We are home!!

Emily welcomed home by family at Indianapolis International Airport

It has been a while since I last posted to this blog.  In additon to being really busy, I have had to deal with computer issues that prevented me from posting.  I will update what has happened since the last post now.

Emily and I had a wonderful time during our four days in Kiev.  We walked around the downtown area and saw areas of significance such as Indepence Square.  We also did some shopping as Emily picked out some gifts for her family at home.

On Monday, Oct. 31, we went to the US Embassy and received Emily's visa giving her permission to travel to the United States.  This was the last document we needed to go home.  Emily's excitement about flying home on Tuesday was very evident while we were at the Embassy.  She charmed all the embassy staff members who met her.

After the embassy appointment, we returned to our apartment.  Upon returning to our apartment, Victor said goodbye and wished us a life of happiness with our new daughter.  I thanked him and assured him we will be happy and love Emily with all our hearts. 

We were less than 12 hours away from our flight home to the United States.  I wanted to take Emily out for dinner on her last night in Ukraine.  Emily had cooked dinner for me the two previous nights so she was eager to eat out.(I tried to do the cooking those two nights but she insisted on doing it herself.)  I thought we would go to a local restaurant and eat traditional Ukrainian food.  I asked Emily where she wanted to eat and she said TGI Fridays.  So, that is where we ate dinner on our last night in Ukraine.

It was October 31 and TGI Fridays was celebrating Halloween.  All the employees were wearing Halloween costumes.  Emily found this very funny and amusing.  At one point, I nearly choked on my food while laughing at Emily's response to one of the employees costumes.  We had a lot of fun and it made for some good memories.

When we returned to the apartment, Emily's excitement picked increased even more.  I told her that our flight was leaving at 5:35am and that the taxi would pick us up at 3:00am.  Emily started packing our bag.  After completing that task, she took a shower and was ready to leave.  This was at about 11:00pm.  She watched TV and asked me repeatedly how much longer until we leave for the airport.  At about 2:00am, a taxi parked outside our apartment.  Emily pulled me out onto the balcony to show me.  She asked if it was our taxi and I said no.  She returned to watching TV while I took a shower, got dressed, and did the final preparations for us to leave.

At about 2:50am, our taxi arrived.  Emily's excitement was beyond description.  She was ready to leave the apartment before our driver appeared at our door.  We loaded our bags into the trunk and sat together in the back seat for the ride to the airport.  We arrived for our flight about 2 hours before departure.  Our bag was slightly overweight but the Lufthansa employee didn't charge me for it.  I got a little nervous at customs.  The customs agent appeared to have some issue with my documents for Emily.  She left with the documents for about 5 minutes.  When she returned, she stamped our passports and handed back all of my documents.  I felt a tremendous amount of relief at this point.

Our flights went very smoothly.  Emily didn't sleep at all Monday night.  She made up for some of that lost sleep on our flights.  She slept about an hour on our flight from Kiev to Frankfurt.  Then, she slept about an hour in the Frankfurt airport.  On the flight from Frankfurt to Chicago, Emily slept for about five hours.

The flight from Frankfurt to Chicago flew over Greenland and northern Canada.  The view of these two places out the window as amazing.  I was looking forward to this part of the flight and it didn't disappoint.  Emily was so tired, I let her continue sleeping.  Emily woke up just before approached the Great Lakes.  Emily asked if that was the ocean.  I told her no and explained it was one of the Great Lakes.  Emily must have been familiar with the Great Lakes because she smiled when I told her this.

After a short period of time flying over water, land appeared.  I felt my excitement level increase.  After 5 1/2 weeks in Ukraine, I saw the United States again.  It was the state of Michigan.  It wasn't long after this that our plane landed in Chicago.  Everything went smoothly through Customs and Immigrations.  When Emily's passport was stamped for entry into the United States, she became a United States citizen.  While waiting for our flight to Indianapolis, Emily and I called Laura.  Emily was so excited to hear her mom's voice again.  She had a smile from ear to ear.  We also called her sisters and my sister.

