Our 2nd Adoption Journey: 2nd Trip

Day 1: 

Our first trip to Ukraine was back in February. We planned to return for court on March 19th. But Co-vid 19 hit and Ukraine’s borders were shut down. Court was canceled and we had no idea when we would be able to get back to Ukraine to complete Mila’s adoption.

Months passed without any hope. Then finally we got word that Ukraine’s borders would open. Our new court date was set for July 13th. As we watched the situation of Ukraine’s borders opening, we found that a 14 day quarantine was required once entering the country. This requirement could change before we needed to travel but if we waited too late we would get to Ukraine too late to quarantine before court. 

As the end of June drew near, we had to make a decision. Jason’s work would allow him to work while in Ukraine, so we ultimately made the decision to travel 2 weeks early to quarantine. So on Thursday, June 25th, we began our journey back to Ukraine.

Day 2:

Our first flight landed in Amsterdam early Friday morning. It was a Delta flight and they had every other seat blocked off. So, we had plenty of room. We were grateful! The flight was under 8 hours. The KLM flight from Amsterdam to Kyiv was completely full. We made it to Kyiv safe and sound.

Our driver picked us up and brought us to the grocery store before dropping us off at our apartment. I’m so glad he did. It’s always a little nerve-racking figuring out things in a foreign country.

Once we got to our apartment our driver helped us get our Ukrainian quarantine apps working. We have to use these until our quarantine is over.

We were so happy with our apartment! It was in a safe area. It was gated and the building had a doorman. All of this for around $35/night!

Day 3:

Our first full day in our apartment was uneventful. We woke up around 5:30am. Around 7am we walked to a grocery store which was 2 blocks away. We got a few things we had forgotten about the day before.

Our quarantine app sends requests for pictures between the hours of 9am-11pm. So, we have to be at our apartment during that time. If we need anything we have to get it before or after these times.

Jason rigged up the TV so we can watch YouTube and Netflix.

Day 4:

We decided to go on an early morning walk today. Around 6:30am we headed out. There was hardly anyone out that early. We got to see several of the iconic Kyiv landmarks on our excursion. All together we walked 3.5 miles and we were back by 8:30am.

We are standing in from of the office where we received Katy & Brody’s referral. It is directly across from St. Andrew’s church.  The office has changed locations now.

Day 5: 

 This morning we took a small walk near our apartment and to the grocery store again. We needed some more meat and Jason was craving some popcorn. He found some! I was disappointed because we couldn’t find any uncooked chicken or bacon. News flash: bacon is very rare in Ukraine. During our last two grocery trips I bought about four different things that looked like bacon. I cooked them all and let Jason taste test them. He only liked one. Now I can’t find that particular one again. I’ll keep looking. Bacon and cheddar cheese are two things I’m missing right now. 

 Today was Jason’s first day working remotely from Ukraine. He worked from 3pm-midnight which was 7am-4pm CST. We’ve been waking up early around 5am to take a walk then we take a nap around 11am. 

 Starting tomorrow it is possible to take a COVID test in order to not have to quarantine. We may be able to take a COVID test Wednesday. In order to comply with this new decree we have to purchase Ukrainian medical insurance (even though we already have travel insurance). We’ve got to figure out all the costs. My only fear is if we test positive. Right now we both feel great but many people are positive without symptoms. Please pray about this!

This is our apartment building. We are on the 12th floor.

Jason’s work set up.

Day 6:

This morning we got up early again. Our plan was to take a walk to a nearby park. Just as we were about to leave, our power to the whole building went out. That meant no elevators (thank goodness we didn’t get stuck on one!). There is a staircase but as we were thinking we realized the gate was electric. Even if we took the stairs down, we may not be able to get outside the gate. So we waited. The power came on about 1 1/2 hours later but by that time it was too late. Our quarantine app starts randomly asking for pictures from 9am and since we have to be in our apartment by then, we had missed our opportunity for a walk. I was sad.

We did decide to make appointments for COVID tests tomorrow morning at 8am. Our team helper is getting us Ukrainian insurance so that we comply with the new decree. I’ll find out how much that is tomorrow. Please pray that our tests are negative!

