Our Trip

Confirmed Travel on September 4th;

Appointment: September 8, 2003!!!

 

 

 

This page will be updated in Ukraine, while in process of adopting our son,

Jacob Britt Dunham

 

Sept. 3, 2003

Woke up and felt a bit of a panic.  Travel soon now a reality.  On the way to work, just had to pray to our Father.  Asked Him for peace and to follow His will.  Immediately, peace came over me.  Isn't prayer powerful?!!  .....Packed everything for the trip this evening.  Got last minute details in order.  Tomorrow morning our friends, Trevor and Jennifer Davis, will be picking us up at 8:00 a.m. to travel to airport.  Flying out at 11:00.  Friends will meet us at airport to see us off.  Will be nice to get that last little bit of support before we travel to a country where we know almost no one. (a little nerve racking) Our friends will continue to lift us up in prayer while we are gone......Just got off the phone with our dear friend, Joan Watkins.  Just checking in on us.  Took the time to pray with me on the phone.  I just have to stop and thank God for Christian friends.  If it were not for them, this trip would be unbearable.  Thank you Jesus!  There was a time that I didn't think that this kind of faith was possible.  This adoption process has helped me grow spiritually more than I can explain.  Faith and patience are two extraordinary gifts God has blessed us with recently.  I say that because You, our friends and family, have had such a positive impact on our lives.  Thank You!  I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us!  What a Journey!!!

 

Sept. 4, and Sept. 5, 2003

Today we left for Kiev. Trevor and Jennifer Davis picked us up and delivered us promptly to the airport.  Several of our friends saw us off!!  Our flight took off on time. We had a small layover in Detroit and a very long layover in Amsterdam. We did survive the Amsterdam layover, but we do not recommend it!!  If coming to Kiev through Amsterdam, try to get your long layover elsewhere.   We dined sufficiently on airplane food, having dinner and breakfast within 3 hours of each other!!  (should not have eaten Chili's right before flight)  Nighttime  lasted only a few hours. We safely arrived in Kiev, made it through customs and were greeted at the airport by our friend, Ben Robinson.  We traveled by car to our destination and felt very blessed that we were not injured in an accident!! (driving not a strong suit of Ukraine)  We longed for sleep but forced ourselves to stay up until about 9:00. We lost 8 hours somewhere in the air, been awake for about 31 hours straight and were dog-tired. We finally got to sleep and slept for about 12 hours, waking only intermittently.

 

 

Sept 6, 2003

We awoke different people! What a difference sleep makes.  Ben, Tanya, and Emma Robinson gave us a tour of their area of Kiev after a wonderful breakfast of omelets and espresso. What a beautiful city it is..  We rode the Cable Railway which is like a tram up a hill to a park where Emma had a great time.  We took many pictures of the cathedrals and the architecture.  Saw many newly married couples and their wedding parties taking photographs under the very popular statue of Princess Olga near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Went to the Podol market and an open air market on Nyzhnil Val and Verkhnil Val Streets. We were able to see Al & Debbie Murray this evening, who are here for their adoption as well. We all had dinner at a great local restaurant named Mimino and took a walk after dinner. The food was delicious.  The weather is great, feels like fall in Alabama with no humidity.  It was a wonderfully relaxing day.  We are looking forward to going to church with Ben & Tanya in the morning.

 

 

Sept. 7, 2003

This morning we went to church service with Ben, Tanya, Al, & Debbie.  The service was great! It was translated into English through headphones.  There were several professions of faith and rededications. Each person who came forward prayed aloud into a microphone.  It was very emotional and we could definitely feel God's presence.  Afterwards, we all went with Tanya to a Ukrainian cafeteria for lunch, then back to their apartment and just hung out with Emma and played.  After everyone left, we napped and relaxed. For dinner, Ben made us chicken curry. He is a great cook!!  The rest of the evening, we just relaxed and prepared for our appointment at the adoption center.

