We are home!

We are home! We were able to come home 2 days early because our paperwork was processed very quickly thanks to our wonderful facilitation team in Kiev and Odessa! We had a 26 hour trip from the door of our apartment in Kiev to our home in San Antonio. Max only slept 5 hours of the trip so you can imagine that he was very tired when we got home but also very excited so it was difficult to get him to bed. He has so much energy! I would not be able to keep up with him if it were not for our 3 kids who are very much enjoying playing with their little brother! Overall, I'd say we are doing very well -- he was pretty good on the plane trip which would have stressed out any 4 year old but especially one that we could not communicate with because he speaks Russian! We were blessed on our last plane ride (we had 3 total) because we sat next to a woman who spoke Russian! Since we have been home, he has been the center of attention by our 3 kids who all have decided that he was the perfect little brother for our family! So all is well and we are grateful to God for our son and all of our kids.

Max's Day Out

We got Max from the orphanage today! He is full of energy! We took him to McDonald's because we thought he would eat the food and he ate every bit of it! He was scared at first but it only took him a few seconds to get excited especially when the lady there gave him a balloon! We are going to need a lot of energy to get him home!

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Hannah in Odessa

Some highlights from our trip so far!

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Brother and Sister!

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We are back in Odessa!

Hannah and I arrived yesterday after an uneventful journey overseas! It tooks us exactly 21 hours to get here from San Antonio -- Hannah slept 3 hours on the plane and I slept 1 hours so we were very tired! We went to get Max's birth certificate yesterday and did not get to see him. We got to see him this morning and took him to get his passport. He was very shy and quiet today since he was not in familiar surroundings but he was very happy and glad to see me! He asked for his Meeshka (his teddy bear) as soon as he saw me! We will visit him at the orphanage this afternoon and we will visit him daily before we finally take him out of the orphanage for the last time on Tuesday! Yay!

Max's Story

Our son, Joshua Maksim Lisciandro, was born on July 2nd, 2005. He was born in a hospital in Odessa, Ukraine to a young married couple. She was 21 years old and he was 22. When he was born, he had multiple difficulties including two club feet, a malformation of his neck, and a club ulna with only 4 fingers on one hand. His other hand is completely normal. His parents decided not to take him home from the hospital and he has been in the same orphanage since he was 1 month old. What must have gone through their hearts and minds as they left him behind? Their first child, a son -- their hearts must have been broken, dreams shattered... That's how I would have felt. The doctors probably told him that he would never walk, that he would not be able to have a normal life. They likely did not have the money for his medical care. They probably felt like they had NO CHOICE...sometimes it is hard to see beyond the immediate circumstances to find hope...BUT IF THEY HAD LOOKED AHEAD...they would have seen a BEAUTIFUL child who is very smart (the orphanage workers like to say he is "very clever"), a child who can run circles around the other kids in his group, who can dance, skip, slide and jump! They would have seen a child with dark brown eyes that will melt your heart, eyelashes any woman would kill for and a smile that is contagious! They would have seen a happy boy who laughs more than any kid I know... a child who's tutor describes as "a courageous soul" and "a tough character." A child full of potential who can have a normal fruitful and blessed life ...Max does not know he has any limitations! And as Greg and I both observed, he has NO limitations...he is simply a normal happy kid with a "little" hand. THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE. There is always something better beyond what seems to be a limited or tragic circumstance. God is always there and I am so glad that He doesn't see our limitations (because we ALL have them) but He sees our unlimited potential as we abide and trust in Him!

Moving Mountains Again!

We are leaving again in 36 hours to travel to Odessa, Ukraine to get our son. Our waiting period ends on Tuesday and he is officially officially our son! I say God can move mountains because that is a prayer I have said to myself OVER and OVER during this journey (Mark 11). And He has! As I write this, it has been 5 months and 5 days since we commited to adopting Max -- in international adoption terms, this is a very short time! Most international adoptions take at least a year or YEARS for some families I have met -- God has moved mountains and things have fallen into place making our journey to Max move pretty fast. The lastest "mountain" came this week when we were able to get our daughter's passport in only 5 days. We had planned to take Noah but he was sick while we were gone and has already missed a few days of school. We did not want him to miss any more school so we took Hannah last Monday for her passport. The lady at the office said "no way it will be back by the time you travel". She said "2 to 3 weeks" and she said the ONLY way to get it sooner was to go to the regional office in Houston to expedite it. We couldn't do that so we submitted the application any way and sent it off with a prayer -- "Lord, if it is Your will, you can move mountains and get it back on time." Five days later, it was sitting in our mailbox -- what else can I say! Hannah and I will go get Max and bring him home! In 2 short weeks, we will finally all be together as a family! And I can only say, "Thank you Lord for moving mountains!"

