Tobias Sergei Meyer
December 4th is a day we will NEVER forget. It is the day a Ukrainian judge declared that Tobias Sergei Meyer is now our son. He is ours FOREVER!
It was such a special and almost surreal experience. Toby sat next to us as the judge read his file, read our petition to adopt, asked questions and went through all the procedures of the court. I held his hand as they read how his mother had abandoned him at the hospital a few days after he was born...how he had no relatives and had never been visited by anyone. I whispered to him that now he had a HUGE family of people who loved him and that he would be our son forever. I told him he is a gift from God to our family - that he is a precious treasure.
After court, he was whisked away from us by his nanny to be returned to school. What?! We don't get to celebrate? We don't get to take our son to lunch or spend time with him? No. Not yet. I cannot even express how difficult this is. We have a mandatory 10 day wait period until we can pick up the court decree. Once that happens, we do a mad dash to get his birth certificate from the town he was born in (about 2 hours away) and apply for his expedited Ukrainian passport. Then - we bring him home with us and travel to Kiev to begin the U.S. Embassy part of the paperwork. If all goes well, we should JUST make it home on Christmas Eve - which would be perfect! Please pray that this would happen!
Josh left for the train a short while ago. He travels to Kiev tonight and then home to the States so that he can return to work. Please pray for his safe travels and pray for the boys and me as we stay in country, visit Toby each day and wait....
God is so good. Tobias means "the goodness of God". We want his very name to be a testimony to the steadfast love and faithfulness of our Heavenly Father. We don't want Toby to EVER forget that God has always loved him and that the whole process to bring him home to his forever family was filled with the goodness of God.
We praise the Lord tonight for our new son! We love him more than we could ever express and we cannot wait to get him home! Thank you for praying for us!
Our boy has a great sense of humor! When the judge and jurors left the courtroom to debate the decision, Toby wanted to take a picture at the podium!
Here is our boy with one of the nannies/teachers who has cared for him and who spoke for him during court.
Our silly boy - behind bars!
The court building in Krivoy Rog - where Toby became OURS!
A few days ago, Toby gave us this picture he had drawn during school. It is something I will keep forever! It may be hard to see here, but it shows a home with a Mama standing outside - and the heart-shaped hot air balloon is delivering the boy to his family! On the back he wrote, "For Papa and Mama." Be still my heart!
Toby already has a special relationship with his Papa. It will be hard on all of us to have Josh gone, but what a reunion it will be when we come home and can all be together! We are hoping Jake and Sarah will be able to come for Christmas, as well! Thank you, Lord, for showing us your goodness is so many amazing ways!
It was such a special and almost surreal experience. Toby sat next to us as the judge read his file, read our petition to adopt, asked questions and went through all the procedures of the court. I held his hand as they read how his mother had abandoned him at the hospital a few days after he was born...how he had no relatives and had never been visited by anyone. I whispered to him that now he had a HUGE family of people who loved him and that he would be our son forever. I told him he is a gift from God to our family - that he is a precious treasure.
After court, he was whisked away from us by his nanny to be returned to school. What?! We don't get to celebrate? We don't get to take our son to lunch or spend time with him? No. Not yet. I cannot even express how difficult this is. We have a mandatory 10 day wait period until we can pick up the court decree. Once that happens, we do a mad dash to get his birth certificate from the town he was born in (about 2 hours away) and apply for his expedited Ukrainian passport. Then - we bring him home with us and travel to Kiev to begin the U.S. Embassy part of the paperwork. If all goes well, we should JUST make it home on Christmas Eve - which would be perfect! Please pray that this would happen!
Josh left for the train a short while ago. He travels to Kiev tonight and then home to the States so that he can return to work. Please pray for his safe travels and pray for the boys and me as we stay in country, visit Toby each day and wait....
God is so good. Tobias means "the goodness of God". We want his very name to be a testimony to the steadfast love and faithfulness of our Heavenly Father. We don't want Toby to EVER forget that God has always loved him and that the whole process to bring him home to his forever family was filled with the goodness of God.
We praise the Lord tonight for our new son! We love him more than we could ever express and we cannot wait to get him home! Thank you for praying for us!
Here we are waiting in the hallway to be called into court! He was just precious as he practiced saying our names and his new name. "Papa - Joshua; Mama- Kamie. And me - Toby Meyer!"
Our boy has a great sense of humor! When the judge and jurors left the courtroom to debate the decision, Toby wanted to take a picture at the podium!
Here is our boy with one of the nannies/teachers who has cared for him and who spoke for him during court.
Our silly boy - behind bars!
The court building in Krivoy Rog - where Toby became OURS!
A few days ago, Toby gave us this picture he had drawn during school. It is something I will keep forever! It may be hard to see here, but it shows a home with a Mama standing outside - and the heart-shaped hot air balloon is delivering the boy to his family! On the back he wrote, "For Papa and Mama." Be still my heart!
Toby already has a special relationship with his Papa. It will be hard on all of us to have Josh gone, but what a reunion it will be when we come home and can all be together! We are hoping Jake and Sarah will be able to come for Christmas, as well! Thank you, Lord, for showing us your goodness is so many amazing ways!
My heart leaped at your post. I'm so happy for you all!
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