A Family of 8!

I finally have internet access so I can post.  We had court yesterday morning which seems like so long ago.  Everything went smooth.  It only lasted about 45 minutes.  The judge asked Jody a lot of questions about if he was able to financially support 2 more children and if we have room in our house for 2 more.  He asked me what my occupation is.  When I told him that I stay at home with the kids, he said, "happy woman" and even smiled a little.  We learned that the kids mom was a single mom and she was getting money for the government to help take care of the kids but she was using it for herself instead.  They said that she often left the kids at home alone and she was drinking a lot. The father is not listed for either child.  They kept repeating that no Ukrainian citizen wanted the children either.  I really wish the kids didn't have to hear all of that.  They asked Tanya and Bogdan if they wanted to be adopted by us.  Tanya said yes and Bogdan just stared at the judge and nodded his head.  The judge and the 2 jurors left the room for about 20 minutes and came back in to read the verdict.  They announced that they approved the adoption and that Tanya Redding and Alex Bogdan Redding are now our children!  We tried to get a picture outside the courthouse afterwards but they wouldn't allow it.  It was pouring down rain after court and we needed to get some paper notarized.  We went to about 6 different notaries and nobody could do it. Then, they called someone in Kiev who could do it so we had to rush to pack up and take the kids to the camp in order to get to Kiev and meet the notary.  This is pretty much to way everything worked while we were there.  Run around to a billion different places to get one paper signed, stamped, or notarized.  We had to have a driver take us to take the kids out to camp and then to Kiev.  We payed $215 for that which seemed like a lot.  When we turned on the road where the camp is, Tanya made a sad face to tell us that she didn't want to go back.  It was hard to leave her.  She was sad.  We all hugged and she kept saying "I love you, I love you, I love you."  Tanya was explaining to Bogdan that they had to go back to camp and he pouted and said he didn't want to go.  He was fine when we got there though.  I don't think he really understands what is going on.  We made it to Kiev and got the paper notarized.  I'm still not sure what it was.  We went to eat dinner with Natalia and she showed us her wedding album.  We found out that she is married to Alex, our 1st facilitator.  They didn't want to tell us until after court because they wanted to stay professional.  I can't believe I didn't figure it out.  I wondered if her husband cared that she and Alex were such close friends because they seemed to flirt a lot on the phone.  Funny!  Anyway, we had such a great time getting to know them both.  We hope they can come and visit us sometime soon.

It was fun and challenging having the kids without a translator.  Bogdan is like a 2 or 3 year old.  He wants to touch everything and play with every plug or remote he can find.  His attention span is very short so we had to constantly be watching him.  It was exhausting!  He was fascinated by the fan, the washing machine, and the blow dryer.  He would have stayed in the shower for hours if we would have let him.  Whenever he doesn't get to do something that he wants to do, he pouts.  I'm hoping that when he realizes that won't work, he will stop.  We didn't give in to pouting and he seemed to get over it quickly.  We walked to the only restaraunt we know of that has an English menu to eat lunch.  It had rained so there were a ton of puddles.  Bogdan held our hands and we would swing him over the puddles.  He loved it and its just another one of those things that I'm sure he has never done before.  There was a little playground by the apartment and Jody took him down there to play for about an hour after lunch.  He had so much fun.  When it was time to come in, he pouted again.  We went to eat pizza for lunch.  Tanya likes pizza but this was Bogdan's 1st time to eat it and he didn't like it.  It didn't help that Tanya and Ellie were teasing him and telling him it was "poopka".  They were so silly at dinner.  Tanya talks more to Ellie.  I think she is still a little embarassed to try to speak English to us.  After dinner, Bodan took a shower and brushed his teeth.  We told him to lay down and he did.  Then he started to get up to get some pistachios.  I told him "Nyet , zaftra." (no, tomorrow)  He did not like that at all and quickly grabbed a handful out of the bowl.  I told him again and he held on tighter.  I pried them out of his hand and he grabbed a handful with the other hand.  I got them all away from them but he yelled "nyet, nyet, nyet" and started kicking his legs.  Then he was crying and pouting.  Tanya was in the shower and she talked to him when she got out and he calmed down.  He was still mad at us though.  We told him that we loved him but he can't tell mama and papa "nyet".  It's just so hard to know how to handle these situations.  I know that it is frustrating to him because he doesn't understand what we are saying.  He ended up cheering up when I started blow drying the girls hair.  He LOVED the blow dryer!  It took him a while to fall asleep and then about an hour after he went to sleep, he woke up crying.  He was kicking his feet and holding the side of his face.  He told Tanya his head hurt.  He also said his throat hurt.  It was terrible.  He was in such horrible pain and there was nothing we could do.  We just prayed and prayed. I only had adult motrin, but I gave him one anyway.  I posted it on facebook and asked everyone to pray.  In just a little while, he fell back asleep and never complained about it again.  Praise God!  We think it was probably his tooth.  All of his teeth are rotten but one is REALLY bad.  I can't even look at it.  Teeth gross me out.  I don't even like the kids to show me their loose teeth.  Yuk.  Ellie said that there is mold on it.  Jody said that it's just completely black and absessed.  I imagine it hurts all the time.  I will have to take him to the dentist right away when he gets home.  I hate the thought of him waking up at the orphanage in the middle of the night in pain.  I wonder what they do when that happens.  Tanya was so sweet to him.

Right now we are in Washinton D.C. at the airport.  We had to wake up at 3:30 am this morning for our flight.  We are so tired - physically and emotionally.  It was sad to leave the kids yesterday at camp.  But I think the reality of how challening this is going to be is starting to get to us.  To be completely honest, there is a tiny part of me that was relieved that we get to have one week before the craziness begins for good.  Then I feel so guilty for even thinking like that.  It is really hard for me to bond with Bogdan right now.  He is bonding with Jody but still doesn't really want anything to do with me.  I was praying about it the other morning and asking God to please change my heart and make me love him just like I do the other kids.  Then I realized that isn't what I need to be concentrating on.  The thing that I can choose to do is "love" him in actions.  I don't have to FEEL it in order to DO it.  I hate even admitting this because I'm sure some people fall instantly in love with the children they are adopting.  I know God is going to teach me so much through all of this and it's both exciting and exhausting for me to think about.  I'm so tired right now, that I don't even know if this is making sense but I don't feel like rereading it so I'm just going to add pictures and post it.  I'm tired of being away from home.  I can't wait to see the boys and I'm wishing that I didn't have to go to Ukraine next week.  Ok, see how terrible my attitude is today?  I guess you can pray about that too!

Bogdan eating his icecream. 

He loved watching the washing machine go around.  He also likes to help clean!

Even sweeping was fun.

Ready for court

Ellie, Tanya, and Alex Redding