Waiting...

We are waiting.   Waiting on our finished home study.  The last piece of the puzzle came in the mail on Saturday and we immediately scanned it in and emailed it to our agency.  Praying we will have the home study in hand within a few days!

Yesterday I was going through our Sasha and Vitalik file and came across some early correspondence we had about them in the fall of 2011.  I thought sharing pieces of that would help you get to know them a little better and give you a glimpse of why we have fallen in love with two boys we have never even met.

"Even though Sasha and Vitalik are not biological brothers, they are best friends and share a special bond.  Vitalik has some warning about his transfer to their current orphanage, but for Sasha the move came suddenly.  His group was moved without warning.  One morning they were told to gather their things (which fit into a small plastic bag) and get on the bus.  They were taken 4 hours away and were dropped there to start their new life in a new place.

Their orphanage is out in the middle of nowhere.  There is a tiny town nearby but it has only a few hundred people that live there.  The building facility is nice and it seems that the children have clothes and food.  The staff seem to be caring and interested in the children's lives, but there are not enough adults for each child to be loved as an individual, and the kids will still be under-educated and ill prepared for life when they leave the orphanage.

Vitalik is in 3rd grade.  He is a sweet little boy.  He is full of energy and loves to talk.  He has a cute little kid voice and sometimes can't quite pronounce all the syllables of words.  Vitalik is also very outgoing and friendly.  Whenever new people come to visit the orphanage, Vitalik is usually the first person to run to them, give them a hug, and then start asking lots of questions.  (From what I understand from Vitalik's host family, this all sounds very true!)  

Vitalik loves to be helpful and after we are finished with a craft project he always wants to help clean up.  He also appreciates order and tries to keep his things neat and tidy.  He has a positive attitude and not many things can get him down.  He is well liked by his teachers and the other kids in the orphanage.

Sasha is in 2nd grade this year.  He loves the art projects we do together.  Each week he is very careful to follow all the instructions to complete the project.  He has a long attention span and enough patience to finish what he starts.  When Sasha is busy with his work of art, he usually sits quietly and concentrates really hard, but even when he is done, he is able to sit still and wait to hear the instructions about what to do next.

Sasha also loves hugs and loves to be cuddled and held.  He doesn't talk very much but his eyes always seem to be filled with emotion.  He is a little boy with so much potential, but he needs a safe and loving family environment to really grow and mature.

Both Vitalik and Sasha have the same desire to have a family but they express it in different ways.  Vitalik is very vocal about his wish to have a family.  He wants to be adopted, prays for a family.  He has asked, 'When is my mommy coming to get me?'  Having a family is his deepest wish and prayer.  Sasha is quieter about his desire to have a family.  He is sometimes hesitant to even say the words out loud.  Even at such a young age he has given up hope that anyone would ever want him."

For all of you adoptive parents, you know how we treasure any tidbit into our kids' pasts since we have so little.  Thanks for enduring the long post!!!