Our facilitator for this part of the journey is "N" and she arrived via train at 9:30am today. My driver since we've arrived back in Lugansk' picked her up and then they picked me up at 10am. We had to go to the school and pick up some final paperwork before we could travel to another town about 30 min away to apply for the new birth certificate.
On the way out of the school yard, N ran into Snezhana (I was waiting in the car). She told N that she was surprised to see her and didn't even know we had gone to court yet. She also said that bio-mom had called her yesterday and was furious that Snezhana had let us take Dennis, and that she also had been yelling at both of them on the phone.
Based upon S & D's behavior yesterday, I'm betting this happened before I arrived. Brian noticed in yesterday's photos and skype conversation that Dennis wasn't as happy as usual. Sneza was around more, including skype time with Brian, and she was asking me a bunch of questions about when I would be taking Dennis and when he would be in the US. Of course I thought she was just trying to figure this out for herself, so I told her. As Brian stated, we had already gone over this with her using a calender we purchased for her, so the timing should not have been a surprise.
D & S just before we left
Ok, so off to pick up the court decree (same town). A short wait, but then I was told that Volcano was listed as Brian's employer on the form ... um ... ooops! Ok, so how long is this going to take to get re-done ... from my experience it wouldn't be quick. For once, I was wrong. It took a few minutes and it was reprinted. Wheph! Close one.
Next off to the other town I mentioned before to apply for the birth certificate. We arrived about 11:30 and I waited in the car. She came back about 25 min later and said they were busy and there was a long line, but when they got back from lunch at 1pm we could sit and wait in the hall and they would "fit us in" between the wedding at 2 and funeral at 3. YIPES!
We went to get lunch at a pizza place (the only restaurant in town from what I could tell) and I got a text message that I couldn't read and didn't know the number. N had to go make some copies so I was at the pizza place with the driver. I asked what it meant. He said it said "Dennis no want to go to America." I immediately txt Brian to call me when he wakes up. He calls back really soon. I told him everything so far and would wait until N got back to figure out what to do next.
D and the Deputy Director just before we left
This is the woman who was with him in court
This is the woman who was with him in court
N comes back and calls the number. It is Snezhana's using a SIM she didn't get from us. She tells N that bio-mom says she's going to appeal the court decree and try to get her right re-instated. Panic starts to set in, but Brian and I both know that the appeal process is now OVER since we have the court decree. You still panic, though ... ya know? N confirms that bio-mom might be able to cause waves but has no legal rights to do anything so she cannot stop it. Honestly, my bigger concern at this point is that if D has let bio-mom convince him that he doesn't' want to go and S is convinced that bio-mom knows best that the kids might give me resistance when it's time to go (which at this point I didn't know would be today).
I confirm with N that I cannot pick up Dennis until I have the birth certificate, which we were told takes 1- 2 days. We go back to the vital records office just after 1pm and sit and wait. I chat with N about any rights the bio-mom might have and she says that the only chance she has would be if she applied for her rights back BEFORE the court decree was signed, which she did not. We chat about stuff, just to keep my mind from thinking about the worst.
At about 2pm the woman comes out and tells N that she will be with us right after the wedding. Waiting is so hard! I call my friends in Ukraine the Rowell family to chat. I know they are doing the same thing I am ... applying for birth certificates today in a different town. They tell me they should have birth certificates in hand by 5pm today! Really?? Is that what 1-2 days means? I guess 1 day means "same day" in Ukraine?? Anyway, told them that based upon our experience here, including today so far, I wasn't counting on getting ours that fast ... especially since we didn't get an early start and hadn't even turned in the application yet. She told me that God was at work and not to fret!
Dennis' first dinner as my "official" son
Yes ... Ashley, Sam & Amanda, I let him have ice cream for dinner. He was really sad to have to leave Snezhana and his friends at the orphanage so I let him have whatever he wanted for dinner. You know MEROJENA is his favorite!
At 2:38pm the wedding is over and at 3pm they have a funeral. We get the application, which is 3 pages long and has to be hand written by N copying it from the court decree. Then she has to go to the bank to get an "official payment" which I assume is something like a cashier's check in the US. She comes back from the bank and makes the payment and then tells me their computers are down!!! Are you kidding me? Of all the things that have and can go wrong, a computer malfunction! She says we will just wait and see what happens.
