On Wednesday we started our play time inside for a change of scenery. T typically gravitates to John and P with me so that's how the morning began. T and John were stacking blocks and putting things in and out of a bucket and generally having a good time. P and I found a toy that is a character with a hole at the top where you put a ball that then falls through a series of steps. I only had to show him 2 times and he was all about this new game. He could not get enough of it. We had little fly wheel cars that they enjoyed for a short time but they really didn't hold their attention. We also read them a book that we will be recording our voices on to leave with them at our last visit. After about 1 1/2 hours we moved outside and ended up on the lower playground as there were a lot of kids at the upper playground. They have the same equipment at both. We had the riding cars out again but they were distracted by the other kids and T would follow them with his eyes in a sad way and seemed to be wondering why he couldn't play with them. We moved over to the bench swing and I eventually got T laughing and P joined us there too. For the last 30 minutes we moved up to the other sandbox area and had a great time tossing the boys in the air and going down the slide. We fed them lunch again, which went well and then the social worker came for them. The are always happy to see her and each grab a hand and head off to nap time. We always say Ciao T! Ciao P! and usually get a little head turn and half grin from T. Today was the same. I am not looking forward to tomorrow's goodbye already...the half grin will just not be enough I am sure.
Today we got to the orphanage early, as usual, and waited in the lobby for them to come walking down the hallway. I hear the social worker and look up to see them wearing the jeans and matching striped shirts we brought for them. It is Visa picture time and boy do they look cute! T walked right over to John and grabbed his hand and started walking him down the hallway and P did the same with me...so sweet! We took them in a car, with T on a caregivers lap and P on my lap. Hopefully one of the last times they will be without a car seat. Driving in Bulgaria is a little crazy. The pictures went great and headed back for play time. We went outside to swing and right away I gave the camera to Plamena and asked her to take as many pictures as she wanted all morning. We stayed at the upper playground and went down to the end where we found all kinds of sticks and rocks and dandelions to play with. We were coloring, playing with stickers, sliding, blowing bubbles and had so much fun. It was getting warm (81 was the high today) so we moved in side and got out the play dough and colors again. At some point T found John's phone and was hilarious with it and P was busy putting things in and out of buckets again. We read them the book again, this time our voices were recorded. Hopefully that will help them remember us. We also printed out several photos from the week to add to the albums we brought along. Then it was lunch time and it was good but super messy. We cleaned up and started forcing our last minutes kisses and snuggles on them, with whispers of I love you, and Jesus loves you, and we'll be back soon sweet boys. The social worker came and off they went down the hall to the elevator each holding a hand. We gave our usual Ciao T! Ciao P! and got the little half grin as they got to the elevator. And then, T let go of the hand he was holding and with a big grin walked over to his mama and gave me the best hug. P figured he should do as brother does so he walked over to John and did the same. Then we switched and hugged and kissed and cried some more. The best goodbye I could've asked for. I am sure that there was a whisper only T could hear that sent him to my arms. God is so good.
We drove away and my silent tears and prayers fell. After a long afternoon in Varna, we took a late flight to Sofia and again I cried and prayed as the plane was taking me farther away from my boys. So thankful that they are known by Someone who will take great care of them while we are apart. Counting the days until we can return.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
My Soul is Satisfied
I am sure that I cannot capture all that we have experienced with words, but I will attempt to give you a glimpse. Our initial travel was around 16 hours and we arrived in Sofia on Sunday afternoon (Bulgaria is 7 hours ahead of Michigan). We went to claim our single checked bag and found that it had not arrived, so we were to check back Monday evening. They should be able to send it to the Varna airport for us. Our Vesta translator, Anelia picked us and 2 other couples up and drove us to exchange currency and then dropped us off at our apartment for the night. We somehow had enough energy to walk around and get some pictures of the city and the beautiful architecture. After dinner we crashed and woke at 5am for a quick breakfast and our flight to Varna. It was a short flight, we landed in less than an hour. I am happy to report that I had no major panic attacks on any of the flights. I survived the longest leg (Detroit to Paris, just under 7 hours) by watching episodes of Touch and Dexter, listened to The Avett Brothers and rounded it out with Les Mis.
