More about the SDA and the Cornish family

I had about 5 minutes to post my last blog before the laptop battery
died. Being that I am a woman, and I have to get out my 5,000 words a
day, I had to finish in a separate email at the apartment while the
battery charges , and will post it tomorrow once we have internet
connection again. Boy are we Americans spoiled!!

Back to the SDA appointment, I was surprised at how quick and
painless it was. I was so glad we had heavy coats to cover our
wrinkled clothes...no iron in our apartment, and I didn't want to
pack one just for one appointment. The SDA officials were very
friendly and the entire "interview" took about 10 minutes. They
wanted to know how we found out about this specific child, and we
told her about the Bedfords and the Riebens who adopted just before
us They wanted to make sure we understood that she had Down Syndrome
and a heart defect. When we responded that yes, we knew, and we still
want her, I was expecting to have to explain WHY we wanted her.
Instead, the response was, "We commend you for traveling such a long
distance to give this child a life and a family. We can see that you
will love her and provide a good home for her." They didn't ask for
our photo album but I did show them the picture of our family from
Christmas time. We thanked them as we left, and they said, "No, we
thank YOU." I was so glad I asked for her picture. I got the feeling
they don't usually give the photos from the orphans' files away, but
thankfully we had a more recent one that we could exchange for it. In
every photo I have of her, I love her hands. Her 4 month old photo is
no exception. I can't wait to hold those little hands tomorrow
morning! She is beautiful, and we can't wait to meet her tomorrow!
The closer we get to her, the more we love her!

For those adopting from Ukraine soon, I hope this encourages you. We
had been nervous about what to expect, and it all went beautifully.

Speaking of my expectations, I'd like to name the other things I wish
I wouldn't have worried about.

1. The language- Many people speak english, and if they don't, they
are thrilled to try anyway. It was quite comical trying to
communicate with our cab driver tonight. He pointed to a building and
said, "My school" about 15 times. When I asked what he was studying
there, he responded, "My school." He was also making jokes about Ford
cars, making crashing sounds, indicating that the russian cars are
much better.
2. The people- I envision Ukrainians being gruff, deep voiced,
arrogant people, but the people have been so friendly and
accommodating! (Unless you walk in front of their vehicle in a
traffic jam, and then you get honked at.)
3. The weather- I'm not sure if we are just experiencing a warm
spell, but I have said, "I am hot" on several occasions. Even now in
our apartment, we have the windows open and I'm barefoot and single
layered, and surprisingly comfortable. The down coats from Lands End
have been so nice/
4. Not packing enough- we have more than enough, and stores on every
street corner in case we run out. I'm SO glad Shelley told us to pack
towels, because the towels in the apartment are more like kitchen
hand towels. Like I said, we Americans are spoiled!
5 My children- When I talked to Hope the other day, she set the phone
down mid-conversation, and ran off to play! (I'm not sure whether to
be glad about not being missed, or not).

We thoroughly enjoyed having dinner with Mike and Meredith on her
26th birthday! (Meredith, you are young enough, I'm sure you don't
mind me announcing your age).