Friday, July 8, 2011

Across the Atlantic to Alabama!

It's been well....busy. Exhausting. Crazy and overwhelming.

Tuesday we woke up thinking we would spend all day running around with our facilitator to get the court decree and all necessary paperwork to get Sveta from the baby house. But our facilitator did most all the paperchasing for us and we basically sat in the hotel all day getting updates about every 30 minutes! The birth certificate took FOREVER and was the one thing we waited on all day. Finally, at 5pm we got her birth certificate and headed to the passport office. We were out within an hour with her passport and then went to the orphanage. We met with the medical director and then headed to Sveta's groupa.
We walked through these doors, the same ones we have been walking through for three weeks to get to her groupa.

She was still with her groupa getting ready so I took pictures of the room where we would pick her up every day.


Her locker  - number 6

Sigh. It was bittersweet. She was so very excited and the nannies had spent alot of time making her hair perfect in about a 1,000 hair bows. She was so proud of her hair!

The nannies got her all dressed for the last time.
I don't think any of them had a dry eye. One was literally sobbing - it was so sad! But Sveta has been at the baby house since she was 5 or 6 months old. Everyone there has known her for a very long time. They call her "princessa"!

Her groupa and three of the nannies. We didn't get to say goodbye to some of her favorite nannies because they weren't there that day.
Sveta gave her friends hugs.

Oh my soul it was sweet and sad.
One little girl - the one I talked about in one of my last posts - she was crying. I wanted to scoop her up and take her too.

I am lying.
I wanted to take all of them.
I was on the edge of bawling.
Knowing that recent laws passed in Ukraine will prevent most of these children from being adopted until they are five.

I can't tell you how much of an ache in my soul there is walking away from here with this knowledge.

But we have Sveta.

We have our girl.

We will continue to advocate for all the others left behind.

Sveta's been sprung. She is a Houser! An orphan no more!


We had a long night after we left the orphanage. I will write about many things later. Thats for a whole other post! This one is all about celebrating the beginning of a new life for Sveta and our family!

We travelled to Kiev Wednesday and have our final embassy appointment later on today. We leave at 5:30am in the morning to head back across the atlantic to Alabama! It's going to be a long trip but worth it. Peyton and Paige can't wait to meet Sveta - she got to talk to them on the phone last night and it was so funny. They kept asking what she was saying! She was going on and on about something. I think she liked hearing kids voices.

Sorry this one is so short - this is the first time I have been able to get to my blog - miss Sveta is attached to me like glue usually but has actually fallen asleep for a nap right now!

Pray for us as we travel home tomorrow. We have to be at the airport at 3:30 am. OUCH. Then we have a five hour layover in Germany! OUCH again! We should be home by 6pm though!

And guess what the first food we want when we land in Huntsville?

Mexican food.

Praise God He is Good!

9 comments:

michelle said...

Ummmm....what time does your flight arrive? We need details woman!!! So happy sveta is free. I can't wait to see her again :)

Renee said...

Praising God with you!!! Praying for safe travels and that Sveta enjoys her plane ride...and when I say enjoy I mean I hope she doesn't scream the whole time... Beautiful Gotcha Day picture.

Julia said...

PRAISING GOD HERE IN VIRGINIA... JUST PRAISING GOD...

Brandee said...

I cannot wait for you guys to get home. I have so enjoyed following your blog these weeks to Sveta. If a strange woman sees you at Wally World and acts like she knows you... It will be me. :) I pray Father allows our paths to cross and that we will get to meet.
Many blessings as you fly home! Welcome to HSV Sveta!
Let the Son shine,
Brandee

Crystal said...

Oh my, this made me cry. Oh my heart goes out to the little girl that cried, I hope she will have a family to come for her soon. And I can only imagine how that nanny felt, the one sobbing. I am so glad she will truly have and know what a family and love in a family is like now.

Becky said...

Praise God! I'm so happy to see her sweet self freed, but I have to admit that I'm crying knowing my Alyona was crying. Lord please change the law, include HIV. I will get on an airplane to go get her. I cannot stop thinking of her, the way she hugged me and then let her little hand linger on my arm, then said 'Paka' and walked away, turned looking at me the entire time she and her groupa walked back into the baby house, the last time I seen her, our last visit there before Alina's gotcha day.
Ugh. Please let that law change.
I can't wait to see pictures of Sveta with her siblings, and everyone together! I can just see her soaking everything up, what a grand adventure for little miss! :)

Carolyn said...

Congratulations!!! Your daughter is beautiful!!! I cried when I read about all the goodbyes and the pictures of the goodbyes with the other children! I want to go there and bring them all home! They were all beautiful children!! I will be praying for you and good luck with the traveling!! Love the pictures!!

love being mommy said...

Kim, I am bawling reading this post. I can't imagine how tough it must have been for everyone to say good bye. But I can't wait to meet our new niece!!!

AdriKrehbiel said...

Congratulations! Beautiful post. She is precious!!! I pray you have a safe flight home!