Wednesday, JAN 31, 2007

hi- K here. ---
The boy is really getting the hang of entertaining himself while we work here at the internet cafe- Thought I would update you on his language--his favorite phrases are "oopsy-daisy", "bumpty-bump", Uh-OH", "I don't know" ( he made a song yesterday = "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know....") and, as I mentioned before, "Oh my goodness!" --I'm thinking these phrases reflect life with his mother!
He told the translator (Elona) that he loved his parents, but that they would NOT let him go to the church where God lives!! I have no idea where that came from except that everyday we walk past a large cathedral about which he often comments ...He is getting a little less clingy to toys and objects although he still tends to make a inventory of his favorite things each morning..
ball--check
box--check
photo album --check
tape player-- check
I think I just figures out how to post pictures so I will try to do that tomorrow..
love K
Oh and correction in C's last post (which I just thoroughly read--only skimmed yesterday) anyone who knows me knows he was not telling the truth about my sanctification

only a few mins left on computer- sam in my lap-- being incredibly patient i might add--he's listening to an amy grant cd--loves music--only thing to add to c's post is that i was a little afraid that sam would not want to leave the orphanage today--although it breaks my heart to see him really cry-(vs having a little fit), i was realieved to see that he really really did not want to return to the orphanage--as we pulled up he began crying and clung to me for at least 10 minutes--anyway that was one of our constant prayers that God would be at work melding our hearts togethe...love K

Tuesday 30 January

Hello Gang,
Chip here. We're getting a much later start on our blog today; it's almost 5 pm here. The place is crowded, so we couldn't get the computer on the end of the row. That spot enables one of us to work at the computer while the other tends to Sambo. So, Kristin is back in the back with Sam and a bunch of Lithuanian internet cafe malingerers.
Got a bunch of paperwork done today: new birth certificate and completed the application for the new passport. We'll get the passport back either Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. The good news is that we may now be able to move our schedule up, if we don't have to pay too much in penalties and ticket price differences. If we don't have to pay too much, we could leave Vilnius for Warsaw early, early on Friday, have our appointments at the US embassy in Warsaw late Friday morning (doctor's appointment and visa application) and mid-afternoon on Friday (pick up the new visa), then fly home Saturday morning. The hitch with that plan is that it puts a lot of pressure on K and me with my ailing back. So, what is more likely is that we'll fly to Warsaw on Saturday or Sunday, have our appointments at the US embassy on Monday and fly home Tuesday. That would still get us home two days early, on the 6th as opposed to the 8th. However, if the ticket-change penalty is too costly and the ticket price difference is too great, we'll just suck it up and keep our original schedule. That would mean several more days killing time in Vilnius.
However, as I said before, killing time is good is some ways; it continues the process of Sam getting used to us and us to him. I'm just starting to get antzy to get back to work.
Kristin continues to do a great job of parenting. I totally cue off her. Sam has had a few more moments of "protestation". Kristin handles those moments like a champ. She just calmly takes away the object of contention from Sam, then while he wails and cries, gently, but firmly tells him that we love him, but he can't have the (ball, tape player, etc.) because of his behavior. That's definitely not my inclination of how to handle things, it ain't the Army way, the fraternity house way, the gym rat way of handling things that I lean more towards, but I'm learning. Kristin is a real pro. Kay Carleton, in a comment on our last blog, said that parenting is a huge ingredient in making one more like Christ. Ditto that for me in a big way. Evidently, God doesn't think that Kristin needs any sanctification. =)
On the flip side Sam has absolutely angelic moments. The kid is really smart: he's picking up more English words and phrases everyday. Today he added one of my most relied upon phrases: "I don't know." He's getting "please" and "thank-you" down, too. He continues to interact with folks we meet without hesitation.
He did have a bit of rough morning, though. We returned to the orphanage to say goodbye and to return his stuff and to pick up some paperwork necessary for the visa. He freaked out, thinking, I guess, that we were going to leave him. He finally calmed down and had a good visit with one of his long-time caregivers. (The orphanage really is great - clean and the caregivers love the kids.) We took lots of pictures.
That's it for today. I'm sure once Kristin reads this blog, she'll make corrections or additions. =) Thanks for your comments, prayers and love. We definitely feel it here.
Grace and peace.