We were picked up by another Vesta translator, Plamena, who is to be with us all week in Varna. This is the city the boys were born in. The weather is beautiful and we drive along the coast of the Black Sea (of course comparing to Lake Michigan). We expect to be taken to our hotel but are surprised to find that we are heading straight to the orphanage. The clock on our Monday time with them is already ticking, so off we go. We do not have any of the things that we brought for them or the Director as they are in our lost bag, so we stop at an open air market along the way and buy flowers (tulips!) for the Director. We arrive at this building that is 5 stories tall and looks a bit run down but clean on the outside. It is in a residential neighborhood close to the Black Sea. Inside we sit and wait for the Director to be ready for us. This whole experience is still very surreal. Are we truly meeting the boys in a matter of minutes? Oh my heart. We are taken to the Directors office and we have time to ask any questions we might have. We had written some down the night before, but I think we were too speechless at this point to really have any clear thoughts. As we are talking, we hear noises from the other side of the door and a child crying. The door opens and there they both stand. A sight for this mama's eyes. T is crying because he has not been in this room before, but he is quickly quieted with crackers. P is wide-eyed. They are scooped up and placed on the couch next to us, T next to John and P by my side. They are shy but do not seem afraid. I want to pull them in close, these boys, but it is too soon. We put coats on and take them out to the playground. There is a slide, sandbox, bench style swing and a swing set off to the side. Plamena is with us so she is chattering at them in Bulgarian and trying to engage them. We had her go back inside and bring out a little horse and car with wheels they could ride on the driveway with. They seemed to like this and knew how to push with their feet to move along. After about an hour they began to warm up to us. They would allow us to pick them up, hold their hands, nuzzle their necks, tickle them and we were actually getting some smiles out of them. It is a bit of work to get them to engage with us, but they do not turn us away or fuss. Their eyes are even more gigantic and beautiful than their pictures and each smile is a gift. Our time was over too quickly and we had to bring them back inside at noon. I walked in with P holding my hand (we did discover that he can walk by himself!) and John carried a snuggling T back inside. As they walked away with the social worker I could not understand what she said but I did hear her say mama and tatka (daddy). Amazing. We will see them each day from 8:30-12:30, not at all in the evening.
We had lunch with Plamena at Godzila restaurant, walked with her down to the Sea Garden (a park by the sea) and then took long naps. At 8 we were able to pick up our luggage from the airport and then we were on our own for dinner so we went back to the same restaurant we had been to in Sofia, Happy Bar and Grille...seemed fitting. This morning we were picked up promptly at 8am and headed to the orphanage. The boys were brought to us and there seemed to be recognition on their faces. T walked right over to John with no hesitation. We took them outside again and had some of the toys we brought with us. They were very quiet and again took a bit of time to warm up to us. The blow up beach ball that we thought would be a big hit was not terribly interesting to them, but a few of the other toys caught their attention. We are pretty sure they both have allergies and had some raspy breathing by the end of the morning, maybe from being outside the whole time. We do know that they each take Singulair. T was very quiet all morning and was mostly content to snuggle with John. P started vocalizing a bit and by the end of our time with them I had him saying mama and dada. Of course, da means yes in Bulgarian, so he was saying yes, yes. Before leaving we were able to feed them lunch and they are both such good eaters! As they walked away with the social worker, T looked back and gave me that sweet little smile that I already love. Tomorrow we do it all over again.
