Ukraine Adoption

Here's to 2008

Three years ago in January, we received a letter in the mail that took three weeks to arrive, announcing our appointment at Ukraine's adoption center on Feb. 2. Our first reaction was, oh no, not in the dreadful winter. Actually I think John's very first reaction was, oh no, we're going to miss the Super Bowl.

I reassured him that we would be able to find a television somewhere in Kiev that had a satellite dish. And we did! But the game started at midnight Ukraine time, and that would mean walking home in the blistering cold down dark alleys from the Irish pub at 3 a.m. and our appointment with the orphanage inspector was the next morning. We ended up not watching the game...

Reading other blogs is like a trip down memory lane--glitches, delays and frustrating paper chases and all. It was a risk, and very difficult some days, and we almost turned back a few times, but for some reason we kept moving forward. So 2005 will be a year that we will never forget.

But we look forward to 2008 as Austin becomes a teenager (gasp) and little Tara Vika turns 5. She will start kindergarten in the fall. She continues to amaze us every day with the spark in her eyes, the things she says, the love she gives. Sometimes she is defiant, often she is determined, and always she is courageous.

May you all have a happy, healthy and adventurous 2008!