Thursday, February 23, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Day 34: Good News!
I was so much better at blogging when this journey began, but then again, the 10 day waiting period is largely the same thing over and over again. Wake up, eat breakfast, read my Bible, drive to the institution, visit with Jacob for an hour and a half, drive home, eat lunch, run errands/wash clothes/make dinner/pack for tomorrow/shower, go to bed and repeat the process all again the next day.
Yesterday Jacob was sick again and the director called to say that I couldn't visit. I was reassured that it is just a bad head cold and that they will call me if I need to get him medicine. It is still difficult to be away from him. It is hardest that I have no idea what Jacob understands. I don't know if he is worried I'm not coming back, whether or not he understands what a Mama and Daddy is, if he even has a concept of time or the world outside of the institution.
Tonight brought relief from the monotony in the form of very good news. I just got a call from our facilitator telling me that she will be able to get us an expedited passport for Jacob. Originally we thought it would take a week to get this, but now it is only going to take one day! Praise the Lord!
On Monday I will hit the ground running. I will go to get Jacob's birth certificate and identification card so that I can apply for his passport. On Tuesday I will pick up his passport and close out his bank account (all orphans are given a small stipend by the government) which I will donate back to the institution to help them with various needs for the remaining children there. On Wednesday I will shop for a stroller and a few last minute items that I need to travel and no Wednesday evening I hope to take Jacob out of the institution for the last time. Then I will get on an overnight train with him to Kiev. Once in Kiev I will have embassy appointments for 2 days and hopefully fly home on Saturday.
I can hardly believe that this is happening. It is like I thought I was having braxton hicks and suddenly realized that I am in labor and about to deliver! It is a wild ride for sure!
I am praying that Jacob will feel comforted and safe with me while he goes through so much transition.
Yesterday Jacob was sick again and the director called to say that I couldn't visit. I was reassured that it is just a bad head cold and that they will call me if I need to get him medicine. It is still difficult to be away from him. It is hardest that I have no idea what Jacob understands. I don't know if he is worried I'm not coming back, whether or not he understands what a Mama and Daddy is, if he even has a concept of time or the world outside of the institution.
Tonight brought relief from the monotony in the form of very good news. I just got a call from our facilitator telling me that she will be able to get us an expedited passport for Jacob. Originally we thought it would take a week to get this, but now it is only going to take one day! Praise the Lord!
On Monday I will hit the ground running. I will go to get Jacob's birth certificate and identification card so that I can apply for his passport. On Tuesday I will pick up his passport and close out his bank account (all orphans are given a small stipend by the government) which I will donate back to the institution to help them with various needs for the remaining children there. On Wednesday I will shop for a stroller and a few last minute items that I need to travel and no Wednesday evening I hope to take Jacob out of the institution for the last time. Then I will get on an overnight train with him to Kiev. Once in Kiev I will have embassy appointments for 2 days and hopefully fly home on Saturday.
I can hardly believe that this is happening. It is like I thought I was having braxton hicks and suddenly realized that I am in labor and about to deliver! It is a wild ride for sure!
I am praying that Jacob will feel comforted and safe with me while he goes through so much transition.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Day 32: Taking boredom to whole new heights
Today I had an unexpected free day...the director of Jacob's institution called to say that I was not able to visit today because he is sick. It seems odd to me that his mother can't visit him when he is sick, but we are not playing by my rules yet.
I found myself all dressed up with no where to go. I got the call in the stairwell of my apartment building, heading down to meet my driver. I trudged back up the stair to drop off Jacob's backpack of toys that I bring everyday and sat down to make a plan. There really is not much you can do here except eat or have coffee. I had just finished breakfast, which included a cup of coffee, so I was at a loss for how to keep myself occupied. So, I decided to brave the bus system by myself. (I had taken it before with Brad when he was here but never alone.) It was a lot easier that I expected it to be. I got off in the city center right by my old apartment. There is a long walking street that is full of shopping and is just a nice place for a stroll, even if it is still very snowy and slushy out.
I stopped in a store called Gloria Jeans (not to be confused with the coffee shop in the States) and bought a few pairs of fleece pants and some long sleeve t-shirts for Jacob. I can't believe that he is 5 years old and is wear a 2T in pants and 3T in shirts!
The rest of my day was just filled with facebook, tv shows on my computer, washing laundry, doing the dishes, wandering around my apartment, taking a long bath. Then I wandered around my apartment some more, looked at facebook again, cooked pancakes for dinner (really pretty to look at but not great tasting because I had to make then with baking soda instead of baking powder) and then washed more dishes. Then more tv shows on my computer...in other words, boredom. Lots and lots of boredom.
