Day 35-37: PAPERWORK COMPLETE!!!

Day 35-37: Monday-Wednesday.    

           

Sorry that I haven’t updated the Blog in the last few days.   Max and I have been busy, and I have been rushing around getting the last of our paperwork done before the US Embassy closes on Friday for a holiday.   

 

The big news is:  WE ARE FINALLY DONE WITH PAPERWORK!!!!!

 

           [Camera Zooms out as Sam dose his happy dance]

 

Today (Wednesday) Max and I got up at 0630 and ate some breakfast,  while Yuri was already down at the train station picking up Max’s passport.  Helen had put the passport on the train in Zaporizchya via overnight post.  Yuri came and picked us up at 0755, and we went to the US Embassy to drop off our complete paperwork package for Max’s U.S. Visa.  Luckily, Rebecca had already pre-filled out most of the papers, so I just had to sign them for the embassy clerk, and then schedule my interview appointment.  This part of the process only took about 10 minutes, but I still had to go to the Kiev Medical Center to get Max’s medical clearance for the USA, and his vaccination record.  I ended up having plenty of time, as my embassy interview was scheduled for 2:00 PM.

Yuri drove me over to the medical center, which was about 15 minutes away from the embassy.  Yuri was wonderful. It was the easiest doctor’s appointment I have ever been to.  Yuri was inside filling out all the paperwork, handling the translation of the paperwork, and waiting for the doctor, while Max and I played on the playground outside.   It was like taking a number, but having someone hold your place in line while you relax somewhere else.  Max only had to be in the office for about 15 minutes during the actual visit with the doctor.  Meanwhile, he was thoroughly enjoying playing with some new friends outside.

While we were at the playground, we met the Kennedy family from Roanoke, Va who had just adopted 3 sisters! The girls were absolutely wonderful with Max.  The sisters were 10 yrs/ 9yrs/ and 7 yrs.  Max was in hog heaven making himself a nuisance when possible, and laughing as they chased him around.  I’m sure he will love having three sisters of his own soon!!  It turns out that the Kennedy’s will be going home on the same flight as us, so we hope to be seated near them (instant entertainment for Max).

Yuri called me once it was our turn to see the doctor, and we went in to a small exam room.  The doctor was very nice, but she scared me a little when she said “ I see he has congenital heart disease?”    I was caught off-guard, because we had been assured that he did not by the orphanage doctors.  She continued her exam I told the doctor “I thought that was ruled out” .  She explained to me that she was actually a cardiologist, so she would be able to tell more as she progressed with the exam—in other words “just be quiet and wait”.  When she got to the part where she examined his heart and cardiovascular system, she said “Oh, I was wrong—his heart is just fine!” 

I said “Oh good, because mine was about to have a problem!”

            The doctor finished her exam, and gave Max a clean bill of health to come to the USA.  She also gave me his complete vaccination record translated into English, so we can have a place to start when he gets his U.S. doctor.   His vaccinations were all well-taken care of, but I noticed that he does not have his Influenza Vaccination for 2008 or 2009.   This worried me a little, because we are flying through JFK, and the USA is in the beginning of the Swine Flu scare.  I don’t like the idea of Max being exposed to a bunch of new bugs in the flying Petri dishes of the JFK commuter scene-Bleh!  We’ll just make sure to wash hands a lot I guess.

            Once we were done with the medical center, we had a few hours to kill until the embassy interview, so Yuri, Max, and I grabbed some lunch at a local Italian restaurant. If you are looking for an Italian fix, try the place just to the right of the T.G.I. Friday’s near Arena city.   The food was great. After lunch, Max got to have some more fun at our favorite Syvchenko park.  The park was filled with children, and Max also enjoyed the blow up jumpy house-complete with 25 ft slide!   He protested kicking and screaming when Yuri and I finally pried him from “his” jumpy house when it was time to go the embassy. 

            We arrived at the U.S. Embassy 30 minutes early for my interview, and surprisingly they took me early.  I had to give them the sealed medical envelope that the doctor’s office gave us, and Max’s passport.  Then an embassy official invited me over to one of the interview booths to conduct Max’s immigration interview.  The interview consisted of swearing me in, and then signing the documents that I had already filled out in the presence of the embassy official—that was it!  Then he informed me that I would need to wait for about one hour while they processed the visa. 

