Gotcha Day!!! (part 2)

Like the earlier post today, Melissa will likely edit...

IT'S A BOY!!! Dennis now has a family and we have a new son & brother!

They got the birth certificate today and started on the passports.  There is a little issue on the passports but I'll cover that later.  Melissa just told me they are leaving the orphanage right now with Dennis and going to get Snezhana to be able to say goodbye.  Now that I'm writing this they are in the car... Snezhana was sad and took our gifts.  I was a little concerned she might be angry... we weren't able to get her everything we intended to leave her and need to figure out how to resolve that without coming back.  So far everything we've sent to her in the last month hasn't made it.

We love Snezhana but we couldn't let her know Dennis was going until the last minute for fear she'd call the relatives.  Under normal circumstances we were prepared to see them as many have said will happen even when no one has ever come to see the kids.  Based on what I heard this morning with the violent verbal beating Snezhana received from biomom (guilt, anger, blame) and then Dennis too, I was worried about what an angry biomom (with other issues) would do when she realizes she has no legal options.  Dennis was really happy to see Melissa when she arrived so in his general happy nature he shrugged off the pressure he received.  Snezhana is a good girl... in parroting mom's words today she said that she knows her mom is bad but she's still her mom.

So the passports... the passport office wants Dennis' old passport he went to America with before issuing a new passport, a reasonable request.  The Director has the kids passports locked in her safe, where I'd expect them to be.  The kicker... the Director is the only one with the key and she's in Spain until the 24th. DOH!!  They are going to see if the Director left the key at home, if the regional office will be willing to issue anyways, or if I'm going to [futilely?] call my congressman and Melissa & Dennis stay in Kyiv until the Director gets back.

But Melissa and Dennis are together and out of that place.  I'm sure they will have fun shopping tomorrow... I'm not even sure if he made it out with anything but the clothes on his back.  As you all know, we feel like we left a daughter behind even though there was nothing we can do about it.  But today begins a new day with a bigger and better family, yet currently geographically separated... we'll see what tomorrow brings.

On a lighter note... Melissa is tired of me talking about the big juicy dripping burger, cooked on the barbecue, smothered in a slice of melted cheddar cheese with fresh tomato and pickle that I've cooked and eaten after getting back.  So I'll leave that alone for now... and make sure I have one sizzling when they get home.  Though I'll probably had 5 of them before then :)