I am praying that Jacob is well tomorrow and that I can visit with him. I will not be able to visit with him over the weekend since I am not allowed on the weekends, and then I have a ton of appointments on Monday to get necessary paperwork completed, so no visit on that day either. Hoping to get one more visit in so that I don't have to go so long without seeing him.
I found myself all dressed up with no where to go. I got the call in the stairwell of my apartment building, heading down to meet my driver. I trudged back up the stair to drop off Jacob's backpack of toys that I bring everyday and sat down to make a plan. There really is not much you can do here except eat or have coffee. I had just finished breakfast, which included a cup of coffee, so I was at a loss for how to keep myself occupied. So, I decided to brave the bus system by myself. (I had taken it before with Brad when he was here but never alone.) It was a lot easier that I expected it to be. I got off in the city center right by my old apartment. There is a long walking street that is full of shopping and is just a nice place for a stroll, even if it is still very snowy and slushy out.
I stopped in a store called Gloria Jeans (not to be confused with the coffee shop in the States) and bought a few pairs of fleece pants and some long sleeve t-shirts for Jacob. I can't believe that he is 5 years old and is wear a 2T in pants and 3T in shirts!
The rest of my day was just filled with facebook, tv shows on my computer, washing laundry, doing the dishes, wandering around my apartment, taking a long bath. Then I wandered around my apartment some more, looked at facebook again, cooked pancakes for dinner (really pretty to look at but not great tasting because I had to make then with baking soda instead of baking powder) and then washed more dishes. Then more tv shows on my computer...in other words, boredom. Lots and lots of boredom.
I am praying that Jacob is well tomorrow and that I can visit with him. I will not be able to visit with him over the weekend since I am not allowed on the weekends, and then I have a ton of appointments on Monday to get necessary paperwork completed, so no visit on that day either. Hoping to get one more visit in so that I don't have to go so long without seeing him.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Day 31: Don't forget the hanky
Today was my most unusual visit to date. Not in a bad way, just in a "I have no idea what is going on" kind of way.
I made my way to the visitation room and Jacob's nanny brought him too me. This nanny is a wonderfully plump grandmother type with not very many teeth, but the teeth she has managed to hang onto are capped with gold. I like to try to make her smile. She holds Jacob's hands and slowly walks him to me...I think she wants me to see what he can do.
No sooner had I closed the door and settled in with Jacob then the door popped open and one of the more official looking nannies (maybe a doctor or nurse, who knows) pantomimed that I should use the cute little hanky they sent with Jacob to wipe his nose. He is really stuffy and congested so I had a supply of tissues anyway.
She must have had serious doubts about my ability to stay on top of this very important job, because not 5 minutes later, she rushed in, grabbed the hanky, wiped his nose and then left again. I thought to myself, "well that was odd" and then went on to get Jacbo's snack out.
Jacob and I hung out, had his snack, rolled around on the floor, played with his car, played with his spinning penguin top...the normal stuff. What was not normal was that someone stuck their head in the door to check on us every 5 minutes. One time I was in the process of wiping his nose and they were very approving of that!
It was a very good visit in spite of the odd behavior of the nannies. He was very cuddly and was brave enough to look me in the eye for about 10 seconds. I was in heaven!
About 30 minutes early, the nanny who speak about 2 words of English came in and said my time was up. I was a little confused and so was Jacob, but I kissed him and told him I would see him tomorrow. I think they just got tired of checking on me or maybe I wasn't wiping his nose correctly. Who knows. I am just glad I got to hang out with him.
After I left the institution I went to a grocery story...one I didn't even know existed here. It was like a super Walmart except not as many clothes. It was so big I was overwhelmed and couldn't think what I had come in for! My driver took me there because it was closer to my new apartment than the store I am used to and I also needed to change more money. I needed to buy eggs and bread also. The eggs are sold in a giant bin where you just pick them out and carefully place them in a plastic bag. I wasn't certain if I had to weigh them before I got to the check out counter, so I followed some poor lady all over the store to see what she did with her eggs. Apparently you don't have to weigh them first. :) All other produce has to be weighed first at a little weighing station near the produce section. This is odd for most Americans but very common everywhere we have lived overseas.
Hopefully Jacob will be better tomorrow and we can get back to our normal visiting routine. I bought him an apple for snack tomorrow as a treat.