Our last day in Odessa

Well, time has gone quickly and we have been here 2-1/2 weeks. Tomorrow at 11:30 am Ukraine time we will go to court and Max will officially be declared our son. Joshua Maksim Lisciandro will be his legal name. We will not be able to bring him home right now but will have to wait 10 days before he can be taken out of the orphanage. Greg and I will fly home to see the kids and I will come back to get him in 2 weeks. We are excited and we know the next few months will be a time of adjustment for everyone in our family. We are ready and we are always reminded of God's faithfulness in our lives! Below is a montage of our family... we will be happy when Max can stand beside us all in the Lisciandro family portrait!

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Our quest so far....

We have been here 12 days and are hoping for court later this week so we can head home. Here is a montage of our trip so far...

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More on Max

We've posted a lot of video and I think you can see Max's personality! He is a ham -- very happy (most of the time)... he laughs a lot which says alot given the circumstances that he has been brought up in ... his orphanage is a good orphanage but still he has never had a momma or pappa to hug him or tuck him in at night, to comfort him when he gets hurt or to play with him ... If he can thrive in the orphanage, then he can really thrive in a healthy family who loves him! He is an overcomer -- the fact that his right hand doesn't work normally does not hinder him at all as you can see... he has a lot of heart and we love the fact that his favorite playtime is taking care of the stuffed animals and the doll -- modeling healthy relationships with them -- rocking them, feeding them, hugging them and strolling them ... he also is very stubborn when he wants to do something and we won't let him .. but isn't that normal just turned 4 year old behavior! The language barrier is a big challenge but you can see by the video that he is already picking up a few of our words "Go Max Go". He is very smart and I think that once he is around the kids, he will pick up English very quickly! Kids, get ready to teach your little brother!

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Max on the slide

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Max loves to dance!

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Noah, Hannah and Sarah do you think you can teach Max some new moves?? Perhaps the Robot! He loves to dance!

Slideshow of our trip

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Max and Pappa

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Max and MeeshkA

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Max and Meeshka

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We met Max!

We met Max yesterday! He is amazing -- very happy and very smart -- talking up a storm even though we can't understand most of what he is saying -- he thinks it is very funny when we speak Russian back to him! He loves stuffed animals and has a friend bear (meeshka). He carries it everywhere and takes care of it -- feeds it, gives it rides, swings it and rocks it. He is very sweet and has an amazing giggle. We showed him pictures of the kids - his brat and sistras! We miss you kids and will skype as soon as we can -- we don't have internet in our room yet but hope to get that fixed!

We got Max's referral!

Now we are officially setup to meet Max and adopt him! We met with the SDA today and got his referral -- the woman was very nice and Serge is great! We will leave tonight by train to go to Odesa where Max lives so WE SHOULD MEET HIM tomorrow! We are very excited!

Kiev is lovely -- lots of really beautiful buildings and the people have been friendly -- it's a very colorful city! The language barrier is daunting but luckily we are being taken care of by a team of great people who have helped us...

We are in Ukraine!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are in Ukraine! Kiev to be exact and we have a very nice little apartment near the centre (will post pictures tomorrow)! We are very tired (3 hours of sleep in the last 30 hours) but managed to eat a little Russian food from the local supermarket! We will post more tomorrow after our appointment to get Max's referral to let you know how that went! We are about to Skype our kids then off to bed!

Taking off!

We are at the airport waiting to take off! What a mix of emotions as we leave our kids to go meet our new son! We hate leaving the kids and we already miss them! Oh but we cannot wait to meet Max! And he doesn't know we are coming but how his life is going to change very shortly! We will be posting as we go so please follow our journey to Ukraine!

Traveling tomorrow!

Greg and I are getting packed up to travel tomorrow! I am scurrying around trying to get the kids organized before we leave! Please pray for a safe trip for us, safety for the kids (and peace) while we are gone, and a smooth and quick process to get Max home! Blessings! We are very excited!

It's getting exciting around here!

I heard a song today on the radio called "Only One Life to Love" by 33 Miles and the chorus really spoke to my heart:
"You only get just one time around, you only get one shot at this,
One chance to find out the one thing that you don't want to miss
One day when it's all said and done, I hope you see that it was enough
One ride, one try, only one life to love...."
This journey to Max is one thing that I don't want to miss... I have been praying about this for years... I have wanted to adopt a child for as long as I can remember... to have biological children (and God has blessed me with 3 beautiful and wonderful children) but to also have one by adoption! I can't explain it except to say that He put the desire in my heart long ago and I have been waiting! I can look back in my journal 13 years ago...10 years ago... and since then and see prayers for this child! I can't explain how excited I am that this is finally going to happen! And I am so thankful that I have the most wonderful husband in the world that has the same heart to take the journey together! And my wonderful kids are excited to share their world with a brother who they haven't met yet but they love with all their hearts! All I can say is "Thank you Lord -- You are so faithful!"

