Day 46 -Early morning wake up call! - Wednesday, Nov. 2

So this morning started really early! The alarm went off at 4:40am. I had gotten my shower the night before so I could sleep as long as possible. Before I woke Sergei, I got a text from Ksenia that she was running a little late. So I waited a little longer to wake him. After I got dressed and ready, I woke Sergei and got some food put in the backpack for later. I gave him a Dramamine and he ate some bread with ketchup. By the time he was ready Ksenia called that she was downstairs. She had a different driver, as well as our translator and herself that went with us to the region where Sergei was born. She had planned for a four hour drive and thought it may take us all day and we may not even return until 10pm. Because of this, I had left the keys for the apartment with Yarik, who would have to go to school that day.
Sergei and I slept on and off most of the way there. We actually arrived in the town in around 3 hours and the office we needed was still not open. Ksenia needed some copies, so we drove around looking for a place to make copies. Then we went to the office to get the new birth certificate and waited. Once they took Ksenia in to start the paperwork, we were warned that it could be another 3 or more hours until the birth certificate was ready. But, within 2 hours, they called us in and we received the new birth certificate with Sergei's new name and Darren and I listed as parents. Step one completed in record time. To do the next step we had to go to a different town and do the social security thing for Sergei. When we got there, there was only a short line and once Ksenia submitted the paperwork, he requested a few copies of our originals. There was a shop behind the office building where we could make copies, so we went in and made the requested copies. When we got back to the office building, there was a line of people waiting for the man we had started working with. We figured we would have to wait again, but instead he called to Ksenia and took the paperwork right away. Within a short amount of time we completed that task as well. So with those things done, we were ready to go back to Sumy where we had to sign some forms at the notary and we would be done for the day already! We dropped the translator off at her house and Ksenia was about to have the driver take Sergei and I to the apartment, but I reminded her that Yarik had our keys, so we would need to get him first.
So the driver took us to Ksenia's apartment, where she changed shoes and we took her car to Yarik's school to arrange for paperwork for him and pick him up. Yarik was more than happy to get out of school early. Especially since he had hoped his last day would have been the previous Friday. Ksenia had some paperwork to do downtown, so we parked downtown and she went to do the paperwork and the boys and I walked back to the apartment.

On the walk back home. It is a Sumy landmark.

The boys would not pose for me at the landmark.

Later we went over to Billa to get groceries to make dinner. I made some borscht and we had that for dinner. After dinner, Vitalli's sister Alena asked us to come to her apartment to visit. Sergei did not want to join us, so he stayed at the apartment. Yarik and I walked with Vitalli to his sister's. She made us tea and served some chocolate cake. We looked at photos and we met her roommate, Oksana and her little baby. He was such a cutie and looked just like his mom. It was nice of her to invite us. We said good-byes and walked back home.
The plans for the next day were to go out to the orphanage to officially sign Sergei out and then go start the paperwork for Sergei's passport. We did not have to leave nearly so early, but still had to be ready by 7:15am. With the early mornings, the boys were usually more than ready to get to sleep early. So we chatted with family at home and then turned in again to get a good night's sleep.