More photos later, keep checking back!
Darrin
More Observations About
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Since arriving here God has continued to bless us with a strengthening Dollar. At times we feel like things are getting tough in the
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Let’s talk about fuel. As close as we are to the middle-east I assumed gas would be plentiful. In fact, a lot of vehicles run on gasoline or propane or a mixture of both. Gas is sold in liters. My best conversion technique shows me that gas is selling presently for $2.79 per gallon. This is the highest it has been in some time over here. It is definitely causing a crunch on their economy. After the Soviet block broke apart and
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Four common sweets connect our country with the
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Surprising weather! The biggest surprise to us so far has to have been the weather. We prepped for a normal season over here by packing long underwear, turtle necks and plenty of sweaters. To date it has been unseasonably warm. We have not yet seen snow and none is in the immediate forecast. Last week it was still in the mid to upper 40’s and the locals couldn’t believe how warm it still was in December. The forecast on the internet says we may have snow in
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Speaking of Utilities….
Our modern apartment does have hot water from 6 am to 11 pm each day. Our radiator heat keeps the apartment consistently warm. We are thankful for solid, vinyl thermal pane windows. The Ukrainian Government controls the gas supply to the buildings in this country. They turn on the gas for heat 1st of October and turn it off the 1st of May. Our apartment building is 9 stories high and like most other apartment buildings it has one huge boiler in the basement. The water pipes run across the first floor proceed up to the second floor continue across the second floor, travel to the third, etc. etc. etc. So the one boiler controls all the radiators in all the rooms of each apartment. We just learned on Friday evening from some friends in Kiev that the Government had turned off the hot water heaters and lowered the boiler rates in parts of Kiev because the residents had too many delinquent bills owed to the Government. We have not seen that scenario here in
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While the official language is Ukrainian, many also still speak Russian. We have also found English in quite a few shops and restaurants. Many restaurants have an English printed menu they provide when we ask for it. A few of the younger taxi drivers also know broken English. We are told that the younger children are learning English as part of their schooling. But it seems we always find a way to communicate. Just the other night, Barb and I discovered a new pizza parlor a block away from our apartment. The signage caught my attention as the name of the place was N.Y. Street Pizza. We walked into the restaurant and saw American nostalgia posters and
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There are orphanages with numerous children in them, but we have given the Perfect child a home.
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Your
Darrin & Barb
Post Court Date News
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This is Sunday evening, Dec. 14th. It seems like we haven’t written in the blog since Thursday when we went to court. That’s because we haven’t. Several of you have e-mailed asking what is going on, so thought we better get some updates entered. Since court on Thursday, it does seem like things the last couple of days have been anti-climatic. Yet we also know in about 7 days everything changes again as our son will come to live with us permanently.
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Looking back at Friday
Our head facilitator, Galya, rode the train to town and took a taxi to our apartment about 7:30 am. We visited about court yesterday then Darrin fixed a big breakfast for everyone (scrambled egg with sausage, ham, oranges, bananas, Danish, and toast.). Then Galya and Ostap left about 11 AM to head to Torres for the Adams court date (The Adams are the American couple here from
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At about 1:05pm they brought down the boy who is officially our son from his room. The entire day felt different and we are glad court is behind us. We had a good day of play and went outside for 10 minutes of play also. Today is the coldest day, it is 34 degrees.
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We have developed a certain routine with our son. He knows he gets an animal cracker shortly after we arrive, we play for awhile, he goes back to our bag for more crackers, we play some more. Then at 2:00pm he sits by Mama and he gets to eat a whole banana….and boy does he love bananas! After more play, he’ll usually sneak in another cracker or two before the nurse comes to get him. The entire time he enjoys his sippy cup of juice. The nurses usually come to get him between 2:45pm & 3pm. By that time he is getting pretty tired and definitely ready for a nap. (Often times, Mama and Papa are too.) I often wonder what is going through his head. Today we had the opportunity to tell him he is now our son and guarantee him that we’d take care of him forever. At the same time, he’s probably thinking “You ain’t ever seen me for more than 2 ½ hours in one day; I hope you know what you’re doing.” We keep trying to assure him that we think we do.
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After a cab ride home, Barb grabbed a quick nap and I surfed the internet to follow the stories of our illustrious Governor. After a quick meal, we set the laptop up and watched the DVD “Fever Pitch” on the 15” computer screen.