            Luckily there was a nice quiet waiting room down the hallway with lots of toys and books for Max to entertain himself with.  He seemed more interested in the light switch though, and proceeded to flip it on and off for the next half hour.   Luckily our friend Natalie showed up with Maxime for their interview appointment, so Max had a friend to play with.  The embassy finally called both Natalie and I to the window at the same time, and handed us our children’s passports with their visas printed inside.  They told us to verify all the names and dates were correct, and then gave us all the instructions for when we arrive in the states.   They also handed us a sealed official envelope for US immigration when we arrive.

            Then Natalie and I were left standing there looking dumbfounded that we were both finally done!! The adoption saga was finally over!!!  All the traveling to the far ends of the earth, puking in cars, and searching for children is finally done!  Well, aside from the adventure of flying home…. J    Natalie and I gave each other a big congratulatory hug, and then I met Yuri outside the embassy gate.  Max was exhausted at the end of the day, and almost fell asleep in his cheerios before bed!

             Over the next two days, I plan to go check out the WWII museum with Max, and pick up some supplies for the pane on Saturday.  Today is “hump day”, so only two more days and a wake up!   Max and I will be able to go the “citizens” line when we get to JFK, as he will be a citizen as soon as his feet touch U.S. soil.  It will supposedly take an hour to process everything as we get the final stamp from immigration, and then off to catch our connection to Norfolk.   See you on Saturday! So Excited to introduce everyone to Max!

Love,

Team Chaos

 

pictures of Day 33/34-Memorial Weekend

Here are some pix from the weekend!

Day 33 & 34 – Ukrainian Memorial Day Weekend.

Hello everyone!

         This weekend is the Ukrainian Memorial Day holiday.  Ukrainians everywhere are flocking with their families to the cemeteries to celebrate the memory of their loved ones.  I spoke with Helen about this and got some clarification on the local customs.  Apparently Easter is for celebrating Christ, and the next weekend is specifically for loved ones.  Extended families get together from all over, and have a family reunion in the cemetery.  The adults bring elaborate meals, and children run and play games among their past ancestors.   Cemeteries here are set up with built in picnic tables by each family gravesite for just this purpose!  The families rejoice, remember, and then work together to renew each grave with a spring clean- up and flowers. It’s such an interesting custom, and so different from how we deal with death in our country. 

The holiday unfortunately caused Max’s passport to get further delayed, so we may not have it on Sunday/Monday as hoped.  Yuri has assured me that I will have no problem changing my airline reservation.  I have to go to the Delta airlines office with Max tomorrow to sort things out.  Initially they said that everything is booked until May 7^th!   But after discussing things for a while, and changing some routing, I think I can still make it out of here by at least Saturday, ay 2^nd.   So I’ve told myself to relax, and just enjoy the beautiful weekend with Max—it will all work out I’m sure.

            Max and I are doing great. We have settled into a little routine everyday, and he seems to enjoy it.  He wakes me up at 0630, and we play for a while.  Then around 0730 I make him breakfast or we go out for breakfast.  Then we go to the park down the street and enjoy the playground, chase pigeons, and I can let him run free.   After the park, we pick a direction and go exploring.  He takes my hand and we happily walk off for a daily adventure.  Usually he will let me know when he is getting tired, by pointing at my shoulders, and I happily lift him up where he can get a better view of the city.  I was worried initially that Kiev might be too much for him, with all the big city “hub-bub” and people, but he seems to like it.  He is always smiling and pointing things out to me. 

He also likes to wave at people—or should I say only at pretty girls.  The kid is amazing.  I will have to let some of my single guy friends (Doc or Ken if you’re reading this) take him on afternoon walks.  He will spot a well-dressed lady, and wave at her and smile.  You have to understand this is SO not normal in Kiev.  The people do not seek out eye contact with you.  The high-class women are often seen strutting by in the latest Paris fashions, and do not stop to chat.  Meanwhile here comes Max, all smiley and cute just fixated in their direction and furiously waving.  On multiple occasions I have seen girls “unfreeze” their attitude and just warm up to the little guy.  They always end up waving, and coming over to smile back.  My son—the ladies man J   Hilarious.

