Day 23, 24 & 25 - Preliminary Court

Day 23 (Sunday, February 25th)

The weekends are especially quiet and laid back around the baby home. We walk in like we work there and nod our heads to any (if any) persons we pass in the halls. General routines for the kids seems to be a bit more relaxed on the weekends as well as the children in Polly’s group are either playing with toys or watching cartoons on TV when we show up on the weekends. Something we don’t tend to see during the week.

Polly must have had a great night sleep ‘cause she was full of fun energy today. Laura had done a few sit-ups with arms behind the head using the lower pipes of a radiator for foot support. Polly thought this looked like fun and jumped right in with her own set of sit-ups when Laura was done. Laura may soon be motivated to begin a workout routine soon since she seems to have found a workout partner (LOL).

We’re winding down it seems spending more time in the room and less time walking around. Brett’s become quite regular with his afternoon napping routine and Laura is surprisingly sitting back and enjoying a book. Something she doesn’t take time out to do at home. Our crazy home life is going to take some adjusting to when we get there.

Day 24 (Monday, February 26th)

Today was our preliminary court day. At 2:00pm sharp, we gathered in the judge’s office. Present were Brett and I, our coordinator-translator, the baby home director, and a woman from the office that over sees the guardianship of the children in the care of the city of Kostanai. Our coordinator had prepared us for most of what to expect. However, the judge surprised all in the room when she began asking detailed questions regarding the adoption of our current son and how domestic adoption works in the US. We were happy to answer each of her questions. Our coordinator told us later that the judge’s questions were unusual as it is very rare that they have an adopting family who has already adopted a child from their own country. That surprised us. The meeting ended with the judge announcing when we would meet again for final court which she scheduled for Wednesday, March 7th. We will re-book our flights home for Thursday, March 8th.

Day 25 (Tuesday, February 27th)

Our visit to the baby home was the same as most days. Polly is always very happy when we arrive and is anxious to get into the room we spend alone with her during our visits. On the other hand, when it’s time to go she is definitely ready to say goodbye and get back to her peers. It was difficult during the early days of our visits not to take this the wrong way. However, we just kept reminding ourselves that we know few toddlers that would (1) spend a couple of hours alone in a single room (2) with the same two adults (especially adults not speaking the child’s language) (3) with the same few things to do EVERY DAY. With those thoughts completely clear now, we know we are definitely at the top of Polly’s favorite adult list.