Heading to Nikolaev this evening.

Our driver will be at our hotel to pick us up at 3:30pm. We have to check out at noon so we will hang around the hotel lobby until then. We were going to walk around and site see a bit but neither of us are up for the heat wave. We hope to check out Nikoleav much more as that is where Isaiah comes from.

We ate brunch in the hotel this morning and it was a neat experience. The gal who sat next to me on the plain was telling me how she couldn't wait to eat cottage cheese from back home. She said it was much different than American cottage cheese. So I've been curious and looking for it where ever we go. I found it in the breakfast buffet. It was just ok. The food choices in the buffet were MUCH different than American buffets.

I got Darrell to go out on a walk/jog early this morning before it got super hot. When he leaves I will be too chicken to do things like that on my own.

The trip to Nikolaev is about 250 miles. Any prayers for safety will be appreciated.

SDA appointment and other happenings.

MONDAY...Yesterday we met up with the Adamson family from South Dakota. Last year when they adopted from Ukraine they met someone who has become a friend so he drove us to a great restaruant and had some amazing Borchst soup and an awesome Greek Salad. Portion sizes are much different than America. Much smaller. Maybe that would explain why the vast majority of people here are very, very thin. We always think that Josh is so super skinny but he would fit right in here in Kiev. We see many men wear capris and many carry man purses. The women are simply georgeous. I've never seem so many good looking people in one area before, however, some of these women could choose to wear more clothes or thicker clothes as many don't seem to mind if what they wear is see through. Oh and their shoes...the higher the heal the better. Many side walks are cobblestone-like but that doesn't stop these women from wearing spiked heals.

Back to our yesterday...Adamson's friend solved our cell phone trouble and had us buy a new one here for $30 which allows us to call to US for around .20 per minute. What a blessing. Today they picked up their 2 referrals and planned on taking the night train to their kiddos orphanage city which will be about a 12-14 hours. Please pray for their safety and that they get a court day fast too as they have 6 bio kiddos and 1 adopted one back at home. One is an 8 month old nursing baby. We have so much in common, Traci Adamson and I. It was so nice getting to know them.

TUESDAY...After another horribly HOT night with very little sleep we had our SDA appointment at 9:00am. Our driver, Niko, picked us up at 8:30am. We met Serge who I think is a lawyer. We waited outside the SDA door until it opened at 9. We were the first appointment and another couple from Maryland doing a blind referral were after us. Serge told us to wait in the stairway/hallway or outside until we are called. We were called right at 9...walked up the stairs...led into a back room...told to sit on the couch...and wait. The case manager and Serge talked and talked and were looking through our translated papers. Knowing Ukrainian language would sure have been helpful. There seemed to be trouble. We asked what was wrong and he said there seems to be a document missing. The case worker called someone on the phone and talked some more Ukrainian between the person on the phone and Serge. It all turned out ok...THANK YOU GOD! We were shown 2 older pictures of Isaiah who didn't really look like him but the birthday was the same and his first name, Ilya. We were expecting to be asked a couple questions like most adoptive families like...why do we want to adopt a child with Ds and asking us about our family....but NOTHING. Not one single question. I took 2 recent pictures of Isaiah out of my bag and put them on the table. They took one and gave us one of his older ones. Tomorrow we are suppposed to be getting the second one...it was glued on the paper and they were going to try to get it off without ruining it. I pray it works b/c it was a baby picture of him. Before we knew it, maybe 5 minutes after we sat down, Serge told us we were done and to tell "her" thank you. We walked out the door and down the stairs and back outside. We wished the family luck and headed back to Niko's car. Yulia did not make it. She is our facilitator here in Kiev. Niko told us to walk around and get some coffee. People are a little different here. He seems "pushy" and so Darrell got a coffee...a cup maybe the size of a doubled dixie cup...VERY strong and HOT...just what we needed in this HEAT wave. Most of it found its way in the garage. We bought soccer shirts for Austin and Noah and a Ukrainian flag for Isaiah at the sidewalk shops by the SDA. Darrell did the "bargaining". He had some practice from his mission trip to Guatemala last year. After about 20 minutes I told Darrell we better go talk to Niko as I wasn't sure if a clock was ticking and that we were maybe paying for this time. We wanted to leave right away but he told us to walk around. He then told us we are waiting for another couple. Turned out to be the Maryland couple. Niko took us all and dropped us off at our apartments. We exchanged numbers and met up with them for supper. We found out that they are one of the 65 families waiting to bring their children home from orphanages in Kyrgyzstan. I recently unsubscribed to the Kyrgyzstan adoption support group. After things didn't work out for Isaiah in Nov. 2008 we took steps to Aaron in this country. We knew their doors were closed but told they would probably open in early 2009. It never happened and I made myself take Aaron's pic off my desktop. He had always been in my prayers hoping a family in country adopted him. Well, this family told us that they were told the country might open the doors to the 65 waiting families by the end of the year. I was SOOOOO happy to hear this and I couldn't believe I met one of them. Too strange.

