April 16, 2007 COURT DAY

We were up early and ready. Today is the day.

We went to the courthouse of the Matveevyka region, Vonyesks. The court room was plain and bare. We actually sat on a bench. The room was very small with a cage for criminals. The windows had decorative rod iron in them to prevent folks from jumping out of the court room. The judge was an older man. The prosecutor was younger. The two jury members were middle aged women.

Court started with much formality. Of course we could not understand anything. The the judge started asking us questions. Tom answered more of the questions. The officials of the court liked his answered and asked if Cindy had anything to add. Well, why ruin a good run. Cindy kept her mouth shut until the judge asked to see pictures of our home and Matthew Maksim when he stayed with us. Then she had her chance.

He asked the children questions also. He asked Maria Oksana questions first. He asked her is she wanted to be adopted. She replied, "Yes." He asked, "Why?" Maria thought for a moment then said, "They love me." The judge moved onto Matthew. Of course the Yes to the adoption question came out quickly. Then the judge told Matthew Maksim that he has friends here and not in America. "Does that bother you?" Matthew Maksim said, "NO. I will make friends there." Since we asked to change the birth date to meet the ISHAA guidelines, the prosecutor asked, "What sport do you want to play?" "Basketball" replied Matthew Maksim.

More formal proceedings occurred then the judge asked if we had anything else to say. Tom thanked the officials of the court for their time and Larissa for taking such good care of the children.

Verdict: We are a family. We need to wait 10 days and then proceed with obtaining new birth certificates and passports.

Julie and Mark entered the room after the court officials left the room. We quickly told them what to expect then waited in the hallway while they had court. It was hard to be quiet but we did out best.

The judge asked Luba to write for the court proceedings and give them to him tomorrow to sign. Luba, the efficient paper pusher, is perfect for this. She is a worker.

Cindy, Tom, Matt and Maria.
Maksim announced today that he wants to be called Matt. He is something else.
If you want to check later today, we will probably add more details.