We were picked up by another Vesta translator, Plamena, who is to be with us all week in Varna. This is the city the boys were born in. The weather is beautiful and we drive along the coast of the Black Sea (of course comparing to Lake Michigan). We expect to be taken to our hotel but are surprised to find that we are heading straight to the orphanage. The clock on our Monday time with them is already ticking, so off we go. We do not have any of the things that we brought for them or the Director as they are in our lost bag, so we stop at an open air market along the way and buy flowers (tulips!) for the Director. We arrive at this building that is 5 stories tall and looks a bit run down but clean on the outside. It is in a residential neighborhood close to the Black Sea. Inside we sit and wait for the Director to be ready for us. This whole experience is still very surreal. Are we truly meeting the boys in a matter of minutes? Oh my heart. We are taken to the Directors office and we have time to ask any questions we might have. We had written some down the night before, but I think we were too speechless at this point to really have any clear thoughts. As we are talking, we hear noises from the other side of the door and a child crying. The door opens and there they both stand. A sight for this mama's eyes. T is crying because he has not been in this room before, but he is quickly quieted with crackers. P is wide-eyed. They are scooped up and placed on the couch next to us, T next to John and P by my side. They are shy but do not seem afraid. I want to pull them in close, these boys, but it is too soon. We put coats on and take them out to the playground. There is a slide, sandbox, bench style swing and a swing set off to the side. Plamena is with us so she is chattering at them in Bulgarian and trying to engage them. We had her go back inside and bring out a little horse and car with wheels they could ride on the driveway with. They seemed to like this and knew how to push with their feet to move along. After about an hour they began to warm up to us. They would allow us to pick them up, hold their hands, nuzzle their necks, tickle them and we were actually getting some smiles out of them. It is a bit of work to get them to engage with us, but they do not turn us away or fuss. Their eyes are even more gigantic and beautiful than their pictures and each smile is a gift. Our time was over too quickly and we had to bring them back inside at noon. I walked in with P holding my hand (we did discover that he can walk by himself!) and John carried a snuggling T back inside. As they walked away with the social worker I could not understand what she said but I did hear her say mama and tatka (daddy). Amazing. We will see them each day from 8:30-12:30, not at all in the evening.
We had lunch with Plamena at Godzila restaurant, walked with her down to the Sea Garden (a park by the sea) and then took long naps. At 8 we were able to pick up our luggage from the airport and then we were on our own for dinner so we went back to the same restaurant we had been to in Sofia, Happy Bar and Grille...seemed fitting. This morning we were picked up promptly at 8am and headed to the orphanage. The boys were brought to us and there seemed to be recognition on their faces. T walked right over to John with no hesitation. We took them outside again and had some of the toys we brought with us. They were very quiet and again took a bit of time to warm up to us. The blow up beach ball that we thought would be a big hit was not terribly interesting to them, but a few of the other toys caught their attention. We are pretty sure they both have allergies and had some raspy breathing by the end of the morning, maybe from being outside the whole time. We do know that they each take Singulair. T was very quiet all morning and was mostly content to snuggle with John. P started vocalizing a bit and by the end of our time with them I had him saying mama and dada. Of course, da means yes in Bulgarian, so he was saying yes, yes. Before leaving we were able to feed them lunch and they are both such good eaters! As they walked away with the social worker, T looked back and gave me that sweet little smile that I already love. Tomorrow we do it all over again.
Friday, April 19, 2013
I Am Armed!
How is it possible that we leave tomorrow already? So much waiting and then such whirlwind that brought us here. The night before we journey to meet our boys. Our clothes are packed, toys and treats for the boys, foreign currency, bible and prayer shawl, passports, dreams and hopes, all packed up and ready to go. Of course, the devil has been working overtime to steal our joy and our health and our sanity. But I am finally seeing glimpses of the husband I knew 2 weeks ago before he got sick with this spirit-draining virus. We have crazy amounts of water in our basement, but we have friends and family pitching in to take care of it. Work is ridiculous with Tulip Time on the way, but we have a fabulously competent employee (practically family) and loads of folks willing to catch and fold shirts for the next two weeks. Our community continues to be the hands and feet of Jesus for us and I know it is intercession that is getting us on that plane tomorrow. I am reminded of something we used to say at the end of every Gathering at Hope with Ben Patterson. We would stand and raise our Bibles in the air:
"This is my Bible. It is the Word of God. It is my Sword and Shield. I have what it says I have.
I am what it says I am. Devil! I am armed! And you should consider me dangerous!"
The devil will never win when God's people are gathered in His name!
We have had a few phone calls in the last week to prepare us for meeting the boys for the first time. There are 3 scenarios that our week could look like as far as how much time we get and we won't know until we get there. 1. We get a few hours in the morning and an hour in the evening. 2. We get to spend most of the day with them in and around the orphanage, 3. They bring the boys to us at the hotel and we hang out there and around the community. The 3rd option is very rare, the 2nd option is what I thought would be happening and the 1st option is the most likely. We will take what we can get and make the most of it, of course. They emphasized being flexible during the week with schedules. It is possible that we could miss time with the boys in order to do some adoption related paperwork or meeting. I do not know how much updating I can do but will do my best whenever we can find an internet connection.