Our flight from Chicago to Indianapolis was very short.  It only took about 30 minutes to fly to Indianapolis from Chicago.  This was a good thing because Emily could barely contain her excitement.  When our plane parked at the jetway at Indianapolis International Airport, Emily immediately grabbed our bags from the overhead compartment and said, "Papa, lets go."  After getting off the plane, I was able to get her to stop long enough for me to take a picture of her.  Then, she was walking as quickly as she could to see her mom and sisters.  She had no idea that Laura had brought many of our family members to the airport to welcome her home.

Just as we exited the secure area of the terminal, everyone was there to welcome her.  Emily had the biggest smile on her face when she saw everyone.  Rachel and Megan immediately ran up to us and hugged us while everyone else took pictures.  There were so many tears and smiles at the same time.  Everyone took turns welcoming Emily home.  Then, we went to our car to head home.

Before going home, we went to eat dinner.  There were so many restaurants that I missed while in Ukraine.  The first place we went was to Jimmy John's.  It was so good.  We had a lot of fun at dinner talking and catching up.  I saw Emily hugging her mom and sisters several times during dinner.  It brings me so much joy to see Emily this happy.  She fits in so well with our family.  We will give her the love and affection she deserves.

We went straight home after eating dinner.  Emily was so happy to be home again.  She asked for vases for her flowers and decorated her room.  Then, she walked around the house to get herself familiar with everything again. 

On Wednesday, I took Emily to the Social Security office to apply for a social security card.  Then, we stopped by my work to put her on my medical and dental insurance.  We also stopped by Laura's work to give them a copy of our court decree as proof for Laura's FMLA.  While in downtown Indianapolis, Emily and I ate lunch at Circle Center Mall.

On Thursday, Emily had a doctor's appointment.  Dr. Pinkerton was immediately charmed by Emily.  I exchanged as much information with Dr. Pinkerton as I knew.  I also provided her with Emily's vaccination records.  Dr. Pinkerton informed me that Emily would need three shots.  Emily had two of them in one arm and one in the other arm.

On Friday, I enrolled Emily in school.  I talked to the principal.  He assured me the staff would make sure that Emily would feel comfortable at school during her transition.  He also gave me the option to come up to the school to spend some time with her.

Today, we are having a welcome home party for Emily.  We will have a house full of family.  We hope this will make Emily feel like a full member of our family and to let her know she has a large family who loves her dearly.

Emily on the plane in Kiev ready to come home

Emily took this picture of me on the plane leaving Kiev

Finally home!!  Emily getting off the plane in Indianapolis.

Emily reunited with her sisters, Rachel and Megan.

New American Citizen

Together again as a family

Emily and her Grandma

Emily and her cousins, Kaitly and Grace

Oct. 28, 2011

Well, I didn’t get much sleep on the train last night. One of the other people in our compartment snored so loud that he could literally wake the dead. I mean seriously, how can someone snore that loud and not wake themselves up? Emily was so excited that she couldn’t sleep anyway. She stayed up all night playing on the iPod and looking out the windows.

The train arrived in Kiev at approximately 7:00am. We gathered our belongings and walked to our taxi. Victor took Emily and I to our apartment first. Once there, I finished completing our documents for the US Embassy. Then, Victor took Ray to his apartment. Before leaving for the Embassy, Emily and I both took showers. I showed Emily the new clothes and shoes we brought for her to wear. She was excited and after taking her shower, she put on some of her new clothes.

The appointment at the Embassy went smoothly. I gave them all the necessary documents. They scanned Emily’s fingerprints. Then, embassy employee instructed me to return on Monday at 2:00pm to get Emily’s visa. After the Embassy, we went to the medical center to get a medical exam for Emily. The doctor examined Emily and translated her medical records. He stated that Emily was in good health.

After the medical exam, we ate lunch at TGI Fridays. The food here has been good but it was nice to eat food that I was more familiar with. Ray and I had the Jack Daniels Burger with fries. It was so good. Emily had Buffalo Chicken wings with fries.

Emily and I spent the rest of the afternoon in our apartment. We watched TV and relaxed. At about 6:00pm, we met Ray in independence square. We walked around the mall for a little while then at dinner at an Italian restaurant named Mafia. Again, the food was very good.

