SIX Days Remaining

We are down to six more nights that Ivanna will spend in the orphanage.  I'm sure she will be missed but yet everyone will be so happy to see her go.  There are several things that need to be worked on and we will just have to take one/two at a time.  But all will be good.  I haven't posted in a while and wanted to write a few things down before I let them slip.

Saturday:  We rode to the orphanage with our driver and rode home with Anna and Yuri.  Enjoyed our visit and after our visit we had the most incredible lunch thanks to Anna and Yuri.  They took us to the Ukranian Buffet --- well, you ask how was that different because we could actually ask what things were and Yuri could tell us and I AM HOOKED on Verneke - that stuff is WONDERFUL!!  I had the potato and cherry and I think I have had the potato verneke everyday since then.  Good stuff.

Then we went down to the square that evening and strolled through the Globus underground mall which is fantastic we still didn't see all of it.  I stayed too long in guess which store - yep the baby stores :D.  Even though she really isn't a baby she is still our baby.

Sunday:  Anna and Yuri picked us up to go visit Ivanna.  I'm not sure why this day's visit was very hard for me.  I was trying to stay in the background and give Anna, Yuri and Igor some space to enjoy the visit because we just didn't want to interrupt what will serve to be special time and special memories to them.  I also saw that it was a struggle for us to be referred to as Momma and Daddy and that's understandable too.  But Ivanna had a great day with her momma (Anna) and papa (Yuri) and enjoyed being tossed and twirled in the air.  Bitter sweet.

Monday:   Well, the traffic was INCREDIBLY bad as they were paving the road on the way to vorzel and we all know what that is like.  It took us over two hours to get to the orphanage so that only left us with a little less than an hour with the Princess :(.  Wasn't so hard to get her to turn aloose this day because it was almost like the visit was over before it ever got started.

Today:  This morning we were picked up at eight as opposed to nine and headed off.  Luckily there was little to no traffic today so we were at the orphanage in less than 45 minutes.  I was a little worried the workers may be upset since we were there so early but much to our surprise they greeted us with smiles and Ivanna had already spotted us and here she came a running!!!  So very sweet when she does that.  We spent a little time inside waiting on it to warm up a tad outside and then once she got wound up we moved our party for three outside.  We did all sorts of things outside but the one thing that was quite funny today is that when we would take her for a walk we would try to go out the gate and to the right and she just WAS NOT going to go that way....we finally realized WHY!!!!  She was afraid it was time for us to leave and by golly she just was not going that way.  When it really was time to go daddy had to pick her up and carry her.  Then she continually went back and forth between the both of us hugging and kissing until one of the workers finally had to take her by the hand as she was continuing to wave Paka!!!  Next Monday baby girl - you will be waving Paka to the baby house and the next time you come back it will ONLY be for a visit!!!

Also the ballerina bear that she once would not have anything to do with she was finally snuggling to today and giving kisses.  WOW imagine what she is going to think of all the baby dolls already on her bed and waiting for her????

Watching the changes she has made over the past couple of weeks may seems small to some but some of them are really huge to us and we can't imagine how much she will blossom when we get home.  Our hope is to be able to leave here on September 16th and be home for our visitation with the boys on the 17th so they can meet their sister for the first time. 

We are so looking forward to next Monday.  There is not the slightest reservation between either of us and we know that Ivanna was the child that God chose for us and for our family. 

We are looking forward to Lyndi coming tomorrow and Danielle, Ivan's mom (or you have heard me refer to him in my posts as Igor - as this is what he is called at the Orphanage) will be here next week.  Ivan is going to be SO GLAD that the visits will be all about him. 

There are other children in this baby house and others that truly need a forever family so if you have any questions, please ask or visit http://www.reecesrainbow.org/ and Andrea Roberts will be more than happy to answer questions for you.

I'll post pictures and videos soon but right now it's time for a nap before I have to get some "real work" done.

Take care and please continue to say prayers for us.  Our current prayers are as follows:

He continue to guide us through the final adoption phase
He continue to watch over us during our return home
He be with Ivanna and bring calmness to her during her next six nights in the orphanage
He be with every family during their adoption in the present and the ones that will follow us
He do His will in finding each and everyone of these precious children their forever families and forever homes
He watch after our boys back home, our friends, and our families.

Amen!

Love to all,
The Stratton Family