10/16/20

Well it's been a busy week since we arrived in Kiev.  We spent a few days getting acclimated to our apartment and new time zone, and deciding how to organize ourselves for Sava to attend school remotely, and for me to handle my work from Ukraine, thanks to the wonders of WiFi.  It's been fairly easy for us to navigate the city, with Nadia able to handle the communication with most people, and Uber helping us to get around.  But we aren't here for a city tour. :)

Yesterday was a big day, as we made our first visit to the orphanage to meet Nicole, the girl we came here to consider adopting.  After a 40 minute van ride to a small town near Kiev, Nadia, the boys, Alla (the facilitator) and I were led into a quiet, small room at the orphanage.  A doctor greeted us and asked if we'd like to see Nicole.  We didn't expect that so quickly, but we were very pleased at the offer.  She was brought into the room, and we saw a beautiful little girl, laying quietly in a carriage.  She was a bit bigger than I expected, and Nadia picked Nicole up to hold her.  I took a few photos as we heard about her medical history from a doctor, while Alla provided occasional translation.

We learned that Nicole was born on June 22, 2018, and that her mother brought her to a hospital only a month after she was born.  Sadly, it seems the mother likely suffered from a variety of mental/psychiatric problems, and mistreated the baby, causing some head injuries.  Although she received good treatment for the physical injuries, Nicole was then taken to a clinic for tuberculosis when she was six months old.  Unfortunately, she stayed there for more than 18 months, and didn't receive proper child care to aid in her development.  She was discharged from the tuberculosis clinic and brought to the orphanage only two weeks before our visit.  The neurologist we spoke to described some of the health issues facing Nicole, including multicystic encephalopathy, cerebral spastic tetraparesis, sympathetic epilepsy, and optic atrophy.  We'll need to spend time on the Internet to learn more about these conditions, though the neurologist we spoke to sounded optimistic about her prognosis with good treatment in the U.S.

Nadia held Nicole for about two hours, and she slept peacefully for much of that time.  I also held her for a little while, and the boys both leaned in to gaze upon her face.  After driving back to the apartment, Nadia and I discussed Nicole and her prospects for the future, and agreed that we could help this little girl.  We decided that we will move forward with adopting Nicole, and will bring her into our family.  Later in the day, we shared the news with my parents, who congratulated us and wished us well.

The adoption process is not a quick one, so we will be here for a couple of months, as it makes sense to not fly back & forth to the USA when that's not necessary.  Nicole will undergo several doctor examinations, and a court hearing has to take place, before we can apply for her Ukrainian passport and a visa to the United States.  We appreciate everyone's support, and look forward to sharing more news going forward.