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Saturday Activities
Saturday was a different routine but a very fun day. We left our apartment about 9:30 am to walk to
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James and Megan Williamson are a terrific couple from
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As the Williamsons have free days right now, we have started a new “internet routine” with them. Saturday we installed our modem program on their laptop. Now as we travel by their apartment around noon time each day, James meets me on the sidewalk and I hand him the modem. As we return from the orphanage between 3-4pm we stop and pick up the modem to take it back home. They definitely appreciate the opportunity to use the internet daily, and we are happy to share the blessing that it is to us as well. It sure makes staying in touch with all of you at home possible, and certainly makes our down time a lot more bearable.
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We continue on to the orphanage to see our son. The boy acted tired at first but warmed right up to us very fast. Along with the usual food routine, bubbles and books kept him happy today. His other joy is running the hallway and making sure we are chasing him. I am beginning to hate the hallway. I have a carpenter coming tomorrow to give me an estimate on installing doors- or at least a barricade 2 ½ feet tall. I think that should slow him down a little bit. But frankly after seeing some of the other children here at the orphanage, we are so blessed that he can run, play, communicate and is so full of life. We do look forward to returning home and letting all of you take your turn keeping up with him!
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I had told you before that we had small markets around us, with limited quantities of some items (especially meat). The Williamsons told us of the store next to them and the terrific selection it has. On the way home we had the taxi stop there. We had a blast shopping for 40 minutes, and got to purchase all sorts of things we haven’t seen in the
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Our supper menu Saturday evening featured my version of chicken cacciatore (sautéed chicken chunks, tomato sauce, and salsa), baked potatoes, and corn. As the meal ended, we were exhausted from our great day out and excited about our first real home cooked meal with meat!
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Today was Sunday, Dec. 14th
Barb awoke sluggishly and wasn’t feeling up to par today. Late in the morning it became evident that my son and I were going to have some male bonding time. I arrived at the orphanage via taxi about 12:40 am. (After a quick stop to drop off the modem to the Williamsons.) Another couple was already there playing with their boy. After the nurse brought my son to me in the play area, two other couples arrived in the following 30 minutes to play with their children. It was definitely a full house today. We have never had more than 2 families there at one time before. It certainly made for an interesting day. Each parent had brought their own toys, an of course every child wanted someone else’s toy. But the children all played well and the parents did too. I was speaking English, one couple was speaking only Spanish, and the other two couples had the local dialect down. So it was our first multicultural play date. The other kids thought my boy’s dad was the coolest when I broke out the bottle of bubbles. All the kids were chasing them and all the other parents will probably be buying them tomorrow. It was nice having the other parents there, as the herd of children ran to the other end of the hallway, we took turns pursuing them and chasing them back to the play area. This was a big blessing for me; I didn’t come home as tired as I usually do.
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The taxi brought me back to the store where I bought a couple more items and met the Williamsons to pick up the modem. Another short taxi ride brought me back to the apartment to see my son’s mother. She is doing much better now, especially after I fixed her supper. Tonight I was able to brown ground beef and fix a goulash dish and green beans….let’s talk about green beans. Green beans are one of the few items that I had not been able to find yet. In the can vegetable sections here the mainstays are peas and corn. They also do all kinds of stuff with red beans-chili, baked beans, red beans, red beans with sauce, and saucy red beans- they are really into beans. I have also found canned carrots. But I was beginning to suspect there was a conspiracy toward the green bean growers. But alas, I finally located green beans in a frozen bag about a 1 lb. size. They definitely are a rare commodity here. So supper was my second masterpiece evening in a row…if I must say so myself.
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With Barb taking lame, I was stuck washing the dishes tonight as well. That is usually her chore for the evening. I have come to realize I miss the dishwasher, and it makes me appreciate having Barb with me over here. I did a load of white clothes in the mini-washer this evening as well. We had been told prior to our arrival that Laundromats were non-existent and washing machines were often hard to find. We are blessing to have a small washing machine in our apartment. They don’t have a dryer here, but they have two drying lines installed in different rooms. So right now we have your basic white clothes hanging in the bathroom, out on the enclosed balcony, and from the front room light fixture. This place looks like a JC Penney White Sale! Hope things dry in a couple days, like to get things folded and put away before we have company over.
