I'm sorry for such a long blog entry today but those of you who are around me much know that once I get started talking, it's hard to get me to stop. :-)
I apologize for not blogging for the last four days. Saturday and Sunday were both "groundhog days". We woke up, we ate breakfast, we walked around a bit, we ate lunch, Charlie spent time in the corner, we played, we ate dinner, we watched TV, we went to sleep. The only differences on these two days were (1) we cooked the Ukrainian version of Ramen Noodles that we scrounged from the Metro (Ukraine Sam's Club) and they were great. I haven't had these in years but they were a nice change to our menu. The kids love them. (2) I stayed up all night on Saturday night to listen to the Auburn Tigers squeak out a win against Clemson. I can't tell you how much this little piece of home that is listening to college football helps me endure.
Day 36 (Monday):
Monday was a big day in the world of Ukraine adoptions. Our 10 day waiting period ended on Sunday so we were to travel to the region on Monday to pick up the official court decree that names us as parents. The following tasks remained for our adoption process:
- Pick up finalized court decree that officially makes us a family
- Get new birth certificates
- Get updated Taxpayer Identification records for each child
- File for new passports
- Get medical screening (required by U.S. Embassy)
- Have two meetings with U.S. Embassy to gain travel visa's for the children.
- Book flight and travel home. :-)
So, off we go to begin "the paper chase". We arrived at the courthouse at about 10:30 a.m. and we had 12 copies of the court decree by noon. We are now the legal parents of Anna Victoria Taylor and Charles Anatoliy Taylor. (Insert giant smile here). No time to bask in the glory, we had to visit an administration building about 15 kilometers away to try and get new birth certificates. We waited for three hours but managed to score new birth certificates for each of our children. The birth certificates list their new names along with Angelia and I as their parents. (Insert big smile here). Again, no time to bask in the sunlight, we had to book it back to the city where the courthouse was located to try and get updated tax identification information applied to each child. As I understand it, this normally takes only thirty minutes. When we arrived, and after some discussion, we were told that this would take five to ten days. Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeecccchhhh!!!! (That's the sound I heard in my head immediately after getting this news). Although I was discouraged to hear this, our trusty facilitator (insert "Mission Impossible" theme music here) said if we could make it to Kiev before 6:00 p.m., we might be able to get what we needed there. We launch towards Kiev at top speed. I'm sure we grazed a moped on the way out of town but it was his fault. Just kidding. No mopeds carrying baskets of mushrooms or other agriculture products, no babuskas (grandma's) nor any geese (wild or domestic) were injured during our trip to Kiev but it's only because each of them moved out of the road very quickly. :-). We arrive at the destination in Kiev at 5:30 p.m. This was a full 30 minutes to spare but.... Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeecccchhh!!! The workers decided to go home at 4:45 p.m. So, off we go to the apartment with no updated tax identification information and a real fear that we would see a five day delay. I am a little sad to say that I pretty much had a breakdown over this later that night. After the kids were put to bed and we were in our room with the door closed, I pitched a pretty good tantrum and I am sorry that my wife had to endure hearing it. I complained, ranted, griped, fussed and just plain ran out of emotional fuel. At some point during my come-apart, I realized that this sort of behavior is just what gets Charlie some time in "the corner". My spirit began to feel better after realizing this and I just literally said outloud "I get it God... I've been in "the corner" and I deserved it." Just seconds after saying this, Angelia and I started saying outloud how blessed we are. I mean, we recognized that we have met so many children here who need families, there are children in this world who are so hungry they have to dig through garbage dumps looking for scraps of food. There are parents in this world who have sick children and no money for medicine. Angelia and I both discussed out loud that there are so many needs in this world that are much more urgent and important than our own and yet, here I was complaining in the midst of my very many and great blessings. God reminded me that what I have is not really mine and that He doesn't exist to serve me, but I, Him. I turned from "the corner", apologized to Angelia and to God and went to sleep with just a simple prayer. I trust you Lord, please help us.
Day 37 (Tuesday):
So, I awoke on my first day of being a dad (from a full-on legal standpoint) 7:30 a.m.. At 10:00, I was leaving to go with our facilitator to try and make some progress towards this updated tax identification informaiton process. At about 9:15 a.m., Charlie woke up and came sleepily stumbling into the room with Angelia and I. Charlie wandered over to the computer stool where I was sitting, sat up on my lap and just hugged me tightly. I just hugged him tightly back for a minute and said "good morning son". After a minute or two, I asked (using hand signals and English) if he wanted to lay in bed with mom and watch a movie (to which he replied "yes"). I started the movie "Cars" and he was in little man heaven, for sure.