If we can get out of quarantine we can actually explore the city during normal hours. Since Jason doesn’t have to work until 3pm we can spend the whole first part of the day doing things outside the apartment.

Beautiful produce.

Day 7:

This morning we went to have our COVID tests. Our driver picked us up around 7:15am. The lab was about 30 minutes away. The test was easy. We should get the results as early as Friday.

On the way back, we asked our driver to stop by McDonald’s. There are no biscuits at McDonald’s over here-it’s all English muffins. Jason really liked his. It had chicken, lettuce and tomato on it. I started eating healthier so I couldn’t get anything but coffee. I love coffee over here. It is super strong just like I like it.

We got back a little after 9am. Thank goodness our quarantine app had not asked for pictures. After my app asked for a picture, I ran down to the grocery store by myself. I went to a different one today. I was able to find chicken and bacon! I also found butter that didn’t have cocoa in it. That’s right the first butter we bought had cocoa in it. Jason wasn’t excited about that. I also found hamburger patties, something that tastes like cheddar cheese and some more hot tea. 

So, Jason had a hamburger with bacon for dinner. I saved me some for my salad later on. Our lives are so boring that all I can talk about is grocery shopping and food 😂 I’m dreaming of our negative COVID tests and restaurants! 

Last night I finished Clark’s photo book. Now I’m starting on Callie’s. I do one book per child every two years right now. 

I’ve finished several continuing education lectures (for medical imaging...I’m not working in the field anymore but I keep up my registry just in case). I do not enjoy this. It’s torture.

Day 8:

Today has been long and boring for me. We slept in for the first time since arriving here. Yesterday afternoon we found out that our COVID tests were negative, Praise God! But there’s a catch, Ukraine hasn’t come up with a plan on how to get out of the quarantine app without violating it. There are suppose to be instructions coming out this evening. Jason is off work tomorrow, so we are really hoping to be free to explore tomorrow.

That pretty much sums up the entire day! The only picture I’m posting today is from our balcony. I really think I will miss it when we leave.

Day 9:

Well, we didn’t get the instructions about discontinuing the quarantine app. So, we couldn’t spend the whole day out. 

We got up early to do a little exploring. To save time we used an Uber. We took the Uber to the Motherland Monument. It’s this huge statue that is beside the river that greets you as you enter Kyiv. We were there way before it opened so we just walked around. 

Afterwards, we walked past the entrance of Kiev Pechersk Lavra (monastery of the caves). It wasn’t open yet either. I had been to it 6 years ago when I was finishing up Katy & Brody’s adoption. There are caves under the monastery with the remains of some of the priests from hundreds of years ago. It’s a little creepy. I’m a little claustrophobic so I wasn’t really wanting to see it again. Also, this is where I sprained my ankle six years ago. That was a terrible day! I was in excruciating pain, all alone in a foreign country and miles from my apartment. I did make it back and God got me through it.

We took an Uber to our favorite restaurant in Kyiv (well, at least it’s my favorite restaurant). Opanas is located in Taras Shevchenko Park. This is the park I spent so much time in with Katy & Brody six years ago. We decided to eat a very early lunch. This was our first time eating out since arriving in Ukraine. We were seated outside. That was really nice. I love the food there!

After the restaurant, we walked back to our apartment. On the way we stopped by a toy store on Bohdana Khmelnytskoho St. We were able to find all five kids something there.

Once we got back to our apartment, we were so exhausted!

Day 10:

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸It’s July 4th!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

6 years ago on this day, we were on our way to Ukraine. There’s just something about July 4th and adoptions for us.

To celebrate the fourth, we decided to escape the apartment long enough to eat at a Barbecue restaurant. It was very good! We sat out on the sidewalk and were able to enjoy the sounds of the city. At the end of our meal, a big parade of protesters escorted by police came down the street. Our waitress said that they were protesting a man who they wanted out of prison. It was an exciting way to end the meal 😅. Afterwards we headed straight back to the apartment.