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Around 10pm tonight we called Carlinville to chat with the Daugherty clan. My family was gathered at Doug & Melinda’s house to celebrate Christmas. After talking to mom, it was nice to pass the phone around and to say “hi” to several of them. Special congratulations to my nephew Josh and his wife Beth as they announced today that they are expecting their third child next year.
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That’s about all I know for sure right now. We look forward to starting another week in beautiful downtown
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Rejoicing in
Darrin, the dishwasher, and the boy.
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
Yes, it has been a few days! We would have written sooner, but our eyes have been glued to the TV. Can’t wait to see what happens to Hot Rod next! Ryan may have sold some license plates, but the nerve of this democrat is unbelievable! I saw the news headlines on the BBC and called the church before part of you in
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On to better things… Life in the
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MONDAY, Dec 8th
Today marks the one week anniversary of our meeting the boy. What a week! We started the morning by going to “the boat” for our blog posting and breakfast. The boat is actually a pirate themed restaurant. Its exterior look is built over the basement stairs which lead down to the restaurant. Here is a photo of the place. 
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After breakfast & internet, a taxi arrived to drive us to the orphanage. Today was a great day of play & laughter. But we also had to set a few boundaries concerning a certain sippy cup that the boy decided to launch across the floor a couple of times. But he quickly caught on that if he wanted it back, he couldn’t throw it. He pouted a little, then quickly got over it… that’s Barb’s boy!
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Today we introduced a new toy... Bubbles! We had bought two bottles at the market the other day. Man did he love them! He couldn’t follow the bubbles fast enough- then he figured out that he could pop them. He has great vision. As soon as he had popped the bubbles in front of him, one would catch his eye on his side, and he would quickly react towards those… then spin back around to see where else they were falling! He has a sharp mind. We got some great photos today!
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Earlier in the day while it was raining, we walked outside with the boy and stood under the porch for some fresh air. Rain was dripping off the roof. I held his hand under the falling drops and he looked very surprised. But he definitely liked it and wanted to keep splashing and catching the drips. As soon as we had gone outdoors, he saw the water puddles and started pointing and saying something-he definitely knows water.
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His interaction continues to improve daily. Throwing the balls to us, coming to us, and recognizing who MAMA & PAPA are, get more consistent each day. When 2:45 came, we hadn’t had enough. So I asked the nurse about the evening visiting hours, and she confirmed 5PM. So I asked her to return him to us then. So we waited in the play area. Veta, our friendly nurse, came along and Ostap told her we were staying for evening visit. She was concerned that Barb & I would not have an evening meal. We told her we would eat with the boy, but she informed us that there were no extra portions. Instead she offered us the option to stay longer and feed Perfect his supper. We of course jumped at the offer. About 6 pm his energy level slowed and his running ended. Shortly thereafter about 6:30 pm his tray arrived. Dinner tonight consisted of 1¼ cups white rice in warm milk, about 8 oz. of warm chocolate milk, ½ a slice of white bread, ½ a slice of dark bread, and a bib. He loved the bread, we fed him some rice (but he wasn’t big on it), and he drank most of the milk. I was certain this had to be his bedtime snack of warm comfort food, but Veta later confirmed that this was dinner.
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By 7:05pm he had had enough, he rubbed his eyes and our playtime slowed. We rocked and held him some more, but he is still not comfortable falling asleep in our arms and will always fight it. At 7:45pm (the time Veta arranged) the nurse reappeared. We knew it was bedtime for him and he knew it too. After kisses and reassurance we would see him tomorrow, we handed him back to the nurse who had waited patiently.
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As bad as the meals are we are always pleased with his care. He is clean and redressed every time we see him. He goes to any nurse and never seems scared of them. It is great to see the care he has gotten. God has certainly provided for this boy.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9TH
Hard to believe we flew out of
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Ostap took us to the orphanage at 1 pm and by 1:15pm the boy was downstairs. We had another great afternoon of play. A beach ball was the new toy of the day. He ate half an orange, but wasn’t as thrilled as he is with bananas. We are past the “run and chase” stage. Now he seems content to play with us, read books, and eat. At 2:45pm he went upstairs with the nurse.
