Introducing Our Girls!!

Well, you've been waiting long enough to see photos and hear a few details of the precious girls we are pursuing from Ukraine! We had to wait for a few minor details (that I can't elaborate on) to be settled before we could write this post, but the time has come at long last!!

The very first child to grab our hearts while browsing an organization's orphan photolisting was "The Girl With The Cookie Crumb On Her Lip". Unfortunately, I do not have permission at this time to share that specific photo with you here publicly, although many of you who are fully submerged in the adoption "world" have already figured out who she is, and have asked us privately if she was the child you thought she was. She is. She was added just a couple of weeks before we browsed that photolisting.

After "loving a few, and losing a few" but finding peace in knowing the other children we had been interested in had been given a home, we "stumbled upon" the child we have referred to in previous posts as "Girl Number 2" on the official Ukrainian government photolisting (while looking for info on "Cookie Crumb Girl"). The official photolisting gives no detailed info beyond their birth names, ages, regions, etc., except in the case of "Girl Number 2" it listed that she was considered to have special needs (but didn't give any indication of what that might be). She caught our attention immediately though with her ear to ear grin and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. It didn't matter to us what their situations might be if God was knitting our hearts to theirs from across the world, even though they don't know it yet. We later learned both girls were on the same organization's orphan photolisting, but "Girl Number 2" wasn't listed at the time we first browsed it. She was added just HOURS after we found the girl with the cookie crumb on her lip.

Although I don't have permission to share their fake photolisting names, interestingly enough, both girls' aliases rhymed, like "Pete & Repete" type of twinny sounding names. Maybe it's not so interesting to you, but as a mother of identical twins already, I thought it was amusing anyway. We were relieved to find out those were not their real names as we very much disliked both aliases! LOL Again, we do not have permission at this time to share those photos with you... BUT we do have permission from varying other sources apart from that organization to share photos they have personally taken of our girls while spending time in Ukraine. (And I will share those in a bit!)

Although we do know what names both girls are called in their orphanages, we're choosing not to reveal their birth names publicly at this time so as to not put them in any legal situation that could possibly hinder the process of them joining our family in the coming months. Instead, from this point out, we will refer to both girls by the first names we intend to call them upon bringing them home with us. We want you to get to know them as they will be called and reduce the confusion for those who can't keep straight which name is which. (As that would be 6 different names for only 2 little girls!)

So, without further delay...  

We have chosen the name Olivia

for our "Cookie Crumb Girl".

We chose this name for her because it means "Peaceful One", 

which seems to match her personality,

as observed by someone who spent time
with her recently.

Olivia has been described as "...a doll, 
...always wants to play with us, 
and asks to wear my glasses all the time, ...gentle, quiet, a helper." 

"...loves to run her hands through my hair, 

..a girly girl at heart, 
but gets along with all the boys well." 

(I guess it's a good thing I wear glasses 
and have long hair!)

~~~~~~~

Next, we want to introduce you to
"Girl Number 2"... 

 We've (mostly) settled on the name Aliza,

(pronounced "uh-lee-zuh", 
with a long e sound followed by a z sound),

which means "Joyful One".

Aliza has been described as 
"... a very motivated little girl, 
...understands everything that is said to her, 

... has a keen sense of awareness as to
what's going on around her, 

 ...a very smart little girl who knows
what she wants"

"...has a great little sense of humour,
...infectious laugh, 

..a gentle, loving girl who loves people, especially other children, 

...will do best surrounded by siblings," 

(That's a good things since she'll be surrounded by half a dozen of them!)

 "...pure, unconditional joy in spite of 

the numerous injustices she has faced,  

 ...She inspired me every day 
as I looked in her eyes 

and saw a joy that could only come
through Christ."

So there you have it! These are the precious, beautiful girls we believe God has destined to be grafted into our family. Olivia and Aliza. We talk about them so much in our family, they almost feel "here" sometimes. But they aren't. Yet.

We have a long to-do list ahead of us (that seemingly endless stack of paperwork, preparing a room for them, and tens of thousands of dollars of fundraising) as we prepare for their journey home in the coming months, and our family appreciates all your prayers and support.

We especially continue to ask for your prayers for God's protection over Olivia and Aliza while they await our arrival there in Ukraine. Both girls are at imminent risk of being transferred to mental institutions where conditions are horrible, where they would likely be treated no better than caged animals. We are doing everything we can, within God's timeline, to make sure our girls do not have to spend a single hour longer in their orphanages than they have to.

We can't wait to be able to share the news that they are finally home with us!! Just seeing photos of our girls makes me smile, but that will be the day I think I will smile the most!

~ Michelle

Update: Because both "Olivia" and "Aliza" are no longer available for adoption, we felt it was best to remove the photos we had posted of them from our blog.