 

 

 

Sept 8, 2003

Our appointment was today!!! Talk about nerves!!  We were picked up at the apartment at 8:30 by our facilitator. Our appointment was at 9:30 am. We waited outside of the adoption center for our name to be called to come up. When it was called, we went up the stairway and went into a very dark hallway.  I hear there used to be a light, but not when we were there.  We waited to be called into the psychologist's office.  Once we were called in, we went to one of three desks in the office. We went to the desk by the window in the back of the office. Through our translator, we were asked to tell her a little about ourselves, why we are adopting and why Ukraine.  David spoke for both of us.  We were then shown a binder of children.  We received a referral for twin boys that are about 3 years old.  We heard they are good boys.  The adoption center is unsure of their exact age.  We were very excited and apprehensive at the same time.  We decide to take the referral. After we decided to take the referral, we got nervous and tried to decline it.  The boys are about a year older than what we were hoping for.  But somehow, what normally takes 2 days to set up for official referral was completed very quickly. (A Miracle)  This just doesn't happen in Ukraine.  So, when we tried to decline referral, it was too late.  We had to see the children. (once you have written, official referral, you can't decline it until you have met children or you will not get second referral)  Our facilitator tries to comfort us, make us feel better about referral.  Lena says, "They are very healthy and 'a miracle.' a referral of twins is very unusual.  You should just see them first."  So, we are going on the referral.  They are in Odessa.  We are traveling there as I write this, by train. It's very neat!! We have not ridden a train before so it's another adventure for us!!

 

Hallway @ the NAC

Hallway with flash

Anastasia & Laura

Train to Odessa

Us leaving for Odessa

 

 

Sept. 9, 2003

Well, we made it. The train ride was very nice- except for the bathroom.  We slept the majority of the time and woke up about an hour before our arrival.  We were met at the train station by our driver- Yuriy (sp???).  He is a very nice man and very knowledgeable of the adoption process in Odessa.  He has helped about 300 families with adoptions in Odessa.  We went immediately to the inspector's office to get permission to see the children.  We then went to the orphanage.  We wait in an outer office of the orphanage to see the director.  We are called into her office after a short time.  She is a very nice woman and tells us preliminary information about the boys. They then walk in with a caregiver and are introduced as Artur and Aslan.  As soon as Laura saw them, tears came to her eyes. David was emotional as well.  They are very shy and their heads are bowed looking up at us.  They tell them something in Russian and they come stand by us.  Laura could not control her emotions.  It was overwhelming!!! We prayed God would show us beyond the shadow of a doubt if these boys are the ones he chose for us.  He certainly did.  Luckily God has a way of idiot-proofing His plan. Sometimes God just won't let you mess up what He has ordained.  Thank You, Jesus!!  Now back to the story.....  We gave them each a banana.  They loved them and ate them VERY quickly.  We were trying not to laugh and cry at the same time.  It was a feeling that is hard to put into words.  We played outside with them a bit. They are a little timid.  They warm up more toward the end of our meeting.  A caretaker asked them if this is mama and papa, and they both nod yes.  Later, when we take them back to their room, they cried.  It was so sad.  We then wait to see the director again.  We meet with her and she tells us about their history.  David and I agree to proceed with the adoption.  We do some paperwork in the afternoon and go back to see them again later in the day.  They recognize us and run to greet us. It was a very good day. We are exhausted once again and get to our apartment late and to bed about 10:00 or so.

 

The Boys

Jacob

Caleb & Mom

Just Hanging Out

Our Favorite Ride

 

 

