Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Shoes at the end of the rainbow


Dennis has a cute little tummy (with a button nose) if I do say so myself. :) And hopefully it is only getting bigger with each visit. In the morning he wolfs down a big mashed up banana and in the afternoon we give him a whole jar of baby food. We are so tempted to sneak in some kasha (rice cereal).

On one of our walks outside today we saw this play pen dressed with a blanket and bumper pad. It is so big, I could have taken a nice nap in it.

I think it was for a child that was having a lot of family members visit them.

This tree has a kind of flower that almost looks like cotton. It was very pretty.

After our morning visit we went walking around with the two other adopting couples. They are very, very nice and though they are not from America, the Israel couple speaks very good English and the Spanish couple is able to communicate with John pretty good. They informed us that the other Spanish couple that was here adopting a little girl changed their mind and went back to Kyiv for another appt because they got scared. I know I shouldn't judge, but what are they scared of..... a cute, little girl? My heart is broken for this little girl who after spending time with a couple who she already was beginning to come to know as Mama and Papa for the last three or so days is now left having to try to understand why they are no longer visiting her anymore. I probably should have more compassion for this couple, but what about this little girl? I just wish the decision could have been made much sooner before the little girl had a chance to realize what was going on.

Moving off my soapbox, we had a wonderful time getting to know these wonderful parents to be, and enjoyed a delicious yet very inexpensive lunch at Premier Elite Cafe.

A beautiful flying green beetle joined us.

We had a good laugh as we compared keys to our apartments. And we found some wonderful things for Dennis that we bought.

At 6pm today as we were walking home, Kramatorsk had a huge downpour.


Then our Heavenly Father gifted us with a gorgeous rainbow.


And I was so happy that we found shoes for Dennis that I feel like I found the (imaginary) pot of gold at the end of rainbow. They are size 13---probably equivalent to a size 2 in America. Oh, and did I mention that they were only 25 grivna?

Aren't they adorable?

Probably sounds strange but it feels good to finally have your child wear something that you have provided for them instead of everything being from the orphanage.

33 comments:

Zack, Jenn and William said...

My heart is broken for that little girl... and full of joy for a boy & his precious shoes :)

Julie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Julie said...

I LOVE HIS BELLY!!!!! And the shoes are adorable too!!! I love following your journey!

Sarah said...

Doesn't sound strange at all. The shoes are super cute! Looks like I would love all the shoes in Ukraine just like I did in Kazakhstan! :)

Meredith said...

Cute shoes! I feel so sorry for the little girl and hope she finds another 'forever family' soon... what a hard thing to understand.

As for the playpens- they take about 10-15 babies out and let them play in that if they're in the 1 yr old age-range. So not just one big family, but a ton of little people! Though the big family might use it too ;)

We saw ONE bug the entire time we were in Ukraine. A moth in our apartment. I guess maybe they were all frozen from the sub-0 temperatures?

Dennis is such a doll, he really looks to be thriving with your love! Praying for you all!

Meredith

Deanna said...

Those shoes are adorable... He looks soo content with you.

That rainbow is a sure sign... I just posted on my blog a picture of a rainbow that came to us.

Bethany said...

The shoes are so cute! I bet you are dying to get him all glammed up (can I say that about a boy? LOL) in his own things. I know I'm dying to do that and I haven't even met my child yet. :) Praying for the little girl you mentioned ... I wonder what the circumstances were. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

Here I am again! Wishing you well and many blessings!

The shoes are so darling! I had to go back and look at the picture where Dennis is looking down at the new shoes as if to think, he has something of his own.

I can't wait until your court date on Thursday! Can you leave Ukraine after court?

He looks like he really knows mama and papa now. My heart is with you and my prayers as well.

Cheryl
Juliasmom

Anonymous said...

Oops! I forgot to put my name in with my post!

You know who I am!

Much love sent again!

Cheryl

Anonymous said...

Dear Mom and Dad , mam that was adorable shoes you bought. We love you Mom and Dad .we love Dennis too. We are doing good mom .

