"FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS"

Here are some of the questions we have been frequently asked in the past three months...

Does the Russian ban on American adoptions affect your adoption?

No, so far we have no reason to think that the actions that have been taken in Russia (stopping Americans from adopting Russian orphans) will have any impact on our adoption.  The only way we can think of that we might be affected would be if those families who would have adopted from Russia in the near future might instead submit their dossiers to Ukraine.  If the Ukrainian SDA is being inundated with more American dossiers than usual, it might slow down the usual timeline. 

WHY adopt from Ukraine?  Why not adopt a child in the United States?  (a VERY frequently asked question!)

Very simply... because our daughters are there! 
We have been talking about adoption since we got married, but it's overwhelming and we struggled for years with knowing when, how, where, etc.  We explored both international and US adoption, but the more we learned about orphans worldwide, the more we felt led towards international adoption. 

We learned about hosting programs that bring orphans from Ukraine & other Eastern European countries to the United States for 4-5 weeks during the summer and over Christmas each year.  The purpose of these programs is for these kids to experience family life, make connections in the United States, and hopefully even find their "forever family."  We were making plans to host a sibling group during the summer of 2013, when we received an e-mail from the adoption agency with a listing of special needs orphans.  And then we saw Tetyana's listing, and the plans changed!  We knew without a doubt that God has been leading us to them.

Do Tetyana and Margarita know that you are trying to adopt them?

They do!  We wrote a letter and sent it with a package of small gifts in the beginning of October, about 1 week after we started the adoption process.  They received it in the end of November, and we were told that they were excited to receive it and liked their gifts.  We sent a second package in December but they haven't gotten it yet.

Have you seen any pictures of the girls?

We have one picture of Tetyana (who is 8-years-old), greeting us on the refrigerator door every day and going everywhere with me in my purse!  Unfortunately we are not allowed to share the picture electronically, so I can't post it on Facebook or here on this blog. 
We have not been able to see a picture of Margarita (who is 4-years-old)... the only thing we know about her appearance is that she has red hair! 

How long will it take to complete the adoption?

About 9 months is the average for Ukraine, and that is significantly less time than most other foreign countries, where it can sometimes take a year or two to get a referral.  That's even less time than most domestic adoptions in the United States, because foster parents often have to wait a long time for parental rights to be terminated.  Right now we are on track to complete our adoption this spring.  We are almost ready to submit our dossier to Ukraine, and then we just have to wait for them to give us an appointment with the SDA (State Department of Adoption).

Will you both have to travel to Ukraine?  How long will you be there?

Yes, we will both have to travel to Ukraine to officially "select" our children at a meeting with the SDA, travel to the region to meet the children, appear in court, wait for the adoption to be approved, take care of business at the US Embassy, etc.  The entire trip could take 30-45 days.  We may be able to travel home during a 10-day waiting period after the adoption is approved by the court, but otherwise we will have to remain in Ukraine.

Will Sophia and Claire travel to Ukraine too?

No.  They would miss weeks of school, and have to endure a lot of "adult" tasks, like court hearings and lengthy traveling... But most importantly we feel that this is our time with Tetyana and Margarita.  This is their time to get to know us, and our time to get to know them and experience their environment and culture.  There will be plenty of time to get to know their sisters when they get home! 

How do Sophia and Claire feel about having new siblings? 

They are excited, and we're using this time to prepare Sophia and Claire in every way we can think of!  We talk about their sisters every day.  Claire is especially excited about being a BIG sister, after 6 1/2 years of being the little sister!
It hasn't been all perfect.  Sophia has asked why we can't just have another baby, and she has also expressed some pretty mature concerns about bringing children into our family that we've never even met!  But we've been talking about adoption for so many years that it's a natural part of who our family is and what we're meant to do.  Sophia believes that and accepts that more than we could have ever hoped she would, and therefore she has been very open to talking over her concerns with us!