Vitaly's Story Part IV

Day Twenty: "Birth Certificate"-10:00a.m.-HotelWe get up sort of late. I am tired, because I have not been sleeping well. The mattress is very old and thin. Everytime, I lay down I disappear into the hole it makes. We go to the internet cafe. We are trying to contact Swiss Air about changing our reservations. Our flight is supposed to depart tommorow from Warsaw. I am totally stressed over getting the reservation changed. Swiss Air has not responded to our emergency email so we had back to the hotel to wait for Masha.1:00 p.m.- TernopilMasha comes to get us in our room. She wants us the hurry and talk to the head of Vital Statistics. We run to the building, but the lady refuses to see us because she is hungry and going to lunch. She tells us to go away, until after lunch. So, we go to the first restaurant we ate in, when we arrived in Ternopil. I order the sausage stuffed with spaghetti, only because it comes with ketchup. I really miss my condiments and spicy hot foods I crave. The one thing we notice is all the restaurants have similar menus. There is mostly soup, pizza, pork, dumplings and potatoes. Masha comments the lady at Vital Stats seems very mean.
2:00 p.m.- Vital Stats officeWe go back to the Vital Stats office. Masha talks for awhile and then we have our new birth certificate. She is not so mean afterall. Meanwhile, Larry and I cannot figure out how to change our airline rez. We decide to call our travel agent- Janice- even with the time difference. She is there! In one minute, she is able to reschedule our flight for one week later. Masha is amazed by our technology. She says Ukraine needs more computers, so there would be less running around. We all laugh.5:00 p.m.- Passport OfficeThe passport office says it will take five days at least to get a passport. No way around the time of wait. Masha talks to some other ladies, they say they will have it by the morning. So, we run to the notary to finish the paperwork.7a:00 p.m.- DinnerIt is our last night in Ternopil. We want to go to the Europa, but it is extremely crowded. So, we go back to the Mermaid. We go to bed early, because we know tommorow will be a long day.

Day Twenty- One: "Gotcha Day" 9:00a.m.- DowntownI am searching for some paintings of the town. I cannot decide and think I will return later to buy one. We never do buy the painting. We do get some other souvenirs luckily. We meet Masha and she is estatic. She has the passport!11:15 a.m.-OrphanageWe go to the orphanage to get our son. We are very excited. We meet another American couple adopting twins. The first Americans we have seen here, but a day late. We take the caregivers a cake and say good-bye. Suddenly, just like that, Vitaly is going home with us!noon- HotelWe go back to the hotel to get our luggage. We think we are getting a rental van, but instead it is an Opel Omega. We cannot possibly fit all of our luggage, 4 adults, and an infant in this little car. Larry and I sit smashed with Vitaly on our lap. The car rides turns out to be miserable. Vitaly is doing great though. Once again, we almost get into a car wreck. They really do need car seats. I remind Vitaly, as a baby i too traveled across Europe, without a carseat.5:30p.m.- KyivWe are lost in Kyiv. Our driver cannot find the Tourist Hotel. We have to wait for a taxit to pick us up, and transfer everything. We are going to stay in a flat with a lady named Olga. Vitaly is beginning to run a fever and is coughing. I am worried about getting him fed and cleaned.6:30p.m.- Olga's apartmentOlga has helped many other families. As soon as we arrive, she takes Vitaly. Before I know it, she has fed him two bowls of cereal and milk. She finishes with a bottle, bathes him, and puts him to bed. What a relief! She wants to feed us too, but we choose to grab a quick bite at McDonalds. We both take a long hot bath and I get to shave for the first time in two weeks. I go to bed, but I worry about Vitaly so I watch him sleep.

Day Twenty-two: Saturday Dec 9th- Kyiv7:00 am- Olga's apartmentVitaly is definitely following his regular schedule! Larry and I get up and we decide it is bathtime. He does not like it- but he smells much better. Besides, being very thin overall he looks quite healthy. Vitaly has a cold and cough now. So, we give him some juice with some medicine in it. Vital's breakfast is a huge bowl of mashed potatoes, then a bottle of milk. Both are fed to him by Olga, who has returned to feed us. We are served our breakfast, which is fried potatoes, cheese, hot dogs, and beets. Way too much food for us to eat. Vitaly is served one hot dog too.Noon- KyivMasha and her husband Vlad meet us for a day of sightseeing. Olga is watching Vitaly for us since he is sick. We go to the "Mother of our Mother" statue and WWII museum. Both are extremely fascinating. We decide to have a snack at a tourist stop restaurant across the street. It is way too expensive and not worth it.4:30 p.m.- Olga'sWe meet Olga's neighbor- Freida and her granddaughter. They are missionaries from Tennessee. They play with Vitaly who thinks it is very funny and we hear him laugh for the first time. We also see him crawl. This is a totally different baby then we have seen yet. He also has eaten ALOT by Olga.8:00 p.m.-bedtimeVitaly finally goes to bed. he has had a huge first day away from the orphanage. Larry and I are very grateful for Olga's help.