(Almost got him to look at the camera, but not quite!) ;)
I made my way to the visitation room and Jacob's nanny brought him too me. This nanny is a wonderfully plump grandmother type with not very many teeth, but the teeth she has managed to hang onto are capped with gold. I like to try to make her smile. She holds Jacob's hands and slowly walks him to me...I think she wants me to see what he can do.
No sooner had I closed the door and settled in with Jacob then the door popped open and one of the more official looking nannies (maybe a doctor or nurse, who knows) pantomimed that I should use the cute little hanky they sent with Jacob to wipe his nose. He is really stuffy and congested so I had a supply of tissues anyway.
She must have had serious doubts about my ability to stay on top of this very important job, because not 5 minutes later, she rushed in, grabbed the hanky, wiped his nose and then left again. I thought to myself, "well that was odd" and then went on to get Jacbo's snack out.
Jacob and I hung out, had his snack, rolled around on the floor, played with his car, played with his spinning penguin top...the normal stuff. What was not normal was that someone stuck their head in the door to check on us every 5 minutes. One time I was in the process of wiping his nose and they were very approving of that!
It was a very good visit in spite of the odd behavior of the nannies. He was very cuddly and was brave enough to look me in the eye for about 10 seconds. I was in heaven!
About 30 minutes early, the nanny who speak about 2 words of English came in and said my time was up. I was a little confused and so was Jacob, but I kissed him and told him I would see him tomorrow. I think they just got tired of checking on me or maybe I wasn't wiping his nose correctly. Who knows. I am just glad I got to hang out with him.
After I left the institution I went to a grocery story...one I didn't even know existed here. It was like a super Walmart except not as many clothes. It was so big I was overwhelmed and couldn't think what I had come in for! My driver took me there because it was closer to my new apartment than the store I am used to and I also needed to change more money. I needed to buy eggs and bread also. The eggs are sold in a giant bin where you just pick them out and carefully place them in a plastic bag. I wasn't certain if I had to weigh them before I got to the check out counter, so I followed some poor lady all over the store to see what she did with her eggs. Apparently you don't have to weigh them first. :) All other produce has to be weighed first at a little weighing station near the produce section. This is odd for most Americans but very common everywhere we have lived overseas.
Hopefully Jacob will be better tomorrow and we can get back to our normal visiting routine. I bought him an apple for snack tomorrow as a treat.
(Almost got him to look at the camera, but not quite!) ;)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Day 30: My Snowy Valentine
Today is Valentine's Day. I LOVE Valentine's Day! As if that wasn't enough...it's snowing! I LOVE snow! Big fluffy snowflakes and about 6 inches on the ground.
Brad left me a box of Valentine's chocolates since I wouldn't be home to celebrate with him and the kids. I put it on the kitchen table last night to "surprise" myself when I woke up. Sappy and sentimental, I know.
Jacob was happy to provide my workout today so that I can eat my chocolate guilt free. My poor baby has a cold. He sniffled and snorted through his banana snack. His little nose is so congested. He got a lot of extra love and attention today. He was understandably a little out of sorts. We rocked and danced and jumped and twirled and tossed in the air and swung around and FINALLY settled down long enough to listen to some classical music. It was very difficult to give him back to the nanny today when I really want to take him home and put him in a steamy shower and make him hot lemonade and give him all the attention a sick little boy needs.
I tried to get a picture of the two of us, but all of them were blurry. It's difficult to get a good picture with just me alone with Jacob. He likes to dive head first off the sofa so unless he is very still and very occupied, I can't have my hands full with the camera. Here's the best of what I got today.
Brad left me a box of Valentine's chocolates since I wouldn't be home to celebrate with him and the kids. I put it on the kitchen table last night to "surprise" myself when I woke up. Sappy and sentimental, I know.
Jacob was happy to provide my workout today so that I can eat my chocolate guilt free. My poor baby has a cold. He sniffled and snorted through his banana snack. His little nose is so congested. He got a lot of extra love and attention today. He was understandably a little out of sorts. We rocked and danced and jumped and twirled and tossed in the air and swung around and FINALLY settled down long enough to listen to some classical music. It was very difficult to give him back to the nanny today when I really want to take him home and put him in a steamy shower and make him hot lemonade and give him all the attention a sick little boy needs.
