Friday, May 23, 2008

New Video - The Rest of the Story

We finally have a new video telling the rest of the story of when we went back for a month to retrieve our daughter. We were in Ukraine for 5 weeks during December 2007 and January 2008. We came home for eight weeks to wait on a new birth certificate then went back from March 16-April 15, 2008. The video has mostly pictures of our return trip. There is one picture included that we took around Christmas time.

Monday, May 19, 2008

One Month Home

Things are getting back to normal. Karina is doing very good. They tell you all the horror stories and I have expected something bad to happen. We left her alone for the first time two weeks ago for her Sunday school class. She didn't want to go at first but it turned out to be something she now looks forward to. That and "little bit" Snickers.
Karina had a little problem with sleeping in the past. Some will probably gasp at this, but she slept with us in Stakhanov. Now she is happy to sleep in her own bed and has no problems sleeping. She has also stopped eating so much. I think she has grown at least three inches in the two months she has been out of the orphanage. She is becoming less clingy and more and more like a normal kid.
She gets along abnormally well with her Mother. I mentioned that we should buy her some shorter shorts to wear and Karina firmly told me that Mama says no short shorts. Well, excuse me!

I found a good youtube video. Go to youtube and do a search for "For the fatherless ukraine"

Dennis

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Time Flies.

I can't believe we have been back two weeks now. Everything is so normal. I never expected Karina to be such a normal kid. I can't believe I have a twelve year old daughter. It makes me feel old, but I am keeping up pretty good. I can't help but think of where she would be right now if we hadn't taken that chance. Where would I be?
I look back at the experience of adopting and traveling to Ukraine. Some of the hardships are starting to fade a bit and some of the happy times come to the front.
I still haven't taken the Ukraine money out of my billfold and I probably won't. It's just a reminder, like the Keiv Cross necklace I wear.
Would I do it again? Yeah. We went for two and brought home one and left thousands behind.
Dennis