We found out yesterday that in order to be dismissed from the quarantine app the lab has to send our COVID results to Public Health and then they would be the ones to cancel the app. I’m sorry for being negative but we have 6 days left on the quarantine app and I highly doubt that it will be completed before then.

We spoke to our facilitator and we will take the speed train to Kharkiv on Sunday, July 12th. Once we are there, her and her husband will drive us to Severodontesk. Court will be the next day. I asked her if we could visit Mila, since our COVID tests were negative, and she said that she thinks we will be able to. I’m still not giving up on the miracle of us bringing her home this trip but I know that God will have to move some major hurdles in order for that to happen.

Day 11:

We had plans to get up early and explore some more but we ended up sleeping in. We cleaned up, washed some clothes and watched our church service.

By 7:30pm, we had both received all of our photo requests from our quarantine app so we went for a walk and got some dinner.

On the way back, we walked past the hotel we stayed in 6 years ago. I have a lot of memories there. I spent over 3 weeks there. After that we had to make a big detour because of a nasty sewage explosion on the street 🤢.

Day 12:

This morning we were able to meet up with two other couples who are adopting. It was so good to hear people speak in English! I loved hearing all their stories. It is comforting to know that we aren’t alone in this difficult journey. There are many people out there going through the same difficult circumstances. I’m so upset that we didn’t get a picture!

Our day has been very slow since then.  I did get a precious picture of Mila from our facilitator today. My heart aches to get her home! I also did some more continuing education. Now Jason is busy working. 

I wanted to share with you all our daily battle with the quarantine app. Poor Jason has had so many issues. Sometimes it says he’s not in his correct geo location and he has to take more than 20 pictures before the app accepts it. He’s so ready to be finished! Tomorrow is 3 more days, and if public health does their job it’ll be sooner. We may have gotten those COVID tests for nothing. At least we know we don’t have it.

Day 13:

Today has been a great day. We were able to have lunch with another adopting couple. It was so good to share stories and find out that our journeys have a lot in common. They are adopting from the same orphanage that Katy and Brody were at! I love meeting families along the way. It makes the process so much better.

We got back just in time for Jason to start his work day. I fixed a pretty amazing hamburger for him tonight. It was picture worthy. 

I love talking to the kids everyday. I miss them so much! 

I had to include a picture of our amazing sunset last night.

We purchased our train tickets last night. We leave Kyiv bright and early Sunday morning.

Day 14:

Tomorrow is our last day on the quarantine app! Public health was suppose to turn off the app when they received our negative COVID test results but it hasn’t happened. We’ve still been able to get out some. 

Today we went to lunch at a German style restaurant. It was called Пивний Клуб Натюрліх (Beer Club Naturelich 😂). Even though we don’t drink or smoke we enjoyed it. I got a steak and Jason got pork.

Afterwards, we headed back to the apartment so Jason could start his workday. 

The weather has been so wonderful today. It’s been around 70 degrees with a great breeze all day. This has been a nice change from 90 degree weather. We left the windows open most of the afternoon. I’m going to miss the amazing view from the apartment!

Day 15:

We are officially off the quarantine app! Yay!!! This afternoon Jason urged me to go explore the city while he worked. He really doesn’t like exploring like I do, so I agreed.  I walked 6 miles and I had such an amazing time.

First I walked to Saint Andrew’s descent. I checked out all the street vendors. I was on a mission to find Ukrainian t-shirts and souvenirs. I didn’t find anything. 

Then I walked the length of the boardwalk that starts at Saint Andrew’s Church and ends at the Friendship Arch. That was such nice walk. I had never seen the Friendship Arch up close. 

After that I checked out the shopping under independence square. I found the t-shirts and souvenirs I was searching for there! I also listened to this amazing band with a violin and cello. I was in heaven. I could have stayed and listened to their whole performance. They were so good! 

After shopping, I got me an Americano and a water and started heading up the hill behind independence square. On the way back to the apartment I passed Saint Sophia’s, the Golden Gate and many beautiful old buildings. 