We so much wanted to walk around the city and site see but the weather makes it unbearable. I thought I was having a heat stroke this morning. I think I was also dehyrated. We finally gave in to trying to tough it out at the "hot box" and paid a little extra money to move into the hotel right next door. Oh how we wish we did that the first day.

After we got settled in our hotel we crashed for a couple hours and then met up with the Maryland couple for supper. We went to a Ukrainian buffet...very good. I had Borchst again. I thought borchst was a German word and maybe it is but that is what they call vegetable soup. So YUMMY. I'm usually good at picking apart a new soup and recreating it at home so I hope I can accomplish that.

After our long supper/chat we walked around a bit and headed back to our hotels. We got lost but we all felt safe as it was still light out and we were all together. It was a good workout...up and down hills.

Plan for tomorrow is to check out of hotel at noon...probably wait in the lobby until 3:30pm when we will get picked up by Niko and taked back to SDA building to pick up the referral papers which gives us permission to go to Isaiah's orhanage and visit him. We were debating on taking the night train which costs $100 for a 12 hour, NON-air conditioned ride OR $200 for Niko to drive us 5 to 6 hours in a car with NO seatbelts. YES!....NO seatbelts. People drive CRAZY here. We almost got wiped out the 1st day crossing the steet. A FAST car came out of no where and he/she would have taken us out. They did NOT slow down at all. So I'm asking Jesus and my guardian angel and any other guardian angels that are bored to sit ride beside me on this long drive. We will be staying at an apartment that Alisha and Michelle arranged for us. THANKS girls!!!!

Some things I miss from back home...wash cloths, kleenex, Reverse Osmosis water, air conditioning, seat belts, and my kiddos, especially Joey. Skype is getting harder and harder. Joey does not want to "talk" anymore and it is breaking my heart. I had to step to the side and bawl tonight. I don't cry easy but I can't control myself when I think of how confused and broken hearted Joey must be. I know this is all for the good and will be so worth it. It has only been 4 days without Joey and it's harder than I thought being so early in the trip. I so badly want his kisses and hugs. Catie said he seems to be doing fine.

Oh and today we also chatted with the Wisconsin family for about an hour when we got to our hotel. They've been staying here too. Having contact to all these USA families makes us forget we are thousands of miles away.

I will try to post a few pics tomorrow.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers and messages. Makes us feel not so far away.

If all goes well we should be meeting the newest Becker boy on Thursday! Does not seem real.

Hello from Kiev, Ukraine!

Our Saturday morning started out at 4:00am after only a couple hours of sleep (Darrell got one hour). Joey, Noah, AND Austin slept with us and we stayed up LATE talking. I "think" Joey was really starting to sense something was up after days and days of me telling him I am going on an airplane to get Isaiah. They wanted us to wake them to say goodbye. Noah had shed his tears earlier that night...Darrell and I let loose saying goodbye that morning. It was so hard. We actually sat in the car on the driveway for about 5 minutes as we cried and prayed...thanking God for all the blessings He has given us up to that point and for safety for us all so we all come back together at the end of this journey...all safe and sound.

We met up with a South Dakota couple in Minneapolis. They are adopting 2 kids from Ukraine after adopting one last year. They have 6 bio kids. Great family. Unfortunately we won't see much of them as they are adopting from a different region.

We were to take off from New York at 4:15pm and we did but didn't get very far...just to the runway. They started up the engines and one was not working properly. We sat on the VERY warm plane for 2 hours. It was a GREAT flight with hardly any turbulence...my kind of flight. I've never been on a flight where they have updates on a screen of how far you've traveled and also with a GSP system. Pretty neat.

