April 13, 2001 finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Today we traveled to Rapid City to spend the night as we leave the next morning for Romania and more importantly - Catalina.

April 14, feeling excited and anxious, we board the plane for Minneapolis. I can't help but get teary eyed thinking about how in just a few days we will have a dark eyed beauty with us.

April 15, we are so tired! We haven't had any sleep since we left Rapid City and we're exhausted. We had a 5 hour layover in Minneapolis and a 3 hour layover in Amsterdam and we need sleep! It's now 2:30 p.m. and we are in a car with Savianna and her husband, Johnny, traveling to Alba Iulia.

April 16, it ended up taking us 8 hours to get to Alba Iulia last night, which makes our total trip about 30 hours long. I was able to sleep for about an hour and a half, but poor Allen wasn't able to sleep at all. The road was so narrow and curvy, every time Allen nodded off, the car would take another curve and wake him up.

We stay at a little hotel in a nice little room with twin beds and hot water. Pretty clean too! We sleep well and wake up to a cloudy, but beautiful day! It's now 10:00 a.m. and we're waiting for Pompillia, a social worker, to take us to Ocna Mures, which is where we will see Catalina for the first time!

We meet Catalina! She is so beautiful and so tiny! She sits so still on the couch and looks so scared. The foster mother, Irena, starts crying and hugging us and I feel badly for her so I start crying too. We give Catalina her musical bunny toy and she likes it and catches on quickly that you pull on the legs to make the music (muzica) work. She seems very alert but shy. She looks at us with those big brown eyes and melts us. We are allowed to visit for about an hour and play with Catalina. As we leave she tells us "Goodbye mommy" and "Goodbye daddy" after some prodding from her foster mom and dad.

Back in Alba Iulia we take a walk, eat pizza and drink warm Coke for supper. We then visit an orphanage (which later we find out was Catalina's orphanage), and visit the Basilica.

April 17 we had a good breakfast of an omelet, toast, coffee and tea. Then we did a little shopping in Alba Iulia. We bought some tapestry rugs, a present for Irena (2 small porcelain statues of Madonna and Christ), gloves and scarves.

A lawyer from Alba Iulia came to take us to Aiud to stay at another place tonight much closer to Catalina. Later we went and visited Catalina for about 2 hours and had so much fun. We played outside with her and were silly and she laughed so much! What a doll! We danced to the music and she really got into it and danced and danced.

Irena's house is small but very tidy. Even the outdoor toilet is clean. Irena says she does not let Cata go outside their gate and play with the other children because they are dirty and get into trouble. That is good in a way, but she has not had many playmates and is very attached to Irena and Micha as they are her only playmates.

April 18, we finally get exciting news! We do get to take Catalina with us today and forever! When we get there, Micha and Irena are very sad. We give them a letter that we wrote and Savianna reads it to them. We also give them a copy to keep that Savianna translated for us. We don't stay long because our driver waits outside. It is very sad for Micha and Irena and they are crying. Cata excitedly says "Chow" to them, not realizing that she will never return.

After we check into our hotel we take a walk around town. Catalina wants to get into everything and buy everything. We buy her some shoes and a few souvenirs to keep as reminders of her heritage. We eat supper at the restaurant in the motel and the food is very good. Catalina loves the potatoes (cartofi).

At bedtime Catalina is very sad and cries a great deal. She puts on 2 sweaters, her jacket, scarf, and hat and wants to go home. She is not so thrilled with us anymore. Allen tries to rock her and get her to sleep but she is so upset that nothing works. So he takes her for a walk and that quiets her down a little, but she is heartbroken and begins wailing as soon as they come back to our little room. He finally gets her to sleep, but after a couple of hours she wakes up and starts her rocking motion again and keeps it up for over an hour. It goes on like this all night and no one gets much sleep.

April 19, today was good! We had a good breakfast and then we went shopping for bunches of oranges, bananas, and cookies for the orphans in Catalina's old orphanage here in Alba Iulia. We take a taxi to the orphanage and many of the workers recognize Catalina. They were thankful for the food for the children. We helped peel oranges for one group of children. We were mobbed by little ones who wanted hugs, kisses, and just a little attention. By the time we leave we are covered in orange juice and saliva from slobbering children.

Catalina has a big poopy mess and needs a bath, but refuses to sit down in the tub and cries while I wash her. We realize later that she did not want to sit down because at her foster parent's house she always washed standing up in a small plastic tub.

I slept with Cata tonight and she slept until about 1:00 a.m. Then she woke up when I went to the bathroom and she followed me in there like she was afraid I wasn't coming back. When we got back to bed she tossed and turned and tried to rock. I rubbed her back and her arms to get her to settle down. She seemed to be having nightmares because she kept saying "policia".

Apri1 20, we have another bath because we have another messy diaper. I know she is over 3 years old and should be potty trained by now, but she has gone through so much in her short life. I don't blame her a bit for having accidents right now since we have just uprooted her from the only real home she has ever known.