I stopped at a drug store to buy some eyeshadow. That was not the most pleasant experience. There was an employee beside the make-up trying to sell me a certain brand. I used my translation app to tell her the one I wanted to buy but she acted upset. It’s almost like she was getting a commission to sell a certain brand. It was strange. After finally getting my make-up I headed across the street to Roshen chocolate store. I grabbed Jason some of his favorites. 

By the time I got back to the apartment I was exhausted! But I had such a great time!

Day 16:

This morning I woke up to the most amazing news. Our facilitator told me that it is now possible to get Mila’s passport (with her birth last name). Originally she had told me that there was no way that we could get Mila’s passport (regardless if we changed her name) until 30 days after court. 

This is wonderful news. So on Monday morning she has to check with the judge to make sure he will allow the wait to be waived and allow us not to change Mila’s name (we originally asked for her name to be changed). Please pray that the judge agrees. 

Once we get back to the states we can change her name to Chilton.

This is totally God because we had not asked our facilitator again about the issue. She had already told us no many times. 

I packed very light this trip but I had a little hope that things could change. So I brought the bare necessities for Mila. We won’t know for sure that she’s coming home this trip until after court on Monday. Court is at 1pm (5am EST) this Monday.

If the judge is in favor, most likely I’ll stay to finish everything up and Jason will fly home Friday. It’ll take approximately 2 weeks after court to finish everything up. I sure am missing the kids but I’m delighted of the possibility of bringing Mila home in July!!!

Here are a few pictures of our day.

Day 17:

Tomorrow is the day we go to Mila’s region. We may even get to see her tomorrow! 

Today we spent the day packing up and preparing for the trip. At lunch, we met with the couple that had their DAP appointment the same day as us back in February.  Now we’re both back finishing our journeys up. Of course I forgot to get a photo. We ate at the same restaurant we had eaten at together in February, the Last Barricade.

We will be traveling all day tomorrow. First we’ll take a train to Kharkiv and then our facilitator and her husband will drive us to Severodontesk. Along the way, we have to go through two military checkpoints. Mila’s region is very far east near the Russian/Ukrainian war. Please pray that the journey goes well. The entire trip will be about 9 hours.

Day 18:

We got up very early and said goodbye to the apartment we’ve called home for the last 2 weeks. Our driver picked us up and brought us to the train station. He walked us all the way to our train and to our seats. 

The train car was practically empty except for a few people near the front. This was quite different from our train experience in February. Just as we were settled in, an attendant checked our tickets. Something was wrong. She didn’t speak English but as we tried to communicate with her we soon realized that we were on the wrong train! I can’t even explain in words the fear and anxiety that set in. 

We called our driver and he spoke to the attendant. Sure enough we were on the wrong train and we had no option but to exit the train at the next stop. Then we would have to find out where to get on the correct train. Once we got off, we rushed down the stairs and to the lobby to find the train schedules, which were all in Ukrainian. I found our train number and I saw that it would be arriving on track 3. We rushed to track 3. 

The board at the track didn’t list our train on track 3. We called our driver back, he spoke to a lady standing beside us. The dear old lady ran down the stairs with us to check with an attendant that this was the correct track. It was and we all ran back up the stairs. The dear old lady almost missed her train to help us! There was still no information about our train posted on the board at the track. 

About 5 minutes later, the board finally changed and showed our train. We had to wait about 15 minutes and finally our train arrived. We got on board and when the attendant checked our tickets they were correct this time. Wow! Talk about a way to start the day. It was so scary!

The rest of the train ride was uneventful. The Ukrainian countryside was so beautiful. There were tons of sunflower fields. We arrived in Kharkiv around noon and our facilitator and her husband were waiting on us. 

We immediately started our 3 hour drive to Severodontesk. We made it through both military checkpoints without any issues. We arrived in Severodontesk around 3pm. We immediately went to the hotel restaurant to eat. We were starving. 

The orphanage is on quarantine but we can visit Mila outside tomorrow morning. Our facilitator will go to the courthouse first thing tomorrow to talk to the judge about waiving our 30 day wait. We should know his answer before court at 1pm.

Our facilitator told us that if the wait is waived we can head back to Kyiv with Mila as early as Tuesday! I totally didn’t expect this!