            After the walk, we have a small lunch somewhere and then walk home for nap.  Nap starts at 12:30, and there is always some crying in protest.  He quickly subdues himself though when I make the sign for “bed” (which he seems to get more than “sleep”) and lay down next to him.  It takes him about 15 minutes and then he’s out for a good 1 ½ hrs.  When he wakes up after that it’s really funny. There is no stretching or yawning awake—he just sits bolt upright like a light switch, and then asks me to go play.  Then we have a snack and go back out for a another walk in the afternoon.

            On Sunday, we walked down to Independence Square to meet our friend Natalie and her Mom.  Independence square was beautiful.  The weather was amazing and there were hundreds of people out enjoying the day.   The main street was closed to vehicular traffic so everyone could enjoy some peace, and street performers were everywhere entertaining the masses.    It was good to see Natalie escaped Zaporizchya as well.  She was suffering with no hot water for showers, and the itch to get on with the next step.  Dave, her husband had to go back to the states, but She is doing great with their son Maxime.  Her mom is a huge help-- speaks fluent Ukrainian!!  Natalie is going to the embassy medical center tomorrow and finishing up the paperwork for the visa.  Unfortunately they are caught in the same airline back-up that Max and I are in.  Their flight is not until Friday.  

Max and Maxime recognized each other for the orphanage, and gave each other a big hug—it was so cute!  They also insisted on holding each other’s hand when we walked around, just as they did when they walked around in groups with their caregivers at the orphanage.   Maxime did a good job of keeping our Max in check from running off to far.   We also had another vomit-filled learning experience---BLEH!  We bought the kids ice cream for the first time, and they loved it!  Max ate a little too much I think, but I didn’t notice at the time because he was fine.  Later we had dinner, and he didn’t want to eat.  I had forgotten about the ice cream, so I coaxed him to have a bite of sandwich so he wouldn’t be hungry—yeah not smart.  He ate the bite, but then looked at me a little upset.  I knew the look well from the car trip, and I was just in time with the napkins.  Ice cream looks better than bananas any day, but it was still not pretty! I managed to catch most of it, and the rest was on a vinyl seat and easily wiped up.  Moral of the story—be careful how much you let your newly-adopted children eat! Especially new foods.  Just take things in little steps and portions.  Max does better when he gets a series of snacks it seems.  It’s a learning process, but he is teaching me little by little! 

            Our day always ends with bath time around 7:30 PM.  This is his favorite part of the day I think, because he constantly asks to take a bath throughout the day.  He loves to splash, so I have to wear just a pair of shorts if I don’t want to get drenched.  After bath we have a little snack, and then brush teeth.  Then it’s time for some “Baby Einstein” .  He loves the one where they do everything in sign language!  He is able to copy just about every sign they do for simple household items.  He sits on my lap, all snuggled in his jimmies, and happily shows me the signs he knows.  Finally, at about 8:30 PM he is ready for bed.  He continues to be a joy to put to bed.  He just climbs in, sometimes with a little protest of tears, but he still does it without a huge fuss.  Then he smiles at me and starts to fade out. Usually he is out within 10 minutes, and I can leave the room. 

            So overall we are doing great. Max and I are getting some quality time to bond.The paperwork issues should be fixed by Monday we hope, but with the way things work, there won’t be time to get my stuff done in time to leave on Tuesday.  I will keep everyone up to date when we have a solid passport in and a travel date.   Hope all is well back in the states, we miss everyone!  Max asks every day to Skype-chat with Rebecca and the girls--he goes over to the computer and makes the sign for "momma?" .  When we get to chat with them he tries to "climb in" the computer!  Sorry, kid--they haven't invented "human travel over IP (HTOIP)"--yet... More soon.  Love,

Team Chaos.

 

 

    

On the road to Kiev with Max

Here are some pix of the car journey--don't worry no puke pix Rebecca :)  he LOVES his Red Sox hat--Thanks Bobby and Judy!!! 

Pictures of Day 31/32

Here are some pix of his departure from the orphanage.  The young caretaker in the group photo "Katia", and the older caretaker hugging him "Nastia" (Anastasia) , are some of Max's biggest fans at the orphanage.    All the kids were so excited for Max, and then asked me to bring them a Cake to celebrate.  Apparently this is traditional, so Helen and I went down to the local grocery store and picked one up!!  Max was ready to jump in the car by the time we finally headed out the door--he didn't know how far the drive was going to be.....