Monday 29 Jan

hello all--k here- the boy is being very patient at the moment as his dad and I are both on a computer--actually he is pouting a little bc he lost num num (gum) priviledges (sp?) --he refused to stop shaking a mirror that was precariously hung on the wall -- his second big act of defiance--more to come I am quite sure-Now how to teach him "I'm sorry"???-AHHH... we are discovering that paretning is (as most of you know) more wonderful and more difficult than we imagined--but so far we continue to laugh most of the time and also contuinue to be amazed at how well Sam seems to adjusted- he speaks to everyone everywhere we go--he is eating well --although he sticks to a strict Adkins diet -- meat, fat, chewing gum and nuts --he sleeps well- plays with us and alone well- We discovered to Chips horror that he loves the Telly Tubbies...
Im sure Ive bores you all enoughfor one day--tomorrow we go to the orphanage for a Dr appointment, to demonstrate use of special equipment that weas donated, and to say goodbye.. I do not know if we will have an opportunity to blog tomorrow --Thank you --love, K

Sunday 28 January

It's Sunday afternoon here, 1230 pm. The day is lovely, beautiful, clear sky, crisp temp and a fresh snow fall. kristin writing as Sam is quite content at the moment. he has a wolf mask and has shouted to everyone in the computer store to take note of it...so much for our shy little boy..C has instructed me not to bore you with details but I am a proud mama so that will be difficult. Sam continues to make us laugh constantly.. One of our favorite tricks is to watch him surprise the wait staff at resturaunts when he speaks proficient Lithuanian .. last night he requested a pizza (which he does not eat by the way) .. When told by the waitress that they did not serve pizza, he told he that they serve pizza at acropolis--the mall -that he had been there with his parents--and they have an ice rink-then he proceeeded to introduce himself and we think ask the waitress her name... Of course we are guessing at most of this from he few words of Lithuanina we know -- but he is also quite expressive, even non-verbally--nothing like we had imagined--
His English is progressing in an interesting manner--So far
penguin, belly-button, thank you, "Oh my goodness!", sun, baby, mouse, ..
Well the rascal is getting a bit bored timne to reach into my mammy bacpack of activities...
Now from Chip- We love you all very much and thanks for praying for us and for thinking of us. Our prayer requests are simple: 1. that the Lord will carry us through the process of fininshing the details here and getting home, especially helping us in light of my bad back and the resulting pressure put on Kristin and, 2. that the Lord will do His regenerative work in Sam and equip Kristin and I for the task of parenting in Christ.

Saturday 27 January

Not much new to report. Much the same routine as the days before. Slow mornings, lunch, quiet time, excursion, then back to the apartment, then out to eat and finally wind-down time tonight. The good thing about the routine is that it takes the guesswork out of life for Sam. We can all focus on getting to know each other. He continues to learn more English words and seems to be very comfortable with his new circumstances. He hasn't asked to call either Elona or Sandra, nor has he expressed any degree of missing the orphanage/caregivers at the orphanage. He's doing well.
Hopefully the court decision paperwork will be complete on Monday. When it's complete the Family Law Centre folks will pick it up and take it to get the new birth certificate. There's a possibility that may spread to Tuesday. The next task after that is to apply for his new passport here in Vilnius. Once we get the new passport, we go to Warsaw to get his visa and the paperwork that enables him to become a US citizen as soon as we touch ground in the States. Hopefully that will get us home around the 8th of February.
Since Sam's behaving pretty well this afternoon, meaning she can get her hands free, Kristin may post something today. As always, thanks for your prayers and support.
Grace and Peace,
Chip