Connie said...

Dennis looks so content with you :-)

Kathy and Matt said...

His little shoes are so sweet!

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It's such a blessing to read about how God is working in your lives!

max said...

His first pair of shoes, how come the simplest things in life, can turnout to be soooooooo special:)

Sira said...

I wish I could jump on a plane and scoop up that little girl! His shoes from Mama and Papa are very cool!

Anonymous said...

Oh, he's got an outie! What a sweet little belly. The shoes look great, too! I'm glad you were able to find some!

Marlo said...

Those are some adorable shoes! and look at that tummy! awww! Dennis, You've stolen my heart. :)

adopting2fromUkraine said...

He looks like he likes his shoes, too:) I look forward to reading your blog everyday.

June

Salzwedel Family said...

Praise God for shoes! Praying for the precious little girl & also for your court date.

ArtworkByRuth said...

So sorry for the girl, but know God still has a plan, as hard as it is to watch we will all pray for good news before you leave! LOVE the shoes, Did he find them interesting and fun?

Ashley said...

Yes, we will pray for this precious girl and that God has a special family for her. It is sad that she had already gotten to know this couple. This is another rejection in her life that she did not need. I will pray a family will come for her and love her no matter what the circumstances are.

You will become an advocate for the children you met and I pray ahead of time that God will open the hearts of the people that you present these children to. May God use you to get so many more children adopted.

A sure sign from God - that beautiful rainbow. :) Thank you for sharing the picture of it and what a precious pair of shoes you have found. He does seem to like them. :) Too cute.

amyl4 said...

Love those shoes and that adorable little tummy!!
Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I look forward to your blog everyday!:)
Amy

Chelley said...

What a post! From the highs to the lows!

my heart aches for the little girl!

I Love the shoes! and OMGoodness isnt that a Cute belly!!

Christie M said...

Oh wow! That is so sad! Did you only put 1 on your I171H form? :)
can you resubmit...?????? for say, 2 ?????

Dennis looks like he likes his new shoes!

Gudl said...

Very cute shoes! Well bought, Mama and Papa!

Laurel said...

Cute belly! I can't wait to poke it!!! :-)
Laurel

Anonymous said...

Hola somos los papas de Alessandro y queremos felicitaros por vuestra maravillosa familia, les deseamos que pronto esteis reunidos todos.
Denis ha tenido mucha suerte de tener unos papas como vosotros, mucha suerte y nos vemos luego en el orfanato Antoneska
Gerard y Laura

Paula said...

Yes, that is so sad for the little girl. Another letdown for her.
The shoes are adorable.

Jane said...

Christine
We took our own clothes for Maggie every day and they dressed her in them. Maybe they would do that for Dennis too
Jane

Kevin and Tammy said...

Great news about the shoes. I am bringing several sizes when we come to make sure that we have a pair that will fit. Thanks for keeping us up to date on all that is going on.

Arizona mom to eight said...

Poor little girl, I understand this happens, but she must feel so sad.

I enjoy reading your blog, I love Ukraine, though Estonia is such amodern and pretty country too. What a sweet litle belly, the shoes are also adorable, toofllees, that is what they are called there. Isn't it a cute name.

Rachel said...

So glad you found some shoes for Dennis! I am praying for Dennis and the rest of your family. I will be praying for the little girl as well that she can find her family.

adoptedthree said...

There is a nice little salon in Kramatorsk that will give you a pedicure for about three dollars and a manicure for about two dollars. I even splurged and got a cut and highlight for 10 dollars! Might be a fun mommy treat for yourself!

I love the little shoes- too cute

Annie said...

Cute shoes! When we adopted Sergei and all the pants I brought were too big, we spent the rest of our trip looking for a "remen" (belt). Never to find one! But with his orphanage skills, he found a rope in the bottom of the suitcase and made his own. Kept his pants up anyway.

I almost took a photo of the back of Sergei's head this morning. Looks so much like Denis - cute little Ukrainian boys. :)