Lili si Gelu in Ucraina /
Liliana and George in Ukraine

Hello everybody,

I cannot believe that more than one month has passed since we arrived home with our beautiful son, Vlad. Things are going well, or I should say really well. Vlad is adjusting well to his new home, family and life. He already knows lots of words in Romanian and understands even more. He loves to play (with cars, but not only), explore new things and see how everything works. Everyday we are taking advantage of the nice weather and spend a lot of time outdoors, going to different playgrounds and parks. Yesterday we visited the Riverdale Farm in downtown Toronto and Vlad saw animals and even a cow being milked. He asked right away about cocoa with milk (which he likes to drink :lol:). In the afternoon we went to the beaches and played with sand and trew stones in the water. Also he loves to go on the highest slides, climb and go on the swing. Once in a while, we go to a family centre where Vlad makes friends and plays with various toys and tries with some success to participate in the circle time (songs and rhymes). Of course, he became very attached to us and cannot stay too long without seeing or asking about mama and papa. He also enjoys other people's company and is very friendly. He still has some stuberness moments, however they are less often and it seems like he understands the limits, but still tests them. Our life has changed a lot since we have Vlad, but all in a good way. We are a very happy family and enjoy every single moment with our son. We want to wish everyone who is going or plan to go through an adoption experinece good luck and a lot of patience.

Bye for now,

Lili, Gelu and Vlad

Hi,

We are ready now to go a bit further from the house, so if you want to call, come over or meet for a play date we will be glad to see you.

Bye bye,

The Popescu Family

Buna seara tuturor,

Ne cerem scuze ca n-am postat de cum am ajuns acasa, dar suntem super ocupati. Am ajuns duminica, 16 mai, in Toronto dupa un zbor de 10 ore. Vlad n-a dormit decat 40 minute, in restul timpului a alergat  pe culoare in avion si s-a imprietenit cu tot personalul si calatorii. La controlul de pasapoarte si-a pierdut rabdarea si a inceput cu isteriile, plangand, tavalindu-se pe jos si tipand cat il tineau puterile. Cred ca toata scena a durat cam o ora pana cand am trecut de toate vizele si controalele si ne-am luat geamantanele. S-a linistit abia la iesire unde ne asteptau Vali si mama Paula. Am venit acasa si i-am prezentat casa si camera lui. A parut incantat sa vada totul, iar apoi ne-am dus la culcare. De atunci incercam sa ne intram in ritm si sa ne adaptam. Vom mai incerca sa postam atunci cand mai avem timp si ne mai revenim.

Noapte buna!

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Hi,

Sorry we didn't post after we came home (as promised), but we are very busy. We arrived in Toronto on Sunday, May 16, after a 10 hours flight. Vlad slept only 40 minutes, the rest of the time he was running on the aisles in the airplane and made friends with all the staff and passengers. When we had to go through the passport control and visa check, Vlad lost his patience and started his histeria, crying, screaming and throwing himself on the floor. Everybody was shocked/ scared and they let us go through as fast as possible, but still took us one hour to get out the airport, when he calmed down. We came home, showed Vlad his room and gave him a tour of the whole house. It seemed like he liked it, and soon after we all went to sleep very exhausted. Since then we are trying to adjust and adapt to the new life, which is very different than before. If we have time, maybe we will post once in a while.

Good night!

Buna dimineata (tot din Kiev),

Da, ati citit bine. Suntem tot in Kiev. Parca traiesc un cosmar din care as vrea sa ma trezesc si nu pot. Am sa va povestesc de unde am lasat lucrurile ultima oara si anume cu o seara inainte plecarii. Am facut bagajele, l-am imbaiat pe Vladut ca in fiecare seara si l-am pus la culcare, iar eu si Gelu am revizuit timpul si experienta traita aici. Nici n-am putut sa dorm la cat eram de bucuroasa ca vom pleca acasa. M-am uitat la ceas la fiecare 2 ore ca sa vad cat a mai trecut/ ramas pana cand vom pleca. Vlad s-a trezit la 5 dimineata (in ultima saptamana adoarme mai usor, dar doarme din ce in ce mai putin). Am facut un dus, am baut o cafeluta, am mancat micul dejun si la ora 8:00 AM am plecat spre aeroport. Am facut cam o ora pana acolo, timp in care am spus "Bye, bye Ucraina" de cateva ori (inclusiv Vlad). Deci am ajuns la aeroport la ora 9:00, cu 2 ore inainte de a pleca avionul nostru. Ne-am indreptat catre terminalul unde urma sa facem check-in. Am prezentat pasapoartele si documentele lui Vlad. O angajata s-a uitat peste ele si le-a citit si rascitit de cateva ori, dupa care ne-a spus ca Vlad nu are viza pentru USA. Am intrebat de ce ar avea nevoie. Ne-a spus ca el are pasaport ucrainean si are nevoie de viza de tranzit. I-am explicat ca doar trecem prin aeroportul din New York, nu intram in America, dar ne-a spus ca si aeroportul e parte din aceeasi tara (adevarat graia). Nu-mi venea sa cred ce auzeam. Ne-a repetat de cateva ori ca noi putem pleca, dar Vlad nu. A chemat un superior  care ne-a explicat acelasi lucru. L-am rugat sa sune la ambasada US din Kiev si sa le explicam situatia si poate vor face o exceptie. A sunat si i s-a spus ca nu putem pleca fara viza care ar putea fi obtinuta pe 21 mai. NUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!! Am inceput sa plang. Nu mai mai tineau nervii si puterile. Am intrebat ce alta solutie mai avem. TREBUIE sa mai existe altceva. Ne-a sugerat sa cumparam alte bilete de avion cu o companie ucraineana care zboara direct Kiev - Toronto peste 2 zile, adica duminica. Am incercat sa sunam din nou la ambasada US; era un mesaj de 15-20 minute si nu raspundea decat un robot. Disperarea mea crestea. Tot mai speram sa ne lase sa plecam. Toata lumea se imbarcase, numai noi nu. Nu aveam nici macar un telefon (pentru a suna la ambasada am imprumutat un cell) sa contactam pe cineva. L-am trimis pe Gelu sa sune intr-un fel la Lesya poate ne putea ea ajuta. A gasit-o; a sunat si ea la ambasada si a aflat acelasi lucru: nu puteam pleca fara viza. Gelu a decis sa cumpere alte bilete pentru duminica. Lesya ne-a spus ca va veni la ora 1:00PM sa ne ia din aeroport. De fapt a venit la 2:30PM. Intre timp eram cu totii epuizati si scarbiti de situatie. Cum nu ne-am gandit si la asta? Pe cine sa dau vina? De ce nu ne-au spus cand am cumparat si tot schimbat bilete de la Delta ca Vlad are nevioe si de viza americana (doar le-em spus ca e un copil adoptat din Ucraina)?! Oricum, prea tarziu. Inapoi la aeroport. Vlad si-a pierdut si el rabdarea, nu stiu cat si ce intelegea el din toata povestea, cert era ca nu mai statea nicicum. Plangea, zbiera, se zbatea pe jos, probabil era obosit, dar n-ar fi stat nici in brate la mine. In sfarsit a venit Lesya cu Vitali si ne-am intors la apartament. Nici nu-mi venea sa desfac bagajele sau sa ma apuc de ceva. Vlad facuse caca pe el, mancare nu aveam si nici chef sa fac ceva. Ne-am adunat moralul cat am putut si am plecat sa cumparam ceva de mancare si sa petrecem putin timp in aer. A venit seara. Imi vine sa ma culc si sa nu ma mai trezesc din vis decat cand sunt acasa. Daca as avea o masina a timpului as calatori in viitor...:dry:. Inapoi la realitate, ne-am dus la culcare, Vlad s-a trezit de 3 ori pe parcursul somnului si eu am bantuit prin casa dupa el sa-l pun din nou la culcare. La 5 dimineata ne-am ridicat din pat si incepem inca o zi...tot in Kiev. Macar de-ar trece mai repede ziua de azi si maine...AJUTA-NE DOAMNE sa plecam acasa. N-am sa mai scriu pana nu ajungem in Toronto. Pa!