Friday, 26 January

It's good to know that eventhough we can be thousands of miles from home, some things don't change. Yep, Kristin forgot my birthday... again... for the 4th out of 8 years of marriage.
Praise God, things have settled down here to an easy routine. We get up in the morning, take things slowly around the apartment, go out for a morning excursion, eat lunch either on the excursion or back at the apartment, take an afternoon siesta (that was Sam's routine at the orphanage), then an afternoon excursion, then supper either on the excursion or back at the apartment. We then have slow evening at the apartment.
In some ways it's kind of unexciting, but in more important ways it gives us the opportunity to get to know Sam and for Sam to get to know us. He's obviously feeling more comfortable around us in that he showed a stubborn (typical kid) streak last night: as we turned out the lights for bed, he refused to give up the gum he'd been chewing for hours. Thank the Lord, K is an expert at these situations. She took away his books, and she and I went back to reading, ignoring him all the while. In a few minutes he handed her the gum. Much better way to handle things than yanking the gum out of his mouth, which was my initial reaction. Typical kid.
He continues to prove to be much more verbal than we thought. We were anticipating a shy, quiet boy, and he may yet be that when we get to the States, but not right now. We went to the big mall here (called the Acropolis); he's quick to order from the wait staff, talk to our guide, and tell the cab driver where to go and how to drive - which is interesting since Sam has no clue how to get to the mall and has only rarely been in a car. When we have our afternoon siesta he never naps (I don't know what those caregivers at the orphanage did, but obviously K and I aren't doing it), but instead goes to an imaginary world and keeps up a running dialogue, along with motions, thoughout the entire 2 hours.
So, as you can see, we seem to have passed the most exciting point of this venture. Ahead lies a lot of joyful, but hard, work. That hard work will begin with the trip home. The difficulty factor is increased by my bad back which has chosen this time as an opportunity to flair up. That puts a tremendous amount of pressure on Kristin. So, we ask your prayers for us as we prepare to return home: that my back will heal and strengthen and/or that we'll figure out ways to work around the problem. We'll just have to trust God with this issue.
Thanks, as always, for your prayers and support. God continues to provide.
Grace and Peace,
Chip

Friends,

K and I are truly humbled by your support, prayers and joy for us. I can't conjur up the words that would be appropriate to express our gratitude for you. Nor do I have the words to express our gratitude to our Sovereign God. He has given us a great kid.
We had another good night. We "read" a couple of books together after we all piled into bed, then Sam crashed and once again slept long and hard. He may be paralyzed from the waist down, but he thrashes about in his sleep as much as Kristin. I sleep on about 6 inches of bed space, and I couldn't be happier.
Again we're at the internet cafe. Sam is chomping at the bit to type; I think this is the first time he's seen a computer.
This morning Elona called again. When asked what he'd like to tell us, Sam said that he was very happy and wants cucumbers and more carrots. So we add cucumbers to the grocery list. Apparently he doesn't miss the orphanage which is a bigger deal than you might think. Sam's orphanage was not a bad place at all. The caregivers there all loved him and doted on him. The place is sparse, but very clean. The orphange doc even cried when we discussed how she would miss Martynas. So, the orphanage hasn't been a bad place for him; not missing it is good news.
Winter finally caught up with Lithuania - very cold and lots of snow now. No big deal except that it restricts our outside activities some. Tomorrow we'll go to the big mall here in Vilnius. We want to daily expose him to large groups of people and lots of noise. So far he's been frightened only once at a restaurant last week.
One thing we've noticed is that he likes to sing. I suppose it could be a coping mechanism or he could simply be happy, however the times he chooses to sing often seem to be times when it would be appropriate for him to be singing, "My parents are dumb, my parents are dumb, oh no, my parents are dumb." Like when we're trying to figure out how to get a coat over his 20 layers of clothing...
Bottom line, we stand in awe at this journey on which God has brought us. Thanks again for sharing it with us and for tolerating our new parent prattle. If you think about it, please join us in praying for God's regenerating work in Sam; may He be pleased to begin it now. Eventhough we've not yet received the paperwork that finalizes the adoption, nor has Sam yet been baptized, he is now a child of God's covenant. Our prayers are that God would draw Sam to Himself even now. Wow. Since we don't yet speak the same language, I guess that means Kristin and I have to live out the gospel in front of him. Whew! Now that I've thought about that, the pressure's on. Boy, God's grace just took on a whole new meaning! May He work through the prayers of His people and through and in spite of us.
Grace and peace,
Chip

