Actually, our new poster was only gonna say “Welcome Back, Olegs and Kristine”. The old one just says “Welcome”. Yes, I tend to get obsessed with these minor details but I’m learning to let it go. The kids won’t care if our poster says “Welcome” or “Welcome Back.” LOL!
I’ll try to keep the blog updated while the kids are here. We have lots of activities planned. First thing on the agenda is to take them to pick out a Christmas tree so we can decorate it together. Did I say how excited we are? I thought so!!!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
12/6 - The Week for Good News!
Rob and I can’t believe that Olegs and Kristine will be here in less than two weeks now for the Christmas hosting! We are so excited we can’t stand it!
This has been the week for GOOD news! First of all, we called to talk to Olegs yesterday and he told us that Kristine was there with him. When Kristine got on the phone, she told us that she’s now living at her own children’s home again. She is so happy to be back with her friends.
Later in the day yesterday we got the most important email from the Ministry of Children’s Affairs in Latvia!!! They sent us an official invitation to come to Latvia to meet Kristine. Normally, in adoptions like this, the adoptive parents have not already met the child. The government must invite them to meet the child. Once the adoptive parents reply and say “yes” that they do wish to meet the child described, the government will then release additional information such as medical records, etc. In our case, we obviously know Kristine but the government must still officially invite us to “meet” her. In the Ministry’s letter to us, they did not mention her name, but they included the most precious picture of her and provided a brief written description. Rob and I chuckled when we read the description that said “sometimes she cannot finish what she started to do.” That’s our Kristine alright…all over the place. LOL! The description also said she’s a “joyful, creative and active child” who has experienced some sadness in connection with a longing for a family. Talk about melting your heart.
In the picture they sent, Kristine appeared to be about 7 years old. That would’ve been around the age she was when she began living in the children’s home. Her hair is very short, with a choppy boyish haircut (almost like she cut it herself…LOL!) and dark brown. She’s wearing a rust color turtleneck sweater and sitting in front of a drab gray background. It’s almost like a very drab school picture. We still can’t stop staring at this picture. She is just so beautiful. We just look into that little face and wonder what all this sweetheart has been through in her life. We can’t wait until we are a family so that we can start making happy memories that will replace the bad ones. Rob and I replied with an emphatic “YES” we want to “meet” this child! This is our daughter!
This morning we got another email from the Ministry granting us official permission to visit Latvia to “meet” Kristine and get more information about her. This means our next step is to schedule our trip to Latvia for our court dates!!! Agnese, our attorney, thought we might want to travel in December so she would have scheduled dates then, but that just won’t work. We have both kids coming here for Christmas and we just can’t disrupt that visit. We want to enjoy and savor these three weeks with them. We will be taking them on a short vacation to Florida to meet our families and see the beach. We’ve told them about it and they can’t wait so we’re not about to disappoint them.
We’ve asked to travel to Latvia at the end of January so we will have time to prepare after the kids return home after the hosting. We’re told that shouldn’t be a problem so now we’re awaiting confirmation of the scheduled court dates. Our friend, Ilga, helped us decide on a place to stay so we’ve asked our attorney to see if this particular flat is available during the time we hope to be there. When we’re in Latvia, Kristine will live with us in this flat and a social worker will make visits. We will be responsible for getting Kristine to and from school everyday. This makes us a little nervous because it will be the dead of winter there AND we have no clue how to get around. Believe it or not, the children’s home director said Kristine could take public transportation by herself to get to school. She would have to take a tram for 10 mins. to get to a bus stop to catch a bus for the additional 15-20 min. ride to school. The thought of putting an 11-year old on a tram by herself sounds a little scary to us. We’ll probably ride with her. Hopefully, she can help us make sure we get on the right tram and bus so we end up in the right place. We don’t want to screw things up by making her late for school. Not a good impression of the Americans!
We hope to get confirmation within the next day or two of our court dates. Now that we’ve been officially matched with Kristine, we are confident that, once the dates are assigned, they will not change. Finally things are moving again! Thanks for all of your prayers. We are so thankful that things are starting to come together. FINALLY!