Day 19:

Court day!

We started the day out visiting Mila at the orphanage. We couldn’t go inside the orphanage because they are on quarantine but we did get to play outside with Mila. 

The orphanage director brought Mila out to us. You could tell Mila was so nervous. She wouldn’t look at us. I think she is so scared to leave the orphanage. My heart aches for her. She has such a strong bond with the children there and her caregivers. This is the part of adoption that is so terribly sad. But, she will soon learn that we love her so much and that her life with us won’t be so bad. 

At 12:30pm, we headed to the courthouse. Our facilitator explained to us that the judge had not given her an answer on waiving the 30 day. The 30 day wait had never before been lifted for anyone in Severodontesk. 

The courthouse was very similar to the courthouse we went to for Katy & Brody’s adoption. It was very old and run down. There wasn’t air conditioned. Around 1:30pm we went in the courtroom, which was a small office. There was a judge, 2 jurors, a representative from the orphanage, a social worker, a clerk, our facilitator/translator and us in the room. The actual court only took about 20 minutes then we left the room and 15 minutes later we went back in to hear the judge read the court decree. At the end we heard the words we had been longing to hear. She was ours and the decision was immediate! We didn’t have to wait 30 days! We will get Mila out of the orphanage tomorrow morning and head back to Kyiv.

The rest of the day was spent running around doing various things for the adoption.

We are so excited and in awe of how God moved mountains to make this happen. I will be honest, I wasn’t sure it could have ever happened. But God can do anything.

Day 20:

Gotcha Day

At 8:30am, we headed to the orphanage. We were allowed inside this time. The orphanage director gave us instructions on what Mila’s rountine was and they gave us two big bags of her belongings. The bags were full of toys and clothes. The most treasured thing I received was a baby picture taken of Mila when she first came to the orphanage. I was literally in tears.

They brought Mila out and she was terrified. They quickly had us all pose for a picture and then I headed down the stairs with Mila. Jason said that he saw the orphanage director in tears. I could feel the tension in Mila. When I made it to the car, she was in tears. My heart broke. It was so hard to witness. 

The trip to Kharkiv was very difficult. Mila sobbed off and on for 3 hours. We managed to get some smiles out of her but she was so sad. She was leaving everything she had ever known. She had been in that orphanage her entire life. Almost 6 years! I can’t imagine how hard it was for her. 

We couldn’t purchase train tickets to Kyiv today because it was sold out.  So we had to spend the night in Kharkiv and take the Wednesday train to Kyiv. When we got to our hotel in Kharkiv, Mila wouldn’t let me put her down at all. She was so scared. 

After checking our room out, we decided to go ahead and eat at the hotel restaurant. The waitress was so sweet. So brought a big stack of coloring books and markers for Mila. Mila loved it. Mila let me set her down beside me and she colored for a while. Mila wouldn’t eat anything. She was still very sad. She ended up laying down beside me watching Masha and the Bear.

After eating, we returned to our room. We got all of her toys out and she really started to lighten up and play. We video called her siblings and relatives and she really liked that. Later I gave her a bath. She loved the bath! I let her play for the longest time. That’s when she started giggling. That made me so happy. 

After her bath, she started cleaning up. Afterwards, I realized that she had separated orphanage things from the things we had given her. Bless her heart, she thought that she was going back to the orphanage. 

Later on she did eat a little. Hopefully she’ll eat better for us tomorrow.

Day 21:

First full day together 

Last night Mila slept very well. She woke up happy but later there were some tears off and on through the morning. She’s starting to realize that she isn’t going back to the orphanage. She did eat some more crackers and juice this morning. We walked through a beautiful park and had breakfast at McDonald’s. We got her some porridge (like oatmeal) with honey and strawberries but she wouldn’t touch it. 

On our walk back we saw our facilitator and her husband driving past. They stopped and talked to us. She said that we would need to get photos taken of Mila for her embassy appointment. She would pick us up at the hotel in an hour. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a playground. Mila didn’t want to play at first but after a while she did let me put her on a few things. She ended up with big smiles. 