My first experience with customs went really well except for no air conditioning while wearing tennys and jeans and carrying heavy bags. We were told by someone today that yesterday was Kiev's hottest day...110 degrees. Today was 104. Totally miserable. Our driver was waiting for us. He took us to exchange money, to a grocery store to get a few things including drinking/cooking water and then to our apartment. We are on the 50th floor...well, ok...it's only the 5th but as hot as it is and NO air conditioning it very well could be the 50th. I don't think the hot water heater is working but right now I could care less. I told Darrell he is getting a taste of "labor"...but it will all be worth it just like labors always are.

On the long flight I sat next to a sweet young gal who lives really close to Isaiah's city. She grew up in Odessa and was coming to visit her mom and update her passport. She's been living in the USA for 6 years. She told me alot about the area and even gave me her phone number in case we need anything. We are debating on trying to find a way to drive around the country side...maybe over her way...as Darrell is really itching to see some farm land.

As we were walking down to a main area in Kiev we noticed 4 people walking on the opposite side of the sidewalk so Darrell said we should catch up to them as they look like American's. They sure were...from Wisconsin. They were visiting their son who is in the Peace Corps. The son was offering us advice as to where good places to eat are and stores to go to etc. We ate at TGIF's for supper. Was nice to see English in their menu. When we were leaving Darrell, once again, said he wants to talk to this guy we noticed while we were eating. He said he noticed us too and figured we were American's. When we asked him how he knew he said because he saw us smiling/laughing. He wasn't American but spoke it very well. He teaches English around this area. He gave us his cell phone number and offered us help in anyway we needed.

We talked to the kids on Skype. Wow! It was hard seeing Joey but SOOOOOOOOOOOO good. He kept signing mom and dad. 2 days are done for us already. Hope the rest goes this fast.

We found an underground mall and we plan on hanging out there part of the day tomorrow with this crazy heat. I HATE weather like this. I would have NEVER planned a vacation to go somewhere this hot but we are following the road God has us on. Our SDA appointment is Tuesday at 9:00am and there is a chance we could be on a night train to Nikolaev that night.

I had asked my dad a couple times if he wanted to go with me to Ukraine (jokingly) and he never even had to think about it...his answer was NO. Well, there was a man on the long flight that looked 98% like my dad. He was up maybe 10 rows but he was standing alot during the flight. I kept telling Darrell he should tell my dad to sit down. THEN our driver looked alot like him too. Too weird. So, Dad, in a way you were kind of with me on the trip.

Until next time.

Spah-koy-nay noh-chee from Ukraine.

The time has come.

We are flying out of Bismarck at 8:00am Saturday morning. We are to arrive in Kiev, Ukraine at 9:10am Sunday morning...1:10am USA central time. I'm so exhausted right now from the long busy week of getting ready...mentally and physically...that I'm hoping I will be able to sleep most of the 9 hour flight out of New York.

Thanks to all who called or emailed your well wishes and offered prayers for a safe journey. You are all so appreciated. This is a scary but exciting time...doing something I never thought I could possibly do. But I have no doubt that God led us and put us on this journey and that He will send His protection over all of us.

God willing...there will soon be one less orphan in the world.

Someone asked me the other day if I'm "in labor". I guess this is as close to real labor as possible...if not worse...a possible 5 day labor.

Soon to be a family of 8.

SDA APPOINTMENT!!!

After 27 looooooooooong days of waiting it finally came today on June 22nd. The "22nd" is a VERY significant day for me for adoption in general. More on that later. It wasn't until this afternoon that I realized that today was actually the 22nd. I've been checking my email every morning when I get up hoping "today is the day". I watched many people get their dates...travel to their country...Gotcha Day videos...travel home with their kids...this past month and with each one the wait only got harder and longer. This past month was by far THE hardest part of this adoption journey so far. Our Dossier left my hands on May 5th. My part was done and the waiting started...and continued...and continued. Not only was I waiting but so was Isaiah...getting a day older day after day. We were waiting on "somebody". Deep down I knew "who" that "somebody" really was but I was starting to think our Dossier was buried under some judges paperwork and would never be looked at. Families whose Dossiers was submitted after ours were getting their SDA appointments before us. There is just no rhyme or reason as to how the system works and if there is I surely haven't been able to figure it out.