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Good Morning (still from Kyev),

Yes, you read right, we are still in Kyev. It is like I have a nightmare from which I want to wake up and I cannot. I will write from where I left last time, the night before we were supposed to leave. We got ready, packed our luggages, bathed Vlad as usual, put him to sleep, and George and I reflected at our time and experience here in Ukraine. I was so ready and excited to go home that I couldnt even sleep. I looked at the clock every 2 hours to see if the time passed and how long we still have until its morning. At 5:00 AM Vlad woke up (last time I wrote that Vlad goes to sleep without arguing that much, however he sleeps shorter and shorter). We all got up and started the day. Took a shower, made a coffee for mama and papa, ate breakfast and at 8:00AM we were in the cab to the airport. It took us about 1 hour to get there. So, at 9:00AM we arrived at Bristol Airport. Our flight was at 11:00AM. We walked towards the terminal to do the check-in, presented the passports and Vlads documents. An agent from the staff looked and read and re-read all documents, then asked about Vlad's US visa. I said that we are not going to US, just via New York, but our destination is Toronto. She said that because Vlad is an Ukrainean citizen he needs a tranzit visa to go through the USA airport. I thought that this is impossible. How could we not know or be informed about this? I asked her to talk to somebody to find out the truth. This could not be it. I did not want to believe it. She kept repeating that we can leve, but Vlad can't. I asked to talk to a supervisor. He came and told us the same thing. NOOOOOOO!!! I asked him to call the US Embassy here in Kiev and explain the situation. Maybe they will understand and let us go. He called and gave the same answer: Vlad needs visa, which can be obtained on May 21st. God please help us!! We have to go home NOW. I started to cry and begged that we have, must go. All the passengers embarked in the airplane but us. This was my worst nightmare. It wasnt even a bad dream, it was reality and we had to live it ?! I asked about another option. There MUST be something else available. The agent told us that we could buy another flight tickets with an Ukrainean company that had flight straight Kiev-Toronto, however it will leave in two days, Sunday, May 16th. What could we do? We bought new tickets. For the 4th time (with changes and everything). Then we called Lesya and she said that she will come to pick us up from the airport at 1:00PM. So, we waited and waited. All of us were exhausted, emotionally and financially. Vlad also lost his patience. I am not sure how much he understood from all this mess, but he was stressed and tired. He cried and showed a temper tantrum. I wanted to do the same, but I had to keep the apparence (who cared, anyway). Finally Lesya and Vitali came around 2:30PM. They took us to the apartment again. I still dindt want to believe that this is happening to us. We were tired, nervous, hungry and everything else you can think of. Therefore, now we are back in the apartment until tomorrow when we hope we will go home. I cannot even dare to hope this time. I will write again only when we are home, whenever this will be. Bye for now!

De data asta nu ne mai opreste nimic sa venim acasa. Ieri am luat viza lui Vlad de la ambasada si biletele de avion de la Delta. Deci e sigur. Puteti sa puneti sampania in frigider si sa ne asteptati cu urale si baloane la aeroport. Asa cum am spus deja zburam cu Delta Air Lines. Plecam din Kiev maine (vineri, 14 mai), la ora 11:05AM, vom ajunge in New York (Kennedy) la ora 2:35PM, stam acolo 5 1/2ore, dupa care plecam spre Toronto la ora 8:00PM si ajungem in Toronto la 10:18PM (tot vineri). Numarul ultimului zbor (NYC - Toronto) este 6763. Vali, iti multumim anticipat ca te-ai oferit sa ne astepti.