I continue to pray for our hearts to begin to know each other as family. It has been my prayer for so long that I barely know what else to pray and I am not sure what else I can do to prepare to meet the boys. I can't prepare for that moment when I hear little footsteps coming down the hallway. When I see their faces. When I get a tentative smile and that dimple shows up. When I see a tear, hear a cry, a giggle. I can't prepare. I only know it will be a holy moment, no matter what it looks like, so all I can do is prepare to join God in what he is doing.
"For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted me this petition which I asked of Him." I Samuel 11:27
"This is my Bible. It is the Word of God. It is my Sword and Shield. I have what it says I have.
I am what it says I am. Devil! I am armed! And you should consider me dangerous!"
The devil will never win when God's people are gathered in His name!
We have had a few phone calls in the last week to prepare us for meeting the boys for the first time. There are 3 scenarios that our week could look like as far as how much time we get and we won't know until we get there. 1. We get a few hours in the morning and an hour in the evening. 2. We get to spend most of the day with them in and around the orphanage, 3. They bring the boys to us at the hotel and we hang out there and around the community. The 3rd option is very rare, the 2nd option is what I thought would be happening and the 1st option is the most likely. We will take what we can get and make the most of it, of course. They emphasized being flexible during the week with schedules. It is possible that we could miss time with the boys in order to do some adoption related paperwork or meeting. I do not know how much updating I can do but will do my best whenever we can find an internet connection.
I continue to pray for our hearts to begin to know each other as family. It has been my prayer for so long that I barely know what else to pray and I am not sure what else I can do to prepare to meet the boys. I can't prepare for that moment when I hear little footsteps coming down the hallway. When I see their faces. When I get a tentative smile and that dimple shows up. When I see a tear, hear a cry, a giggle. I can't prepare. I only know it will be a holy moment, no matter what it looks like, so all I can do is prepare to join God in what he is doing.
"For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted me this petition which I asked of Him." I Samuel 11:27
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Sneak peek at our travel week
This week we had our first of three phone calls with the agency preparing us for travel, the Bulgarian culture, meeting the boys for the first time, attachment and so much more. This week's phone call was just an overview of the week and what to expect (for instance, apparently everyone smokes in Bulgaria, so be prepared to smell like cigarettes). We leave Grand Rapids on Saturday April 20, flying to Detroit, then Paris and arriving in Sofia, Bulgaria on Sunday April 21 in the afternoon. We will be picked up by Stefan (AGCI/Vesta employee. Vesta is essentially the AGCI presence in Bulgaria) and he will take us to the apartment we stay in the first night. Riding with Stefan apparently could be quite the adventure as previous families have admitted to motion sickness while in his care. We have the rest of the day to unwind and rest or explore a bit of the city. Sofia is fairly westernized from what we understand (think McDonalds and Starbucks) and there are beautiful churches and other sights to see. I am guessing we will be exhausted so not too sure how much looking around we will be doing.
Monday morning we will be picked up by Stefan and our translator and fly to Varna, which is situated on the Black Sea. We will be taken to the hotel, check in, freshen up, and head to the orphanage, which is about 15 minutes away. Also, apparently in the middle of nowhere, so there will likely be no internet access all week, unless we are up in the middle of the night and get lucky enough to get a connection. We will meet and greet the Director of the orphanage (with suggested box of chocolates in hand) and the boys caregivers. And then the most surreal moment of our lives will happen when we meet our boys for the first time. They might be shy, they might not want anything to do with us, they might cry. I.will.cry. They might be curious, they might giggle. They Will Be Our Boys.
The first several hours we will be observed by the director, social worker, caregivers, janitor...a lot of people...until they are satisfied that we are not crazy and that the boys will be okay with us. We get to be with them all day, every day we are in Varna, with breaks for their naps. There is a small park we can take them to and we are encouraged to bring something different to do with them every day like colors, blocks, bubbles and anything else that might be engaging to two year olds that don't speak English and are hanging out with strangers. We were initially told that we would get to be with them in the morning and in the evening every day. We are super excited that we get full days with them, but also overwhelmed and nervous. I'm pretty sure that's normal, so I'll just go with it. And to add one more bit of craziness, we need to try and remember that nodding your head up and down means "no" and shaking your head left to right means "yes". Seriously. But we get to be with them for four days, ALL DAY. How cool is that? The first few days we will be "special friends" and then they will begin to explain to them that we will be their mama and papa. That we have to go home and get their room ready, but we will be back in a few months to take them home with us. I don't particularly like that we have to leave them for 3-4 months, it feels really cruel to say "Hi, we're your family, but we're going to leave you for a while to start out with. No big deal." I am going to have to pray into that A LOT.