Ray returned to his apartment after dinner. His return flight to the United States leaves at 6:30am tomorrow. Emily and I walked back to our apartment. On our way, we stopped by a store and bought some snacks and drinks.

When we returned to the apartment, we watched TV for a little while. Then, we took showers again. Emily was so excited about the opportunity to take two showers in the same day.

Gotcha Day!!

I woke up this morning just before the train reached the station in Donetsk. I slept for about 7 hours. I needed it because I didn’t get much sleep the night before on the bus.

Our first stop after getting off the train was at the social security office to update her records to reflect the changes to her birth certificate. This needed to be done to allow Emily to obtain the standard passport. The clerk in the office told Victor the changes wouldn’t take affect for seven days. Victor told him we needed this sooner so Emily could travel home to the United States. The clerk told him they can expedite it but it would still take several days.

This would have added another week to my stay here in Ukraine. In order to avoid having this happen, I told Victor that I wanted to get one of the old passports that are being phased out. Recently, Ukraine changed its passports. The old passports don’t have the same requirements as the new ones. Another benefit of the old passports is being able to get the passport on the same day you apply for it. The new passport takes about 3-4 days to get back after applying for it. The old passports have an additional fee but I was more than willing to pay it so I could have the passport today.

So we went to the passport office and applied for one of the old passports. One hour later, I had the passport in my hand. It felt so good to have all the documents I needed to get my daughter home. After leaving the passport office, Victor and I returned to the apartment. I stayed at the apartment and packed my belongings while Victor went to the courthouse. Ray and Cari had court today for their adoption of Inna and Rada. I found out later that their court date went well and they were approved to adopt their girls. Now, they have to wait ten days for their court decree. This ten day wait seems to be harder on the children than the parents from what I experienced.

After court, Victor returned to the apartment to pick me up. We went to the orphanage to pick up Emily. When we arrived, Victor and I went to the assistant director’s office and I signed the last few documents to take Emily out of the orphanage. A few minutes later, Emily appeared. She was already packed and ready to go. She looked so beautiful today. She gave me a big hug and said, “I love you.” I told her I loved her too and that I missed her the last two days. Emily told me that she missed me too.

I brought some gifts for Emily to give to the director and assistant director. This excited Emily and she rushed off to give the gifts to them. Then,Emily said goodbye to the staff members who were present. Also, Emily said goodbye to her good friend, Rada. Rada’s dad, Ray, had to say goodbye to his daughter also. He returned to Kiev with us on the train so he could get back to work. His court date was complete, so he could return home.

Laura and I both thought there would be a lot of tears from Emily today. That didn’t happen. I didn’t see any tears. She was all smiles. Emily sat right next to me in the taxi and held my hand as the taxi drove away from the orphanage. She held my hand almost the entire drive to Donetsk.

The joy I felt today was overwhelming. Since the day we met Emily, we dreamed of her being our daughter. Today, it is a reality, one that we embrace with all of our hearts. We will always be there for her and be the loving parents that she so deserves. Some people say Emily is lucky to get adopted and have parents. We think we are lucky to add another wonderful daughter to our family. She will enrich our lives and the lives of our extended family.

Emily’s excitement has been obvious from the moment I arrived at the orphanage. She has smiled non stop. She was so excited that she couldn’t fall asleep on the train tonight. During the few times I was able to get a wireless internet connection, Emily took advantage of the opportunity to text her mom and sisters. She told them that she loved them and that she is on her way home.

So excited, she couldn't sleep on the train

Traveling!!

In the last 48 hours, I have traveled 1,362 miles to get a new birth certificate listing us as Emily‘s parents and changing her name from Anna Ravlys to Emily Rebecca Mertes. This was necessary because Emily was born in a different region than the region her orphanage is located. It has been a very challenging trip. Reflecting back on it brings to mind the movie “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.” The only mode of transportation from that movie that I didn’t use was airplane.