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We visited with Ostap and Veta. Our court date is confirmed for 3pm on Thursday, Dec. 11th. At this hearing, the Inspector will be present to represent this region, the orphanage Director will be there, as will the orphanage secretary-Veta. All will present paperwork that has been filed in the capital of
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The other news of the day was the USB Internet modem arrived and is working great! This allows us 24 hour access to the internet anywhere we have our laptop. However, the bad news came, when Galya attempted to plug in Barb’s hair dryer to the only power convertor we had left. I had banned Barb from using it after we saw 2 other convertors “pop”. Right on schedule, this one blew too. So now we have no power source for computer, camera, and camcorder - all the modern appliances we brought with us. Hopefully we can find a fuse for this convertor on Wednesday.
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Liz Adams called tonight and she will be staying with us Wednesday as her husband is traveling to
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10TH
By 10 am Ostap arrived with Liz and we visited in the morning. At 11:30 am I walked to the store to purchase more phone minutes then on to the grocery store to get water and bananas. A taxi came at 12:30 am to pick up Barb & me.
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We got the boy about 1:10pm and he was in a perfect mood again today. The beach ball was still a hit, as were the books. Barb has been counting 1,2,3,4,5 as she turned the pages-today he can repeat “1” as he turns the pages. Our biggest thrill was probably in conjunction with the digital camera. I have been using it for several days. Today he came over and wanted to use it as well. I started reviewing the photos on the LCD screen for him to see. As I did, he spotted the big stuffed dog and started pointing at the screen and calling out “woof-woof”. Shortly after that, I scrolled across a photo of Barb. He looked and pointed at the screen then looked to his right 5 ft. away at Barb, then back at the screen-then pointed to the screen and announced “mama”. I then took a photo of myself and put it into the mix. When that photo would appear, he would point at it, look up at me and say “papa”. So then I kept cycling the pictures to ingrain it in his mind. . . and of course I liked hearing it too.
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Usual juice and banana were a hit, as were the cookies. The nurse came at the usual time of 2:45 pm to take him back upstairs. Ostap came to pick us up and his wife had located fuses for our convertor while shopping! So now we are back to the electronic age, with everything charged in the apartment, and internet 24/7.
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About 5 pm Galya arrived then Liz, Galya, Barb & I went next door to “the boat” for dinner. By 6:45 pm the taxi had left with Galya and Liz. Liz’s husband Brian will be returning on a late flight from
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It’s 9:15 pm on this side of the globe, hope you are having a great afternoon. God has blessed us with another great day. We pray that yours is as much fun.
Darrin, Barb & Perfect
Editor’s Note: This installment brought to you by the MAMA!
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Good Morning from
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Saturday was a very good day. We left the flat and went uptown to do some shopping at 9:30 am. We went into several stores looking for a new toy or outfit for Perfect, but only found 3 books at a newspaper stand and a cloth, 3x4 teddy bear ornament at a Christmas store.
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We walked back to the flat and got our laptop computer and met the Williamsons downstairs then went to “the boat” restaurant for our usual morning breakfast and WIFI transmission. Our food portions were smaller today, but still as good.
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Ostap had called a taxi service so we could go to the orphanage to see our sons today. While the others were waiting for the bill, I ran up ...ok walked…up to the flat to drop off our computer and get the daily supplies needed to brighten our little man’s world (juice box, banana, water, cookies, squeaky cat, books, etc.) then all four of us stood outside to meet the taxi. The driver had never been to the orphanage, so we had to guide him. Darrin & I gave him direction by pointing and saying left or right. (The driver was young and could speak some broken English.)
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Once flawlessly guided to the orphanage, the girls headed to the play area while the boys went upstairs to tell the nurses we were here for a visit with our sons. About 1:15pm, down came the nurse with Perfect. He was dressed for an outdoor adventure and it was clear that the nurse wanted us to take him outside. Darrin & I put our coats on and headed outside with Perfect. We brought our camera and camcorder for the first time. We took some great pictures and got some great footage to share with you later at the end of this blog entry. Perfect still loves the “woof-woofs” and likes to play in the Little Tikes jungle gym and swing on the Little Tikes baby swing.
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He is such an independent little guy. He likes to walk wherever he wishes and do things for himself. I hope as time goes on he will learn to trust God & us to provide his comfort and needs. (Darrin just says that he has us wrapped around his little finger…whichever way he turns, we follow.
