Ukraine Adoption

See the light

It's warm and sunny and Tara and I are actually starting to crawl out of the sickness that darkened our doorway ALL week. We are both still suffering from colds and coughs, but hopefully past the multiple days of fever. I've been told that lots of kids in her school were out sick last week from a fever. Let's hope this is the last wave of illness before summer.

Today we are both still in our pajamas, hanging out and watching movies. Sure, that sounds fun, but it would be a lot more fun if we weren't sniffling, coughing and weak!

So I finally found a few minutes to read other families' blogs. It's so sad to see some have gone home childless, others have been spending weeks and weeks in Ukraine. What is going on?!? It's just so frustratingly sad.

I have just learned that a few days ago, Ukraine's president signed a law that prohibits singles from adopting in Ukraine, and also allows only 45 years between the age of the oldest parent and the child they are adopting. Message boards say some singles and older parents who are in Ukraine and met their children aren't getting court dates now because of the new law. This is tragic! Not only for the families (suffering an indescribable pain and sense of loss I'm sure), but the children who were bonding with these families and preparing to leave the orphanage for good. What happens to them now?? They will feel abandoned. Again.

Meanwhile, we have just passed our "Gotcha Day" with Tara. Three years ago I carried her out of an orphanage in Kiev. We only celebrate it silently now. Her transition and assimilation into our family is rather seemless these days. In other words, she has always been a part of our family.