After getting her photo taken, we returned to the room. She snuggled up to me and took an hour nap. Around 1:30pm we went back to the hotel restaurant. This time we were successful in getting her to eat (a little). She ate a bite of bread, a bite of cucumber, a blueberry, an Oreo and a bite of Oreo cheesecake. It wasn’t much but it is progress! She loved the tiny spoon that came with my americano. She put her food in it to eat. It was so cute! We did buy some juice and snacks for the train ride this evening. Hopefully she’ll eat a little more.

Jason captured Mila calling him Papa today at the restaurant. It was so sweet! It made his day. 

We will leave on the train at 6:36pm in Kharkiv and we will arrive in Kyiv at 11:29pm. It’s going to be a long night.

Day 22:

Back in Kyiv

Our train ride last night was uneventful (thank you Lord!). Mila did so well! She didn’t sleep at all! She was so happy.

We didn’t make it to our apartment until after midnight. We were all so exhausted. Mila went straight to sleep once I put her to bed. She seemed so content.

We had to wake up early to go do Mila’s medical exam. This is required by the embassy for immigration. Mila cried big crocodile tears when they told her that they were going to take her blood. But she did so well. The whole medical exam was less than 30 minutes.

Afterwards, we went to breakfast. Mila refused to eat again. We bought a few necessities and then we headed back to the apartment.

Mila took a good long nap. While she was sleeping, I slipped out and went looking for a few more things we needed that we couldn’t find earlier. When I came back, she was just waking up beside her daddy. It was so sweet. 

At 1:20pm, our driver picked us up to bring us to our 1st embassy appointment. It went well. Afterwards, we were successful in getting Mila to eat mashed potatoes, chicken nuggets and even some fries. I know that’s not healthy but I’m so glad that she’s eating something!! We also went by a toy store and picked out a few coloring books, and play dough.

As a side note, our power has been off all day long. We have a half washed load of laundry in the washer and we have to move out of this apartment tomorrow. We booked this apartment before we knew we would be getting Mila this trip. We were supposed to be flying home without Mila tomorrow. But now we have her and we had to add another week to the trip. It’s been a long, long time away from the kids but at least we’re bringing Mila home this trip. Our hope is to fly home next Friday. One more week! Please pray that we get everything in time to go home then.

Day 23:

Change Apartment day

We still didn’t have power when we woke up this morning. Oh, well. We got ready in the dark and went to visit with some families for breakfast. We got to meet three other adopting families. It was so good to meet them in person and hear their stories. 

When we got back from breakfast the power was still out. We were set to check out of this apartment and move down the street to another apartment around lunchtime. The apartment we were staying in wasn’t available past today. Poor Mila has changed accommodations three times since we’ve had her. Finally an hour before we left the apartment, the power came on. We moved into our new apartment after lunch.

I used google translate to explain to Mila that hopefully we would take an airplane to our home in one week. I showed her pictures of our home. She also “talks” to her siblings everyday.  She is very smart and I think she totally understands. I also talked about having a big birthday party for her sixth birthday. She already picked out a cake.

Mila is very quiet in the mornings. She clings to me and won’t have much to do with Jason at all. However, something happens to her around mid day and she changes into a totally different child. She giggles and talks non-stop to Jason. Jason is really silly with her and she loves it. She can’t get enough of him.

Jason has been using google translate to record what she says. It’s so wonderful to find out what she’s saying. Some of the things she says are so hilarious and some of them just melt our hearts. 

Today for dinner Jason shared his food with her and she actually ate it. He recorded what she said to him, “I’m eating the pasta which you gave me.” Then she said, “And you just love me and that’s it.” That was it for Jason, she had totally stolen his heart.

Jason succeeded in teaching Mila her first five English words today. They were duck, cat, dog, plate and fork. She is very stubborn and up until today she has refused to repeat English words. But Papa has the special touch.

Mila and I spent the afternoon out. We realized that we are very close to the parks around the glass bridge leading to the Friendship Arch. Mila was quiet at first but she loosened up later. We met up with our friends and got to meet their precious new son. Mila loves younger kids. She was so sweet with their son. They bought some cotton candy hoping Mila would eat some. She refused. They also bought her a sweet butterfly balloon that she loves.