Cred ca va imaginati cat de bucurosi suntem ca venim acasa dupa 48 zile state in Ucraina. Nu vom uita niciodata aceasta calatorie / aventura. Cum am putea-o uita cand marturie vie ne este baietelui nostru mult iubit si asteptat. Viata noastra deja s-a schimbat si suntem foarte fericiti ca in urma acestei experiente am devenit si noi parinti. Stim ca Dumnezeu ne-a vegheat tot timpul si ne-a ajutat sa trecem cu bine prin toate clipele (bune si mai dificile) si ne rugam sa ne calauzeasca pasii in continuare sa fim sanatosi si fericiti. Ii multumim mereu si avem credinta in EL. Doame ajuta!

Multumim tuturor celor care ne-au fost alaturi in aceasta incursiune. Incepem cu directorii agentiei CARC, Rodica si Val, fara de care acest proces nu ar fi fost posibil. Admiram profesionalismul de care ati dat dovada pe tot parcursul acestui proces de adoptie si va multumim din tot sufletul ca ne-ati ajutat sa transformam un vis in realitate, acela de a fi o familie. Sa va dea Dumnezeu sanatate si putere de munca si de ce nu, in cazul in care ne hotaram sa-i oferim lui Vlad o surioara, cu siguranta vom apela tot la voi.

Le multumim tuturor celor care ne-au facilitat procesul de adoptie aici in Ucraina, Lesyei care de la inceput ne-a intampinat si ajutat sa facem alegerea potrivita si ni l-a introdus pentru prima ora pe Vladut la SDA, lui Vitali care ne-a oferit serviciile lui in incursiunile prin Kiev, multumiri speciale ii datoram Natashei, care ne-a faciliat procesul in Kramatorsk si a dat dovada de multa seriozitate, promptitudine si intelegere, Irinei care a avut grija de documentele noastre si nu in ultimul rand celor de la orfelinatul Antoshka care l-au crescut pe Vladut pentru o perioada de timp in "casa" lor si i-au oferit dragostea si caldura parinteasca inainte de a aparea noi in viata lui. O parte din inima si sentimentele noastre vor fi intotdeauna in Ucraina, tara in care s-a nascut fiul nostru. Ne inchinam cu respect mamei biologice al lui Vladut, cea care i-a dat nastere si l-a adus pe aceasta lume. Oriunde s-ar afla ii multumim din suflet. Spasiba!!!

La revedere, Ucraina!

Bun venit, Canada!

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This time nothing will stop us to come home. Yesterday we got Vlad's visa from the Canadian Embassy and flight tickets from Delta. So, we are coming home for sure. You can place the shampagne in the fridge and wait for the big entrance. As you have already mentioned we are flying with Delta Air Lines. We will leave Kiev tomorrow, Friday, May 14th, at 11: 05AM, arrive in New York (Kennedy) at 2:35PM, stay there for 5 1/2h, leave NYC at 8:00PM and arrive in Toronto at 10: 18PM (the same day, Friday). The last flight # (from New York to Toronto) is 6763.

You can imagine how happy we are to come back home after 48 days living in Ukraine. We will never forget this trip / adventure. How could we forget when we have the "live result" of this experience: our beloved boy. Our life has already changed and we are very happy to finally be parents. We know that God has watched and helped us all over the place and we believe that HE will also be with our blessed family. We thank and love HIM.

We want to thank all the people who were with us during this amazing adventure. We would like to start with the directors of the CARC, the adoption agency, without whom this process wouldn't be possible. We admire their proffessionalism and want to thank them again and again for helping us to make our dream come true. We wish them health and long years in this buissness, and if we ever decide to give Vlad a sister we trust them and know that they are the best and will use their servicess again.

We want to thank the persons who facilitated the adoption process here, in Ukraine. We start with Lesya, who met and greeted us when we arrive and adviced us to make such a good choice and was the first one who introduced our son to us at the SDA. We thank to Vitali, who offered his servicess across Kiev; special thanks we give to Natasha who accompanied us in Kramatorsk and guided our steps in Vlad's natal town. In our opinion she is a very competent person, who has lots of important connections and knowledge in this area. We also thank Irina who made sure that all the documents were done proffessionaly and on time. As well, we want to thank all staff from the Antoshka orphanage, who took good care of our son for a period of time and love him like parents, before we came in Vlad's life. This country, Ukraine, will be in our hearts because it is a special place for us and for our son, it is his native country. We are really greatfull to Vlad's biological mother because she brought our son in this world. Wherever you are we THANK YOU! Spasiba!!!

Good bye, Ukraine!

Welcome, Canada!

Salut!

In primul rand vrem sa va multumim din nou pentru incurajari, sfaturi si pentru faptul ca impartasiti din experienta vostra de parinti. Ne ajuta foarte mult. Vreau, de asemenea, sa va multumesc celor care mi-ati adresat urari si ganduri bune de ziua mea.