Getting ready for Max!

We travel next week and have been very busy trying to get ready! We put up a wall in our playroom, painted and decorated Max's room! Thanks so much to Glenn and Ann Powell for helping us get ready for him -- Glenn and Greg spent all weekend building the wall and Ann helped me paint his room so now we are almost ready! Yay! The kids start school on Monday so I am glad that they will be back on a schedule before we leave ... but I hate leaving them for so long ... Nana and Grandma Judy will be taking care of them while we are away... They are so excited that hopefully the time will pass quickly! Please pray for safe travel and a smooth process while we are in country... I will be updating the blog while we are there!

Traveling soon!!!

We received the word today that our dossier was accepted and we have an appointment in Ukraine on August 27th to meet with the adoption officials! We are so excited! We actually got a little more notice than we expected because the week of August 18th to 25th government offices are closed due to an Independence day holiday -- this gives us time to get our tickets, make our travel plans and get the kids in school -- they start back the 24th and we will travel the 25th! Perfect timing in my mind! Wow, it is amazing to me that we will be meeting our son in exactly 3 weeks! I am jumping for joy! I am so thankful for all the wonderful family and friends that we have that have supported us wholeheartedly in this calling! Here we come, Max!!

Our dossier has been submitted!

Things seem to be taking on speed now! We mailed our dossier one week ago and it has already been received by our facilatator, translated into Russian and submitted to the governing body in charge of adoptions! We should hear sometime this week if there are any problems with our paperwork and if not, when we will be able to travel! It seems we will be traveling by the end of the month (or much sooner) if all goes well! Please continue to keep us and Max in your prayers!

The dossier is in the mail!

My kids and I drove to Austin to get our final paperwork apostilled today. We only had one glitch (apparently the bank notary was not official so had to hunt around Austin for another notary whose stamp doesn't expire for at least a year) but the woman at the Secretary of State's office was extremely nice and we got it done! Then we walked 2 blocks to the UPS store and mailed all of the documents overseas! They should be there by Thursday! Happy day!

We got our I-171H!

Our I-171H came today! This is a big step in the process! Now, I can send our dossier off after I drive to Austin on Monday to get it apostilled!!! It shouldn't be long now -- hopefully, our dossier will be in Eastern Europe in our facilitator's hands by Friday! Thank you Lord!

All in His timing...

It is so difficult to wait!!! I eagerly check the mailbox every day for that coveted 171H that will allow us to finally send our paperwork to Max's country. We have everything else done -- even apostilled -- it's all sitting on a shelf waiting for that last piece of paper. It very much feels like being pregnant and waiting, waiting, waiting although at least with pregnancy, you know that there is a definite time limit! I have to keep reminding myself that it is all in God's timing... He has the perfect plan... I have seen it over and over in my life so why is it so difficult to trust Him again??? I am going to trust again that He is taking care of all the details and although I would get this adoption done as fast as possible, He knows my all of my days and all of Max's days before one of them was yet to be ...

"I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My framewas not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them." Psalm 139:14-16

On the other side of the world

I love watching my kids play in the pool together! They love to swim and tonight as I watched them I just couldn't stop thinking about how Max was all the way on the other side of the world... He doesn't know that we are coming for him. He doesn't know how much we love him. He doesn't know that we are planning his room and that he is part of almost every conversation we have. The kids say ... "I bet Max would like this" or "I can't wait till we can take Max to do that." He is part of our life already... He has been since he was born even though we didn't know where he was. He doesn't know that he is CHOSEN! That was part of my devotional yesterday and I keep going back to it. It says:
"Chosenness is one of the very best gifts that love bestows on the beloved. It means someone has seen me as a unique person, that someone desires to come closer to me, to be on my side. It means someone believes I have a significant contribution to make."
We have chosen Max to be our son just as God has chosen each one of us. He says to us, "Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine... You are precious and honored in my sight...I love you." Isaiah 43:1,4
Max we love you! We can't wait until we bring you home!

Max is Four!

Last week was Max's birthday! He turned four years old -- we had a small celebration at home but it was bittersweet knowing that he was half-way across the world! We had a small cake and sang for him and we let 5 balloons go - one for each of us - as we sent birthday wishes across the world to him! We pray it won't be long before we get him home -- and next year we will have a real celebration for him!

How is it possible??