I left the apartment at about 10:00 a.m. with our trusty facilitator (insert "Mission Impossible" theme music here). We visited the building we left off with yesterday. They told us that we needed to visit a different building across the street. No time to wait for cross-walks, we just scoot across Kiev traffic. I surely don't want to do that often. We found the building and were told to wait. About 15 minutes later, we entered an office to meet with a tax official. The lady we met had a warm smile and comforting demeanor. As our facilitator talked with her, I thought to myself "this just might be one of the nicest people I have met since being in Ukraine". A moment later, my eyes were drawn to the cross necklace she was wearing. Not only did she pleasatly describe that we indeed should have been given updated tax identification information yesterday, but she also called that village office and pleasantly explained to the person there that they could and should do it right away. After ending the phone call with the village office, she apologized that she couldn't do it herself but told us that if we would drive back to the village, they would have it waiting for us when we arrived. As we drove from the building, our facilitator said "she was a nice lady. I think she understands adoption and is trying to help". I thought to myself "maybe that cross on her necklace reminds her that she is adopted too".
So, off we go back to the village. When we arrived, the workers were on lunch break. So, while we waited, I decided to take a look under the hood of our facilitators car to see if I could fix his windshield washer. I know a little bit about cars so I just thought I would try. No luck in making the repair. But, I'm sure our facilitator was quite suprised as he rounded the corner to find the hood of his car up, the driver's door open and a bit of "crack attack" staring back at him. Now that I think about it... and taking into account where we were... he probably wasn't that suprised. He had updated tax indentification information in his hands. Can I get a "PRAISE THE LORD"! Our facilitator had even made some calls about the passport application process. Long story short, we had to visit a village passport office back towards where the birth certificates were given. Off we go! When we arrived there, the lady told us we needed some passport related papers from the village where the chidren were born. A call to the orphanage director provided a guide that could show us where it was. We viewed a map for a few minutes and decided not to risk trying to find the place on our own. So, off we go to the orphanage where we pick up ... uh... I don't know his name (but he was a nice guy) who would show us the building we needed to visit. We depart for the Ukrainian countryside with a personal guide. The directions we got from this man reminded me of the one and only visit I have made to the "Masters" golf tournament a few years back with my friend Tim Garmon. At the "Masters", my friend Tim pointed out that golfer Ben Crenshaw had been using the same caddie at this tournament for something like 40 years. It wasn't his normal caddie but rather a caddie who worked at Augusta National. We watched this old caddie at the "Masters" point here and there to show Ben Crenshaw how a green rolled this way or that. All the younger caddies who came with and worked for their famous golfers had spotting scopes and notebooks but, to quote my friend Tim, "Ben's caddie has worked here for 40 years, he don't need no stinkin' notebook". In the same way, neither did our guide need a map. We arrived at a building tucked into some trees in a small village about 20 minutes away from the orphanage. I didn't have a camera but it was quite a charming little village and it was pleasant to think that both my children were born very near here. After waiting for about an hour or so, we got what we needed and were off to take our guide back to the orphanage.
We were led back to the orphanage using a different route specified by our trusty guide which led us smack dab onto a very tiny dirt road type path that reminds me of some Jeep trails I have been on in McKenzie, Alabama. Now, I know how much our facilitator likes his Honda Accord. When we launched onto this dirt "path", complete with grassy hump in the middle and sounds of vegetation bouncing off the underside components of this car, his reflection in the rear view mirror showed a slight hint of concern. This look of concern intensified greatly when we spotted, off in the distance, a man coming toward us walking a cow on a rope. Now, this is a one lane path! As we drew closer, the man waved at us to get out of his way. I mean, Honda Accords are much more capable of dealing with a grassy, humpy dirt road shoulder than is a cow. Luckily, the Accord we were in was able to navigate far enough to the right to allow the cow and it's master to pass. When they got next to us, it was obvious that the man holding the cow's leash was very drunk. When our guide saw the man holding the cow's leash, he let out a big ol' Ukrainian "hello" complete with a window rolled down and handshake. They obviously knew each other! (Seriously, what are the odds that any of us will, while out for a dirt path stroll in our Honda Accord, run into an old pal who just happens to be out taking Ol' Bessie for the afternoon stroll after knocking back a few bottles of vodka?) Seriously, you can't make this stuff up! LOL! Ol' Bessie soon tired of the two long lost pals getting reacquainted and so she pulled her drunken owner away towards greener pastures. We continue on our path to gain paperwork!
We get back to the orphanage to drop off our guide and see many of the kids sitting outside eating apples that we had brought a couple days before. Lord, thanks for the apples! We managed to get all of the passport paperwork in the region completed so we will submit it tomorrow.
I came back to the apartment at about 7:45 or so to a family that I was very glad to see. Angelia had managed to cook up a new bow-tie pasta / mushrooms / garlic / feta cheese dish using stuff she found at the store across the street from the apartment. It was a great day!
Tomorrow, we submit for new passports and continue "the paper chase". Please continue to pray that we will make swift progress and be able to come home very soon.
Although today has been great, I am reminded that yesterday seemed, at the time, not to be. Words that Jesus spoke come to mind when He said "the thief comes to steal and destroy". Yesterday, I gave in to the lies that satan whispered into my ears and allowed my worries to grow into a great feeling of doubt, which led to a tantrum of sorts. What I should have been doing is focusing on the joys in the fact that my wife and I are now legally, and officially, parents of two wonderful children.
I encourage you all, please don't allow "the thief" to "steal and destroy". Rather, choose to trust God, for He is faithful!
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