Back Home Again!

I know it is terribly late and I should be sleeping while the gang here sleeps, but Steph, you said such nice things about me being peppy that I have to write something! Actually so much happened so fast that I avoided writing all day today, because, I knew it would take me forever to do justice to the miraclulous flow of events in our lives since I last wrote.

We did go to court on Thursday, the day we were given a one percent chance of having our hearing. The wait in the long hall outside the court room was exciting. Our boys who were not yet 'our' boys arrived with their social worker. When we went in, and it was their turn to testify, they stood so straight and sweet and said, "Da," that they wanted to go with this family and be their sons. We were so proud and so very grateful to the Lord. It was short and sweet and we then kissed them good-bye and sent them back to the orphanage, while we three again squeezed into the back seat of Yuri's car.

From there, we watched Dima do his thing. With cell phone in one hand and pack of papers in the other, he amazingly opened door after closed door all across Odessa. We merely hopped out of the car on cue to sign forms for one of the boy's birth certificates, then again to get it notarized. Then back in the car and off we'd speed to another part of town where the other boy's birth had been regisitered. Then dash off to the notary public, and on again to our next location. We'd dart in and out of traffic, as Yuri would simply wave a hand and the traffic would move aside so we could command the road.

We did get to have a five minute Mc Donald's break, but before we could wipe the ketchup from our cheeks, it was time to crush into the back seat again. Laughing and roaring down the road, Dima would be on that cell phone again calling for train tickets, and then calling Nastya in Kiev to make an appointment with the US Embassy for Monday. Then he was calling Nastya again to see if we could make it earlier Monday so we could keep our flight. Then he was calling her to see if it could maybe be for Friday, tomorrow!

Before we knew what hit us, it was growing dark and we were rolling to a fast stop at the about-to-close passport office, to pick up the boys' passports. At that moment we received a call from Alyona who said she and Viktor had our video of the grand tour Tuesday ready to deliver to us and could they meet us somewhere. Dima told them they had 5 minutes to meet us at this spot, or Sorry!

Within two minutes there they were! We exchanged fond good-byes, and pulled away out into the evening traffic, scooted back across town to our orphanage and scooped up our boys and whatever treasures they had packed. We hugged every kid in sight amid a chorus of, "Say Prevyat to Lela, Write us! and Pa-kaw! Only once did Dima have to remind me, "Sylvia, NO MORE KISSES! COME!" and away we sailed with our boys just in time to board the 22:10 train for Kiev.

Once on board Car # 9 we began making up our bunks, the three boys and I in one compartment (what fun!) and Bob and Dima sharing the next compartment with two guys whose vodka breath continued to waft up to their top bunks as the night wore on. As we were getting settled into our cubbyhole, our beloved Ira appeared in the hallway outside our door and handed us a packet of letters from kids and a video she had made of them greeting their friend, Michelle, and a special card and gift for me. Talk about icing on the cake! She hugged us all round, and the kids bounced and laughed at the window waving to her until the train took us away into the night, leaving me with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

No time for that! There were three boys who had to be sorted out and stuffed into beds! But first things first. The new boys needed to go down the hall to the tu-a-let... to do their laundry. Bless their hearts, they wanted clean socks and undies in the morning, and this is the way they'd been taught to get them. So off they went in their pajamas, happily chattering in Russian, and in a few moments, feet bang, bang, banging down the hall, they bumped open the door, puffing and laughing into the compartment to hang their things on the heater.

Finally all the shifting and rearranging complete, and all lights off, I squirmed under my covers, removed my slacks, and smiled to myself in the dark. I figured I had this Night Train thing mastered.

However, just as all was quiet on the eastern front, and I was drifting off to sleep, THUD! "O...OOHH!" It was Sasha in a crumpled heap, sprawling across the table and kicking his legs to be free of the tangle of pillow, blanket, sheets and mattress that had tumbled along with him, softening his fall from the top bunk. Not completely clothed and in my right mind, I hopped out of bed to comfort and assist him in getting settled back up on the top bunk. Then thought better of it and told him, "Mama will sleep there; you sleep in Mama's bed." "Ah-kay," he answered somewhat shakily.

Soon we were all fast asleep again. And soon it was morning again and time to start untangling the bodies and luggage, towels, and drying underwear that was our cabin. We somehow managed, and all disembarked to start another exciting day with Dima. Only this time we would be racing around Kiev instead of Odessa, and this time we'd have two extra boys in tow.