To Russia (And Back) With Love
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Blogging NEVER takes a vacation...
Not when you get a new pic from Yekaterinburg. ¶ 10:40 AM 0 comments
Not when you get a new pic from Yekaterinburg. ¶ 10:40 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N...in the summertime...
You don't have to be a judge overseeing adoptions in Yekaterinburg to enjoy a refreshing vacation. Judge Tatyana's month-long respite gives us the chance to plan our own little summer getaways. We'll be back next week. The key is under the mat.
¶ 5:15 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Send fashion help, quick!
Call me crazy, but somehow I think Elena's first impression of America will be the Nordstrom at Dulles Town Center. Her visa may not be ready, but the Amex is.
Another new pic from Ekaterinburg. Thanks, Alice! ¶ 7:15 AM 0 comments
Call me crazy, but somehow I think Elena's first impression of America will be the Nordstrom at Dulles Town Center. Her visa may not be ready, but the Amex is.
Another new pic from Ekaterinburg. Thanks, Alice! ¶ 7:15 AM 0 comments
Monday, July 18, 2005
Voices in the Dark
I couldn't sleep in the wee small hours Saturday night into Sunday morning; frankly, I don't know why. I looked at the alarm clock and saw it was 3:35. Suddenly, the phone rang. I answered the call with the same exuberance I would in the middle of the day on the first ring, even before Caller ID could identify its origin.
"Hi, it's Debbie!" Our agency director has been in Russia on business for the past week and is now in Ekaterinburg in an effort to stir the pot. "I'm here looking at Elena right now. Your daughter is beautiful."
Debbie puts Dr. Irina, one of the orphanage directors, on the call. "She is very clever girl, very byoo-tee-full," we are told in a voice recalling Natasha from the old Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons.
With Elena on her lap, "Aunt Debbie" tells her (with the help of a translator) that "I know who your Mama and Papa are," and that we will be there to bring her home...soon. Elena understands, but only to the extent that a 2-1/2 year old with no concept of a Mama, Papa or home can.
How soon? Judge Tatiana will be on vacation the entire month of August; priority for court dates before she leaves are now for older children, in an effort to get them out of a system that has told them about the horrible things American parents do to their adopted children. So, Mama and Papa will be waiting until at least September to get a place on her docket. ¶ 8:07 AM 0 comments
"Hi, it's Debbie!" Our agency director has been in Russia on business for the past week and is now in Ekaterinburg in an effort to stir the pot. "I'm here looking at Elena right now. Your daughter is beautiful."
Debbie puts Dr. Irina, one of the orphanage directors, on the call. "She is very clever girl, very byoo-tee-full," we are told in a voice recalling Natasha from the old Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons.
With Elena on her lap, "Aunt Debbie" tells her (with the help of a translator) that "I know who your Mama and Papa are," and that we will be there to bring her home...soon. Elena understands, but only to the extent that a 2-1/2 year old with no concept of a Mama, Papa or home can.
How soon? Judge Tatiana will be on vacation the entire month of August; priority for court dates before she leaves are now for older children, in an effort to get them out of a system that has told them about the horrible things American parents do to their adopted children. So, Mama and Papa will be waiting until at least September to get a place on her docket. ¶ 8:07 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
The straw that broke the camel's back?
(Peggy Sue and daughter Nina Hilt in happier times, before Nina was beaten to death at her mother's hand. )
As anticipated, the death of Nina Hilt, buried deep in the pages of the American newspapers, is major news in Russia, where she is identified by her pre-adoption Russian name, Nina Bazhenova.
Even before this latest tragedy, we learned that word had been spread to older children in some of the orphanages that American parents kill their adopted children.
Frankly, they're right. For each of the dozen Russian orphans adopted into American families who've lost their lives at the hands of an unfit parent, there are only 4,500 still alive. The deaths of children like Nina Hilt, Alex Pavlis, Liam Thompson and Viktor Matthey can no longer be dismissed as statistical anomalies.
As waiting adoptive parents, we have no choice but to roll with the changes and delays in the adoption process we've seen and will undoubtedly continue to see, thanks to trailblazers like Peggy Sue Hilt, Irma Pavlis, Gary & Amy Thompson and Bob & Brenda Matthey...all of whom violated the ultimate trust bestowed upon them by the Russian people.
The longer we wait, the harder the wait becomes, and not just emotionally. Adopting a child from Russia is now the equivalent of a part-time job in dealing with additional paperwork requirements. And where most part-time jobs would provide financial resources in exchange for giving up time better spent with the child we already have, this one does just the opposite.
The possibility of a summer return to pick up Elena is now looking very slim. Another autumn visit to Ekaterinburg? We can only pray. ¶ 6:08 AM 1 comments
(Peggy Sue and daughter Nina Hilt in happier times, before Nina was beaten to death at her mother's hand. )As anticipated, the death of Nina Hilt, buried deep in the pages of the American newspapers, is major news in Russia, where she is identified by her pre-adoption Russian name, Nina Bazhenova.
Even before this latest tragedy, we learned that word had been spread to older children in some of the orphanages that American parents kill their adopted children.
Frankly, they're right. For each of the dozen Russian orphans adopted into American families who've lost their lives at the hands of an unfit parent, there are only 4,500 still alive. The deaths of children like Nina Hilt, Alex Pavlis, Liam Thompson and Viktor Matthey can no longer be dismissed as statistical anomalies.
As waiting adoptive parents, we have no choice but to roll with the changes and delays in the adoption process we've seen and will undoubtedly continue to see, thanks to trailblazers like Peggy Sue Hilt, Irma Pavlis, Gary & Amy Thompson and Bob & Brenda Matthey...all of whom violated the ultimate trust bestowed upon them by the Russian people.
The longer we wait, the harder the wait becomes, and not just emotionally. Adopting a child from Russia is now the equivalent of a part-time job in dealing with additional paperwork requirements. And where most part-time jobs would provide financial resources in exchange for giving up time better spent with the child we already have, this one does just the opposite.
The possibility of a summer return to pick up Elena is now looking very slim. Another autumn visit to Ekaterinburg? We can only pray. ¶ 6:08 AM 1 comments
Friday, July 08, 2005
Today's Post, Tomorrow's Pravda
On the heels of the Irma Pavlis sentencing, you're now looking at Peggy Sue Hilt, the new poster child for Russian adoption reform...another prime reason why Americans are unfit to adopt Russian children.
I didn't even get past the first paragraph of this story when I first read it, thereby missing the phrase that should have jumped right out at me.
Buried in the second paragraph, from the second page of the local news: "adopted Russian child."
God help us all. ¶ 5:56 PM 0 comments
On the heels of the Irma Pavlis sentencing, you're now looking at Peggy Sue Hilt, the new poster child for Russian adoption reform...another prime reason why Americans are unfit to adopt Russian children.I didn't even get past the first paragraph of this story when I first read it, thereby missing the phrase that should have jumped right out at me.
Buried in the second paragraph, from the second page of the local news: "adopted Russian child."
God help us all. ¶ 5:56 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
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