Despre noi, ce sa va spunem? Cred ca am mai capatat si noi ceva experienta + sfaturile voastre + cooperarea lui Vladut din ultimele zile = suntem bucurosi. E uimitor cum poti trece de la o stare la alta, de la intristare si neputinta la bucurie si incredere in sine. Pana la urma toti, copii si adulti, suntem fiinte umane si traim sentimente variate in situatii diferite. Pot spune ca ultimele 3 zile au fost chiar foarte bune. Vlad n-a mai avut decat o iesire acum vreo doua zile, dar care n-a durat prea mult pentru ca am stiut sa-i distragem atentia cu altceva si de data asta a mers. In general, Vlad e mai ascultator, mai cooperativ si intelegator. Incercam sa evitam plimbarile prea departe de casa, asta in cazul in care simtim ca nu i-ar conveni ceva si ar putea incepe un episod, sa venim repede acasa unde toti ne simtim intr-un loc safe si comfortabil. Oricum, mergem ca si pana acum la jocul de joaca din spatele blocului unde lui Vlad ii place mult si deja are cativa prieteni. Ne intalnim cam de fiecare data cu aceeasi copii si parintii lor si lui Vlad ii place sa se joace cu alti copii. Ii plac si copii mai mari. Intr-o zi erau cativa baieti (probabil in clasa a 4-a, zic eu) care se jucau cu mingea si Vladut a intrat in jocul lor, plin de fericire. Unul dintre baieti chiar a renuntat sa mai joace fotbal cu prietenii lui si ia acordat o atentie speciala, dandu-i pase lui Vlad. Am petrecut in curtea scolii (care este chiar langa locul de joaca, care se afla de fapt in curtea unei gradinite) mai mult de o jumatate de ora.

Acum 2 zile ne-am reintalnit cu Arina si parintii ei, Alessandra si Massimo, cuplul italian care au adoptat din acelasi orfelinat. Ne-a facut mare placere tuturor sa ne revedem cu ei si sa petrecem 2 ore impreuna. Vlad a fost tare incantat s-o revada pe Arina, sisa, cum ii zice el. Chiar s-au tinut de mana, s-au imbratisat si s-au jucat impreuna. Am hotarat sa pastram legatura cu ei si atunci cand vom ocazia vom incerca sa-i revedem, fie in Italia, fie in Canada, mai ales ca copii nostri, dar si noi, avem un lucru deosebit in comun.

Si in privinta mancarii, Vlad este mult mai bine. Cred ca s-a invatat cu gusturile si acum mananca aproape orice ii dam. Ne bucuram si din aceasta privinta ca s-a indreptat. De asemenea, cand este ora de culcare, imi ia mai putin timp si nici el nu se mai impotriveste asa cum o facea acum o saptamana. Dupa ce citim povestea, stingem veioza si se "cuibareste" langa mine. Sunt momente in care nu adoarme imediat, dar cam in 15-20 minute, e adormit. Victorie!!! Intr-un cuvant, lucrurile au luat-o in directia buna.

Singurul lucru pe care il mai asteptam este sa vina medicalele lui Vlad de la Viena si sa luam viza, iar apoi sa plecam acasa. Am incercat azi din nou sa sunam la Ambasada Canadei din Kiev, dar ni s-a spus sa sunam iar dupa ora 2:00 pm. Vom fi insistenti cu telefoanele si daca e nevoie Gelu va merge acolo in caz ca nu primim o confirmare pana maine. Doamne ajuta ca sa rezolvam si sa plecam vineri spre casa.

Pupici,

Lili, Gelu si Vlad

STIRI de ULTIMA ORA

Acum 10 minute am primit e-mail de la ambasada cum ca au primit medicalele lui Vlad de la Viena, deci maine mergem sa luam viza. URAAAAAAAAAA!!!

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Hi,

First we would like to tank everybody for the encouragement, advises and sharing you parental experiences with us. It helps a lot.

What to say about us? I think we started to gain some experience + your advise + Vlad's cooperation from the last three days = made us happy again. It's amaizing how one can changes feelings, from sadness and frustration to happiness and self-confidence. In the end, all of us, childrenand adults, are human beings, and have various or contradictory feelings in different moments. I can say that the last three days were really good for us. Vlad had only one hysteria moment, which wasn't even long because we knew how to distract him from that situation and have him calm down faster than before. When we considered that he was ready to listen and before he forgot what has happend, we explained to him why it was dangerous for him to do what he did and what could have happened. We tried our best to explain and show him using some Ukrainean words and gestures and he was looking at us curiously seeming that he understood. He did not repeat that. What a relief!! In general, Vlad is better now, he listens to us and tries not to "break" what we told him (I am not sure if this is correct in English), became more cooperative. We are trying to avoid the walks too far from the building, just in case he might have another episode we are close to home, so we go to the apartment where we all feel safe and no accidents will happen. We are still going to the playgroung behind our buliding where Vlad likes to play and he already made some friends. It seems like the same people (children and their parents) are coming there and Vlad enjoys their company. He also loves to play with older children. The other day he involden himself in the soccer game that the kids were playing, running around after the ball and laughing loudly. One of the boys even quit playing with his friends and paid special attention to Vlad, passing the ball to Vlad, who was very happy. We spend a good 1/2 h at the soccer field, which is next to the playground where we usually play.

Two days ago we arranged a play date for Arina and Vlad. We invited to our place Alessandra and Massimo, the italian couple who adopted from the same orphanage. We were all glad to see each other and Vlad was really excited to see Arina. They even held hands for a little while, hugged each other and played together. We exchanged addresses and phone numbers and would like to keep a friendship with these wonderful family, especially because we have such an important thing in common.

Also Vlad started eating better; proably he got used to different food tastes and now he eats almost everything we cook. We are glad that he also adjusted his bed routine to his previous one (from before the crisis). It takes less time now to put him to sleep, so after taking a shower (which he absolutely loves) and reading a story, he needs about 15 to 20 minutes to fall asleep, without arguing anymore. Victory !!!:) In one word, the things got better again.

I left the best news for the end: the medicals from Vienna were received by the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv, so we were told that we can get the visa anytime. We prepared all the forms, and tomorrow George will go to the Embassy to get Vlad's visa and the reserved tickets from Delta airline office. Hooray!!!

Multi ani traiasca,

Multi ani traiasca,

La multi Ani!!!

Cine sa traiasca?

Cine sa traiasca?

La Multi Ani!!!