After our 30 minute venture outside, we headed inside to play. Perfect did his usual walk up and down the hallway, but today he was trying to be in control. He would walk down the hall and hit the metal door so that it would echo down the hall. He knew that when he did this, one of us would come get him. (We are on the baby floor and we didn’t want the nurses to get upset with us.) We fed him a juice box, that he thoroughly. He then enjoyed a half a banana and several animal crackers. He enjoyed playing with the books, looking out the window and being rocked, walked, and held by Darrin. Then about 2:05 pm, he started rubbing his eyes and we knew things would start to go downhill now.
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At about 2:30 pm, the nurse came back and scooped up Perfect for his nap before supper. As we watched him go down the hall, I thought to myself how wonderful it will be when we won’t have to do this part of the process anymore ... when we can take him and just leave.
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We then waited for our taxi to arrive to take us back to our flats. After dropping off the Williamsons, we went back to our flat anticipating a nap…NOT. When we got to our apartment door, Darrin inserted the key only to hear the door start to open from the inside. “Someone is in there” said Darrin with wide-eyed surprise. We stepped back to find our Landlady, the cleaning lady and the maintenance man putting together a new bed. (So much for that nap.) So we went into the living room and downloaded the pictures from the camera and edited them. It was fun. Once they finished up with the bed and left, I headed into the bedroom and laid down for a nap. Darrin, however, stayed up and finished editing the pictures…go figure.
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After an hour’s nap, Darrin & I had a sandwich and some chips for supper. Later Darrin retired for the evening. I stayed up, played solitaire, read a book, and updated my journal with the day’s activities. I fell asleep on the couch for awhile, but just couldn’t seem to stay asleep…my mind racing with thoughts and questions.
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Sunday morning, I awoke to find Darrin sitting in the kitchen playing solitaire on the computer. We both ate a bowl of cereal. We then received a phone call about 10am that Ostap and his family were going to the market and would we be ready to go….Darrin informed them we would get ready. The market is a large, open-air, flea-market, type of swap-meet that everyone goes to shop on the weekends. Ostap picked us up at “the boat” and off we went. Once we got there, we started the hunt for a USB modem. We found several vendors that had one, but not quite what we needed. (We did come home with a DVD of Ukrainian cartoons and some toys for Perfect.)
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On our way back to the flat, Ostap said he would have to drop us off at the flat and call us a taxi to go to the orphanage today. So we called Williamsons and informed them we would be coming to get them in a taxi. Once we arrived at the orphanage, the guys went upstairs and the girls went to the visitation area to prepare to play. There were two women there playing with a boy already.
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As Darrin & James went to the boy’s floor, a great moment of recognition occurred. Darrin asked the weekend nurse for the boy. She looked confused but then reappeared with a different boy with the same first name. Darrin assured her that was the wrong child, and she disappeared back into the room to find the Perfect one. This time as she and the boy appeared in the hallway, Perfect began to move towards Darrin. The nurse had to take him back into the room to get him dressed in play clothes. Darrin then came down to the first floor play area to wait for Perfect. The Williamsons came down the stairs behind the nurse carrying Perfect; they shared with us that Perfect was calling for Papa. It gives us great excitement to think that he has come to recognize us after just 7 short days.
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His playful interaction continues to get stronger each day. At the market this morning we had purchased two baseball size bouncy balls. He will now play catch with us knowing we will return the toy back to him. He is comfortable walking away from the balls, knowing they will be there when he comes back. He does throw with a strong right arm, so it looks like his career as a Cardinal Pitcher may be in jeopardy. The other good news was his ability to follow directions. Several times Darrin asked him to get the Ball and he went directly and picked it up. Darrin also asked him to bring or throw the ball to mama, and both times he came back down the hall to see me. We continue to see signs of him picking up on words and actions when spoken in English. His father says that with a Perfect brain like his papa, we should have expected he would be smart.
