We are here

Well the first challenge was to sign into the Blog in Russian. We are safe and sound in Kiev- arrived on Monday about 2:00 p.m.-all easy flights, no delays, and great service on Lufthansa on the long flight to Frankfort. We are staying in a small studio apt. that is really nice and convenient to the center of the city. We've met two other families- the Dunmires (Pittsburgh) and the Lawlors (Atlanta) who are also adopting through the same program and we've been able to trade some stories and hints we've picked up. We have our first appointment this morning at 9:00 a.m. at the equivalent of the National Adoption Center - the Lawlors went yesterday and said it was a breeze. They'll review Sergei's file with us, confirm that it is he who we want to adopt, review some basics of his history and health with us, and then we return tomorrow afternoon for our official referral. We then fly at 6:45 a.m. on Friday to Severodonetsk and we should see Sergei sometime that day. Sergei will then confirm to an inspector that he does indeed want to be adopted and we can then begin filing all the official stuff back to Kiev. The paperwork goes back and forth on a train to Kiev, so there is some waiting for sign-offs, etc. but the timing should put us at our first court date no later than July 8.

There is another family from Atlanta that is about a week ahead of us in the process at the same orphanage where Sergei is- they are adopting his good friend which will be neat to have them both new to the US at the same time. They called us last night (we have a Ukraine cell phone for our time here) and told us that Sergei was drilling them on if they knew us, if we were here yet, etc...he is ready!