It's Official! Vova is now a Jacobsen!

Well, as of today, Vova is officially our son and our kids new brother. The 10th day passed after the Court Order and there were no objections. As a result, this morning we drove to the register's office in the town where Vova was born in order to change his birth certificate. Below is photo of the office (pretty underwhelming)

After changing Vova's name and parents names on his birth certificate, we visited the notary and then picked Vova up at the orphanage to take him to the Ukraine passport office for his photo. Unlike Court, this time Vova was wearing long pants and a nice long sleeve shirt. I guess someone got the word about his previous appearance in Court. Too bad the photo was only from the neck up! After visiting the passport office, we went back to the orphanage. Due to the rain, we ended up playing some serious UNO with Vova's friends.

Lenin..... "The plan": We now have to wait at least 3 days for the passport to be ready. Hopefully, this happens on Friday. If not, we are looking at Tuesday, as Monday is yet another Ukranian holiday! Once we get the Ukranian passport, we have to travel to the American Embassy in Kiev to get Vova's U.S. passsport and fill out some paperwork. Even if we get the passport on Friday in Kherson, we will not take the train to Kiev until Monday night since the U.S. embassy in Kiev is also closed on Monday (I was told the embassy takes all U.S. and Ukranian holidays - Must be nice!) I am told, we will only have two days in Kiev. So, bottom line, Vova and I will be home at the end of next week. I have met a wonderful new couple from Ohio named Christine and Nathan Rohrer. They are here to adopt 15 year old Koyla who is a great kid. Now that I am the veteran around here, I am showing them "the ropes".

I will close with two observations. First, here is an open manhole right outside the orphange. This is quite common to see here. Between the open manholes and the numerous potholes in the roads, this place is a ambulance chacing lawyer's dream. I will post on facebook tonight my journey in a taxi down one of these roads.

Second, every tree in Kherson has their trunks painted white. I thought it was for reflections for headlights but was told it was to ward off some type of insect harmful to trees. Whatever the reason, a guy/gal could make a fortune here painting trees every year. All for now, will post more in next few days.

Graduation Day at Kherson Orphanage

Today, was graduation day at the orphanage. As we understood it, the 11th graders wearing red ribbons were graduating and leaving the orphanage. The 9th graders, who had sucessfully passed their exams and would be staying at the orphanage, wore white ribbons. Not sure what happens to the 9th graders who did not pass their exams. It was a big event and all the kids attended, dressed up in white shirts and slacks or dresses. It had guest speakers and music and song, all in Ukraine tradition. It was very interesting! The ceremony rivaled our graduation ceremonies back in the states except for one thing: there were no parents present. It was a very odd feeling. Myself and the Costanzas were really the only parents present. I will post some short video clips of the ceremony on facebook. Below are some photos I took during and after the ceremony.

Vova and his pals before the ceremony began. I could not get a photo of Vova in his suit because right after graduation, like any blue blooded American boy, he ran back to his dorm to change into shorts and a t-shirt.

Photo of auditorium before graduation ceremony. Most of the adults are caretakers.

Vova and his posse before the ceremony.

Photo of my buddy "Dyma" short for Dymitri. Probably the sweetest little boy you will ever meet. He is so kind, will come up and give me a hug and say: "Hi Jake!". I will miss him!

Sweet little girls sitting next to me during the ceremony.

Lori Costanza with her new daughter Anya (to her left), Suzzana holding Lori's baby boy Leo, and Anya and Suzzana's caretakers.

Suzzana, Me and Anya

Suzzana, Todd (Loris husband) and his new daughter Anya

Lenin...... After the ceremony, The Costanzas and I took the girls and Vova out to lunch. While the adults ate alot, and Vova ate some fried mushrooms, the girls ate almost nothing. Even though we tried everything to encourage them to eat. Not sure if this a cultural thing or not. But it is not the first time this has happened. After lunch, we took the girls shopping. I bought Vova a PSP game in Ukranian which he can play on our long journey back to America. The Costanzas and I also bought Suzzana a smart phone so she will be able to facebook us back in the states. If you have been following this blog, you all know of Suzzana's situation. We all checked into her adoption status, and she is not even on the registry to be adopted due to the situation with her father. To further complicate matters, a child is not even eligible for adoption until they have been on the registry for at least a year. Since Suzzana just turned 15, she runs the risk of "aging out" of the orphanage. We broke the news to her yesterday and she took it kind of hard at first. However, we got her the smart phone to stay in touch and we are all commited to doing everything we can to get her to the States. If not eligible for adoption, then maybe a Student Visa, etc. These are options we have all agreed to pursue on her behalf once we get back. She is a beautiful and wonderful girl. Can't add anything else

At the end of the day, it was time to say our goodbyes. I will be here for the next 7-10 days, but Lori and Todd are leaving for Kiev at 3:00 a.m. tomorrow by taxi and then flying back to Michigan. They will wait at home for the 10 days to elapse after their court date yesterday. Then, Lori will come back to get Anya. That goodbye to Suzzana will be much harder.