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With the weekend nurses on duty, we suspected his schedule was off a little bit today. From the moment we arrived he seemed tired. He rocked in Darrin’s arms several times with a sippy cup, but fought sleep. With two other boys in the play area there was too much activity going on for him to keep track of. He also played well with both boys. But he grew increasingly fussy, and I told Darrin he needed to go back upstairs for his nap. So I gave him kisses, and Darrin laid Perfect’s head on his shoulder and started to head down the hall. Darrin later recalled that when he opened the stairway door to go upstairs, the boy’s grip on Darrin’s neck tightened. As Darrin reached the second floor door, Perfect started crying as the nurse started towards him. It was all Darrin could do to turn his back and walk back down the hall. We’ve only known him for 7 days, but we believe he is beginning to grow as attached to us as we became of him 6 days ago. It is hard to believe it has only been 7 days….but we are confident God had this planned long ago.
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So the taxi brought us back to
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We’re looking forward to heading back to the orphanage Monday. Can’t wait to see what new wonders await us in the Perfect little man that God has blessed us with. Thank you everyone for reading. We hope your world is as Perfect as ours.
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Missing You,
Barb (& Darrin too!)
Hello all,
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I’m sure by now many of you are growing tired of hearing about the wonderful details of our perfect son, as told by his parents. Many of you are probably wondering- “what else do they do besides sit & watch this kid?” So to answer that question, I will begin to write entries about the
Observations about
Groceries:
Grocery shopping here is very different! When
But everything is packed in smaller quantities.
Beverages:
Milk can sometimes be found in a 2 liter, usually it is one. 2 and 5% milk is the standard; we did locate 1% last night. I have seen cans of soda in 6 packs- but only in the 6oz mini-can sizes
usually a two liter is the largest), they stock single 1 liter bottles on the shelf as the main size.
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Of course, as American we purchase bottled water, to drink & cook with- 5 liter bottles at a time (little less than 1½ gallons). But you have to make sure you get the right bottle. The locals usually prefer the carbonated, soda water. They also bottle “light-carbonated”, so we have to get the un-carbonated bottle! It’s like drinking your coffee decaffeinated!
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I already discussed the milk- let’s talk about the other staple- Coke Products. Coke is truly king here. Occasionally you see pepsi, but it is rare! You can usually find 3 types- Coke, Sprite, Coke Light (diet). The last time I saw Coke Zero, we were at the
Meats:
The meat dept is the most unique. It is rare to see packages of ground beef or pork as we are used to, I saw it in one store. Fish is the staple here. Whole, dead fish of many sizes and colors lay in coolers (like our bakery cases) sometimes on ice, and you point to the one that you wish to have bagged & weighed (priced by the pound). We have been told several times that the concern for “Westerners” is the north-south river that flows through
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We found a market with a meat product much like summer sausage back home, so it makes a nice sandwich (so I am still taking my Lipitor for cholesterol).
MISC:
Mike Klaves will be happy to learn that the American chip over here is…. LAY’S! I bought grab & go sizes of Sour Cream & Onion, and a Bekoh (bacon). Each cost me the equivalent of 22 cents (US dollars). I don’t know if this route would be profitable for you, and you would have to get up earlier than 4am!
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When eating in our apartment, we are eating a usual diet of boxed cereal in the AM, with a pastry. Breakfast Cereal boxes are about the size of 6x8x2". Box cereals by Nestle are easy to find, but not the sugary types we find in the states. Honey-Nut Cheerios, corn flakes, etc… we did see a chocolaty style cereal the other day, but most are simple corn, wheat, & rice. Every store has a cookie/pastry section that is hard to avoid. Animal Crackers to take to the boy are readily available.
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Bread loaves are usually ovals (6-8" long, 4" wide, and 2-3" high- about the size of a Subway 6") and they sit in open bushel baskets- usually unwrapped! Everyone pinches them to check the freshness, and then grabs the one they want. It is much like buying apples and other fruits in the
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Boiled “Dumpling-type” products are big here. I bought potato dumplings at a restaurant that were very good. Meat dumplings remind us of ravioli or tortellini (I have some of those in our freezer now). They also sell Fruit dumplings as well.
Fruits: Bananas & Apples &
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Eggs are often purchased singularly, they are in the produce section, and you bag them as you wish in the clear produce bags, and are charged by the piece.