Mama sa traiasca,

Mama sa traiasca

LA MULTI ANI!!!

Mama, astazi este ziua ta.  Eu si Vlad iti dorim multi ani sanatosi, fericiti si luminosi! Aceasta zi este memorabila pentru ca este prima in care sarbatorim ziua ta de nastere in trei. Minunatul nostru baietel a adus mai multa fericire si bucurie in inimile si casa noastra. Chiar daca acum suntem departe de casa noastra, noi, eu si Vladut, vom incerca sa-ti facem o zi plina de bucurii, asa cum o meriti. Esti o sotie si mama minunata si noi te iubim mult si te pupam dulce. We love you!

O sa postam noutati despre Vlad mai tarziu. Aseara am reusit sa-l determinam sa se imbrace si sa mearga la culcare cand i-am cerut noi. Cred ca si noi invatam cum sa fim o familie si suntem constienti ca totul cere timp, rabdare si perseverenta. In mod cert Vlad a facut progrese in diferite arii, dar se pare ca nu tot timpul arata ce a invatat bun. N-am fi crezut ca un copil de 2.8 ani e atat de destept si smecher sa ne incerce tot timpul, ce merge si ce nu merge. Ne-am propus sa incercam diferite metode si sa facem ce e mai bine pentru Vlad asa incat sa fie un copil fericit. Acum este din nou long weekend in Ucraina pentru ca se sarbatoreste Ziua Victoriei care, de fapt, este pe 9 mai, dar nu se lucreaza nici luni, asa ca pana marti nu vom avea noutati de la ambasada in ce priveste analizele lui Vlad de la Viena.

O sambata insorita!

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Happy Birthday to You,

Happy Birthday to You,

Happy Birthday, dear Mommy,

Happy Birthday to You!!!

Today we are celebrating mom's birthday together as a family.  Vlad and I wish you health and  happiness! This is YOUR DAY and we will do our best to make it special for you because you deserve it. You are a wonderful wife and mom and we love you very much!

We will post later more news. Yesterday we managed to have Vlad dressed and go to bed when we asked him to do it. It took a while and patience, but we see the way of parenting him. It's a learning process for us as a family as well, and everything needs time, patience and consistency. Vlad has made progresses in some areas in the very short time since we are his parents, but there are some regresses, too. Or maybe he is not performing all his good behaviour all the time. It's OK. We are sure that everything will come in place slowly, but surely. It is long weekend (again :dry:) in Ukraine, so until Tuesday  we will not have news regarding Vlad's medicals from Vienna.

Happy Victory Day!

Cativa dintre voi stiti deja de ce a trebuit sa ne amanam plecarea din Kiev. Pentru cei care nu stiu urmatoarea este cauza. Cu un an in urma cand am inceput procesul de adoptie am facut o aplicatie de imigrare a copilului pe care urma sa-l adoptam. Intre timp au urmat alte documente, interviuri, home study si altele. Timpul a trecut si (cred) ca am uitat sau pierdut din vedere "amanuntul" asta, asa incat cand am fost intrebati ce fel de aplicatie am facut, de imigrare sau cetatenie, am raspuns "credem ca de cetatenie", lucru care nu era real. Dupa cum va dati seama "am incurcat borcanele" si acum platim (la propriu si la figurat) pentru asta. Trebuia sa facem aplicatie de cetatenie a copilului, mai ales ca cele doua proceduri sunt diferite. Deci in ziua in care Gelu a mers la ambasada Canadei din Kiev (vinerea trecuta) sa ia viza pentru Vlad s-a constatat ca noi de fapt avem aplicatie pentru imigrarea lui si nu cetatenie. Ce era de facut? Ni s-a spus ca trebuie sa-i facem alte analize medicale lui Vlad care trebuie trimise la Viena unde se va da un rezultat si abia apoi putem lua viza. Bineinteles ca acest raspuns dureaza. Mai mult, in Ucraina urma un long weekend (4 zile) in care nu se lucra. In primul rand am schimbat data de plecare (care costa $250/persona - am crezut noi), dupa care am asteptat sa treaca long weekend ca sa-i putem facem vizita medicala, lucru care s-a intamplat astazi. Aseara am realizat ca de fapt schimbarea pentru biletul de avion al lui Vlad n-a costat numai $250, ci $1300 pentru ca de fapt i-au dat un bilet nou. Noi aveam bilet cumparat pentru data de 5 mai (pentru mine si Gelu) pe care a trebuit sa le schimbam pentru 3 mai (cand am crezut ca vom avea viza) + bilet de avion pentru Vlad. Pentru ca n-am putut sa plecam la data respectiva am schimbat din nou toate trei biletele, dar asa cum am spus biletul lui Vlad n-a putut fi schimbat la acelasi pret ca al nostru (nici acum nu inteleg de ce) si a trebuit sa platim de cateva ori mai scump ($ 1300, asa cum am mentionat mai sus). In total am platit pana acum $2100 numai pe schimbari. Ultima data pe care o avem acum este 14 mai. DOAMNE AJUTA sa putem pleca atunci!!! Inainte sa parasesc subiectul asta vreau sa-i multumesc lui Vali (sora lui Gelu) foarte f. f. mult pentru tot efortul pe care l-a depus pentru noi in aceasta privinta. Ea a sunat in numele nostru la Delta Airline in America si s-a agitat sa obtinem o alta data la un pret rezonabil. Vali, chiar daca incercarea n-a avut succes, noi iti suntem recunoscatori.

