OFFICIAL GOTCHA DAY

FINALLY, I was able to pick Kolya up from the orphanage and bring him with me!  He is just the sweetest thing!  (At least, for now... :o))

But first, there was -- yesterday.  One of the longest days EVER.  We thought we would be able to get Kolya yesterday, since it was the 11th day after the court hearing, and we would have the final adoption decree.  The translator and I left the apartment at 8:00 a.m. to go pick it up.  No problems there at all.  We had 15 certified copies of the decree in hand by 9:30, or so.  The orphanage director would not let him go without the new birth certificate.  No problem, we thought.  We'll just go get it and bring it to her and then get him. 
Kolya's hometown is an hour's drive from the orphanage (and the orphanage is 25-30 minutes from the city where I'm staying).  The facilitator and I left the orphanage at 11:00 to go there.  We found the correct office building, and spoke to the woman in charge.  After about 30-40 minutes there, she told us that their particular office has a requirement that every single page of my passport be translated, including every visa stamp in it!  Apparently, this is absolutely unheard of.  She also didn't like the way the court decree was written to include David's name in it as the father, as the judge himself stated to put in the decree.  (I think I've explained previously that David can't adopt here, and will have to do so at home.)  We had to go back to the region so that the facilitator could do the translation and get it notarized.  She also pulled a few strings...  I hung out at the orphanage with another family and Kolya until she was finished with the translation.  By the time we returned to the office to get the birth certificate, it was 4:25 p.m.  Of course, they close at 5, so a few more strings had to be pulled (perhaps you can guess which ones???), and three of the ladies there stayed to finish up my case.  We left there after 5:30 p.m., but had the birth certificate in hand.  Of course, the orphanage offices were closed...
We made it back to the city at 7:00, and were STARVING!
We joined the translator and the other family and we all walked to a nice Georgian restaurant for dinner.  We had a very nice time, and stayed there until around 10:00.  Dinner was really good, and so was the company.  A very enjoyable evening.  Best of all, I had my birth certificate.

We left the apartment today at 9:00 a.m.  We were supposed to leave at 8:30.  Don't know what held up the translator; packing, I suspect.  She had been staying with the other family, but they decided to leave the region tonight to go back to the capital.  Anyway, we hung out at the orphanage while the translator went to pick up extra copies of the new and improved version of the court decree.  When she arrived with those, I was called into the office to sign Kolya out of the orphanage officially.  [MORE LATER.  IT'S BEDTIME, AND MY BOY WANTS TO CUDDLE!!! AWWWWW!!! ]