Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Well tomorrow is the big day, when we receive court documents that will formalize the completion of our adoption of Nicole!  We are so excited to finally reach this point, though it now means everything will speed up dramatically, as we prepare to go home.  The first step will occur when our facilitator Alla retrieves the court documents, and we hope that will occur as early as possible tomorrow.  There is a lot to do between now and next Thursday, which is also Christmas Eve.  The U.S. embassy in Kyiv has been helpful with answering questions and offering guidance on how to complete the forms we must turn in, as part of our immigrant visa application for Nicole.  I only hope the Ukrainian government can quickly process a passport for Nicole, which we need before obtaining the U.S. visa.  And before we can get the Ukrainian passport, we need to obtain her newly modified birth certificate.  Please wish us luck as we begin the race!

Meanwhile, Nadia has continued to visit Nicole every day for therapy, as she tries to learn to eat and also to use muscles that have not been exercised since birth.  We know a lot of physical therapy will be required when we return home, but Nadia is doing what she can, and we are pleased to see some progress is already being made.  When placed on her stomach, Nicole at first was not comfortable and would barely move.  But after doing this for a few days, she now is raising her head up off the bed and using her neck muscles.  This is really encouraging to see.  She also has begun to show some emotion with a gentle smile, as Nadia shakes a tambourine with ribbons above her head.  We were both very happy to see this, because Nicole showed very little motion during the first few weeks.

We celebrated Sava's 8th birthday with a visit to Art Mall, a nice shopping center with a variety of play options for children.  Sava and Mark jumped on trampolines, climbed a rock wall, got lost in a maze of mirrors, and other fun activities.  We gave Sava a small electronic keyboard so now he can make some music for us to "enjoy." :)

Thanks again to everyone for your support, it is making a huge difference for us, and we are grateful for all donations!  I look forward to providing more updates in the days ahead, and hopefully they will describe the progress we're making with all the paperwork.  I'm glad I finally figured out how to share some photos!  If you have any questions, please feel free to write me or comment below.  Take care of yourselves.