Last week we received a letter from US immigration granting us permission to bring adopted children into the country! This was the last step in our process on this side of the ocean. After having that letter certified and authenticated in various ways (I won't bore you with the details) we have shipped it to our adoption agency in Ukraine, where it will be added to a mountain of important papers we sent in mid-September. This collection of papers (called our dossier) will be checked, translated, and submitted to the Ukrainian government in the next week or two. They will have 20 days or so to respond with an invitation to visit Ukraine.
We expect that in 2-3 months, Eugene and I will be traveling to Ukraine. We will be there for approx 3-4 weeks, going through the administrative process, and awaiting our court date. During the time there, we will have drivers and translators who tell us what to do and help us navigate the process. There will be many days of waiting, and we'll get to visit with the kids in the orphanage. We really look forward to these visits, of course! The hard part of this trip will be that our three boys will be home without us. Our current plan is for my sister, Tracy, and Eugene's mom will move into our home and jointly take care of everything while we are away. Obviously, we are very thankful that they are willing to help in such a big way!
After we have our court date in Ukraine, there will be a 10 day waiting period, before the adoption will be official. During this time, we will return home. After resting a little, working a little, and becoming reacquainted with the boys, Eugene will return to Ukraine to retrieve Lera and Vitalik. He will stay in Ukraine with them for a couple of weeks, obtaining new birth certificates, new passports, and new visas (all with their new Cline-family names!) and then they will come home for good.
Sounds complicated doesn't it! So that's the process as we understand it. Needless to say, we will all be happy when it is behind us. Still, we are trying to enjoy each step in this amazing journey. Someday soon, it will all be just a memory - a part of our family history. I hope that we'll be telling this happy story for generations to come!
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