What a day!

We were so excited to get the boys. We showed them the things we got for them in Russia. We got ready and went to the renick and got some shorts and flip flops for Vitaly. We went to the toy store and got a toy to celebrate the adoption being kind of final. Tyler looked for more videos in Russian that have 6 movies on one disk for $3. He is intrigued with the value of knock offs. We played a game of air hockey at our little mall and got some embroidery thread so that I can finish some little pillows that I am making the girls for girls camp (that I am only going to have a week to throw together when I get home) and headed back to the apt. When we got there I called Oksana and this was our conversation:

O: Where are you

C: at our apartment

O: You need to meet me at the orphanage in 15 minutes Bring the kids

C: Is everything OK

O: Not really, I will explain when I get there

C; Ok

O: Don't worry

Yeah right, She always says " don't worry" at times when it is perfectly appropriate to worry. I could be driving a rental car and wreck into the Ukrainian police and she would say "Don't worry."

We wondered for the next 15 minutes what was going on. Had the evil God parents turned in papers? Had the boys done a going away prank and were in trouble? When we got there the doors were locked at the orphanage. We rang the bell and were let in by the security guard. I forgot how disdainful looking people are in Ukraine. I got too much nice treatment in Russia I guess. It is like getting stared down for the first time all over again.

As it turned out, the godmother had not turned in papers to the social Services office (too much work) but had gone right to the prosecutor's office. They have to do a formal investigation even though they have already OKed the adoption. Today is the last day of our 10 day wait and we had a problem. The prosecutor's office sent a younger girl to do the interviewing. She talked to the director and interviewed Oleg, Alina, Me, etc. She asked a bunch of questions to all of us. The reasoning behind the paper they filed was that Oleg didn't want to go to America and we were pushing him to. He told them that he did want to go. I don't know what Alina said (most likely nothing) and they asked us about our large family, religion, separating the kids etc.

The godparents live in Russia and say that they want to adopt Oleg (not Alina or Zhenia. just Oleg) She is only 21 which makes it impossible since you have to be at least 15 years older than the person you adopt. Their argument was that they didn't think Oleg should leave his country (now this is evidence that they have something against him and want to punish him in my opinion.) He can't leave Ukraine but they want to adopt him in Russia. Oksana says that they are crazy people. She said their paper was stupid and contradicted itself all over the place. She thinks that we should move to another apt because they are the kind of people who will "come and yell at you and rip your dress" Oh great! loonies on the loose.. They don't have a job or any of the criteria to adopt but any complaint has to be formally examined. After almost 3 hours Irina sent us home and said that they would give their OK to finish the adoption.

We went to the Galaxy restaurant for dinner and had fun watching the kids eat in a formal setting. Then the boys took us to the "canal" to swim. They all swam and I took pictures. I was actually impressed with this little walk into the forest and the place they swim. No chlorine or lifeguards but they knew how to dive between the rocks and there were a ton of people there at the pool in the woods. It is really close to the orphanage and I am surprised that we didn't know about it before now.

Now we are hanging out at home. Vitaly's friends keep coming to the window and chatting. It may be good that we are moving tomorrow into Sonya's apt. but I will miss these cute kids in their groups. It won't be the same to not go to the orphanage. With the bridge out of commission we won't be coming this way very often. This apt has been a good one and I hope we like the other one. It has more room and most of our business will be over there now. Tomorrow we head to Dneprotrovsk to do Vitaly's birth certificate and then back here for Oleg's.

Happy end of the 10 days!!