First meeting

OK - I know everyone is dying of suspense. Here is what you wanted to hear about......

We left Kiev at 3:00am. Whoa! We were so tired. Drove and drove to get here. Then got lost, cracked out the GPS and finally found our way. We went straight to the inspector's office. She provides the local paperwork needed to visit the orphanage. Then she loaded up into the van with us and went to the orphanage to meet him. Yes - we had been riding in the van all day, no sleep, and now we are finally going to meet this little boy. The moment we've been waiting for.....

At the orphanage, first the physician comes in and tells about him. He was off having lunch. We wait some more and then finally the caregiver walks in with him. She is holding his hand and blocking my view. I am craning around - so eager for my first glimpse. And there he is - a smiling little boy, very tall. He smiles really big and says, 'My name is ____, I am 4 years old and I have a song for you.' (name removed for privacy) and then he starts to sing. Of course, all of this is in Ukrainian, so we have no idea what he's saying. But what a cutie with a big personality! We brought him a juice box and he warmed right up to us.

We visited for a little bit and then had to leave. We came back later in the day, after his nap, and played some more. Then today, 2 more visits. He is a very verbal child - inquisitive and ACTIVE! We are going to be hopping. He is already repeating words in English when prompted. And - he is trying to teach us Ukrainian. We aren't very good students! He counts in Ukrainian and we count back in English. He will pick it up quickly, I know.

He is well taken care of. There are quite a few care givers and they all seem concerned about his well being. He is eating well and they have a playroom full of toys as well as outside play grounds. We will continue to visit him twice a day and move forward with paperwork. We feel certain that this is the little boy that God picked out for us and we can't wait to bring him home to meet you all. We appreciate your comments and prayers. We love and miss you all!