The One Sure Thing

So we're learning that the only sure thing in a Ukrainian adoption is that nothing is a sure thing!

In the past couple of weeks, we have seen some major changes to our expectations. At the time of our last posting, we knew that our dossier was in the hands of our facilitator in Ukraine, but that there were some roadblocks at the SDA (the Ukrainian Adoption Ministry). We had no idea when our dossier would be submitted, and we feared that it might be summer before we would be invited to travel to Ukraine for the adoption. Given the uncertainty, we leaped at the chance to include Masha in a hosting program this March.

Shortly after this, we learned that one of the families in our group whose dossier was submitted in mid-January had received an invitation to travel to Ukraine in late March! This was great news, but we were afraid to pin our hopes on the timing for just one family...each family's situation is very different from the next. Furthermore, we still had no idea when our dossier would be submitted.

About a week ago, we learned that our facilitator submitted our dossier at the SDA on 7 February. Although the SDA has 4 weeks to review our documents, register our dossier, and provide a travel date, it appears that they just might be moving a little faster. We are now hoping to hear from the SDA in the next couple of weeks, and thinking we might be invited to travel in late April or early May.

Of course, this led us to rethink Masha's upcoming trip. The kids should be returning to Ukraine the first week of April. It didn't seem to make much sense to put her through some 80 hours of travel time, if we're likely to be travelling just a few weeks after. It's like, "Bye-bye, sweetheart! See you next week!!"

After much prayerful consideration, we were about 95% sure we wanted to cancel when we received another email this past Friday. Our facilitators had made some additional inquiries and found that dropping Masha from the list for the March hosting program might not be looked upon favorably by the authorities at the SDA. Of course, this is another topic altogether that I might someday attempt to explain (if I ever figure it out myself). In the end, we have accepted that our facilitators have a much better grasp on the politics at play than we do. If they recommend green-lighting Masha's trip, then we had better listen.

Bottom line: We get to see Masha in four weeks!!

We still don't know for sure about the timing of our trip to Ukraine for the actual adoption, but we suspect/hope/pray that it will be soon after she goes back. It sure can't be soon enough for us!

Countdown!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of you may have heard the good news by now; a couple of weeks ago, we learned that Masha had an opportunity to come back to America for a couple of weeks in late March for another hosting program. Since we are still very uncertain about when we might be able to travel to Ukraine, we leapt at the opportunity to bring her here, even for a short time.

The tentative date for her arrival is 17 March, and I've added a countdown clock at the top. We will be very busy planning her visit, and we're getting crazy excited to see her again!!! We won't have a day camp this time, but I suspect that we'll still find plenty to keep us all busy during her stay, including a lot of English lessons, games, and trips to the YMCA pool! In addition, one of her friends from the program last summer is also coming back, so I'm certain that we'll be doing a lot together too.

The rest of the kids participating in this spring's program are headed to Colorado for a great US experience!! As of today, there are still some kids that are unmatched with host families; anyone in the Denver area interested in hosting can find information here.

What's in a name????

You guys are full of questions! In particular, a number of you have asked about the name Masha, and why we sometimes call her Mariya, but more often Masha. I wish there was a really clever story behind it (maybe you all can help us invent one??), but really, the answer is pretty simple. Just as many names in the English language have common nicknames, so do many names in Russian. Where an American named Robert might go by Bob or Bobby, a Russian (or Ukranian) named Mariya is often called Masha. Not all names have a nickname, but many do…and just as in English, some are straightforward, and some make no sense at all!!

When adopting from overseas, many parents change their children's names when they bring them back to America. For most, it's a matter of practicality; some of these names are very difficult to spell and pronounce, and would likely cause great difficulty for the kids in school. When older children are adopted, many want to change their name as a "fresh start."

We think that Mariya is a beautiful name, and since it's pronounced "Maria," it's a common enough English name that she wouldn't have any real problems. Further, "Mary" is a name common to my family, so we aren't in a hurry to change her name. We will talk to her about it, however, and if she wants to change her name when she comes to America, we will consider it. If she chooses to not change it, we will introduce her as Mariya, but will probably still call her Masha at home (just like my parents still often call me Chris - and don't ANYONE else get any ideas!!!).