I want to end this post by saying what wonderful people the Costanzas are. They were great traveling companions (starting with coincidently sitting next to them on the plane from Chicgo to Munich on our first trip over) and it was so much fun to share our journey with them. Despite Todd's penchant for going off on a strange tangent sometimes while telling a story, I have to say I have met few people with as big a hearts as they have. They care so much for these girls and I am a better person for having known them. Safe travels my friends. P.S. I spelled your name right.

And Then There Was One!

Judi and I have spent the past few days playing with all the kids in the orphanage. Judi was supposed to take the train to Kiev on Wednesday night and leave for the States Friday morning, arriving in Roanoke Friday night. Well, she will still be arriving in Roanoke Friday night, but she had to take the train to Kiev tonight. Turns out our facilitator booked her a train ticket May 22 rather than May 23. We just found out about it this morning. We tried to reschedule, but there were no train tickets available for tomorrow night. Thus, I took Judi to the train station about an hour ago and now presently sit alone in our apartment. It is going to be a very, very long week and a half! Safe travels Babe!

While at the orphanage the past few days, Judi and I have made ice cream "runs" for the kids to a store just down the street. However, when one gets ice cream, Vova's entire group gets ice cream along with the caretakers. Ends up being about 20 ice creams! Usually, six or seven kids will go with us and then we bring back ice cream for the others. You would think 20 ice creams a day would start getting expensive, but it ends up being about 110 grevnas or only about $13. Pretty cheap price in exchange for 20 smiles.

After ice cream runs we go back to playing football or soccer.

While at the orphanage, Judi and I see alot of kids who remind us of kids back home when they were younger. The kid below, Kola, is a spittin image of Tim Henderson when he was in 5th grade or so. Those who know Tim will see the resemblance.

The photo below is what I call "The Three Vova's". Yes, you guessed it, all the boys are named Vova. After I took the photo, I found a 4th Vova. I will try to get a photo of all four Vova's before I leave.

Finally, right before we left, Vova injured his right arm while playing soccer.

Looking back on it, it probably seems a little callous to be snaping photos of my injured boy with Judi. And come to think of it, probably was. Vova was taken to the hospital and thankfully there were no broken bones, only a deep bruise and some swelling. Will likely keep him out of the gym this week. Well, thats all from Kherson. A week from today is when things will start to pick up. In the meantime, I will have to make due on my own. I will miss Jud! This was a great adventure!

Football and Horse Jerky

For some of you who thought I was kidding, here is a photo of the horse jerky right alongside the beef jerky in our store. I have not had the courage to try it yet (that is knowingly),although something tells me I probably have. Things have slowed down dramatically since the director signed our papers and the Judge approved our adoption. We have to wait until May 29 before the 10 day waiting period passes (2 extra days for the weekend) and things then really pick up speed. Until then, our routine is: sleep in, go for a run, get coffee, have lunch, look around town and then catch a taxi to the orphanage when school is out around 3:00 in the afternoon. We play with the kids until 6:00 p.m. which is the time we have to leave. Vova then calls us a taxi which takes us back to our apartment. We then unwind sitting outside the Irish pub which is below us, and drink a few beers and re-hash the days events. We then go to the market to get some groceries, come back to the apartment and make dinner. After that it is already 9:00 pm. Then we head to our respective computers. Since things have slowed down, my posts will probably occur every other day barring some event that merits attention.

The past few days we have introduced the boys at Kherson orphanage to American Football. I brought a plastic nerf outdoor football and a regular football with us, and the boys just can't get enough. We have posted some videos on facebook. Basic stuff: How to hold the football on the laces when you throw it, pass catching routes, how to defend the pass. They love it. When they see me come in the afternoon with the footballs, it doesn't take long for a crowd to form.

Today, a Christian missionary group called "Agape" (Greek for "Love") staged a play about Jesus for all the orphans in Kherson. It was pretty amazing and CBN ("Christian Broadcasting Network") was there filming. I did not get a photo, but did get a video which I will post on facebook later. After the play, the "Agape" soccer team played the Kherson orphanage team. Below is a photo of the "Agape" soccer team after the match.

The following are some more photos of some of the beautiful children here at the Kherson orphanage available for adoption if anyone is interested.

Vlad and his little sister Tanya

Judi and Sophia

Sophia's brother Andrea. I will close with this observation. It is clear Vova is the leader of his group and he is not one to show his emotions easily (carrying on with a Jacobsen tradition). That being said, he is very protective of Judi. And whenever they walk anywhere, Vova does not hesitate to either hold Judi's hand or put his arm around her. Unashamedly! And his friends think nothing of it.

Don't think you would see a boy this age doing this in the U.S. very often. I don't think this is a specific reflection on Vova, but rather on all the orphans as a whole. These kids are starving for affection! And when they get it, they are not ashamed to return it in kind. Kind of nice!

7 Jakes: Vova Jonathon Jacobsen

Well it's official! Six Jakes has now become Seven Jakes! Welcome to our family Vov! This afternoon at 1:30 pm, we met our translator, the orphanage lawyer, along with Vova at the Courthouse. As you can see below, the Courthouse is not like Courthouses in the United States. In fact, nothing by its appearance would tell you it is a courthouse.

