We have our Appointment! YES!!!

Well after nearly 2 1/2 years we have an invitation. We will be at the Ukraine State Department for Adoption (SDA) on November 20 at 10 AM.

Does this mean we really have much more information? No. Ukraine handles adoptions differently than most other countries. At our appointment we will be interviewed and then shown pictures of kids who are close to our request in the dossier.

The SDA will then give us a letter of invitation to an orphanage and we will travel to meet the kids. You do not get to look at all the kids at the orphanage only those you pre-selected at the SDA. After meeting with the kids, the orphanage director, and reading the kids files at the orphanage we will need to make a decision as to whether we want to adopt the kids.

I can't picture Teresa doing anything other than holding them and claiming them forever.

Then we will schedule a date with the court. That usually takes another 7-10 days. At court we hope to be named the kids parents. Usually there is a 10 day waiting period at this time to allow for an appeal. At the end of the waiting period we will be the kids legal parents. At that point it usually takes another 10 days to get the kids new birth certificates and their US embassy appoved medical physical checkup and their Ukrainian and American Visa and Passport.

Many families have been able to give their Facilitator/Translator power of attorney to carry documents around during this time. We may also fly home and catch up on some of our work during the two waiting periods.

Every family seems to have had a different schedule and there are no guarantees but, from November 20, the most common time frame seems to be about 6-7 weeks until we will have the kids home.

It looks like Teresa will miss out on the coldest part of winter and those squat pit toilets she was so looking forward to.