So, we wait another hour. I was freezing, by the way and in a crowded hallway with strangers that I couldn't understand what they were saying for hours ... so I put my hand in my pockets to get warm and find ... my ipod! My ipod is filled with almost 500 songs by Christian artist, mostly praise and worship music! Just what I needed for the rest of the waiting time ... which seemed like forever, but I remained skeptically hopeful.
Our first dinner as mother and son
Chinese restaurant in the hotel
Chinese restaurant in the hotel
Finally, 4:45pm we are called into the office. I signed some forms and then ... was handed the most beautiful piece of paper, which I could read, but knew it was the birth certificate naming Brian and I as the parents of Dennis Robert Macy!
A this point I still haven't told Brian because 1) my phone is super low on battery and I don't have a way to charge it in the car and 2) I am way low in money on the phone and don't know when I'll run out. I also wasn't sure what we were doing next or if I would be allowed to take Dennis with me tonight or not.
We race outta there as fast as we can and N is talking on the phone to a bunch of different people all the way back to Lutugino. She then tells me that she has to get something from the Inspector's office, who is staying open just for us, but our driver will have to give him a ride home because he will miss the bus - sure, no problem! Then she has to go to the passport office because the woman who does the expedited passports is leaving in the morning for vacation, so she agreed to wait for us tonight.
Ok, so I finally ask ... Can I get Dennis tonight then since we have the birth certificate? She says she's not sure because she doesn't have the phone number for the deputy director and isn't sure how late she will be there. I tell her that the depty director was the woman in court with us and her and her assistant are both always pleasant with me, know who I am, and know Dennis is happy with us. And, they are both always there when I leave at 6pm.
So, they drop me off at the school and ask me to tell the deputy director that N will be back later with the paperwork. She seems to understand and asks if I want Snezhana and Dennis. I say, Yes Dennis. They ask about Snezhana again and I tell them no. I had no idea how long N would be gone and I did not want Snezhana calling in the troops before I could get Dennis out of there.
D in my bed at the hotel
D and I sit and play. I log on and chat with Brian since my phone is about dead and out of $$. I tell him everything. I tell a couple of other friends, too. I state that if I am able to get Dennis tonight it will be the worst day and best day combined into one and the biggest miracle God has done yet while we are in Ukraine! We still have days to go (maybe even weeks) before we get home, so there's still time for God to do something else totally amazing and maybe I'll be home by Dennis' and Amanda's birthday (for those who don't already know, Dennis shares the same birthday as our biological daughter, Amanda, who will be 7 on Jan 16th when Dennis turns 10).
N comes back and does some forms, I sign 4 duplicates of two different papers. She says there is a problem with the passport situation. They require Dennis to turn in the passport he used to get to the US during the summer hosting program in order to issue him a new one. Those passports are locked in the director's office and she's the only one with a key. She is in Spain on the hosting program until Jan 24th! Ok ... here we go again!!!!
So, we have some options:
1) Tomorrow at 10am we are going to the regional office which is here in Lugans'k to plead our case. N said she would personally guarantee that the director has the passport and will submit it to them as soon as she gets back. If this works, we could have the passport possibly tomorrow or the next day.
2) "They" will contact the hosting program to locate the director to see if she will tell them where the key is and allow someone to open the safe to get the passport. This option could take a few days.
3) Return to Kiev and just wait until the director gets back and then have N come back here alone to get it worked out. She says she does not need me at the passport office.
4) Whatever God works out for us that we haven't even thought of yet! :)
I'm banking on #4 because so far anything we've planned has either failed completely, gone terrible wrong, or gone way better than expected!
Ok, so goodnight for now! I'm jumping into my bed to snuggle with my new son!!
M~
Wow what a day! Still praying for you guys! I am sure they can figure something out with the passports. How cool is it having your son with you now!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely awesome! Honestly at this point there is no pressure. Since I'm at home with the kids and Melissa can't even go back to work until Feb 28, this can really take as long as it needs to.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be nice to have everyone back under one roof... but the rest is just a matter of time on getting back to the US.
I recognized the shirt S was wearing and asked O if it was hers. She said she gave it to another girl and that girl gave it to S. I love the way these girls share their "stuff". I told O I thought it was great that S now had it.
ReplyDeleteS~