De parca toate astea n-ar fi fost destul in ultimele zile ne intelegem tot mai greu cu Vlad. Nu ne mai asculta mai deloc si mai mult a inceput sa faca crize de isterie. Daca ii interzicem ceva sau nu-i pica lui bine se arunca de-a dreptul pe jos, se tavalaste pe unde apuca, se incordeaza din tot corpul si tipa cat il tin puterile. Am incercat macar sa-l mutam de la locul faptei (mai ales daca suntem pe strada sau pe ciment) si se zbate in bratele noastre incat cu greu facem fata sa-l tinem. Nu mai stim cum sa reactionam. Ne gandim la el sa nu se loveasca, dar parca nu mai stim cum sa-l ajutam. In fiecare dimineata ne propunem sa avem o zi buna, dar cum am mai spus, daca lui nu-i pica bine ceva sfarseste in acelasi mod si plange de ni se rupe sufletul. Bineinteles ca-l lasam sa se calmeze si apoi incercam cu vorba buna sa-i explicam si aratam ce nu e bine si cum trebuie facut, dar nu face decat sa-si faca regulile lui si noi parca suntem niste mielusei blanzi. Nu stim cum sa-i mai intram in gratii. Nu asa vazusem eu educarea copilului, dar practica e diferita de teorie. A inceput sa manance foarte selectiv (si nu stim ce sa-i mai dam), nu vrea sa-i mai punem pampersul, sa se imbrace, sa stea la olita, etc.Cand mergem pe afara se joca frumos pentru o perioada si cum ii spunem ca nu-i voie (de exemplu sa pune mana pe toate gunoaiele si apoi sa bage in gura) incepe circul. Nu vrem sa ne vaitam, dar stiu ca ne veti da sfaturi bune asa cum ati facut-o si pana acum si apreciem lucrul asta foarte mult. Va multumim tuturor celor care ne scrieti si ne sustineti cu experientele voastre de parinti.

Mai are si momente bune (din fericire), dar doar atunci cand e ceva nou (cred). De exemplu ieri am fost la tuns toti trei si a stat foarte frumos pe scaun de s-a mirat si frizerita ce copil cuminte (daca ar sti ea ce a urmat la aproape o jumatate de ora cand eram pe trotuar si n-a mai vrut sa ne tine de mana pe o strada foarte circulata unde masinile mergeau cu viteza). Am incercat sa-i dam si mai multa libertate si sa-l lasam sa exploreze; desigur ca intelegm ca este o lume noua si diferita pentru el decat intre zidurile orfelinatului, dar anumite lucruri sunt interzise si gata. Nu-i asa?

Astazi pentru ca am fost la vizita medicala exact cand ar fi trebuit sa-si faca somnul de dupa-amiaza, a fost nervos, obosit si cu nervi. A facut iar crize de isterie. Acum in sfarsit doarme si eu sunt trista. Sper ca maine sa fie o zi mai buna si cel mai mult sper ca analizele medicale sa fie gata inainte de data de 14 si sa putem lua viza si in sfarsit sa venim acasa. Tineti-ne pumnii!!!

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We had to delay our return home because of some facts that have occurred. One year ago when we started the adoption process, we have applied for immigration for the adopted child. Since then, we had to complete lots of documents, interviews, homestudy, etc. Meanwhile, we forgot or mixed up what kind of application we did being caught in this tedious process. So, when we were asked what kind of application we did, immigration or citizenship, we have mismatched the answer and said that we believe we applied for citizenship. What a big mistake!! Now we are paying for it. Last Friday, when George went to the Canadian embassy to obtain the visa for Vlad, it was revealed that we have applied for immigration instead of citizenship. What was to be done in this circumstance? We were being told that Vlad needs new medicals, done by a doctor licensed by the Canadian Embassy (the doctor we have already paid was not licensed for this purpose), and these medicals need to be sent to Vienna for approval. Of course this takes time, and on top of that the following four days were a long weekend due to a holiday in Ukraine. The first thing we did on Friday afternoon was to change again (for the second time) the flight tickets from May 3rd to May 14th. We hope at least that this date will work for us, meaning we will have the new medicals approved and visa by then.

Like if this was not enough, in the last couple of days we are having difficulties cooperating with Vlad. He does not listen to us almost at all, and started to have hysterical moments. If we don't allow him to do something (which we consider dangerous or unhealthy for him), he throws himself on the ground, screaming and crying as loud as he can. We tried to remove him from the spot, but he continues to show his tantrum and it's even hard to hold him in our arms. At this point we don't know what else to do, especially because we don't want him to hurt himself on hard surfaces. Every morning we hope for a better day, but for some reasons we end up in the same situation. Vlad cries a lot and we feel helpless. It seems like if he doesn't like something or he's not in a good mood, he breaks all the rules that previously he used to follow. When he has these moments we wait for him to calm down, then patiently try to explain and show him what and why he shouldn't be doing such things. He still doesn't want to cooperate and makes his own rules that it seems we end up following. We don't know how to please him anymore. This is not the way I have envisioned the education of my child, but for sure the theory is different than the practice. Even with the food he is very picky, refuses to let us put on a diaper, let us dress him or dress himself, sit on the potty (in the first few days he did this without problems) etc. When we go outside he plays nice for a period of time, then when we ask him not to touch for instance the garbage and then put his hands into his mouth, he starts the behaviour again. We don't want to force him to do anything he doesn't like and also we gave him some freedom, but sometimes he takes advantage of it and pushes the limits.

Vlad has good moments, too, but only when it's something new (we think). For instance, yesterday the three of us went to cut our hair and he was really good. Even the hairdresser said what a good boy he was (only if she knew that after just half an hour later he had another episode because he didn't want to hold our hands when walking on the sidewalk close to a very busy street with lots of cars). Of course we understand that everything is new for him and it's a different world that he was used to the orphanage, but we think that some rules must be followed. What is your opinion?

After we came from the medical check, because he missed his nap time, Vlad was again nervous, tired and not cooperating. He showed again tantrums. Now he is finally sleeping, and I am sad. I hope that tomorrow will be a better day, and what I hope the most is to have the medicals and visa by May 14, so we can come home. Please keep your fingers crossed for us.

