JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As they put the finishing touches on their signs, Ami and Michael Kowalski's family and friends prepared for a homecoming unlike any other at Jacksonville International Airport Monday.
After about an hour wait, they waved their signs and cheered for Ami and Michael and their newborn, Charlotte Marina Kowalski. Nearly one month ago, Ami and Michael left to bring their daughter home, born to a surrogate in Ukraine.
They've been in Michigan visiting family for the past few days.
As they carried Charlotte into her Jacksonville home for the first time Monday evening, the Kowalskis recalled what it took to get her there.
"We just essentially left it in God's hands," Ami said.
As the capitol of Kyiv came under fire, the couple raced from their Airbnb to the hospital. The trip, less than 20 miles, took four hours.
Their surrogate went into labor in a bomb shelter. She was able, though, to deliver Charlotte in a hospital room, Ami and Michael said.
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They arrived in Ukraine four to five days before Charlotte was born and said everything was normal in the city.
"We would talk to the locals and there was nothing ... we weren't worried," Michael said.
"They were like, 'We've been dealing with this for years.' Everybody was good," Ami said.
Shortly after Charlotte's birth, however, Ami and Michael had to evacuate the country. They didn't flee with just Charlotte. They brought another newborn, too, whose American parents couldn't make it to the hospital before the airstrikes.
"It's still just very surreal," Ami said.
According to the Kowalskis, the violence was intensifying right before they left, and they could see some of it from the windows in the hospital. With the help of the surrogacy agency and their nanny, Marina, they got a train out of Kyiv.
Ami and Michael chose Charlotte's middle name after Marina.
"It was a really desperate situation. There's people climbing over each other, trying to pull people out," Ami said.
"They had to stop the train a lot, especially when there were air strikes happening, and shut off the lights, and so it took a while," Michael said.
They were able to eventually deliver the other newborn to her parents in Slovakia.
"We were just a little bit nervous, but at every single turn, it's just these people came in and welcomed us and brought the babies some blankets and formula," Ami said. "Honestly, the spirit of the Ukrainian people is something that I have never experienced before."
As they traveled, Ami and Michael weren't able to access their money since ATMs didn't work. They credit the people of Ukraine with helping them escape.
"We are here and, yeah, we're really happy for that, but there's also a certain amount of guilt," Ami said. "It's just really humbling to see the sheer beauty in everything terrible that's happening. These guys are just amazing people and so strong."
The Kowalskis are now trying to help the people who helped them. They're raising money for basic necessities for those still in Ukraine.
"They're the underdog by all means, but you know what? Lots of us bet on the underdog, and we're praying for them every single day," Ami said. "In all that pain, everybody is just coming together in such a united way, and I hope as a world that we can do some more of that, because right now they really are just flying solo."
If you'd like to donate, Ami and Michael said they're sending funds via Western Union and Wise.
"We are sending funds to those that are currently still there helping other families reunite and get to safety, specifically the people who helped us and are doing the same for others, and seeking help for the refugee that helped us during the transition and is reestablishing herself in a new country where she knows no one. Just specify where you’d prefer your funds to be used when sending please," Ami said.
The Kowalskis said they're raising money through GoFundMe, as well as CashApp at username $ami614, Venmo at @Ami-Kowalski and Zelle at kowalskiami@gmail.com.