WE HAVE PLANE TICKETS FOR AUGUST 4TH!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Today I (Pippa) had to go to Titiev to get Andry's new birth certificate while Ron went grocery shopping and to the internet café with the kids.

The ride to Titiev is beautiful.




Tomorrow we hope to get most of the rest of the paperwork done: his identification number (Ukrainian SS#) changed, school sign off, legalization and apply for his passport, which could take several days to get. We have to have all this complete before we can go to the American embassy and ask permission to bring Andry to the USA.

Without knowing when we will finish our paperwork we had to go ahead and get plane tickets. There are almost no flights with seats available. Our flight is Saturday, August 4. If we don't fly Saturday, the next flight with available seats is Tuesday, August 7. Everyone, apparently, is leaving Kiev. Maybe they’re getting out before the Ukrainian elections next month.

While in Titiev Yelena and I had wanted to check on the deed for property that Andry’s biological grandmother, Hannah, willed to him. The property is the land and house where his biological family currently lives. Unfortunately the office that has the will and deed recorded was closed. We would like for Andry to leave Ukraine with some proof of that; it seems to be important to him.

The other night Andry asked me, "yes or no"? "Say in morning." and I understood he wanted me to tell him my answer when I woke him up the next morning.

The next day when I woke him I gave him the answer "Yes." I didn't know the question I was answering but my gut told me it was important.

Andry opened his eyes and started to tell me something but then said "Yelena" meaning he needed her to translate for him.

When Yelena and I got back to the apartment with Andry's new birth certificate, I showed Andry that Ron and I now are his legal father and mother. He smiled as if embarrassed then carefully read every word on the birth certificate. We told him that, as of this day, he legally had a brand new name and a brand new life; in his new life he could be anything he wanted it to be.




He told Yelena about asking me “yes or no” a couple of nights before. He explained to her that he was asking me if it was okay to call me Mom. My gut was right. That was an important question he asked.