Day 14 - We're Halfway There

Denys and an opossum.

I can't express what a delight it has been to have Denys here, in our home, these last two weeks. There have been stressful moments and the occasional rhetorical "What on EARTH are we doing" questions, but I am so very thankful we made this decision and chose to have this young Ukrainian spend Christmas and New Year's with our family.

My entire crew slept late this morning. Compared to some of you, we sleep late around here daily, but today I don't believe we heard from Denys until after 10am. They all had fun last night, but by the time Spencer (the 'possum) was actually dropped, they were about to drop themselves and ready to be in bed. (If nothing else we can wear a kid out around here!)

Cheering for the Dawgs!

We headed to Grandmother's house just in time for the traditional New Year's lunch of greens and black-eyed peas. Delicious! Of course, we added in some hog jowl, mashed potatoes and corn bread just for good measure. Denys chose not to partake in our Southern delicacies and, since he'd just eaten a bowl of Mini Wheats, I didn't push the matter. We checked in on the various footballing taking place around the nation and settled in to watch the Dawgs whip up on those Midwestern corn-fed boys.(I think I mentioned before that we are not afraid to indoctrinate our Ukrainian regarding the importance of God, Family, and the Georgia Bulldogs.) During most of the event, Denys was curled up with his new appendage (can we have that DS surgically attached?), but by the end of the game he was yelling "TOUCHDOWN!" with the rest of the uncles and cousins.

After Grandmother's we headed over to Mimi's to visit and check on Mamaw Sanders (quick trip back to the hospital for an allergic reaction, but otherwise home and doing better, thanks for asking). They were fine and attempted to feed us. And we were obliged to eat a bit more and watch more football. I had some errands to run with MG so I came back just as the Rose Bowl was ending and in time to load up my crew and head for The 'Poosa.

Cars at Mimi's

The boys are now finishing up Spiderman I. Thanks to Aunt Debbie, we now have the entire Spiderman Trilogy so I foresee a movie marathon in my near future. They are bathed and ready to hit the sack.

Yesterday I had asked Denys to check out an Oriental Trade magazine to see if he could find something he would like to take home to the children he lives with. He chose a Celtic cross necklace. It was one of only a hand-full of items they carry that was out of the budget. I found some dog-tag necklaces with crosses and verses on them as a compromise, and he agreed.


 Tonight was check-in with the chaperone. This was the first time I'd heard them talk and he do more than grunt a few syllables. He was animated and excited to tell her whatever it was he was telling her and I was very glad and relived he sounded happy. Apparently she asked him about photos and I told him I was working on a picture book for him. I had planned to keep it a secret, but he was concerned so I let him know a picture book was in progress.

Denys is gaining weight and looking good. He plays hard all day and sleeps well at night - No, he's not playing Guitar Hero into the wee hours. In our final two weeks we are planning trips to fun places and fitting in some more clothes shopping. If you have ideas of things we can do, please let me know. And feel free to join in with us on our excursions. We want to expose Denys to life and love here in the States and you are a necessary part of that exposure.

Happy New Year, Friends!

~Megan

Other Life Stuff - Tomorrow night some ladies and I are meeting at the church @7p for prayer time and to look at how God has moved in 2012 and prepare for Him to do so again in 2013. I'd love to have you join us!

Day 3 - Shopping and Christmas Presents

Wow. I am completely exhausted. The day has been good, but maybe too busy. I'm ready for a break!

Breakfast was MiniWheats this morning. And again, not a complaint but an empty bowl. I'm thinking I could serve this kid something from Granny Clampett's kitchen and he would eat it 'til it's gone.

After breakfast we all got dressed and 7 of us headed to Dr. Monte Murphy's office for Denys's eye care visit. I have to say this was the BEST eye doctor experience of my life. I was envious that I wasn't the patient. Dr. Murphy's staff was a bit unsure about the prospect of treating a Ukrainian, but he never missed a beat and said that Denys's eyes were nearly perfect and he wouldn't have to worry about a thing until he was 40 - Denys was thrilled at that prognosis!

We came home and had a quick lunch (that he wasn't interested in) and he and I headed out with Papa (my dad) to do some clothes shopping. I am thankful for Old Navy! We found super clothes at fabulous prices and he was happy with what came home. Next was Target. I was looking for a sweatsuit as he has worn his from home since his arrival. Success again.

We were told not to expect too much response or gratitude for the things we give him, but the smile on his face, while looking for clothing just for him, was priceless. After shopping we grabbed some popcorn and water and made a few other stops before heading back to the house. And on the way home . . .

Let me preface by saying I am SO grateful my dad went shopping with us. It was a wonderful experience that I will treasure my life through. He is an amazing and generous man, but, well, sometimes he drives a bit like he's the only one on the road. 200 yards from the house the dreaded carsickness hit. The neighbors now have a bit of extra fertilization in their yard.

Other than the fact that he hasn't eaten much else tonight, I think he's recovered nicely.

Once we had dinner and got all the kids off the iPhone games we unwrapped presents. Denys got his suitcase for his return home trip and his first UGA shirt - GO DAWGS! (Yep, we ain't scared!) But, I have to say that the sunglasses from Aunt Abby and Uncle Wesley were the hit of the night. I don't think his face could hold a larger smile!

Before shower time I did catch him trying to use the phone. I asked him did he need to speak to the translator or his chaperone. He smiled and shook his head, "no." I had to take the phone and away and tell him "No phone." We'll probably never know who he was trying to call or what on earth he was going to say!

One of the cutest moments of the day was when he spotted a sports car in the parking lot. "Ferrari?" He asked. I giggled and responded, "Corvette." We also looked through a Creation magazine and he would name an animal and I would repeat what he said and they we'd try it in English. And I shed a few tears when I got text/picture message from my sweet Uncle Danny and Cousin Jack with handwritten Ukrainian messages for Denys.

We are learning that Denys probably knows more English than he's letting on; he's a smart cookie. Once all the Christmas chaos is over we'll get started on some serious learning of English for him and Ukrainian for us. Google translate is working well, but we're making an effort to learn more phrases and trying to make a really strong connection away from the computer.

Showers are done and we're headed to bed soon. I'm hoping everyone sleeps long and hard and maybe we won't all be up by 7am! Thanks for the prayers as my throat has hurt less and less throughout the day. Christmas at home with the fam has been AWESOME and I will hate to leave. I hope Denys has loved being her with my "brat" and sister as much as we have loved having him.

~Meg