Okay, that’s about it for tonight. Now I have to go deal with my retarded 1-year old lab who is snarling at his reflection in the mirror. He can’t seem to understand that he’s looking at himself. The big dummy!! Good night all!!!
This has been the week for GOOD news! First of all, we called to talk to Olegs yesterday and he told us that Kristine was there with him. When Kristine got on the phone, she told us that she’s now living at her own children’s home again. She is so happy to be back with her friends.
Later in the day yesterday we got the most important email from the Ministry of Children’s Affairs in Latvia!!! They sent us an official invitation to come to Latvia to meet Kristine. Normally, in adoptions like this, the adoptive parents have not already met the child. The government must invite them to meet the child. Once the adoptive parents reply and say “yes” that they do wish to meet the child described, the government will then release additional information such as medical records, etc. In our case, we obviously know Kristine but the government must still officially invite us to “meet” her. In the Ministry’s letter to us, they did not mention her name, but they included the most precious picture of her and provided a brief written description. Rob and I chuckled when we read the description that said “sometimes she cannot finish what she started to do.” That’s our Kristine alright…all over the place. LOL! The description also said she’s a “joyful, creative and active child” who has experienced some sadness in connection with a longing for a family. Talk about melting your heart.
In the picture they sent, Kristine appeared to be about 7 years old. That would’ve been around the age she was when she began living in the children’s home. Her hair is very short, with a choppy boyish haircut (almost like she cut it herself…LOL!) and dark brown. She’s wearing a rust color turtleneck sweater and sitting in front of a drab gray background. It’s almost like a very drab school picture. We still can’t stop staring at this picture. She is just so beautiful. We just look into that little face and wonder what all this sweetheart has been through in her life. We can’t wait until we are a family so that we can start making happy memories that will replace the bad ones. Rob and I replied with an emphatic “YES” we want to “meet” this child! This is our daughter!
This morning we got another email from the Ministry granting us official permission to visit Latvia to “meet” Kristine and get more information about her. This means our next step is to schedule our trip to Latvia for our court dates!!! Agnese, our attorney, thought we might want to travel in December so she would have scheduled dates then, but that just won’t work. We have both kids coming here for Christmas and we just can’t disrupt that visit. We want to enjoy and savor these three weeks with them. We will be taking them on a short vacation to Florida to meet our families and see the beach. We’ve told them about it and they can’t wait so we’re not about to disappoint them.
We’ve asked to travel to Latvia at the end of January so we will have time to prepare after the kids return home after the hosting. We’re told that shouldn’t be a problem so now we’re awaiting confirmation of the scheduled court dates. Our friend, Ilga, helped us decide on a place to stay so we’ve asked our attorney to see if this particular flat is available during the time we hope to be there. When we’re in Latvia, Kristine will live with us in this flat and a social worker will make visits. We will be responsible for getting Kristine to and from school everyday. This makes us a little nervous because it will be the dead of winter there AND we have no clue how to get around. Believe it or not, the children’s home director said Kristine could take public transportation by herself to get to school. She would have to take a tram for 10 mins. to get to a bus stop to catch a bus for the additional 15-20 min. ride to school. The thought of putting an 11-year old on a tram by herself sounds a little scary to us. We’ll probably ride with her. Hopefully, she can help us make sure we get on the right tram and bus so we end up in the right place. We don’t want to screw things up by making her late for school. Not a good impression of the Americans!
We hope to get confirmation within the next day or two of our court dates. Now that we’ve been officially matched with Kristine, we are confident that, once the dates are assigned, they will not change. Finally things are moving again! Thanks for all of your prayers. We are so thankful that things are starting to come together. FINALLY!
Okay, that’s about it for tonight. Now I have to go deal with my retarded 1-year old lab who is snarling at his reflection in the mirror. He can’t seem to understand that he’s looking at himself. The big dummy!! Good night all!!!
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