Buna dimineata,

In sfarsit mi-am revenit dupa socul avut in ziua in care am aflat ca nu putem pleca acasa si ca mai avem de stat in Ucraina cam 2 saptamani. Ce putem face?! M-am resemnat si am inceput sa vad lucrurile intr-un mod mai positiv. Incercam sa ne umplem timpul intr-un mod cat mai placut. Ne-am facut deja o rutina si se pare ca Vlad se incadreaza in ea pentru ca am pastrat cate ceva din ce era el obisnuit. In prima zi in care i-am facut baie a plans de ni s-a "rupt" sufletul. Cred ca cu asta nu era obisnuit. Dar de a doua oara deja stia ca nu i se intampla nimic rau si s-a comportat mai bine. I-am pus o jucarioara in cada care se misca in apa si i-a placut sa se joace cu ea. Acum nu mai are rabdare sa intre in cada si se spala si el singur cu manutele lui si apoi ii place sa se balaceasca in apa si sa se joace cu jucaria. Dupa baie e ca un ingeras, mirosind frumos si gata de culcare (zicem noi). Il pun in pat, stingem lumina si aprindem veioza si citim o carte (de fapt nu ii citesc povestea ci mai degraba ii descriu pozele), ocazie cu care a mai invatat alte cuvinte in engleza. Acum stie ca perna e "pillow", patura e "blanket", pisica e "cat", morcovii sunt "carrots" si altele. Dupa ce terminam cartea stingem si veioza si ne culcam (sau asa as vrea eu), dar de fapt ii ia ceva timp pana sa adoarma. Este un moment frumos totusi pentru ca Vladut devine foarte tandru si ma ia de gat si ma pupa cu foc, apasat si pe un obraz si pe celalalt. Dupa mai multa "frichinela" prin pat si explorand toate colturile patului (si are unde pentru ca este un pat queen), adoarme intr-un final. Noaptea se mai intoarce destul de des si transpira foarte mult in special la cap. Ma intreb daca asta e normal la copii. Nu este imbracat decat in pijama si acoperit cu o duveta; oare sa-i fie prea cald?!

Din pacate dimineata se trezeste destul de devreme, in jur de ora 6:00am sau chiar inainte, dar nici eu nu dorm prea mult, asa ca...Incercam sa-l mai convingem sa mai stea in pat, dar oricum nu mai doarme. In schimb se frichineste, sare peste noi, ii baga degetul in nas lui Gelu sau isi apropie obrajorul de al nostru...mai dormi daca poti!!! :wink:Oricum ar fi nu ne suparam pentru ca este atat de dragalas si fericit cand rade si ne spune "mama" si "papa" dis-de-dimineata. Ne umple sufletul si zilele de bucurie.

Ne ridicam din pat si mergem la olita unde face pipi. Sigur ca are inca pampers si cand facem plimbari mai lungi sau in timpul somnului mai face pipi pe el, dar in general daca-l ducem la olita des face pipi si caca. I-am cumparat peruita si pasta de dinti pentru copii si dupa ce ne-a vazut pe noi cum le folosim, abia asteapta si el sa se spele pe dinti. Dupa aceea mancam micul dejun in care incercam sa-i introducem feluri noi de mancare sa vedem daca ii plac. Deja mananca iaurt, lapte cu cereale (este intre favorite), branza topita si cascaval, paine, cartofi (piure sau mancare), ciorbita (cateodata si carnea de pui, dar nu intotdeauna), crenvusti (preferati), suc natural din fructe, banane, mere, biscuiti, castraveti, rosii si ardei (a incercat, dar n-a mancat prea mult). De cateva zile ii dam si sirop de tuse si picaturi pentru imunizare (a racit putin, dar acum e mult mai bine). Mai stam putin in casa la joaca sau la desene animate, apoi iesim pe afara. Ce sa mai spunem de vreme, parca a venit deva vara :cool:;este cald si soare in fiecare zi. Avem 2 sau chiar 3 gradinite foarte aproape de bloc cu locuri de joaca pentru copii, tiribombe, leganuse, nisip si ii place sa joace acolo si sa-si faca prieteni, copii care mai vin acolo. La ora 11:30am mancam pranzul, dupa care mergem la culcare. Cam intr-o jumatate de ora adorme si doarme pana la ora 3 sau 3:30pm. Mancam o gustare si iesim iar pe afara. Am inceput sa mai exploram imprejurimile, iar ieri (sambata, 1 mai) am fost intru-un parc foarte frumos. Ne-am plimbat, am mirosit florile (superbe), am mancat inghetat si apoi am fost si la o biserica care era chiar langa parc. Pe drum inapoi spre casa era aproape adormit. Tot ieri am fost cu Lesya, Vitali (despre care abia ieri am aflat ca este sotul Lesyei), Yulia (fiica lor) si Irina la un restaurant traditional ukrainean. Locul este foarte frumos decorat si elegant cu mancare traditionala, muzica traditionala si costume populare. Aveau si o camera speciala pentru copii cu multe jucarii unde Vlad si-a petrecut cea mai mare parte din timp. Am petrecut cateva ore in care ne-am "ghiftuit" cu bunataturi, toate preparate local. Super. Ne-am intors in jur de ora 9:00pm, toti obositi, dar fericiti.