Gang,

Thanks so much for joining with us in our joy and praise to God. I've never seen K so happy - way more happy than when we got married! =)
Sam spent his first night with us last night. He slept like a log. He actually slept between K and me; we were excited to discover this morning that neither of us had crushed him. Elona, our faithful guide and counselor, called this morning to check on us and Sam. She spoke to him on the phone. She asked Sam what he'd like her to tell us (they were speaking Lithuanian) or if he needed anything. He answered simply, "Tell my mama and daddy I love them." That was it. Wow.
K wants me to tell you a bit more about Sam's session with the judge yesterday. The judge asked Sam is he was aware that we do not speak Lithuanian. His answer was "Yes, of course!" Then came the question about how he'll communicate with us, to which he answered, "I will learn English!" What a kid.
We'll spend the remainder of this week hanging out with Sam at the apartment and getting him out in situations with lot's of people. We're at the Internet Cafe right now, Sam in tow. Our next stop is the grocery store then a leisurely walk, followed by dinner at a little resterant nearby.
Seems like we have a temporary fix for the jogger, an answer to prayer, but please ask the Lord to cause it to hold up.
I guess that's it for now. We'll continue to keep ya'll posted. Thanks again for your love and prayers. We've seen God work; it's pretty cool.
Grace and peace,
Chip

Great News!

Well gang, great news! The court has declared Martynas Licko to now be Samuel Martynas Huey and that he does not have to stay in Lithuania during the 40-day wait period. We're stoked. (By the way, this is Chip. I'm being allowed to blog unsupervised.) The court session ended less than an hour ago. We are now at the Family Law Center, HQ for the good folks who walked us through this process.
Actually, Kristin is out with Sandra, one of our guides, en route to a bike shop in hopes of getting parts to repair the jogger we brought with us to transport Sam. I'm in the rear with the gear pushing our status report out to you all.
We had our final court session at 1300 local time today. Sam was the centerpiece of the action. The judge wanted to hear from him. We were kind of nervous; you never know what a kid will say. However, in response to the question of whether he wanted to go home with us, Sam answered that he's looking forward to riding on the airplane to the US with his Mama and Testa... uh, Daddy. (Being with us is apparently secondary to the plane ride.) When asked how he'll communicate with us (the judge really seemed to be wrapped around the axel over the language barrier issue - talk about missing the bigger point! Uh, orphan who desperately needs a family and immediate, advanced medical help, US couple in love with the kid and possessing the resources to care for the kid, kid wants to be with the couple... plus, most kids learn the new language in a matter of months anyway... hmmm... let me get my strainer to get that gnat!) Martynas replied, "I'll learn English." Then, the really important moment came: as the judge continue to question him, Martynas apparently looked over her shoulder at the Lithuanian national flag and said, "Look, the police flag!!" As far as he was concerned the conversation was over.
We were then allowed back in the court room, final statements were taken from all parties and the judge took a recess until 1600 local. We returned to the court at the appropriate time (actually Kristin had us there an hour early) and the judge rendered her judgement. She approved the adoption and the waiver of the in-country requirement for the 40-day wait period. We got all this from the translator who translated while the judge spoke. We're happy.
We're going to the orphanage when K returns to pick up Sam. We'll have him home with us for the remainder of our time here in Lithuania. Technically, Sam's not ours until the documents are completed on next Monday. However, he gets to live with us and for all practical purposes be our kid until it's official. Now that's good, Reformed already and not yet theology!
We have to wait five working days for the documents to be processed. After that we'll be here for a couple more days getting his passport, etc. Then we'll fly to Warsaw to go to the US embassy and see a doc there: required stuff. After that, God willing, we should fly home on or about 7 February.
By the way, the folks here at the Family Law Center have been TERRIFIC!!! Egle the lawyer, Elona the, well, I'm not sure what her title is, but she makes everything happen, and our two guides, Sandra and another girl who's name I'll never get right, have all been magnificent. I cannot say enough good about them.
In closing, thank you all for your prayers. God has been pleased to grant them. God be praised for His kindness in granting us the desire of our hearts. His sovereign work is truly a wonder to behold; great is His faithfulness to His people. He truly is the hero here. Along with a little boy named Sam!
Gotta go, K is back, and she's chomping at the bit to get out to the orphanage.
Peace.