Sept 10, 2003

Yuriy picked us up about 10:00 today.  We are hoping to get a signature that we desperately need.  They take us to the orphanage and Lena and Yuriy go to do paperwork.  The boys see us and their eyes light up and get a huge smile on their faces.  We play with them for a couple of hours.  They have very distinct personalities and are quite active today.  They are comfortable around us.  Aslan is the independent one and likes to explore his surroundings.  Artur likes to be around us and likes hugs.  They keep us moving.  We better get used to it.  We leave them for lunch.  The boys just smiled and said paka (bye), food takes precedence for now.  We went to an internet cafe to get an update out by e-mail to you, our friends and family.  Then we all go to lunch at Malibu Beach.  Then we go shopping for little shoes and socks.  We head back to the orphanage for our afternoon visit.  Lena drops us off to get the signature... hopefully.  We play again, but this time it is Aslan who wants hugs and to be held.  Artur wants them a little bit, but is exploring the outdoors as well.  They are typical boys and are interested in dirt, sticks, and walnuts from the tree.  The caregivers give all the children green apples.  Aslan runs to Laura to be held and offers her a bite of his apple.  He smiles when she takes her bite.  Artur takes a bite of his apple and offers it to Laura.  They call  David DaDa often this afternoon and run to MaMa at times.  Aslan said no & yes today!!! His first American words.  They both give David a kiss when he leaves them.  Once again, they start to cry when we leave, but we reassure them we will see them tomorrow -da zavtra.  Lena returns and says we got the needed signature!!!  Praise God!  We return to the apartment for the night.  Lena leaves to take some papers to the train station that must be in Kiev by tomorrow.  We are hoping for a court date on Friday and to be back in Kiev on the weekend with the boys!  Please pray with us that all of our paperwork will be done in a timely manner. 

 

Sept. 11, 2003

We slept until 9:00am this morning.  Went to the orphanage about 11:00.  The boys went for their passport photos today.  One of the nurses told Lena, our translator and facilitator, that when we were late, the boys stood at the gate crying and looking for us.  We were unable to go to the orphanage this afternoon because of lots of paperwork processing.  We found out that our court date is tomorrow morning at 9:30am.

 

Sept. 12, 2003

Had our court hearing this morning.  Everything went smoothly and our 30 day wait was waived.  Yoo Hoo!! The boys are now officially Jacob Britt and Caleb Andrew Dunham.  The adoption is a success.  Just a few more procedures to take care of.  We are hoping to pick up our boys Saturday, tomorrow morning.  We have to have a few critical documents legalized before everything is final.  Unfortunately we were unable to visit the boys this morning due to the court date and were unable to see them this afternoon due to all the other legalizations.  We hope they will be okay and won't be too upset with us, we know the process is almost over now.  Late this evening we talk to Lena.  She tells us God was good to us and we got all of our signatures and legal work that we need.  We will be able to pick up our sons tomorrow morning!!!!  Praise God!!!  Tonight, at about 9:00 pm,  we went to the Airport??? in Odessa and secured our tickets for Laura, Me, Lena, and our sons.  Very interesting place, this airport, as you can see from the pic of us buying our tickets.  Well, I have to tell you, I'm not real excited about flying out on a Russian Yak 40 Jet, but I'm thinking God didn't bring us all the way out to Ukraine, provide us with all of the miracles He did in our adoption process just to let us crash on some little Russian airplane.  So I decide that I am at peace with flying out tomorrow.

 

Courthouse

The Lawyer

The Judge

Odessa Airport

Ticket Window

 

 

Sept. 13, 2003

Well Saturday is finally here.  We pick up our sons this morning.  They are so proud of their new clothes.  We are so excited and fighting back the tears.  Here's where the journey really begins!  We head back to our flat for the afternoon to eat and rest.  We are hoping the boys will take a nap before a really long and activity filled day.  Of course this is not to be!  There is just too many new things to see to go to sleep. It is really the first time the boys have been away from the orphanage.  Everything is all so new to them.  Cars make them nervous and they get really quiet and believe it or not, planes don't bother them.  Now getting on the plane was a little scary, but lets be honest, mom and dad were just a little nervous getting on this Russian made Yak 40.  Now seatbelts in the aircraft, on the other hand, bothered the boys a lot.  Just didn't care for being strapped down.  There was just a bit of fussing going on.  By the way, we decided to fly from Odessa back to Kiev.  The flight was a little over an hour, even on a Yak 40.  The train ride would have taken over 11 hours.  We didn't think that would be wise to put the children through that.  Anyway, I was ready to kiss the ground when we got off the plane in Kiev.  Yak 40 just doesn't seem to be the most stable aircraft in the air.  I was beginning to think our pilot was drunk.  Well, above all, we made it safely back to Kiev and will be able to take it easy tomorrow.  We actually have nothing to do for a whole day.  Weee!