While Judi and I were dressed up, Vova shows up wearing a t-shirt, bathing shorts and Nike flip/flops. Yikes! Apparantly, no one at the orphanage got word to Vova to dress up for court? Hello! It was too late to go back and change and we were assured the Judge would not care. So we all walked into the courthouse, took the elevator up to the 4th floor and waited outside the Judges chambers.

After about a half hour of waiting in a hot hallway, the judge swung the door open and invited us in. Inside was the Judge, court reporter, prosecutor, state attorney and two regular citizens who were acting as witnesses. The Judge went through our entire adoption packet and read our homestudy verbatim on the record. Afterwards, the judge asked Judi and I why we wanted to adopt another child when we already had four of our own (something that several people have asked us by the way). We said we had never planned on adopting a child, until Providence sent a 10 year old Ukranain boy to stay with us for what we thought would be only a 4 week visit. That four week visit turned into a year and a half commitment to adopt Vova. A journey we would never have imagined we would take just two years ago. We thank God we did.

Lenin..... After Vova officially became our son, we went to the mall and purchased a new vaccuum cleaner for Vova's caretakers, Mariana and Olga. After that, we drove back to the orphanage and made a little time for some basketball.

Yes, I am sure my friends will note the "air" that Jake is getting on his jump shot. Guess I have lost a little leaping ability. After some basketball, we got ready to go back to the apartment. While we waited for a taxi, we ran into a few of Stass Funk's old pals, Kola and Pasha. We told them we knew Stass and they asked us to take their photo with Vova for Stass. Stass, this one's for you.

Well, now we wait until May 29, after the 10 day waiting period expires. After that date, we are fast tracked and hope to be home early the second week of June. Not much else to say except What a great day!

Round 2: Back to Kherson

If I never fly for 24 hours and then ride a 1950's Soviet era train in my lifetime, it will be too soon! (Wait, I'm doing that again in 3 weeks - oh well). Those were both Judi and my thoughts as we boarded the "train of pain" for a second time right after flying and sitting in airports for the past 24 hours. Neither of us had slept at all and I was prepared for the worst, as we boarded the train. Above is a photo of the outside of the train. As you can see, Amtrack it is not. I think I previously posted a photo of the inside of the cabin. Although it started out swelterting again, there was a trickle of air conditioning coming from the roof. That, along with my battery operated fan, made it somewhat bearable this time.

Lenin....... We arrived in Kherson around 10:30 am on Wednesday morning. After meeting with our facilitator and having an early lunch, we went to our apartment, which is luckily the same one we had a few weeks ago above the Irish pub. We took showers and a nap and then headed to the orphanage to see Vova. As we pulled up and got out of the car, who just happened to be coming out the door.....Suzanna. When she recognized us, she immediately ran to Judi and I and gave us big hugs. Then, her best friend Anya (who our friends the Castanzas are coming to adopt next week) showed up.

When we looked for Vova, we were told he was at a Boxing tournament. Not as a participant, but to watch as the European Amatuers were in Kherson to fight some Ukrainian boxers, one of which was on the Ukranian Olympic team. Our facilitator took us across town to the sports arena. On the way, she told us that Vova had won the 11 year old Kherson championship on May 4 with a first round knock out! Wish we could have seen that. Does Roanoke have Traveling Boxing? Might be a rougher crew than the wrestling teams. Anyways, we entered the arena which was pretty full. We went down to the front and found Vova and two of his friends from the boxing team. For the next two and half hours we watched some great boxing matches.

Although I enjoyed it, I think it is safe to say Judi is not a boxing fan. . During intermission, we went outside a tossed the football. Below are Herman, Vova, Andre and myself.

Photo of Judi and Vov

It was great to see Vova again. He is such a happy kid. While going to the orphange early in the afternoon, our facilitator told us that just two weeks ago, on the day we got our court date, Vova's mom coinidentally showed up at the orphanage to see him. It was her first visit in over a year. Apparantly, she has Stage Four cancer, has had her stomach removed and has a tube inserted in her belly. It appears she has little time to live. I am not sure if Vova knows this as he later told us she had had some surgery but was going to recover. Maybe his mom did not want Vova to worry. When Vova's caretaker, Olga, met with Vova before speaking with his mother, Vova decided not to tell her he was being adopted. As he put it, she was sick and he did not want to upset her. Not an easy decision, but Vova seems comfortable with it. Judi and I thought that maybe Vova's mom would be happy to know Vova will be taken care of after she is gone. But, after thinking about it, we agreed this was Vova's decision and not ours to make. Tomorrow, we have our Court date with the Judge who has to approve our adoption. We have heard we have a good judge, but will welcome all prayers for a positive result.

Stay Tuned!

We got our court date to adopt Vova set for next Thursday, May 17. We fly out of Roanoke for the Ukraine on Monday, May 14. Will start posting on blog once we arrive. Stay tuned and keep us in your prayers. Thanks Jake and Judi