Arrived and doing fine.

Well it’s Paul doing the update today as Jennifer, Martin, Laura and ? are in the hinterlands of Ukraine right now and can’t get access.

After taking the overnight train they have arrived in Zaporizhzhia ( Click here for a map for those so inclined) at 6:45 AM on Thursday morning. They had a sleeper cabin so Laura managed to get some sleep but not so much for Martin and Jenny. It evidently was quite an old time train ride with lots of carriage swaying and bumping and generally crossing ones fingers it stayed on the tracks. They went straight to the apartment and then to the orphanage arriving at 9:30’ish. Once the formalities of meeting the orphanage director and bribing the guards ( ok ok I added that bit) were out of the way they got to see the little boy for about 45 minutes. He was very shy at first but considering he was dumped in a room with four strangers he warmed up by the end. He’s very small for his age ( which is normal for an orphanage child as Laura’s size, when they met her, can attest to...and look at her now) but he was very alert and interested in things. This Saturday they are getting an independent doctor to come down from Keiv to spend a few hours with him and make sure he is all fine. So all being well they can jump this final hurdle and come Saturday the adoption train can get in full gear. If it does go ahead then all being well they should be back about April 11’th ( unless the wheels can be sped up)