Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Home For Christmas
We returned home with Elizabeth and greeted Thomas at JFK on Saturday afternoon. Thomas has been enjoying his new sister and we all had a great Christmas together. Our long journey has finally ended and we wish to thank all of our family and friends for your love and support!
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Bonding
We are continuing to bond our relationship with Sash (Elizabeth). We have only four days now until she will be released to us. This Wednesday, after paperwork and passport is completed, we will travel back to Kiev by car. It is a 500km journey (or 5 hours). The road is very fast, not much different from an interstate. There are many rest places along the way, which will help.
On Thursday morning, at 9AM we have her medical done and at 10AM appointment with the US Embassy for her travel visa. The Visa will be ready in the afternoon if all goes well. Originally, we tried for an appointment for Friday, but the Emassy is closed for Christmas. We will have a little more time in Kiev on Friday before our evening flight to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, we will spend a night and leave the following morning to New York.
We cannot wait see Thomas and our dear family and friends! Please pray for us on this last leg of this journey! We will try to post again before we leave Ukraine.
And the sun has been shining this week!
On Thursday morning, at 9AM we have her medical done and at 10AM appointment with the US Embassy for her travel visa. The Visa will be ready in the afternoon if all goes well. Originally, we tried for an appointment for Friday, but the Emassy is closed for Christmas. We will have a little more time in Kiev on Friday before our evening flight to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, we will spend a night and leave the following morning to New York.
We cannot wait see Thomas and our dear family and friends! Please pray for us on this last leg of this journey! We will try to post again before we leave Ukraine.
And the sun has been shining this week!
Saturday, December 9, 2006
Elizabeth Alexandra Kulo (Sasha)
Sorry for the long time without a post. It is not always easy to get this opportunity. Yesterday we had our court hearing with no objections. We will be adopting Sasha with the name above. She was born on August 25, 2004. She has blond hair, blue eyes and great smile. She has a lot of personality and we are enjoying getting to know her. We Thank God for this blessing to our family and your prayers and support. We know Thomas cannot wait to meet his new sister. We are hoping to be home on Saturday, Dec 23rd.
Friday, December 1, 2006
In Odessa
We are in Odessa. Things are looking promising here. We will post new details soon. Keep us in your prayers!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Sad Day
We had 2 days with Catherine and began the journey to bring her home with us. On Thursday, 11/23, we took her for her physical. It was determined she was a sick child and we would not be able to adopt her. While grieving this loss, we met with the director and social workers, who were also surprised by this latest finding. Somehow, her medical condition was not relayed to them. On Friday morning we jouneyed back to Kiev to the SDA office to get another appointment. We are expecting word on Monday. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
SDA
We had our meeting at the SDA at noon yesterday and accepted a referal. It was an emotional meeting, but the staff were courteous and gracious. We will be traveling to region by train tonight and arrive tomorrow morning to visit a girl named Catherine.
So far, we have enjoyed Kiev. It is a beautiful city and nice place to walk. The lights and the buildings are brilliant at night. We went to St Michael's Church and took some pics (sorry not available on blog yet).
So far, we have enjoyed Kiev. It is a beautiful city and nice place to walk. The lights and the buildings are brilliant at night. We went to St Michael's Church and took some pics (sorry not available on blog yet).
Sunday, November 19, 2006
In Amsterdam
We have made it to Amsterdam and we are awaiting our flight to Kiev at 12:35. So far, so good.
Friday, November 17, 2006
It has been quite a week, getting things together for ourselves and Thomas. The biggest hurdle was with our required approval from USCIS (I-171-H). This document was set to expire in December and I had already sent the forms in late September to revise. So when we got the call on Friday, I was in a frenzy to contact USCIS. To make a long story short, it was the great staff of Senator Chuck Schumer who did an amazing job of getting in contact with them. On Wednesday, the I-171-H approval was in our hands!
Our flight on Northwest/KLM leaves JFK for Amsterdam at 6:10 pm. We should arrive in Kiev Sunday afternoon around 4pm. It is going to be hard saying goodbye to Thomas as we will miss him very much. We know that he is in good and loving hands with his gran, and the support of our friends in Brewster and Ridgefield.
We thank you all for your prayers and support as we embark on this remarkable journey.
Our flight on Northwest/KLM leaves JFK for Amsterdam at 6:10 pm. We should arrive in Kiev Sunday afternoon around 4pm. It is going to be hard saying goodbye to Thomas as we will miss him very much. We know that he is in good and loving hands with his gran, and the support of our friends in Brewster and Ridgefield.