I tried to get a picture of the two of us, but all of them were blurry. It's difficult to get a good picture with just me alone with Jacob. He likes to dive head first off the sofa so unless he is very still and very occupied, I can't have my hands full with the camera. Here's the best of what I got today.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Day 29: Moving Day
Today I woke up bright and early and packed my last few things to move to a new apartment. I got a call last night that I would have to move today. I don't understand all of the reasons that I had to move, but know that this is Ukraine, and things just work different here. I just roll with things as they come here. I am only a few miles away from my first apartment and it is actually a lot more homey and comfortable than the first apartment. The area is mainly families and so it is quieter and safer feeling. I never felt unsafe at the other apartment, this one has families and neighbors nearby if anything goes wrong. I looked like a bag lady while I move in since I packed in one large suitcase and six grocery bags. :)
I dropped my things off and got settled for just a minute and then left for my visit with Jacob. Our facilitator, Sasha went with me today and it was nice to have someone to chat with. Jacob knows Sasha from the babyhouse (where he was before he was transferred to the institution) and he seemed relaxed and happy that she was there. He was very calm today and liked to play quietly with his toys on the floor. It feels like he is getting more and more comfortable with me and is responding more to English. I try to repeat the same short English phrases each visit so that he can begin to learn. He is also signing "more" without prompting now when I don't move fast enough with the next bite of his snack.
Each day the visits feel shorter and shorter but I know soon that he will be all mine so I try to be patient.
I dropped my things off and got settled for just a minute and then left for my visit with Jacob. Our facilitator, Sasha went with me today and it was nice to have someone to chat with. Jacob knows Sasha from the babyhouse (where he was before he was transferred to the institution) and he seemed relaxed and happy that she was there. He was very calm today and liked to play quietly with his toys on the floor. It feels like he is getting more and more comfortable with me and is responding more to English. I try to repeat the same short English phrases each visit so that he can begin to learn. He is also signing "more" without prompting now when I don't move fast enough with the next bite of his snack.
Each day the visits feel shorter and shorter but I know soon that he will be all mine so I try to be patient.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Day 26: We're serious about our food!
Our whole family loves to eat. You would never guess that by looking at us, but we even plan our vacations around what cool new food or dessert we get to try.
Apparently Jacob will fit right in. I brought him a banana today and at first had a difficult time convincing him to let me peel it. he wanted to just take a big bite, peel and all. I wonder if he had just never seen an unpeeled banana before because he began to cry and pitch a fit when I threw away the peel and wouldn't let him eat it. This is the first time we have heard him cry at all! I was afraid I would have an entire troop of nannies descend on the room to find out what I did to him, so I distracted him by swinging him really high in my arms. This worked for a few minutes and then I was exhausted and Jacob remembered that he was still hungry.
Thankfully, I have been carrying around a granola bar in my purse for weeks. I hesitated to give it to him because it is sticky and has peanuts. A few more high pitched screams from Jacob were enough to make me forget all my fears and whip out that granola bar. Everything here has hazel nuts in it so surely he's not allergic to peanuts, right?
He was in heaven. The boy LOVES to eat! He started to get full and slow down as we got to the end of the granola bar and Jacob and I both sighed in relief.
After that, he climbed down like a little gentleman and we played "wet-wipes-out-of- the-bag/wet-wipes-back-in-the-bag" for the rest of the visit.
I can't wait to have him home where I can just relax and enjoy him!
Apparently Jacob will fit right in. I brought him a banana today and at first had a difficult time convincing him to let me peel it. he wanted to just take a big bite, peel and all. I wonder if he had just never seen an unpeeled banana before because he began to cry and pitch a fit when I threw away the peel and wouldn't let him eat it. This is the first time we have heard him cry at all! I was afraid I would have an entire troop of nannies descend on the room to find out what I did to him, so I distracted him by swinging him really high in my arms. This worked for a few minutes and then I was exhausted and Jacob remembered that he was still hungry.
Thankfully, I have been carrying around a granola bar in my purse for weeks. I hesitated to give it to him because it is sticky and has peanuts. A few more high pitched screams from Jacob were enough to make me forget all my fears and whip out that granola bar. Everything here has hazel nuts in it so surely he's not allergic to peanuts, right?
He was in heaven. The boy LOVES to eat! He started to get full and slow down as we got to the end of the granola bar and Jacob and I both sighed in relief.
After that, he climbed down like a little gentleman and we played "wet-wipes-out-of- the-bag/wet-wipes-back-in-the-bag" for the rest of the visit.
I can't wait to have him home where I can just relax and enjoy him!
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