An Angel

4/23/2009

Night, night. Sleep tight.

Today, we awakened bright and early to the sound of the telephone. Jordan provided our wake-up call this morning at 6:45am. It's so weird... he was actually going to bed because it was 10:45pm there. Well, we did the morning routine: potty, breakfast, clothes, brush teeth and hair, wait by the door for mommy to get ready, wait by the door for mommy to hang the wet clothes out to dry, wait by the door for mommy to get everything before we leave, wait by the door for mommy to make sure she has not forgotten the kitchen sink, wait on mommmmmmmyyyyy! Nope, she was done waiting on mommy. As she proceeded out the front door, I had to quickly grab my things and leave with her! The girl was ready to be outside.

We headed to the medical clinic at 8:30 this morning. When we arrived, there was a "new" family waiting for us. They are a couple from Miami, Florida. Dad is originally from Cuba and mom is from somewhere else? They both speak English. However, I found out later that they speak Spanish at home! He is 43 and she is 51, so mom is too old, according to Ukrainian law, to adopt. (At least, that was what I understood.) The dad is adopting the little girl, and mom is too, unofficially.

Alina is the little girl they are adopting. She is precious. She is four years old and smaller than Nina. She is extremely pale with very short hair all over. She has spirit! Their adoption is a little different from ours. They just got Alina yesterday and will leave for the US on Saturday. This was their first day with her, with doctor's appointments and the embassy visit! Wow! The parents also have two sons back home, 10 and 14. They have always wanted a little girl, and they have always wanted to adopt. They amaze me! They are sweet people and very relaxed. Mom is extremely fashionable and gorgeous. Dad is very handsome also. Their intention is to continue Alina's Ukrainian language. They have a Ukrainian nanny set up back home! They will speak Spanish to her at home. And, she will have English in school. Wow! That is amazing and overwhelming to me for some reason. I wish I could say I planned the same for Nina. I was merely focused on English... oops!

We all entered the medical center together. We waited about 5 minutes, then we were asked to go pay for the visit. We were sent into the hallway/waiting area where we waited about another 5 minutes, and a nurse took Nina for weight and height. Nina started crying. She quickly stopped when she realized it was all over. Then, we waited another 10 minutes and went in to see the doctor. He was very thorough and asked Nina all of the questions directly. She took this very seriously and answered all of the questions while looking him in the eyes. However, she did tell him that she goes to school. We told him that was not true! She laughed, so she still had her sense of humor eventhough she was stressed. He asked her to remove her shirt and did a complete physical. She laughed and did great! He handed me her immunization records, and it occurred to me that we will have the dreaded 4 year shots with her in July... ugh! Those are brutal.

Well, we dressed and went into the hallway/waiting area which was crowded with people at this point. Little Alina and her parents followed the same routine. Once all of the check ups were complete, we had to wait in the hallway for about 10 minutes. Alina is a spritely little thing. She took a drink of someone's juice (whom none of us knew), she ran crazy from person to person in the crowd waiting area (a hallway), she went up to a person and called him a witch, she apparently stamped the doctor's desk with his seal multiple times and pulled the paper from the exam table off the roll. She was out of control, like a kid with way too much sugar. I think even Nina was appalled at her behavior. Don't get me wrong, Alina was not being bad. She was experiencing a million new stimuli all at once! And, she doesn't even know these people she is supposed to call "mom and dad!"

On the flip side, our little Nina was a angel. I realized how blessed I was to have such a jewel sitting with me. She looked up at me several times for confirmation that she could play with something. She was content to sit in my lap and play with her one toy. She asked to get down from my lap and stand at my feet. She then just played quietly, talking to herself and stomping her feet. She did not leave my side, nor act inappropriately. She is just amazing!

Another note about Alina: she has some internal health issues. She was born without an anus and has endured three surgeries thus far. (She's only four!) She has one small and non-functioning kidney and the other is enlarged. She has some other internal organ problems, and they will have to address those when they arrive back in the US. She is a precious little girl who is getting used to her new world.

We went to the US Embassy after the clinic appointment. Nina and I entered with some paperwork and passports and money. We went to the office and waited for about 15 minutes. Nina started to cry... I think she was scared. She stopped when I found her a chair and stood next to her. I played some little games with her and she was fine again. I went to the counter and our paperwork was processed, which took about 15 minutes. We walked down the hallway to pay for Nina's visa. Then, we went back to the office with the receipt. The lady said, "Thank you for having all of your paperwork completed and in order. Please come back tomorrow for your final interview and visa, between 9:00 and 10:00 in the morning." That was it! Nina was ready to be outside and get some lunch. We were back to the apartment by noon. Thank you, God, for speedy work!

We went to our little French restaurant to celebrate and Nina didn't like any of the food I chose for her. She had two cookies and orange juice. We played in the main center plaza of the city for hours and Nina was filthy! Jordan called and Nina wanted to talk to him. She said, completely unprevoked by me, "I love you!" I think it melted his heart!

We returned to the apartment to get our sand toys and went out in front of the apartment and played. Nina wanted to stroll around the city. And, we actually ate pastries for dinner. (I probably should not say that outloud! It makes me sound like a bad mom.) Nina had one with sausage and cheese and finished with a chocolate pastry. We shared water and apples, oranges and bananas. This is the life, if we only had a beach!

Back at the apartment, Nina said she was ready for bath. Afterward, I started packing up a few things. She remained glued to my heels, following me all over the apartment. She still struggles a bit at bedtime, but I hold my ground. I needed for her to get some rest, because we have to go to the embassy again tomorrow. I'm not sure what the remainder of the day tomorrow looks like yet... more sand, dirt and a final stroll around the city? I think I'll treat her to her favorite Ukrainian restaurant for lunch and maybe dinner too! Nina had a good day!

I am now beginning to pray about Mia, Karly and Wiley claiming me back home. That will be a shocker for Nina since she has been my sole focus for so long. I pray she continues to feel loved, cared for and important. We met one other family at the clinic today. The dad was there completing the process and mom had returned to Indiana. They adopted a ten year old boy. He is so incredibly handsome. He seemed overwhelmed by all of the activity in the clinic, but he found security in his dad. I could tell the way he nuzzled up against his dad's arm. The dad was telling me they have no other children, that he will be their only focus. Nina will have a brother and sisters to learn when she arrives home. She will not be our only focus. I pray she is in the right family! Good night!