Meeting Masha!!

Yesterday morning, we hopped off the train in Simferopol, Ukraine, for the second time.  This time we were back with referral in hand-- the paper from the DAP allowing us to see our sweet little girl Masha.  Our Charlotte Rose.  Tired, but soooo excited, we followed Marina hurriedly to the car because our train was already an hour late.  "Why today of all days??" she asked.  We had so many places to run to-- the social worker, the notary, the lawyer, so many pieces of paper to gather.  But then..... to the institution.

This is where our baby girl-- not so much a baby at age 5 but more so in appearance at only a slight 20 lbs-- has been living since this past November 2011.....

Luckily the caregivers and director here seem to love her and dote on her, as much as they can in an institution anyway.  They speak highly of her-- how smart she is, how she loves to be held, how she demands attention.  They even spoke lovingly about the tantrums she likes to throw when she doesn't get her way  ;)  But still, it is an institution.  It is a place where children go when nobody wants them.  It is where they are doomed to live out their lives if no one comes to claim them.  It is not a family.

Marina, our facilitator, told us in the car on the way over to be prepared for people there not to like us.  They have not done many adoptions from here and the director and staff are still wary, especially after the news stories about that boy being sent back to Russia alone, and other stories of adopted children dying at the hands of her parents.  I told her no matter.  They don't need to "like" us, other than enough to give us their permission to take our child.

Turns out things went better than expected.  Marina was very relieved.  The director told us, through Marina, that she liked us very much and we seemed like a wonderful family.  She was overjoyed at our pictures in the album I brought, and very glad Masha would have sisters to grow up with and look up to.  She told us she was so happy that Masha was finally getting a family.  She deserved that.  She was a good little girl.  We agree.

I am glad that we found favor with the director after all.  It makes our process much easier.  

After our meeting with her, it was on to our much anticipated meeting with another person whose opinion DID matter to me-- a lot!  Sweet Masha!  We waited in a classroom because the usual meeting room was taken with other people visiting children there-- not adopting, just visiting.  We waited on pins and needles for a few minutes.  So much was racing through my mind.  Would she look like her pictures?  Had her health deteriorated since being transferred?  Would she be happy to see us?  Would she understand what this means for her?  Would she smile or cry?

Soon enough she was brought in by the director herself.  She explained to Masha that we were Mama and Papa.  I couldn't get my arms around her fast enough!!  ;)  And when I finally did, oh she was so tiny!  Her little bird-like legs are so skinny and seemed so fragile.  Her hair had grown from being shaven very short, which was good, and of course she seemed a bit wary at first.

But then of course, she started to settle in a bit.  Like Tim said, "She was nervous and rightfully so, she's 5.  I'm 40 and I was nervous!!"  Amen to that!!

So after our brief meeting, it was off to chase more paperwork.  That seems to never end when you are adopting does it??!!  But, we got to go back and see her again today.  She is a spitfire, loves to play and laugh it up.  She seemed to remember us from yesterday which was good!  My only complaint is that half the time I don't know what the poor thing is saying.  She chats it up so much and I only know limited words in Russian.  Gotta get working on that one some more!  What a multi-lingual house we are becoming hmm??  ;)

We also had a visit with Atticus today.  Took him a few minutes to warm up to us again too, probably felt like he had been deserted again since we didn't get to visit with him for a week with us having to be in Kiev for Masha's referral.  But after a bit, he was back to his silly giggling self, which was good to see.

We have more pictures of both visits from today, just haven't uploaded them yet.  But I will post them as soon as we do!

For now, we are just abundantly grateful for these two children God is entrusting to us.  We pray we will be the parents that they need and that they will always know that they are LOVED.  God brought us to these children and we pray He will bring us safely home with them and enable us to provide for them.  This is just the beginning!

We were told by our facilitator Marina this afternoon that she has met with our judge and she has given us a tentative court date!  Praises!!  We will learn tomorrow if that date sticks, and if so exactly what time it will be as well.  Pray pray pray that it will stick.  Even Marina told us to pray!  We will be very thankful if it does because it is not far off, and it is before the courts and offices will close for a whole WEEK of holidays.  If we have to wait through that just for court it will delay us considerably!!!

That is about all for now-- will post more pictures later!