Chaos Blog is Back's new channel....Day 31

Hello everyone,

Due to some technical difficulties and some good old fashion "Chaos",

our team has re-located to a new " channel" (Blogspot.com)  We apologize for any inconvenience , however this solution is better than the alternative of Team Chaos "going dark" or "off the grid" so to speak :)

So here is Day 31/32 -so tired not sure what day it is anymore :) :

Max and I are in Kiev now, awaiting the next part of the process with the US Embassy, and enjoying some good quality time together.  The car ride from Zaporizchya was the usual saga, with the added fun of Max getting car sick three times--Bleh.  Note to self--DO NOT FEED A CHILD BANANAS ON A LONG BUMPY CAR TRIP!!! The bananas do not look as wonderful when they are projectile vomited all over his clothes and mine..... On a positive note, he was always happy and smiling, even after he vomitted, and when we stopped at a gas station to clean up the toxic spillage, he asked to go potty!  I had brought along ava's potty seat and he sat right down and went potty.  Very exciting to know he is potty trained and able to communicate.

After a costume change, and car seat clean-up we were back on the road...for about twenty minutes, and then Bananas " part two" came out.  This time I managed to stem the damage just a little with some quick paper towel work.    

By this time, Poor Oleg was not happy about his back seat--even though he said he's had worse things happen with children in the back seat before.   We stopped at a local pharmacy for some children's dramamine--which of course did not agree with his stomach.  Round three of vomiting started about 20 minutes after that.  This time I was prepared with a plastic bag, and caught all of it--yay!!  Now that we were officially on a saga, Oleg, Max, and I just hunkered down and kept driving.  The medicine did help though, because after that Max was fine for the rest of the trip--  Although we still had over 400 KM to go....

Max was a real trooper!   I discovered that he liked to have pretend conversations on my cell phone, and play with my watch, so we traded back and forth pretending to talk to people, and examining all the functions on my watch.  He never cried or really complained it was amazing.  Occasionally he would point at the door latch, and as we got within an hour of Kiev  He would sit up in his seat and point at the door and then look at me with his hands raised in a questioning manner every time we came to a red light or momentarily stopped in traffic. 

It was really great to see him communicating so well with me.   

By the end of the trip we were all ready to get out of the car.  The last 200 KM took FOREVER.  Kiev seemed to be getting farther away as traffic slowed our approach.  When we finally made it to the apartment, we jumped out of the puke/banana-smelling vehicle for a nice breath of fresh air.  Yuri was waiting for us in the parking lot with the key, and we all took turns holding Max's hand as we unloaded luggage and groceries.   I threw out the remaining bananas in the nearest dumpster, even thought they were perfectly good---I couldn't stand the smell or thought of them.  I think it will be a long time before I eat one again.  The next morning morning in fact, as Max and I were walking around Tolstoy square we past a fruit stand with bananas and I caught myself shuddering :).

We got all set up in the apartment, and Max was in sensory overload--He ran from room to room yelling in excitement with every new discovery.   I was thankful for a moment to rest--but it was not to be.   There is a balcony in this apartment that isn't enclosed like our other apartments.   Max of course mad a beeline for the door to the balcony, and I caught him as he was headed out to "check the view".    Yuri and I quickly moved a large table in front of the door (I'm typing from it now), and fixed that problem.  Meanwhile, max discovered to his pure joy that there was a large piano in the master bedroom? (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!?--Mark Litkowski is chuckling to himself I'm sure)  He banged away for a good  hour on that baby.....and again the next morning at 0630...HA!

After Yuri left us, Max continued his exploring/terrorism about the apartment.  Overall he was pretty good, but there were a few times I had to stop him from hurting himself with something he shouldn't touch--like a hot light bulb :)    Everything is just so new, I have to find a balance I guess between giving him the freedom to discover and not letting him run after moving BMW's!  By the time we finally got settled, it was 9:30 PM and we hadn't eaten, so I fed him some oatmeal, and then we finished the night with a much-needed bath and teeth brushing! He went to the potty again all by himself, and slipped into his new jammies.

I was concerned that bedtime would be difficult, but it was actually pretty easy.  He just wanted me to lay next to him--he signed emphatically with his hands patting the bed next to him and pointing at me.  So I laid next to him, and he smiled at me and fell asleep holding my hand.  I got back up for a while and finally got a shower as well , and he snored happily in the next room.  Finally around midnight,  I laid down exhausted next to him--looking annoyingly at my fate across the room (the piano) , and knowing full well I did not need an alarm clock.....