We thank you all for your prayers and support as we embark on this remarkable journey.
Friday, November 10, 2006
НАШЕ УКРАИНСКОЕ ПРИНЯТИЕ
МЫ ЖЕЛАЕМ БЫТЬ БЛАГОДАРНЫЙ ЗА ТО, ЧТО НАШИ ДРУЗЬЯ УКРАИНЫ ДЕЛАЮТ ЭТО ПРИНЯТИЕ ВОЗМОЖНЫМ.
-David & Louise Kulo
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
God blessed Louise and I with our son, Thomas, who we love and cherish. For whatever reason, God has chosen and different path to find our second child. This process demands total commitment in the face of disappointment, paperwork and costs.
And then there is the waiting. Waiting which seems to go on interminably.
We want to share with readers our journey in a way that it helpful to prospective parents who choose this course. Somehow and someway, after years of waiting, we wish to love a child with all our hearts, just as we do for our son, that this journey has its purpose.
Notable Dates
Our adoption time line begins in April 2003. We began to research domestic and international while starting the home study. That summer we selected an agency which was recommended to us.
September 14, 2003: Our first face to face with our agency. We choose Ukraine as our county.
September 19, 2003: Contacted state to determine if there were any judgments or complaints against the agency. All clear!
September 27, 2003: Registered with agency.
October 2003: Our marriage certificate needs to be corrected. Since we were married overseas, this becomes a huge task.
October 23, 2003: Submit I600A form.
December 2003: Home Study completed.
March 30, 2004: Finally receive corrected marriage certificate.
June 17, 2004: Dossier #1 goes to Ukraine.
March 10, 2005: I600A form updated
May 6, 2005: Home Study renewal completed.
May 26, 2005: Dossier #2 goes to Ukraine
September 7, 2005: Registration number received from the NAC
February 2006: Dossier #3 is completed for use when we travel. Background check has begun as we proceed to update our Home Study.
March 2006: No travel dates expected until the new authority is operating in May.
August 2006: Receive notification that our appointment should be in November.
November 10, 2006: We are notified of our appointment on November 19, 2006.
Above: OUR UKRAINIAN ADOPTION
WE WISH TO THANK OUR FRIENDS OF THE UKRAINE FOR MAKING THIS ADOPTION POSSIBLE.
МЫ ЖЕЛАЕМ БЫТЬ БЛАГОДАРНЫЙ ЗА ТО, ЧТО НАШИ ДРУЗЬЯ УКРАИНЫ ДЕЛАЮТ ЭТО ПРИНЯТИЕ ВОЗМОЖНЫМ.
-David & Louise Kulo
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
God blessed Louise and I with our son, Thomas, who we love and cherish. For whatever reason, God has chosen and different path to find our second child. This process demands total commitment in the face of disappointment, paperwork and costs.
And then there is the waiting. Waiting which seems to go on interminably.
We want to share with readers our journey in a way that it helpful to prospective parents who choose this course. Somehow and someway, after years of waiting, we wish to love a child with all our hearts, just as we do for our son, that this journey has its purpose.
Notable Dates
Our adoption time line begins in April 2003. We began to research domestic and international while starting the home study. That summer we selected an agency which was recommended to us.
September 14, 2003: Our first face to face with our agency. We choose Ukraine as our county.
September 19, 2003: Contacted state to determine if there were any judgments or complaints against the agency. All clear!
September 27, 2003: Registered with agency.
October 2003: Our marriage certificate needs to be corrected. Since we were married overseas, this becomes a huge task.
October 23, 2003: Submit I600A form.
December 2003: Home Study completed.
March 30, 2004: Finally receive corrected marriage certificate.
June 17, 2004: Dossier #1 goes to Ukraine.
March 10, 2005: I600A form updated
May 6, 2005: Home Study renewal completed.
May 26, 2005: Dossier #2 goes to Ukraine
September 7, 2005: Registration number received from the NAC
February 2006: Dossier #3 is completed for use when we travel. Background check has begun as we proceed to update our Home Study.
March 2006: No travel dates expected until the new authority is operating in May.
August 2006: Receive notification that our appointment should be in November.
November 10, 2006: We are notified of our appointment on November 19, 2006.
Above: OUR UKRAINIAN ADOPTION
WE WISH TO THANK OUR FRIENDS OF THE UKRAINE FOR MAKING THIS ADOPTION POSSIBLE.
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