Torn

We were here at the orphanage all day today.  Not a lot to report.  The kids were in school and then after that they had to work on the property doing landscaping work.  That was stopped by a fast moving thunderstorm!  We only saw Vika for about an hour today.  Sergey has to take her tomorrow morning for a passport picture (we are doing everything we can ahead of time) but then she has to go to school after.  Tomorrow will be our last night here and then we head to Zap for the night and then we fly home.

I am feeling work issues and pressure about time off.   Suffice it to say I don't want to be gone from work any more than necessary, but it is what it is!  This trip would have been much easier if it weren't for work pressure...and I am still trying to figure out the trip to bring Vika home!

We learned tonight Vika has a pension fund here that cannot be accessed unless we stay longer to way for the Guardian Committee to approve her taking her own money.  Not going to happen!!!  I asked if we could have it donated to the orphanage.  The answer was yes if we want to stay for another few weeks.  If and when she wants to come back to Ukraine over the age of 18 she can access this account.  It is crazy..Sergey told us that if he opens an account in his own child's name he can't do anything with it without the approval of this Guardian Council.  He can deposit money but, even as the father, cannot withdraw anything without their approval.  So we are not waiting around on that.  I guess the state, country, region can make good use of it or she can come back when she is 18.  I just wish we could make good use of it now.

As I type this I am realizing that as much as we want to leave for our home I really do NOT want to leave Vika because she should be home too.  We have been with her this trip almost as much as she was with us for hosting.  I know we want to be home but I now realize the progress we have made with her here in 3 weeks and I hate to think of regressing and starting over again.  As much as we have have been yearning for home I now realize that when I have to leave her Thursday I will be upset...very upset.  Leaving for home is real to me tonight and I realize that leaving her is harder than I thought...this really stinks.  It really does.

So we will hopefully get to spend good time with her tomorrow and then we have Court on Thursday at 10am.  In case you were wondering...nothing about adoption is easy...NOTHING!  But it is all so worth it.