Court

We had a great weekend with Katya and Grandma and Grandpa. We walked around downtown and ate at some fun places. We walked past an artist that does pencil sketches and Katya wanted hers done. It took him about 45 minutes, and he did a fantastic job. He only charged $10 to have it done. We are going to take him some pictures and have all our kids done. We spent lots of time with Katya this weekend as well as with all the kids at the orphanage.

So the court was today. To make a long story short there was very little drama. It went exactly as planned. It seemed very different and not as emotional as it was with the other four kids. There are several things that we realized that set this experience apart from our other adoptions. We have known Katya for 3 years. For this time, she has always been our daughter. No matter what court decrees we didn't have until now, she has been a family member. Also, we knew what to expect. We have come to realize that court decisions are really decided before you even show up. They just go through the motions and ask lots of tough questions, but the outcome is really approved before hand. Also, we have been so busy entertaining our short term guests that we were conveniently distracted from the stress of what could have gone wrong. And with this being our third round of adoptions in this country, our knowledge of the process and familiarity with what was going to happen kept the stress level down. This made it easier to relax and enjoy our time with Katya. On our previous adoptions, we did not know what child we would be adopting until a few weeks prior to court.

The decree from the judge is not official for 10 more days, due to the mandatory waiting period, and so now we enter a period of waiting. The only thing that can cause us problems now is getting injured or sick or someone officially protesting the adoption in the next 10 days. We don't forsee that happening. So count on Katya coming home.

There have been lots of little miracles along the way, and I have to share the most amazing one. We received our appointment invitation to come to Ukraine to receive a referral to adopt Katya for the 30th of March. This was the last day they were allowing foreigners to come to Ukraine for appointments. She became available for adoption on the 29th of March. Since that day, no new people have been seen for adoption appointments. It is entirely possible, that had her paperwork been delayed by one or two days, and the adoptions were closed down for more than six months, she would have turned 16 during this time and become ineligible for adoption. The timing of this and that she may have never been able to be adopted is what makes us so happy that things have gone as they have.

We are so grateful for the support of our friends and family. As we were preparing for court today, my sister Drew called. It was early on Monday here, and still late Sunday night in Colorado. She had been at church with the kids earlier in the day and she let us know that at every prayer said during the service Katya was mentioned, and that many members were fasting for Katya. I felt at peace all morning and throughout the entire court session. I felt that everything would be fine. As Julia became nervous before and during court I was able to comfort her and let her know that Katya was coming home. And each and every time I felt at peace and I knew that Katya was coming home. I am so thankful for the support we have received. We felt it here and it is great to have the support of so many wonderful people. The way in which our children have been welcomed and loved and supported by our church, the community, and our families, has been amazing. I really don't know what God has in store for our children. I do know that they have been taken from desperate circumstances and put in a place where they can have amazing opportunities. The only hand Julia and I have had in this is the desire to have more children and a love for children we have met, as well as a perservering drive to complete our family. The doors that have been opened along the way and everything else is the result of a loving God that has blessed us and our children. I know this to be true. God has great things in store for these wonderful children.

The judge said something during court that really touched me. Katya chose the name of Ruslana as her middle name. Ruslana is a famous Ukrainian singer. The judge told Katya that much like the famous singer, she thought that people would come to know Ukraine through Katya. As I thought about the people in the US following her story, I realized at that moment that what the judge said had already begun.