It's the final count down...

Sorry we haven't been able to post the last few days. We have been in a whirlwind of activity getting our papers in order to get everything we need for the Ukrainian government to issue a new birth certificate and passport for Haley Anastasia. Yesterday, we took her to get her passport pictures made. It was the first time in over 2 years that she had been outside the orphanage gates. Hunter carried her on the 15 minute walk to the passport photo office. Once inside, she started to cry. (I think she thought it was the doctor's office and got scared because she's had to have some shots lately). She retreated into her zombie stare and rested on me for 20 minutes while we waited our turn for the photo. It was so hot in the store, we were both sweating. The poor thing looked so unkempt. I had fixed her hair earlier, but after resting on me in that hot place for so long, her bangs were everywhere. We all tried to get a smile out of her, to no avail. Here's what we ended up with! We think she looks adorable! I hope she can one day smile at all this (like when she is 18!)

Yesteday afternoon, Sergei told us he had to make an unexpected trip to Haley A's birth city (Komonsquare) because the Uk. government told us we needed an ID number for her (given at birth) in order to get her passport. When he arrived in Komonsquare, he was told she was never issued an ID number and we would have to apply in Kiev for another one. This process could take up to 10 days. We were shocked...but Sergei forged ahead, undaunted. This morning, we continued working on getting all the referrals and papers we needed to apply for a new birth certificate. We picked up the final court decree, visited several notaries and other government agencies, travelled back to Komonsquare where we were issued a new birth certificate, stating that we were her parents. So happy to see it in writing...albeit, Ukrainian writing! We rushed back to Zaporizia just in time to get to the passport office before it closed. Sergei presented all the documents we need to get her passport (there were about 10 items). He was hoping that they would overlook the missing ID number. Somehow it worked and they told us we could pick her passport up tomorrow at noon. We are still holding our breath until we see the actual passport, but we are hopeful that all will go well and we will be on the train to Kiev tomorrow night (Haley A and passport in hand!).

Yesterday, while Sergei was in Komonsquare, he did some investigating and found Haley A's grandmother! She lives in a very poor section of town (no running water, no electricity). Our driver Max had remembered we had left our video camera in the car and Sergei video-taped the grandmother. He told her he was doing a piece for a local newspaper. It was great to have a picture of her grandmother for when she is older and wants to know her heritage. We are still hoping to get a picture of her mother at some point, but the grandmother said she had moved a way several years ago and she had not come to visit in a long time. At least we have the picture of her grandmother and the area where she was born. We are told this is extremely rare to get this information, so we are happy Sergei was able to find it!

Tomorrow is Independence Day! What a fitting day to be taking Haley A out of the orphanage! We will take balloons and cookies for her group to "celebrate" and take her back to the apartment for a good bath and new clothes. We have been debating all week whether to take the train or plane. We know both will be a shock to Haley A. This sounds terrible, but we are hoping she reacts by retreating into her zombie-state rather than the screaming tantrum she's prone to throw if she gets scared. Because we will have a little more control over her on the train (in addition to the fact that the engine is fairly loud and can block out screaming and loud snoring) we chose to ride the overnight train back to Kiev. It's a 10 hour ride and we are hoping she will sleep through most of it.

Sorry this is so scattered. We are rushing to get this online before we head to the next hurdle...

Thanks for all your prayers for our journey! We are so excited to get to the States and begin life as a family there!

Blessings,
Hunter and Lauri