Tuesday morning started early at about 7:30. We stopped by the court to pick up the court decrees. I spent the day traveling with the other two families while they got birth certificates and passports for their children. This travel was done by car and van. We were so busy that we didn’t get to eat until 7:00pm.

After these documents were obtained, it was time for all of us to travel to Kiev. The other two families are in their final days here and had embassy appointments to make. I was going to continue traveling to the town Ichnya, Emily’s place of birth. The original plans were to travel to Kiev by train. There wasn’t any room on the train so we had to travel to Kiev by bus. A twelve hour bus ride overnight was difficult to put it mildly. I don’t think anybody slept very much during this trip.

In Kiev, the other families checked into their apartment then headed to the Embassy. I got into a taxi with Anya for another two and half hour ride to Ichnya. Upon our arrival, we located the Records office. We went into the office, showed them our paperwork, and requested the new birth certificate with the appropriate changes. The clerk discovered an error on our court decree. Two numbers were transposed on the court decree number. The clerk refused to issue a new birth certificate with this error. We informed them that we traveled a great distance and can’t repeat the trip. An arrangement was made to have the court correct the document and fax it to their office. Then, Anya signed an affidavit stating that she will bring the corrected original to their office.

After getting the birth certificate, we went to the notary to make copies of it. Then, we had to drive quickly to make it back to Kiev in time for my train back to Donetsk. Our driver made good time on the return trip; however, we nearly collided with a cow that had wandered on to the road. The driver couldn’t swerve because another car was approaching in the oncoming lane. He was able to brake quickly enough to avoid hitting it.

We arrived in Kiev with enough time to catch our train. Due to traffic during rush hour, Victor and I used the subway. This was a new experience for me. I was amazed they could fit so many people on those trains. It didn’t seem safe. We arrived at the train station about an hour before our departure. We took advantage of this time to eat dinner before being stuck on the train for twelve hours without anything to eat.

We boarded the train at about 7:05pm. I used the time before departure to try to text Laura while I still had a wireless internet connection. I was able to text her a few times before the connection was lost.

One more day until I get the court decree!!

Today, Emily had her picture taken for her passport. She got dressed up for this and looked exceptionally beautiful. After having her picture taken, Emily met me for lunch at the pizza restaurant. We had a good time during lunch laughing and telling jokes. Emily also picked up the camera and took pictures again.

After lunch, I went back to the orphanage with Emily. We watched music videos on the computer. I am really happy with the type of music Emily likes. She likes country, rock, and pop music. Taylor Swift is her absolute favorite. She also likes The Fray and Katy Perry. Recently, she has also started liking Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban. She knows her mom really likes Keith Urban.

Later, we went for a walk again. While we were walking, Emily asked more questions about home and her family. I explained to her that she now has a very large extended family that loves her. This pleased Emily very much. She has waited five years for the love of a family and now she has more people who love her than she could have possibly imagined.

While we were walking, we stopped and talked to one of Emily’s teachers. With my limited knowledge of Russian, I was able to understand her telling me that Emily was a very good girl. She said she loved Emily. I could tell she is going to miss Emily very much.

When we returned from our walk, Emily wanted to text her mom and sisters. I tried to connect with text for free but the wireless internet signal was weak so I had difficulty connecting. We were able to connect long enough for Emily to tell her mom that she loves her and misses her. We lost the internet connection while Emily was trying to tell her sisters that she loves them. After that, I wasn’t able to reconnect to the internet.

Saying goodbye tonight was extremely difficult for both Emily and I. The other two children who were adopted the same day as Emily were leaving the orphanage tonight for good with their families. Emily really wanted to leave with me tonight; however, she has to wait until Thursday before I can get her. I have to travel to the region she was born in to get her birth certificate first. This was explained to Emily. She understood but she was still sad.

Before going out to the taxi, Emily turned away from me momentarily so I couldn’t see her wiping tears away from her eyes. Emily has always been concerned for the happiness of her mom and dad. When we were outside by the taxi, Emily wasn’t able to hold back her emotions any longer. She put her arms around me and her head on my shoulder as she cried. I cried as I held her. Then, I said, “I love you” and told her I will be back on Thursday morning to get her. Emily responded with, “I love you too.”