 

Sept. 14, 2003

Well, the boys are in Wonderland and Santa's Workshop all rolled into one at the Robinson's apartment.  Emma, their daughter, has so many nice new toys, especially compared to what they are used to.  You might call it stimulation overload.  They just don't know what to do with all the toys.  They like to gather them up, move them to another place, then back again.  The boys are used to competing with lots of other children for toys.  This is all new to them.  We have a nice day just relaxing today.  We are enjoying the boys and we are all getting used to one another.  What a challenging experience. 

 

Love You, Mom (Leaving Orphanage)

Just washing behind the ears, Mom

fought hard, but lost the battle with sleep

Caleb, Emma, and Jacob want a story before bed

Jacob, just hanging out

Caleb, going for his 100th toy!

 

Sept. 15, 2003

This morning we had to go get Caleb and Jacob their required physicals.  They had to draw blood and do a semi-physical.  They were real troopers and toughed it out.  Only moderate screaming.  They really did not like the finger sticks, but managed like big boys.  I know you remember the old finger sticks from years ago, the kind that looked like a giant razor blade with a big point on the end.  The things scared me just to look at them.  Luckily the car ride put them in a trance like state.  They slept coming and going.  We also reserved seats for the plane ride home for the boys.  It's getting closer now!!......  The rest of the day, we took it easy and enjoyed the day with our sons.  We also prepared our bags to leave for Warsaw tomorrow.

 

Sept. 16, 2003

Today we went to the US Embassy in Kiev to get some paperwork done.  We met a very nice family who adopted 2 small children.  It was great talking to someone who speaks English and a Southern accent, at that!!!  The visit at the embassy went quickly and we were back at the apartment in no time.  Our friends, Ben & Tanya, arranged for a driver for us.  We got all of our things together and left for the airport.  We are on our way to Warsaw!  We made it through customs (what a process) and somehow made it onto the plane in time.  We were really worried we were on the wrong shuttle to the plane because we sat there for over 30 minutes.  Come to find out, the couples we met were having trouble making it through passport control with their new adopted children.  The booth they went through had no English speaking agents.  We also had to wait when we went through, but luckily our booth spoke English.  All of us ended up flying to Warsaw on the same flight!!!!  Yoohooo!  I'm just excited there will be some other screaming children on the flight that will distract from us.  Our second flight with the boys went relatively well.  We made it to Warsaw and to our hotel, the Metropol.

 

Sept. 17, 2003

We took a cab to the US Embassy In Warsaw.  Our appointment lasted a couple of hours and we got the boy's visa's around 3:00.  The rest of the day we goofed off with Jacob and Caleb (and many trips to McDonalds) and awaited our early morning flight out.  We have to be at the airport by 5:30a.m. tomorrow morning to fly out by 6:45.

 

Sept, 18, 2003

Today we embark upon our journey home to Birmingham!!!!!  Our morning began at 2:45a.m. Warsaw time.  Just trying to make sure the boys and we are ready and make it to the airport on time.  Well, the taxi driver made it to the airport in record time.  Hardly a soul on the road.  So we make it to the airport at about 4:15a.m.  Hmmmm....that gives us, lets see, about 2.5 hours to sit at the airport with nothing to do with 2 restless boys.  I sure am excited about how this morning is starting out. hahaha.  Well, believe it or not, things went relatively well.  Especially after we found out the children were booked to fly into Memphis today and we were booked to fly into Detroit tomorrow.  We are thankful for an observant KLM agent at 5:30 in the morning for correcting that for us.  The flight was long, and we made it. (been up for 23 hours already and it it only 6:30p.m.)  We can't remember ever being more happy to be home.  Our sons are now Americans and have just stepped onto U.S. soil for the first time and I'm ready to kiss it!!!!  Getting off the flight at the Birmingham airport, we were greeted by family and many dear friends who welcomed us home. What a beautiful sight!!!!  We just can't control our emotions any longer.  We are so blessed to have had so much prayer and support.  Brother Jim Houston gathered us all together for a moment of praise and prayer.  I don't think we had a dry eye in the group.  Jacob and Caleb fit right in and just blended in with all the other children at the airport playing and having fun!!!  I still can't forget Tanner Tabor getting so excited that our sons said his name 3 times!!!!!