Day Twenty- three and four: KyivWe spend the next two days shopping, getting the medical exam, and also saying good-bye to Masha. She has a wedding to attend in her hometown for her Mother- In- Law. We sadly say good-bye. We will miss her very very much!!!Day Tweny- Five: KyivWe have a new translator named Igor. We do more shopping and eating. We spend the evening packing and get ready to leave. We will be departing for Warsaw in the afternoon.Day Twenty- Six: KyivWe say good-bye to Olga and leave for the American Consulate. Another family we met earlier in the week is traveling with us. They are Robyn, Bill and their new beautiful daughter Elizabeth. We go to the consulate and then head for the airport. Unfortunately, the only flight we can get is 615$ for the three of us and we must go to Budaphest first. Oh well, it is our only option this late in the day. Vitaly does great on the plane. I wish I could see Budaphest, but it is dark. 9:30 p.m.- Warsaw SheratonWe are at the Sheraton. It is spectactular!!! We lounge for awhile with Robyn and Bill, then I go to the room. I take a VERY long bubble bath, and really wash my hair well. They have big white terry-cloth robes, which I love. I send some of our clothes to be laundered for the trip home. It is a bit pricey, but worth it.

Day Twenty-Seven: "Embassy Day" 9:30a.m.- WarsawWe walk to the American Embassy for our appointment. We are glad we brought the stroller now. When we get to the entrance, we get to pass by the huge line of people waiting to get it since we are Americans. It takes @ two hours to process our paperwork. There are other Cathy Harris couples there and we all talk.Noon- WarsawWe go back to the Sheraton. It is time for Vitaly to take a nap. I watch TV and Larry goes to meet Bill downstairs. We plan to meet for lunch at 2:00p.m.2:00p.m.- SheratonWow- what a treat, we are eating Tex Mex type food. I am so happy to be eating spicy nachos for the first time in weeks. YUM...3:00p.m.- EmbassyBack to the Embassy to pick up the visa. We get it and then decide we will go to OldTown with Bill. We head to OldTown Warsaw. What a beautiful place. It is December 14th, so everything is decorated for Christmas. We spend time walking, shopping and eating before heading back to the Sheraton. It is a wonderful city.8:00p.m.- SheratonRobyn and Elizabeth join us for some food and drinks. We are leaving tommorow morning very early (4:30a.m.). We take some pictures and pack then get some rest.Day Twenty- Eight: "HOMEWARD BOUND"- Warsaw4:30 a.m.- SheratonWe are getting up at 4:30, it seems like we never even slept. We try not to awaken Vitaly and carry him to the taxi. Too late, he awakens when the cold air hits him. 7:00 a.m.- AirportWe are departing Warsaw on a beautiful SwissAir plane heading to Zurich. Vitaly is being very good and hams it up. We are thrilled.9:30 a.m.- ZurichI am changing a second messy diaper. Luckily the Zurich airport has a terrific family area for the children to play and parents to relax. It is wonderful and really helps. We finally get to the counter to get our seats. We are worried because the flight is "sold out", and we were not reassigned any seats. At first, the counter tells us no seats together. We are devastated. Then suddenly, she says she has found three. Well, three becomes four when noone sits in the other. What a bonus- sold out flight and we even have the only spare empty too! Our flight is 10 hours long.3:00- ChicagoWe are back in the US and they are playing Christmas music. It is sort of odd because we almost forgot it was close to Christmas. We are thrilled to be back in the states. We even remember today is our TEN year wedding anniversary! Our flight to Dayton has been cancelled due to ice in Chicago. We are desperate to get home and plead to every airline. Finally, we are successful and depart Chicago.12:00 a.m.- Dayton, OhioWe are home! Aunt Sally, Christy, Cathy, Rowland, Judy, Hunter and Joe S are all still waiting for us. Amazing- and we never expected anyone! We are thrilled beyond belief. We get home and go directly to bed after giving the dogs a huge hug.We are so happy to be home and with our new son!