We check out of the motel and meet our arrogant lawyer to go get Catalina's birth certificate. He is a very rude man who will barely speak to even our translator, Savianna. He also drives like a maniac and acts angry the entire time. After a short wait we get the birth certificate taken care of.

Allen is feeling like Catalina is not crazy about him because he has to tell her no (noo) a lot of the time. I don't think she is used to not getting what she wants. When Cata cries she wants me and that makes him feel bad.

We later take an International train and ride first class to Bucharest. My first train ride, but I bet it's not my new daughter's first. Eight hours later we are so tired when we finally get to Bucharest. We are met by Dorin, swing by McDonalds, and go to an apartment where we will spend the next 6 nights - downtown Bucharest. It looks pretty scary in the dark, and there is a security gate at the front but there is a drunken person on the stairs. The elevator is smelly and tiny. The apartment is fairly clean, has a TV, air conditioning, and a phone. We all sleep well!

April 21, we sleep until 8:30 a.m. and Allen goes to a nearby McDonalds to get some breakfast. My first good coffee in a week and I spill it! Guess I'm still a little bit tired. Catalina enjoys her potatoes, water, and croissant.

We decide to walk around Bucharest for something to do. We are afraid we will get lost, mugged, etc. We try to check out some shops, but "Catalina, the grabby" tends to want everything - guess she's ready for Wal-Mart! We buy some maps and some cool shades for Cata from a street vendor. Beggars are everywhere. We feel so sorry for them, but have been warned about giving them money. Being in downtown Bucharest hasn't been so bad for finding familiar foods. There are McDonalds, KFC, Daylight Donuts, and Pizza Hut nearby. We had a very good pepperoni pizza at Pizza Hut - a first for Catalina. She had a great time eating salad, pizza, and using a newly learned skill - drinking her Pepsi with a straw. She is so curious about people and especially other children. She spent much of her time staring at three small Japanese girls. Cata is getting better everyday at eating more than just potatoes. Tonight's bath goes smoothly. Cata seems to be falling in love with water. She splashes and plays with toys. She does a very good job of washing herself.
Mommy and Daddy are so tired. These long days and short nights are wearing us down. "Noapte buna" . . . .

April 22, we sleep till 8:00 a.m. Daddy goes to McDonald's and does his hunting and gathering again. He brings back coffee, breakfast sandwiches, but no cartofi. Cata wants cartofi, but she's good about eating yogurt, McToast (ham sandwich) and water (she does not like orange juice).

We decide to venture out and go to KFC for lunch. We are starving! Cata eats extremely well. We think she is stuffing herself because she is afraid there won't be any more meals with plenty to eat. She has cartofi, chicken, coleslaw, coke and wants more. I was warned that orphanage children do this, but I thought since Cata had been in foster care for the last 2 years she would be past that.

Then we go on the subway and take the train to Herastrau Park. It is quite beautiful! Complete with water fountains, flowers, and a gorgeous lake. Cata enjoys the playground (especially the swings), balls, and the ice cream the most. We leave the park hot, sweaty, and exhausted.

April 23, we all slept well again! Cata is not holding on so tightly to me during the night (death grip) and she is not using a pacifier. Thank goodness! She is more relaxed and just snuggles. Allen and Cata go to the market so I can have a nice private bath. She is very good for him. She especially likes the shopping cart and gum (gumma). Later, Cata and Daddy occupy some playing with "minja" (ball). She sure is coordinated which she shows by batting the ball back and forth. We again do laundry in the tub - Cata loves to get involved. Today she helps wring out the wet clothes. She must have helped at Irena's house.

We walk to the Post Office and put stamps on our postcards. It is quite a walk and it tires us out just dodging other people on the streets. Catalina is good and lets Daddy hold her while we walk the busy streets. While on our way back we find a store that sells handmade Roma rugs, clothes, table coverings, and smocks. We buy 2 beautiful table covers, a Dracula swinging doll for Allen's classroom, and most importantly, a terrific smock for Catalina. We ride the subway back home because we are tired, full, and have had enough of crowded streets. In the subway (Metro) station we meet a young lady from Michigan. Her boyfriend is living in Sheridan, Wyoming (less than 100 miles from our town) learning how to make saddles. What a small world! She is over here working in different orphanages and wants to know all about Catalina.

April 24, we get good news this morning. Petrusca comes to check on us and tells us that our appointment for Catalina's medical check-up and our embassy interview is scheduled for Thursday. However, she says that we still don't have Cata's birth certificate from Alba Iulia. We should have it soon.

Raining again this morning, spring is Romania's rainy season. It seems to rain most every evening/ night. It is nice though how it washes the streets and sidewalks and makes the air much fresher. When we got back to the apartment I called Grandma back in Wyoming. We were thinking it would be 6:15 a.m. there and she would be up getting ready for school. But it was 5:15 a.m. and we woke her up. She didn't mind because Catalina told her "Hello Grandma" and "I love you Grandma". Mom was glad to hear that we are all fine and Catalina is adjusting well. Allen also called someone close to him, his 19 year old daughter, Emily. Emily is glad to hear from her dad and also hear her new sister talk to her.