Sa nu va inchipuiti ca Vlad nu mai are episoade de neascultare. N-ar fi nimic rau in faptul ca aprinde si stinge lumina de cateva zeci de ori, dar are momente de incapatanare (de fapt, destul de multe) cand stim clar ca intelege ce-i spunem sa nu faca, dar face. De exemplu ii spunem sa nu se duca aproape de aragaz cand gatim, sa se spele (cu ajutorul nostru, bineinteles) pe maini dupa ce venim de afara (si nu intotdeauna vrea), sa faca pipi la olita, sa nu umble la testele laptop-ului si altele. Se uita la noi de parca ne testeaza, apoi face exact lucrul interzis, ii explicam ca nu e voie si de ce nu e voie, dupa care se uita din nou la noi si iarasi face. Cand il luam de la locul faptei incepe sa planga. Ma intreb ce nu facem bine. Unde si ce ar trebui sa schimbam ca sa asculte?!

Inchei aici cu lunga poveste de azi si va doresc la toti o duminica insorita.

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Good morning,

I finally recovered after the hearing the unexpected bad news of not going home on Monday, as planned, and being stuck in Ukraine for two more weeks. What can we do? I have to comply with the situation, make the best of it and think positively. We try to fill our time in a pleasant way. We already have a routine and it seems that it suits Vlad's needs as well, since we have kept some of the things from his old schedule.

The first time we gave him a bath he cried a lot, which broke our hearts. Probably he wasn't used to this routine or being bathed this way. The second time we gave him a bath he knew nothing will harm him, and he seemed like he liked it a little bit. We placed a toy in the bath tub and Vlad was attracted to it. Now he cannot wait for the evening bath and he is even trying to wash himself, then enjoys splashing the water with his hands and feet and plays with the toy. After bath he looks more llike an angel, smelling nice and ready to go to bed. I put him in the bed, turn off the lights and turn on the night lamp. Then we look together to a story book. I tryed to read the words but he is not patient to listen to the story, so I decided to describe him the picturs and together we point to them; this way hepls him learn more words in english. He already knows "pillow", "blanket", "carrots", "bear", "shoes", etc and we associate the picture from the book with the real object if we have it in the room. Finally he is ready to sleep (or I think he is). After I turn off the lamp, he becomes very gentle and hugs me, kisses me on each cheek. However, he likes to play and fool around a little bit more and explore all the corners of the bed before he falls to sleep. During the night he moves around in the bed a couple of times and swets a lot, especially at his head. I wonder if this is normal for children of this age. He wears only his pajama and is covered with a duvette. Is it too warm? Unfortunately he wakes up very early in the morning, around 6:00 AM, but I am a morning person, too, so this is not a big deal. However, I would like to lay down more in the bed, but Vlad is all excited and ready to play. Hi pinches George and I, giggles, moves around, puts his finger in George's nose and then makes fun of his joke, so stay asleep if you can.:dry: How can one not love these moments when he is so cute and happy, calls us "mama" and "papa" the minute he opens his eyes. He fills our hearts with joy every single day.

We get up from the bed and we go to the bathroom, where he "performs" pipi in the potty. He still wears pampers and sometimes, after long trips or during sleep still does in the pampers, but most of the time when we put him on the potty he does pipi and caca. We bought him a toot brush for kids, and after he watched us how we used it, he is eager to brush his teeth. Then we have the breakfast, when we try to diversify the food we give him and see what he likes or not. He already eats yogourt, milk with cereals (it's one of his favourites), all kinds of cheese, bread, potatoes (smashed or stew), soups (sometimes with chicken meat, but not always), hot dogs (favourites), natural fruit juices, bananas, apples, vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes - he tried but he didn't like too much). Few days ago we started giving him cough sirup and some imunisation drops (he got a cold, but now is better). We stay a little bit inside to play with toys, watch cartoons, then we go outside. Here is summer like time. We have 2 playgrounds very close to our building where he can play. Vlad likes to play there and to make new friends: the kids that play around.

Around 11:30 we have the lunch, then we go to bed. In about half hour he falls asleep until 3:00 - 3:30 PM. We eat someting and go outside again. We started exploring the neighbourhood, and yesterday, May 1st, we went to a beautiful park. We waked around eat some ice cream, then went to a church nearby. On our way back, Vlad almost slept on our shoulders.

Yesterday evening we went to a traditional Ukrainean restaurant with Lesya, Vitali - the driver (we figured out he's Lesya's husband), their beautiful girl Yulia and Irina. The restaurant is very nice decorated, is very clean, has live traditional music, and the food was delicious. There was a special room for kids, where Vlad spent most of the time. We spent few hours, it was beautiful, and went home around 9:00 PM.

Dupa cum probabil ati dedus din titlu a trebuit sa ne schimbam planurile din cauza unei situatii neprevazute. Se pare ca ne-a parasit putin norocul catre sfarsit, dar suntem totusi optimisti. Din pacate insa nu mai venim acasa asa cum era planificat pentru luni, 3 mai. Nu stim inca noua data, dar mai avem de stat in Kiev cel putin o saptamana sau 12 zile. Nu suntem prea fericiti, dar incercam sa ne obisnuim cu gandul si situatia. Va vom tine la curent cand avem mai multe vesti. Incepand de maine, sambata si pana marti (inclusiv) in Ucraina se sarbatoreste 1 Mai, 2 Mai, .... Deci nu vom avea vesti pentru ca totul este inchis si nu se lucreaza. Singurul lucru pe care il avem de facut este sa asteptam sa se redeschida institutiile si sa continuam.

Weekend placut!

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As you have probably predicted from the title we had to change our plans because of some unexpected situations. It seems like our luck has put us on hold, however we are trying to keep our hopes up. Unfortunately we cannot come home as it was planned on Monday, May 3rd. We don't know the new date, however we have to stay at least one more week in Kyev or 12 days. We are not so happy about this, but trying to cope with the situation. We will keep you updated when we have more news. There is holiday now in Ukraine starting tomorrow and ending on Tuesday, May the 4th. So, during these four days we will not have any news. So, the only thing we can do is to wait for the institutions to re-open and continue our process.

Have a nice weekend, everyone!