As I got in the taxi, I could see one of the other girls comforting Emily. I was unable to hold back the tears as the taxi drove away. Seeing so much sadness from my daughter hurts my heart.

Emily with one of her teachers

Emily and I during lunch

Emily and I having lunch together

The wait is almost over!!

The wait is almost over. Today was the tenth day since the court approved our petition to adopt Emily. On Tuesday, I will get the court decree officially making Laura and I the parents of Emily Rebecca Mertes. The gravity of this event has consumed my thoughts the last few days. We will be responsible for providing her with a home, the love of a family, and safety. As her parents, it is also our responsibility to provide her with the confidence and tools necessary to be successful in life and to achieve her dreams. These seem like simple things to provide for a child but they have been missing from Emily’s life up to this point. My heart is deeply touched that Emily trusts us to provide her with these necessities.

We did not start this journey with the intention of saving a child from the uncertain future of aging out of an orphanage. We came to Ukraine because we fell in love with Emily and wanted her to be our daughter. Emily has such a sweet heart and an amazing personality that it is easy to fall in love with her. She charmed everyone in our family. Rachel and Megan fell in love with her and are so excited to have her for a sister. Both of our extended families fell in love with her and are welcoming her into the family with open arms. My mother, my sister, and Laura’s parents helped us make this trip possible. Thank you for taking care of Rachel and Megan while we were gone.

Today’s visit at the orphanage was great. Emily entered the room and gave me a really tight hug. The hug lasted a long time too. She must have hugged me for about 5 minutes. Then, Emily and I went for a walk. The walks are starting to become a habit. It appears to be Emily’s way of dealing with the excitement that she will soon be leaving the orphanage for good. I enjoy these walks with Emily. We talk about home and family. These are two things that Emily is so excited to have now. Again, we stopped in a few shops and I bought her some snacks.

When we returned to the orphanage, Emily practiced the English alphabet with one of the books I bought her yesterday. She already knows many of the letters and enjoyed showing me what she has learned so far. When the time for me to leave arrived, Emily asked if she could keep the book so she could keep working with it. I told her she could keep it.

Emily walked with me to the front door. We hugged, kissed, and said, “I love you.”

Quality time together!!

Today, I walked to the café with the WiFi before going to the orphanage. Ray and Cari were already there when I arrived. I sat at the table with them and let them use my computer to put pictures on their blog. I tried to put Emily’s video on my facebook page but the internet connection was too slow.

Ray and Cari told me about some books they bought that teach English to Russian speakers. After leaving the café, Ray took me to the store they bought these books from and I also purchased these books. Two of the books teach English words, phrases, and short sentences to Russian speakers phonetically while the other book teaches the English Alphabet to Russian speakers. After buying the books, I hung out with Ray and Cari in their hotel room until the taxi showed up to take us to the orphanage.

Emily gave me a big hug when I arrived at the orphanage. She asked me to go for a walk with her again. I really enjoyed taking a walk with her yesterday so I was thrilled she wanted to do it again. During our walks, we talk about many things. One thing she talked about today was the length of her hair. She was comparing it to the length of her mom’s and sister’s hair. I asked Emily if she wanted long hair and she replied, “Yes” with a big smile on her face.

While we were walking, we stopped at a few stores. At the first store, I bought Emily and I an ice cream sandwich. I also bought Emily a small pizza that she said she would share with her friends later. At another store, Emily bought a bottle of fingernail polish and sunflower seeds.

After taking a few pictures, we returned to the orphanage for the rest of our visit.  I showed Emily the books I bought for her.  She was very excited about these books and immediately opened them and started reading them.  In less than one minute, Emily was saying new words in English.  Then, she started saying phrases and short sentences in English.  Words can't describe how excited I was to witness my daughter as she learned new words in English.

Everyday, Emily tells me she misses and loves her mom and sisters. When the time to leave arrived, Emily helped me gather my things and walked me out to the taxi. We hugged and kissed. Then we said, “I love you” to each other.

Emily is one day closer to leaving the orphanage and coming home to a large family that loves her dearly.