We are so ready to go home! It rained all day and we only ventured out the one time. So we are feeling bored with Romanian TV and having nothing to do. Hopefully it is nice tomorrow so we can go to the Parliament or the park again.

April 25, more delays! This morning Mihila calls us and says that we should go to the KLM office and check on changing our airplane tickets to Saturday or maybe even Tuesday because Catalina's birth certificate still isn't here. Worse than that, the man who has to send it is out of town. Great!! So we go to the KLM office to see what we can do. The lady there tells us there aren't even any seats available on Saturday. It just keeps getting better here in Bucharest. So the earliest we can leave will probably be Tuesday unless there are cancellations for Saturday's flight. On top of that it will cost us about $1,300 to change our tickets. We can't wait to get home! Mihila says we have one more option. We could leave Catalina here and Allen and I could go home on Friday as planned. Then she would bring Cata to the U.S. However, that really isn't an option for us. She is just now getting used to us. We can't leave her here with strangers and have her traumatized all over again. So that's that.

Dorin offers to take us somewhere to pass some time and we decide we would like to see the Parliament. It is a beautiful building built mostly out of marble. We enjoy the tour immensely. We then need to be at the U.S. Embassy at 1:00 p.m. to see if we can still have our appointment the next day even though we don't have Cata's birth certificate. They say it is okay. Thank goodness!

April 26, this morning we are dead tired. Someone's car alarm blared non-stop all night long. We got very little sleep. Just before 1:00 p.m. we are picked up to go to the U.S. Embassy. We wait one hour or so and then have our brief interview. This is a bit futile since we still do not have Cata's passport from Alba Iulia. We also cannot do Cata's medical exam yet - we must have at least a fax copy of her passport. Mihila hopes that we will get the fax later today and do the medical exam tomorrow. She is also hopeful of us getting the actual passport tomorrow morning and then go back to Embassy to finally get Cata's exit visa. We are cautiously optimistic. Mihila is going to contact a travel agent to try and find us a flight before Tuesday. We really want to go home. Allen is developing a great dislike for this country, too much stupidity, lack of concern, and delays due to government officials that just do not care about these children.

These adoption organizations are doing an incredibly wonderful thing by getting these children out of this country. God know how they can tolerate the incredible inefficiency of this government.

April 27, this is the day we were originally supposed to be going home. Hopefully today we can get Catalina's medical exam taken care of and then go back to the Embassy to get things finalized. Then we need something else to go right. We need to find an available flight on KLM or another airline for Saturday or Sunday or even Monday - something closer than Tuesday.

Well, things did go well today but we will have to pay another $1,300 to get home. Good thing we have a credit card! We made it to Cata's 10:00 a.m. medical appointment that Dorin got for Cata by using flattery and flowers and then we went off to the American Embassy to get Catalina's passport. That happened quickly today as there were no long lines.

Then on to a travel agency. The best we could do is leave tomorrow (Saturday) and stay the night in Frankfurt, Germany. Then the next day fly to Denver, Colorado and then to Rapid City, South Dakota. We'll take it! We can't wait any longer to get Catalina home!
April 28, we are going home today - well, at least part of the way! We have an overnight lay-over in Frankfurt, Germany. There we spend 3 hours getting a transit visa for Catalina so we can take her out of Germany tomorrow.

April 29, our trip is very long but uneventful going home - thank God! When we land in Denver, Catalina says excitedly (in her Romanian accent) "America"! This cracks up all the people near us. Finally we are home!!!

We have been home with our Catalina for about one month and all is going well. She is such a lovable and caring child. We went into this thinking that we would be doing something very special for a desperate child, but in fact, she has been a Godsend for us!!!

We would like to thank "A Child Waits" Foundation for making funds available for people like us. Without their financial help this adoption would not have been possible. These caring people deserve many thanks!

La revedere (Good-bye)
Jody, Allen and Catalina

Update - December 31, 2002

We brought Catalina home about a year and a half ago, and we have all changed so much. We also added another little girl to our family, Saisha Rachelle. We adopted Saisha from here in the states a little over a month after we brought Cata home. They are such darling sisters and such contrasts to each other. Catalina is dark skinned with big dark eyes and black hair and Saisha has blue eyes with blonde curly hair. They are both gorgeous! Catalina is a typical 5-year old from America. She likes Barbies, Shrek, popcorn and pizza. You would never know from her speech that she didn't know any English such a short time ago. Between going to preschool and having parents that are teachers, she has learned her ABC's, colors and numbers. She is right on track to go to kindergarten next year.

She is a beautiful young girl who is interested in so many things. She has taken swimming lessons for 2 summers now and swims like a fish. She also played baseball this last summer and was happiest when she was close to the action. Playing outfield was not her favorite. Right now she is taking dance lessons and boy can she move!

Catalina is such a special intelligent girl, and we are so lucky to have her in our family. Thank you once again A Child Waits for your help in getting the financial assistance we needed to be able to adopt this wonderful little miracle.

Wishing you the best,
Jody, Allen, Saisha, and Catalina