Court Part 1

We went to court today and the judge decided that she wanted Martynas to testify in person. So she stopped the hearing and we go back again tomorrow so that Marty can join us. Our lawyer said that this was "very strange"---I thought to myself, hang out with me long enough and the strange things become common occurance...Anyway, we go back to court again tomorrow at 1 pm. We are pretty sure Marty will tell the judge that he wants to be adopted by us but we slipped him a few pieces candy tonight just to seal the deal = )..Seriously, Im a little nervous--kids are kids...... God is in control....and as Kay reminded me...He is Good! Thank you all and keep up the prayers..

Tonight after the court hearing we went back to the orphanage. We did not take Marty home to the apartment becasue it was too late. We tried to (through an interpreter) explain that tomorrow he would go to a big building and would talk the nice lady judge (we may have stretched the truth a bit there bc I am not convinced this judge is "nice") . However, this was not what marty wanted to talk about --all he wanted to talk about was the kitchen in which we can "cook the sausages." He told the interpreter many details of our kitchen--there are two shiny chairs, specific foods we had in the refrigerator.....Unless we have the court hearing in a kitchen Im not sure it will sustain his attention...

I though of something todya that I wanted to mention--Several days ago Marty told his caregivers that his "mother is very beautiful"...but ...his "daddy is even more beautiful"...

Speaking of the Daddy--he has been banned from blogging...at least all future blogs will be censored!

So prayer warriors--get busy tomorrow we go again....Love , K

Out of time mortifieda at c's post!!

This is Chip. I continue to be amazed by the amount of work that lies before us. Obviously, cultural appreciation is in order: not only did SAm blow off Fat Albert in Lithuanian yesterday, he was totally underwhelmed by Johnny Bravo today. I plan to start with helping him say, "Daddy" not only in English, but Southern English, i.e., "Deddy." This is my starting point because "Daddy" in Lithuanian sounds like a combination of "testicle" and "dolly." Since I don't want my butt kicked by some bubba in South Carolina when he hears my son call me "testicle-dolly," I'll begin my cultural education program at this point, teaching him the Southern language.

Sunday

We again were able to spend the entire day alone with Marty. I can't believe how trusting he is of us. We have picture cards for him to use to communicate if he wants to call the interpreter or return to the orphanage...I offer these options to him throughout each day but he always shakes his head and says--" Ney, Ney, Ney" (no,no,no)- Today we went to a little market and he picked out a raw carrot. We bought it just to make him happy --not really thinking he would want to eat it (sausage and fried fish, remember...) but don't you know, with hand and arm gestures, he let me know that he wanted it washed for eating...And then he ate the entire thing--raw...he also ate sausage --Which is the most we have seen him eat in the entire time we've been together combined---and then ...we discovered that he loves ALTOIDS!! Not a big fan of chocolate or any other candy--but the kid loves altiods! How funny. He is so very expressive and makes his wants and needs known with hand and facial expressions.. Tonight when we returned him to the orphanage, he again cried. He told the staff that he wanted to sleep with his mama and daddy..But before that he told them that he very much liked our kitchen --that we could even cook the sausage "right in the kitchen"..We realized that the kitchen in our apartment was the first one he had ever seen!! We spent most of the day drawing, working puzzles, reading books (the caregiver told us that he is the only child there that consistently requests books rather than toys) and playing ball-(he loves to throw velcroe balls at the velcro "dart " board and at Chip's shirt). He is really just the cutest thing.
He has not been frightened since the resturaunt incident so we will try to take him again to a resturaunt on Turesday. We need to continue to expose him to new things --otherwise the airports will totally scare him... Tomorrow we will go to court. Chip and I both have to testify to the judge--Again, please pray that she grants us a waiver of 40 days--after seeing his back and hips (which are worse than I thought), I feel the medical justification (to waive the 40 days) is quite strong.
Well, again Marty continues to amaze both of us. He is so much fun. Unfortunately, we probably will not get to see him tomorrow (court) but may pick him up on Tuesday for good..Tahnk you agagin for all of your prayers..Love , K

