So where are we exactly?
We have finished our home study and our dossier. We got our fingerprints done a couple weeks ago and should receive our I-71 any day now. Once we submit that to our facilitator, my parents should get an apt within 5 to 7 weeks. So that puts their travel date sometime at the end of April. We are hosting in mid-June, so our time schedule is tight. We are hoping our entire family will be back before the hosting season starts.
While in Ukraine for Global Family Alliance, my mom met a 13 year old girl (now 14) she knew she would be coming back for. This specific child has come in and out of our lives a lot in the last 2 years. The signs were there, and we are so excited about the future.
1) Her name is Alona, the same name of the first Ukrainian girl we fell madly in love with and still host to this day (yes, it's confusing!). They also both live in the same small town.
2) Her birthday is February, so now Jacob is December, I'm November, Joe is January, Alona is February, Jillian is March, and my parents are both in April- the missing birthday month has been filled!
3) Before we decided to host our blonde Alona, we were going to host my future sister Alona. We were told she was going to be adopted so it wouldn't be a good idea to host her. Well, the family never came for her. Her picture was the first little snapshot we sat and looked at when anticipating our first hosting season. We've always felt somewhat connected to her and wondered how she was doing with her new family... that she apparently never had.
4) My mom always thought it would be fun to adopt a child who had completely different strengths than the rest of the family. Jacob is the hands on, artsy one, Joe and I are the academic ones, and Jillian is the free spirit of the family. We are all athletic BUT not musically inclined. What does Alona say she likes to do? Sing and dance. Perfect.
Alona sounded a little nervous and hesitant at first about adoption when our facilitator talked to her about it after my mom returned from Ukraine. This didn't make sense to my mom because she got a completely different vibe when she visited with her. However, at the same time we asked ourselves what sane teenager wouldn't have second thoughts about going to a completely foreign place to live with basically a completely unknown family, and for GOOD? Taking that perpective made things more clear. We later heard that it was mainly provoked by one of the caretakers who was trying to talk her out of it. At this point, we are so emotionally committed to this-- there is no turning back no matter what we face. The room is ready, our hearts are ready, and we can't wait for another Purvis. According to the latest news we've heard, she is very excited and ready as well!