Pasta noodles of all shapes and styles & jars of sauce are easily found in stores. Packaged Spices (oregano, rosemary, basil) come in small paper envelopes- like you would buy taco seasoning in the
That’s a small taste of
Eating around the globe,
Darrin, Barb, & Perfect
Note: For some reason that I cannot discover, the blog entries keep running all the paragraphs together. This has to be making all the entries a challenge for you to read, I know it does for me. So I am going to attempt to insert a row of dashes between paragraphs and hope that will separate them and aid towards the ease of reading them. Thanks for sticking with us!
Friday, December 05, 2008: A Day of Breakthroughs
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Praise God- our Friday began like most other days- we woke up!
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After some morning chores and finishing yesterday’s entries, about 11am we went to the restaurant next door that has the WI-FI. As I posted the entries, we had a nice brunch. To give you an idea of the currency exchange, Darrin ate a 3 egg, ham & cheese omelet with a side of potatoes & a bottle of Coke. Barb already had breakfast earlier at home, so she went with a 10oz cup of cappuccino, and a huge block of cheesecake (it was a wedge 4in high x 3in wide and was 6in long)- the total bill in US dollars was $8.85. In the
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The day was another beautiful day! The temperature was about 46ºF, they continue to have unseasonable warm weather. It has been in the mid 40s most of the week. I called home the other day & I heard it was 18ºF in Raymond! I want to tell the locals that we Americans are warming their hearts and their country. I also want to tell them not to listen to Big AL Gore- that most of the Global Warming is the hot air coming out of his mouth. (okay, enough political commentary)
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Ostap came and picked us up at 12:40PM, and we arrived at the orphanage at 1PM. I went to the boy’s second floor residence and visited with a nurse; well actually, we could both say the boy’s name, then she nodded & pointed downstairs, and I went back to the first floor lobby to wait with Barb. A few minutes later the nurse arrived with the boy and the signature log. The log book is a huge ledger that they have you record your name when you “sign the child out” from his floor (kind of like checking out a library book). It is a handwritten ledger that you can’t read, but they point to a tiny box about 3/4"inch long and expect you to sign your name there. So you scribble in the little box, and record your signature that they can’t read anyway! Realizing that they can’t read it, I told Barb that I believe George W. Bush will sign our son out tomorrow. After seeing our son Mon-Wed, and then having to skip Thursday, we were anxious to see how he would react and remember us.
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1st Breakthrough moment came right after that signature. Usually he fuses as the nurse puts his down, or hands him to us. But today I held my hands out and he leaned right over to come to me as the nurse acknowledged- “PAPA”. I thought my heart was melting, and I looked at Barb to confirm what just happened- her jaw was dropping as well. A simple act of acceptance that meant so much to us; either that or he remembers that I bring cookies! (Hopefully it’s both.) So I held him a few minutes and we walked. He is beginning to smile more readily and develop an interaction with us. When we first arrived, he never opened his mouth to verbalize a sound. After spending a week with us, he has realized that he better start talking if he wants to get a word in! (Pun intended) We are now hearing jabbering, grunts, and other unexplainable wonderful noises from his lips.
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2nd Breakthrough moment:
The next heart-stopper occurred just a few minutes later. You may recall Wednesday was a “run, chase, and retrieve” day as he held his own personal “track meet” up and down the hallway. After I had held him a few minutes, he began to wiggle and want down. I placed him on the floor; he looked around, and took several steps towards the hallway but then stopped. I called his name and extended my arms towards him. He hesitated a second, then grinned as he ran back into my arms. I had to take a chair as my vision got blurry. I looked at Barb and told her that if he kept this stuff up, we would take him home! She was having eye trouble too, that same speck of love dust that fell in my eye, must have hit hers as well.
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We played and had a great day. He did run the hall some, but would return on his own. He is beginning to response to our voices, and understands “come here” and simple phrases. He still likes the animal crackers, but today we discovered that he might be part monkey as well. We took a banana with us today. He gulped that banana down pretty quickly. With the crackers, he seems content chewing one bite and taking his time before nibbling off the next bite. With the banana it was just the opposite, as Barb broke off a piece, and handed it to him, he was poking it in his mouth & reaching for the next bite as the same time. That’s the Daugherty boy we expected! (And we got two big burps out of the one banana- just like his MAMA!) So I’m sure fruit will become a staple item in the bag of supplies we carry each day.