I knew God had that perfect travel time for us but I still had to practice patience a lot. I did not want to interfere with his plan by begging and pleading for a date and then have Him go and change it all and I regret it. For a few seconds yesterday morning when another family got their travel date (submitted the same day we were) I got so frustrated and the thought of quitting came to mind because I just could not take the heartache of waiting any longer. But that thought quickly went away as there is someone so innocent in all this who has been waiting much longer than I have...Isaiah...and I couldn't...wouldn't...give up on him.

This first trip is much later than we had planned/hoped for. We now have to use Plan B...a plan we do NOT have. Airline tickets are much more than we originally were told but since it is summer the rates are at their peak. A great desire and hope is still to only have one trip. BUT if that wouldn't happen I'm actually considering doing something up until today I said I would NEVER...EVER...do. I feel I don't have the "guts" nor the "heart" to do this but I just might be staying in the country for the entire time...could be 4-5 weeks. By doing that it could save us probably $5000 plus my travel buddy for the 2nd trip will be back in college. This way if I stay I would only have to travel home alone (well, with Isaiah). So, if anyone has a prayer or two to spare we would greatly appreciate them going to us only having to travel once. We were already told the judge in this region will not waive the 10 days but I'm not giving up hope on that yet either.

Hmmmm....I just realized that I did not mention when that all-so-important SDA appointment is. July 20th at 9:00am. Woohoo!!!!

The other update we've been waiting for...Dossier Submitted!

May 27, 2010 our dossier was submitted to the SDA (State Department of Adoptions) in Kiev, Ukraine. So hopefully we will get a travel date in roughly 10-14 days...and then actually travel a few weeks after that. Lots of different emotions going on all at once...with the biggest being "EXCITED".

Another comparison with a typical pregnancy and the adoption pregnancy is the "nesting stage". This past week I've been busy with swapping bedrooms for the boys to make one big toy room for Joey and Isaiah and all Noah's farm toys. Also deep cleaning and painting...all things I want done before Isaiah comes home.

After that I will have to start making lists for the babysitters for when we are gone.

Here is another picture of Isaiah that Michelle took yesterday at mealtime being fed by his nanny. She couldn't get him to look at the camera because he wanted his food.

The update I've been waiting for...well, one of them.

Alisha, the gal who volunteered at Isaiah's orphanage, informed me on April 4th that Isaiah was in the hospital. All she was told was he had a cough. Alisha then left Nikolaev two days later to go to Ethiopia to meet and live near her two boys they were soon going to adopt. I knew I would have to wait until Michelle & Noah go to Ukraine to adopt their 3 kiddos...all in the same orphanage as Isaiah. Their two girls are actually in the same room as him. They arrived in Kiev, Ukraine on May 15th and I last talked to them via Skype Tuesday the 18th. Plans were for them to be in Nikolaev on Friday the 21st to meet their kiddos...and...they were going to hunt down Isaiah to give me an update. We didn't know where they would find him...in the hospital still or back in the orphanage. Well, I waited and waited and waited and waited...all the while also waiting to hear if our dossier was submitted on May 20th or not or if there were any documents that needed to be redone or something crazy like that. Between waiting for these two things made for some really long days and feelings of doubt would creep in here and there. To speed up the story I was finally able to talk to Michelle today!! They just got internet service. The apartment they are staying at never had the service before. I got great news...Isaiah is back at the orphanage AND she sent me a new picture. It was so worth the wait. God reassured me again that Isaiah is ours. As you see in the picture Isaiah is sporting a BIG ol' "B" on his chest. That can NOT stand for anything other than "BECKER". Also notice the "butterfly" on his left shoulder...he may be a "caterpillar" now "locked up in an orphanage" but he will soon get his wings and fly.


Now to continue the wait to hear if we've been submitted and then to get a travel date. I know God has THE perfect time for us to go but I'm as human as the next and I get a tad bit antsy at times.

We've been praying that we only have to travel to Ukraine one time. Most adoptions to this country require two trips but we were told that sometimes the 10 day wait in between the trips is waived and you can finalize it and take your child home at the end of the first trip. Michelle/Noah were told by either the facilitator or maybe lawyer (I forgot which one) that the judges have never waived the 10 days from the region Isaiah and their kiddos are from. That made me a little sad but I quickly snapped out of it and told Darrell and the boys that God is bigger than any judge and IF God wants us to only travel once...then we will only travel once. And if not, then so be it...back I go...with a travel buddy.