Day 24:

Passport!

We slept in today. Mila really benefited from it. She was so happy this morning. She was also much more interactive with Jason this morning. We thought for sure that this would be her first tear-free day but it wasn’t. After she woke up from her nap we were all quiet for a little while and the tears came. We have to keep her engaged constantly to help her not to get sad. But I believe we are really close to our first tear-free day. 

We didn’t leave the apartment until lunchtime. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant. The funny thing is that none of us ordered Italian food. The menu was all pictures which was perfect for Mila. I pointed to different things to see what she wanted. She chose a chicken broth with chicken, noodles and boiled quail eggs. I’ve never seen her eat so fast than the way she goobled up those eggs. She loved them. She ate most of the noodles and broth but she didn’t like the chicken. She also had some ice cream for dessert. This is amazing progress. For dinner, we ate at a Turkish restaurant. Mila ate some rice. 

Mila’s language has progress so much today. I mentioned yesterday that she was stubborn when it came to repeating English words. Yesterday, she said her first 5 words. Today, she’s probably repeated more than 20. What is even more amazing is that she is recalling words without our prompting. The first time, she pointed to a picture of her sister and said “Callie”. She also did this with our picture, she said, “Daddy and Mommy”. She is so intelligent and feisty.

Before dinner, we went on a walk near our apartment. We found a playground (thank you Krista!). Mila enjoyed it. Then we walked to the downtown area to have dinner. 

We got amazing news today! Our facilitator received Mila’s passport today! So, we will get it first thing Monday morning then we’ll pickup Mila’s medical paperwork and have our last appointment at the US Embassy to get Mila’s visa. So guess what!! We could be flying home Tuesday or Wednesday!! We are beyond excited. We miss our kids so bad!

Day 25:

Relaxing Sunday

We took it easy today. We slept in again and didn’t leave the apartment until lunchtime. One of the adopting couples we met on Friday asked us to eat with them at our favorite restaurant, Opanas. We had already been talking about going there one last time today. So it was just perfect. Like I’ve said before, meeting families along the way has been one of the greatest joys of this process. It’s so good to meet people who truly know what we’re going through.

Our team leader said that she will call the embassy first thing tomorrow to set up our 2nd and hopefully final embassy appointment. Please pray that we can get an appointment and Mila’s visa tomorrow. After that we are totally finished. We will change our flights as soon as we have the visa.

Day 26:

We have a visa!

Thank you all for your prayers! This morning we picked up Mila’s passport and medicals and went straight to the embassy. We had Mila’s visa before lunch. We went back to the apartment and booked our flights immediately. We’re flying out tomorrow morning! We are so excited! We miss our kids so much. 

We’ve been asked if we regret making the decision to come early and quarantine. I believe we made the best decision given the information we had at the time. Someone said to us that we can’t feel bad about doing what was required at the time. It gave us time to learn more about 3 of our kids’ country and culture. It gave us time together without kids, which doesn’t come often anymore. It gave our kids a chance to spend time with aunts and grandparents. Although being away from the kids was so hard, I think it all worked out for the good. At the end of it all, Mila has a family and home of her own. Yes, she was worth it all. 

I’ve said before that when I first saw Mila’s pictures, although I felt God leading us to adopt her, I secretly wished that Jason would say no. That’s hard to admit. But that shows how selfish I am. I knew how hard the adoption process was. I knew how expensive it was. I knew that Mila was in a dangerous region. Although I didn’t know the extent of the trouble to come, I knew it was going to be grueling. But I’ve learned that no matter how hard the task, if I say no to what God is calling me to do, regret will torment me for the rest of my life. I had to say yes.

Day 27:

Home at last!

We left Ukraine at 9:50am (local time) and arrived in Atlanta at 6:15pm (EST). Mila did amazing. Aunt Dana brought the kids to welcome us at the airport. My parents came too. Mila instantly recognized everyone. I think she was saying in her mind, “theses people really do exist!” She was giggling with the kids all the way home.

Chilton party of 7!