Tomorrow we move to a nicer, safer, and less noisy apartment ---no piano :)

Day 32:

Max woke up at 0630 on the dot (just like his schedule said he would) and began 

Playing the piano--I immediately woke up and distracted him elsewhere, so as to not have anymore incidents with the neighbors like our first night in Zaporizchya!

After a while I figured out it would be better to take him outside to explore.  He probably had so much energy stored up from the long car ride yesterday, and it was easier to expend it outside in a nice park down the street.   We ate a quick snack of dry cheerios, and some juice and got dressed.  We walked down the street to a beautiful park.  I have to re-check the spelling, but Yuri said the park is called "Shevyenko park" --it is famous for a meet and greet former President Clinton had there once after a more formal speech  in St. Catherine's square.  Apparently President Clinton is famous over here for being among the people and charismatic.       Max was not interested in President Clinton, but really enjoyed the nice playground they had there, and chasing unsuspecting pigeons.  We played for a good hour, before I figured it was time to hunt for some breakfast for Max and Coffee for "Big Daddy".  I say "Big Daddy" in this case, because the only place open at 0745 was McDonald's (Adam Sandler movie ref).    It was a good thing Mcdonalds wasn't too expensive, because I was almost out of Hyrvnia, and the exchange banks don't open until 0900 at the earliest.   I counted all my change carefully,

and ordered Max his first egg Mcmuffin.   He loved it of course, and wanted to share some with me.  I didn't have enough money to get me anything for myself, so I was glad to share a few bites!  After some breakfast, the banks were open so I was able to stock up on some cash flow again.

We walked around the underground malls, and I bought a cell phone top-up card.  Max started complaining that he wanted the cell phone, because he likes the built-in flashlight.  He complained by whining a little and trying to fish into the pocket where he knew my phone was.

The store I bought the card from had some cheap LED flashlights for sale, so I bought one and gave it to Max.  He was thrilled, and showed it to everyone we passed on the street and in the Gloria Jean's cafe.   The owner, who is very nice, gave Max some attention, and he just loved that someone else thought his light that daddy gave him was so cool.   Max is very friendly to strangers.  Which is funny here--because people don't generally smile or pay attention to you on the street.  And her is this little boy, bopping along, happy as a clam, waving, smiling and trying to show everyone his flashlight--including the owner of a nice Black Bently (who was not interested in seeing the flashlight incidentally).   

     Max and I returned to the apartment, and the cleaning lady who cleans both apartments met us there to help us move into the newer place we stayed in before with Beck, Ava, and Mom.

 She helped me move our belongings, which was great because Max does not like the elevators!

He rode it twice, and the second time he got this nervous look  on his face.  After that, anytime we would go near one he started to cry, and grab my leg and shake his head no.  I figured "why torture the Kid", so we have been taking the stairs--it's better exercise anyway.  The cleaning lady was happy to ride the lift with our luggage.  So now we are set up in the new place, and all is well with the world.  Max is taking a nap---that is how I have a moment to write.  He is just like Ava--your time is my time Daddy!!!   Which is great actually!  Hats off to the orphanage-he is so scheduled!  He would not fall asleep in bed until exactly 1230 on my watch--which is on the schedule they gave me--just like the 0630 wake up.   

I am having so much fun despite being tired. 

He is so curious about everything around him, and it is fun to re-discover the world together.   I have to laugh at some of the things he homes in on as we walk about the city.  There are of course the cars--he loves the cars as you all know.   The trick now is keeping him from trying to open the doors to every parked car we come across.  Surprisingly he only picks the really expensive ones--the ones that owners are less than thrilled to see a small child anywhere near!  So far we have tried to steal a Bently, a Mercedes, and a Porsche---at least he has good taste!!

You also have to hold his hand unless you are in a park or someplace very safe.  I once let go while I was paying for his egg McMuffin, and he bolted out the door towards a shiny porsche leaving it's parking space just outside.  I caught him just as he was making his escape through the door, and brought him back to the chuckling people in line at the cash register.....

Anyway  I will add more to this blog as I fiddle with the architecture and figure out how to use this program....Just wanted everyone to know we were still alive!!

 That's all for now! More soon.  Spread the word if you can of our new location on the web.  Love,

Team Chaos