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January 15, 2003
APRIL SOUND UPBEAT
By JJB
April Sounders get bundle for Christmas
Pat and Nick Stine pose with their two new Russian grandchildren, Julia Patricia and Dimitry Nicholas. The children were adopted from separate agencies in Kemerovo by the Stine’s daughter Stacy. |
APRIL SOUND UPBEAT
Christmas had a special meaning for Pat and Nick Stine this year. They spent their holiday playing with two new grandchildren from Russia. Their daughter Stacy Stine’s love of children had taken her to Russia to adopt two children and she arrived back home in Waxahachie in time for a newly expanded family Christmas celebration. Pat and Nick are longtime April Sound residents, and Stacy visits here often.
Adopting a child from another country involves many months of paperwork and planning, but to adopt two children at one time involved double the work, but Stacy says it is all worth it. In Stacy’s case it took about a year.
Her children are Julia Patricia, 11-months, and Dimitry Nicholas, 7-months. Her son’s name was Dimitri in Russia, but she Americanized it with the “y.” That gave grandparents Pat and Nick each a grandchild to hold. The children came from different orphanages in Siberia.
Stacy made the first trip to Russia alone to meet the children, and was told to return to the U. S. to wait until all of the paper work was completed. After several weeks wait she was notified she could return for the adoptions, and this time her sister Susan Stine accompanied her to help on the return trip.
Susan said one of the first things they learned when they flew into Moscow was that it is pronounced “Mosco.” They were told there were no cows in Russia. She said the majority of the people were dressed in black or very dark clothing.
When they arrived at their final destination of Kemerovo they were met with a shock of frigid air, and everything was covered with snow and ice. Sunrise there was at 9:30 a.m. and sunset at 4:30 p.m., which took some getting used to.
They immediately noticed how little people there smiled, particularly not at strangers. Quite a contrast to Texas friendliness.
Stacy appeared before the judge of the region, who questioned her about her ability to adopt and provide for two children. She was accompanied by representatives from the orphanages, legal representatives for the two babies, a translator and her adoption facilitator. She was declared a hero for assuming the responsibility for the two children, but that word wasn’t important to Stacy. At long last she heard the words that had meaning to her when the judge said, “I pronounce you mother and parent.”
Julia and Dimitry will have dual citizenships until they are 18, and then they will chose which they wish to continue.
The sisters spent another day in Kemerovo taking the babies for passport and visa pictures, and handling yet more paperwork. Finally they made the return trip with a stay in Moscow to await their flight.
Stacy was busy with the babies, but Susan took advantage of their time in Moscow to walk to Red Square several times, took tours of the city and the Kremlin and tried out their metro system.
Now two babies who spent their life in Russian orphanages are being introduced to life on a Texas ranch. And the Stines all have something to smile about. |
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