Hello to all!
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Thursday, December 11th was a bit overwhelming! We’ve had numerous special moments since arriving in the
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After a slow, quiet start around the apartment, our taxi arrived at 12:15pm to take us to the orphanage to see perfect. He came down to play at about 12:45pm and we had all kinds of fun again today. His expressions continue to develop, as do his reactions to things we do. We know when he wants tickled, when he wants his sippy cup, and he makes it clear when he gets tired & wants held. We are communicating better with him than we do with most of the adult Ukrainians! MAMA & PAPA are precious words now too- since he can say them. We were told it would be amazing how fast he would pick up on words, but we are continually surprised by his achievements. We met him two weeks ago today. He only opened his mouth to drink, eat, or cry. Today he verbalized, grunts, and relates in a language that his parents can understand (and delight in).
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But today was a different day. Play time was cut short by the larger events of the day. Court was scheduled to begin at 3PM. This was not simple traffic court- this would be an appearance that was scheduled to change all of our lives for evermore. So at about 2:25PM Barb & I knew we had to say good-bye to this little boy who has grown so big in our hearts. I climbed the stairwell to return him to his floor. He & I stopped along the way as PAPA explained to him that MAMA and I wanted to take him to his new home in Raymond, and make sure he had everything he ever wanted needed. I said a quick prayer that God allow the day to progress smoothly, quickly, and make us a family. He actually listened attentively, and laid his head on my shoulder as I prayed. I think a certain part of him sensed my emotions as well.
http://www.makeyevka.dn.ua/eng/our_city/about_city/
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We soon received word that court would be delayed until 3:30pm. So Ostap came and picked us up & we drove the long half a mile to the courthouse. Once there, there was more paperwork to sign- there always is! Then we waited in the hallway. Finally at about 3:30pm we entered a courtroom. It was a dimly lit 20x30 foot room with pews to sit on facing a desk in the front. To our right was a floor-to-ceiling, steel cage where those charged in a criminal case are locked during a court hearing. The facility would make the old Macoupin County Jail look awfully lavish. It was a little different than what I had expected. While we waited for the Judge to arrive, Ostap and Veta briefed us on what was about to happen and advised us on what kind of responses to give. One unique twist to the Ukraine Civil Court Cases is that sitting on both sides of the judge, there is one jury member from the citizens of the area. So our case was going to be heard by the judge & two members of the public.
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About 3:45 two “reporters” came into the court- they actually tape the hearings. They stated that the judge would be in shortly. We continued to visit, until the door opened and in walked two women & a man in a suit- we all rose to our feet. The man in the suit was carrying a folder full of papers, and took the center seat. I glanced down at my watch- it was exactly 4pm. He introduced himself, read through court procedures, explained the afternoon’s events, and a bunch of other formal things that we wanted to get past. He read part of Barb & my history (from our home study) and explained to the others in the room who we were. He then read documents from the orphanage, the region, and the Ukrainian government suggesting that we be allowed to adopt this little boy. He then asked me to rise and answer a few questions. I (with Ostap beside me) stood and tried to remain focused on what the judge was saying & the translator was repeating in my right ear.
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The judge asked simple questions at first- my name, date of birth, & city of birth. Then he went on to ask what brought us to the
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The judge nodded, thanked me, and then asked Barb to stand. After Barb had risen to her feet, he asked her if she supported and agreed with everything I had stated. She agreed with me (finally!). He asked if she had anything to add. She began telling how we had fallen in love with this child and wanted to give him a loving home. As tears started down Barb’s cheeks, one of the lady jurors started to weep as well. (That was the first sign of emotion that any of the three had shown.) The judge thanked her, and then asked us to all be seated.
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After taking verbal statements from the orphanage employee and the region inspector’s office, he announced more procedural items. He then repeated what I had verbally stated, as well as was printed on our petition. After asking if we agreed with his summary, he then announced that he & the jury would go discuss it, and come back with an answer to our petition. He also asked the jury members if those two had any questions they wished to ask us- they answered no. They walked out of the room and we breathed with relief- that part was over. Everyone seemed congratulatory that everything had went smoothly and that he did not have any major questions.
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At 4:50 the Judge & Jury came back into the courtroom. We all stood and he began to read his decree. After about 6 paragraphs of formalities, he got to the final paragraph that we were all waiting to hear. He decreed that the orphanage boy, who had been a ward of the country for the past 21 months, now be placed into the permanent custody of his new parents: Darrin & Barb Daugherty. He further stated that the boy’s name would be changed on his birth certificate to match what we had requested it be from now on. He then announced the case closed and walked out at 5PM (9AM Illinois Time).
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So he made official what we had been praying for! As of 5pm, we are parents. We are now perfect’s parents! So this one court appearance is all we had to make. The Judge’s ruling is final and the order will be carried out by the State Department of Adoption on Monday, December 22nd. So the only thing to be done now is to wait! For the next 10 days, a “public objection” would put a “stay” on his order, and we will be recalled to the court. If no public objection occurs prior to December 22nd, we can go to the orphanage and carry our son out of there!
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So- it’s been an interesting journey to this point. Most couples have pregnancies that last 9 months, while we took 18 months to meet our son. Delivery for most culminate in a day or so, for us it’s been a very full two weeks. Most parents visit the most skilled physicians they can find. Most deliveries occur in a hospital, ours occurred in a courtroom. So while we acknowledge the unusual journey, we know it is a total blessing. We have now arrived at parenthood. We knew long ago that we had to “let go”, and let Jesus guide our path to parenthood. It is“…Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine…”Eph 3:20.
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Our journey isn’t quite over yet. There is more paperwork to accomplish after the 22nd. His Birth Certificate needs to be reprinted (with new parent’s names), a passport to get, and a visit to the US Embassy in Kiev- to get a Visa for this little Ukrainian citizen who will be returning to America with us. But we remain confident that we have found our son. God led us here, and today the Ukrainian government made it official.
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So in a few more weeks you too will get the opportunity to meet the boy who has stole our hearts, captured our love, and became our Son. Through it all, we continue to give Praise to God. I am reminding myself constantly that this trip is such a blessing from God. From the minute we squeeze that little guy “hello” each day, until the moment we say goodbye each afternoon, I am in awe of what an amazing blessing my son is. Not since October 5, 1991 have I received such a blessing to complete me. My mind continually recalls James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the Heavenly light…”.
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This boy is a Perfect Gift.
This is an overwhelming day of Love for the Daugherty Household.
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Thanks for your prayers,
Darrin, Barb, and their Son