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He also saw Barb take a drink and began reaching for her water bottle. So for the first time, Barb got to bond by sharing backwash with her 21 month old! Actually he did really well drinking from the mouth of the bottle, and he was obviously thirsty after the banana and 42 animal crackers. (No- he didn’t really eat 42 crackers! Do you really think we’re irresponsible parents that would spoil our son like that? ….don’t answer that…) Tomorrow we will be taking his Sippy cup as we go.
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Another breakthrough came with the toys. Instead of clutching and carrying his toys around by himself, he finally is becoming interactive with them. The squeaky, rubber cat became the object of “toss & retrieve”. You know what I mean: he would toss it, we would retrieve it, throw it back to him, and the cycle continues until he gets bored with that. But I believe he finally understands that he can put the toys down, or share them, and he will get them back. I’m hoping part of that understanding is a trust that he is developing for us as well.
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Your Prayers Requested: Amidst all the positive things we delighted in, we do have a concern for his health right now. His cold has developed into quite a rattle. They told us that he had bronchitis three times last winter; but that illness is a common one in the orphanage. The children are dressed in layers, even with thermal underwear on indoors all day long, but the conditions aren’t great. Drafty windows, cold floors, and lack of nutrition don’t help. Several times as we played, we would force him to settle in our arms. We would walk him to let him settle down, relax his rattle, and let him begin to breathe easier. After seeing him Saturday, we hope to talk to the medical staff to see what steps they are taking if things aren’t better. Your prayers for his health, and our patience, would be much appreciated.
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Shortly after 2pm, he began to slow down, and started rubbing his eyes. It was clearly looking like a shorter day! We rocked him & walked with him. He is comfortable hugging our necks and resting against our shoulders. But he refused to give up and fall asleep. Other couples were coming and going and there was too much to follow for him to give up and knock out.
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The next “Moment” arrived-
As he continued to play, he was getting a little fussy at one point. So I pointed to Barb and said “MAMA’s got the cookies”, then he realized who she was and responded by walking over to Barb and sitting on her lap! …and boy did she treat him with the cookies then!
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Our Final Moment…
About 2:45pm the nurse came down to take him back upstairs. I was walking, rocking, and talking with him at the time. We’re never ready for visiting hours to end. But we try to remain understanding that the nurses have a lot of children to care for, and they need to get him changed and squeeze in a nap prior to the 4pm meal time. So as I walked towards the nurse, he tighten his arms around my neck, the nurse noticed it as well, and she made some Ukrainian comment (with a smile on her face) about PAPA. So I forced myself to push him off my chest & hand him back to her. …this part certainly isn’t getting any easier folks!
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So after he was gone we had a better chance to visit with the other couple in the play area; an English speaking couple from
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We then went upstairs and sat with the Williamsons until Ostap had finished some more paperwork. Then we all headed out. The Williamsons are staying about a mile from us. We intend to meet Saturday morning for brunch then ride to the orphanage together to see our boys. They have spent two days with an 18 month old.
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The only major downside to this apartment is the internet availability. Most people here probably have it in their homes, so the public internet café is not so available. Ostap is trying to locate a solution to assist me. We stopped at a wireless store on the way home, but for a wireless USB modem, they all require a 12 month contact- and I don’t wish to use the
So for now, we continue prepping these entries at our apartment, then going to the WI-FI restaurant next door to purchase a meal while we upload the entries of the day. Ostap is planning to take us to the market on Sunday, he believes we can find something cheaper there that will work. “The Market” would remind Americans of a large, outdoor flea market/swap meet. But that is the way a lot of their economy runs here. Individuals selling whatever they can get their hands on to make a little money.
Then again I guess that’s another breakthrough moment. I’m halfway around the globe, in a country were I can’t speak the language, trusting people I didn’t know two weeks ago to take care of my future- and all I can find to complain about is the lack of internet access?
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Well, that’s about all I know to tell you. Friday was a great day, with a perfect child, and with many blessings from God.
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Looking forward to more on Saturday!
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Darrin, Barb, and Perfect
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P.S. I guess the other perfect moment yesterday was learning that the Cardinals had signed Greene as their new shortstop. I told my son, and he seemed pretty excited too. He can’t wait for his first Cardinal game. I probably won’t take him to opening day though. That’s just too much excitement and I don’t want to see him get excited and burp up on someone!