I was talking to my youngest daughter, Sarah, yesterday as we were driving after we had dropped my oldest son, Noah, at camp. I told her, "It is amazing to me that I love Max so much already and I haven't even met him yet." She said without hesistation, "I love him so much too. He's in my heart. You know who else is in there? Jesus. They are in there together standing side by side." Amazing! She's seven years old...

Max is already in all of our hearts. Next to Jesus! We can't wait to meet him and bring him home! Please keep our family in your prayers -- especially Max... that God will surround him with His angels and protect him and bless him until we can bring him home!

Fingerprints are done!

This morning Greg and I went to get our federal digital fingerprints! One step closer to bringing our boy home! Please pray that the paperwork get processed quickly and that there are no problems with our fingerprints! Two of my fingers had issues due to dry skin so I am praying that there will not be a problem with them -- We are just patiently waiting and really hoping to travel in late July or early August so Noah can go with me for the return trip... Thanks so much for everyone's support!

We got our fingerprint appointment!

We just got notice that our fingerprint appointment is next week! YAY! Thanks for your prayers!

Waiting...

Just a quick update on our progress (or lack of progress) :) We have submitted our paperwork to the US government and are waiting for our fingerprint appointment! I have finished all the paperwork for our dossier (which will go to the adopting country) so all I need is the okay from the US that says we are suitable family to adopt a child! I also wanted to tell you about Reece's Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry! This is the ministry that matched us with Max and it is truly an amazing group of people! They match special needs kids (especially those with Down Syndrome) with their families and have matched over 170 kids to date with many in progress. Please visit their website and even though I know most of you can't adopt, please pray for these kids. The ministry is run entirely on donations (which are tax deductible) and you can donate to the ministry or sponsor a specific child or family for adoption. These children face institutionalization if not adopted so this is truly a life saving organization! You can donate by clicking on the button on the side of my blog! Their website is www.reecesrainbow.com! I encourage everyone to visit their site!
Many blessings and I will keep you posted! Please keep us in your prayers and pray specifically that we would be approved in record time!
Stephanie

About Max

I've been so busy with paperwork that it's been awhile since I've posted. I just wanted to tell you a little about Max! He seems to be a very happy kid! I have pictures and video taken last week and he has an infectious smile! He is always smiling and giggling at the camera...

Max has several congenital defects (abnormalities that he was born with)... these include a malformation in his neck and in his right forearm and hand. He is able to use his right hand in a limited way. We are hopeful that once we get him home, we can have some of these things surgically corrected but we won't know until we get him home. We don't see this as a limitation for him --- he is very active and keeps up with all his little friends at the orphanage. Greg and I see only his great potential! He is a child of God and we are so excited to get him home!

We are moving along with our adoption process... paperwork has been submitted to the U.S. government so we are basically waiting on them to give approval to us to adopt internationally. Our dossier is almost complete so we will be ready when the approval comes! My prayer is that he is home by the end of August -- this may be optimistic but God can move mountains!!!

Getting Started...

I don't really know where to start with this blog... I have had so many friends ask me questions about Max and about how we came to the decision to add him to our family. It began many many years ago even before Noah was born (and he just turned 13! My how time flies!) ... I started praying about God's plan for our family... I always wanted kids ... but not only those I had given birth to ... I wanted to add to our family through adoption! Greg had always agreed with this plan and we have been praying about it for years ... just when??... and who??... there are so many children in the world that need loving homes... where do you start???

My son, Noah, informed me last fall that if we were going to adopt a child, it better be soon... "I'll be off to college, Mom, by the time you do it!" he said. We have discussed it with our kids for a long time..." should we adopt a boy or a girl?" they would say. And I would tell them that we don't have a choice ... If God wants us to adopt a child, He already has one picked out! But how do we find that child??

So I was sitting on the beach one day, reading my e-mail on my iPhone (its hard to get away sometimes) and my friend Ginger sent me Max's picture. The moment I saw him, there was no question in my mind... That is the child!!! I forwarded it to my husband, "What about Max?"
Then my friend Maria sent me the same picture the next day! They knew that it had been on my heart for a very long time... In fact, I had just told my friend Ann the week before of my dilemma... I told her that God needed to either take the desire to adopt away from me (it was all I could think about) or He needed to make the path clear for us and make it happen! So He answered my prayer and there was Max!

I have prayed for this child for many years and we are so excited as a family... Greg and I and our kids! My youngest daugher, Sarah (7 years old), wrote in her journal that it was the "happiest day of her life" when we told her! My daughter Hannah (10 years old) jumped (and screamed) for joy! My kids even threw a bake sale to raise money for Max's adoption fund --- and they made $47! My son mowed the lawn today and donated the money for Max... You see, they want to be part of the process... They want to know that they contributed to bringing him home! I am so proud of them... Max doesn't know how much he is loved ALREADY!