Sat 20 JAN

Great day with Marty. We took him to a mall this morning and he loved it..He was especially impressed with the plastic guns in the toy store and the Zamboni machine at the the ice rink--(the driver waived to him) ...Elona, from the Law Center was with us this morning to interpret--which was a huge help. We learned that Marty likes fried fish and sausage and that is about it...We asked him what type of juice he wanted--and he said "juice from a bottle"--(We taught him to drink from a bottle yesterday--initially he was putting his mouth around the entire opening and trying to drink that way.... ) This afternoon we were together, just me, chip and Marty at our apartment.

To recap --Thursday we met Marty and played at the orphanage with him most of the day.. He knew us immediately and said "Mama" and "Daddy" when he saw us.

Fri morning we went back to the orphanage and he was waiting watching for us from the window..Again.arms open "Mama" "Daddy"..We tried to go to a resturaunt but Marty became frightened. We did not want to traumatize him so we left. He later told the interpreter that he likes to eat at home not at the resturaunt..exposure to my cooking and that will certainly change..It was just too new for him..We spent the rest of the day at the apartment..He likes books, puzzles, balls, remote control cars, and markers (NOT crayons) ...he is content and very happy We were scared that he would want to go bak to the orphanage but he definately did not and cried both nights when we had to take him back..

Again we still have the problem of a w/chair . I carried him most of the time today--so pray aobut the broken chair...---\\\love, \K\

\\Now here's the really important stuff: today we watched, on Lithuanian national TV, an episode of Fat Albert from the early 1970's - dubbed in Lithuanian. The power of the moment was utterly lost on Sam. I have my work cut out for me. Chip

we made it--sam is amazing!!!!

Planes late and luggage lost but we made it to Lithuania...First time able to blog but found an internet cafe so can blog more often..More importantaly we met Sam-Marty. He is beautiful and sweet and every bit as anxious to have a family as we were told...He had a calandar on the wall in his room counting down the days until we came..We had him all day today but had to return him to the orphanage tonight..He cried, I cried, the workers cried...Chip did not ( He wants me to tell you all that..) One problem is that the chair we brought him was broken on the trip..I can fix easy enough but not till we get home...so please pray that we can transport him comfortably and safely..
First impressions of him -- his back is worse than we thought but his spirit, determination, intelligence are far greater than we anticipated..Very high pain tolerance..Much more talkative than we expected...In a word he is AMAZING....We do not need to worry that Sam has lacked for affection--everyone at the orphanage seems to adore him..caregivers dote on him --even the orphanage MD was in tears telling us how she loves and will miss him.....In fact, I think he could be a bit spoiled......we'll work those kinks out later....
Please continue to pray for Chips back and hamstrings --dx a little "wonkey" (medical ling0) but overall OK....These long journeys are hard on him--

Thank you for your prayers and your kind words of encouragement--- God is at work..always is...

Love, K

We're off

We leave in the am for Lithuania. During this part of the process, please pray for Chip's back and hamstrings....and for me--please pray for the pilot, the airplane parts, birds or other potential hazards in the air.......some fears die hard... = - )