Friday we may get to see them one last time in the morning and then we head back to Sofia to sign some paperwork which will get things moving in the court. We spend the night at the apartment again and the typical family heads home the next day. We will be staying until Sunday and flying to Vienna to spend a few days processing, decompressing and being tourists before flying home Thursday/Friday. And when we get home, we frantically begin to pull together everything and anything we could possibly need for them, including doctors and therapists. And did I mention the kitchen re-model we are going to attempt in between trips?
Monday morning we will be picked up by Stefan and our translator and fly to Varna, which is situated on the Black Sea. We will be taken to the hotel, check in, freshen up, and head to the orphanage, which is about 15 minutes away. Also, apparently in the middle of nowhere, so there will likely be no internet access all week, unless we are up in the middle of the night and get lucky enough to get a connection. We will meet and greet the Director of the orphanage (with suggested box of chocolates in hand) and the boys caregivers. And then the most surreal moment of our lives will happen when we meet our boys for the first time. They might be shy, they might not want anything to do with us, they might cry. I.will.cry. They might be curious, they might giggle. They Will Be Our Boys.
The first several hours we will be observed by the director, social worker, caregivers, janitor...a lot of people...until they are satisfied that we are not crazy and that the boys will be okay with us. We get to be with them all day, every day we are in Varna, with breaks for their naps. There is a small park we can take them to and we are encouraged to bring something different to do with them every day like colors, blocks, bubbles and anything else that might be engaging to two year olds that don't speak English and are hanging out with strangers. We were initially told that we would get to be with them in the morning and in the evening every day. We are super excited that we get full days with them, but also overwhelmed and nervous. I'm pretty sure that's normal, so I'll just go with it. And to add one more bit of craziness, we need to try and remember that nodding your head up and down means "no" and shaking your head left to right means "yes". Seriously. But we get to be with them for four days, ALL DAY. How cool is that? The first few days we will be "special friends" and then they will begin to explain to them that we will be their mama and papa. That we have to go home and get their room ready, but we will be back in a few months to take them home with us. I don't particularly like that we have to leave them for 3-4 months, it feels really cruel to say "Hi, we're your family, but we're going to leave you for a while to start out with. No big deal." I am going to have to pray into that A LOT.
Friday we may get to see them one last time in the morning and then we head back to Sofia to sign some paperwork which will get things moving in the court. We spend the night at the apartment again and the typical family heads home the next day. We will be staying until Sunday and flying to Vienna to spend a few days processing, decompressing and being tourists before flying home Thursday/Friday. And when we get home, we frantically begin to pull together everything and anything we could possibly need for them, including doctors and therapists. And did I mention the kitchen re-model we are going to attempt in between trips?
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Referral Hallelujahs
Before I get to the good stuff, let me bring you all up to date since my post in July. August 2012 was a "holiday" for the Bulgarian government so there were no referrals during that period. We took a trip to Washington to hang out with our dear friends the Rittons and were able to go to our agency and spend an afternoon with our caseworker Soojin Park - she is amazing! We feel so blessed to have her advocating for and walking with us and it was great to be able to meet her in person. We teased her that since she has never been to Michigan she was going to have to deliver our referral in person when it finally happened. She was very encouraging and we left feeling hopeful and more educated about the Bulgarian system. Something we learned about the orphanage system explained why many children are not referred to adoptive families until at least 18 months old. Once a child is brought to an orphanage the bio family is still able to visit and there must be 6 months with no contact before the child can be adopted by a Bulgarian family. In the next phase, 3 Bulgarian families must essentially "reject" the child before s/he can be adopted internationally. Crazy!
There was some activity with referrals between then and December and there was a brief holiday again for the government. During this waiting period, we (all families in the Bulgaria program) receive an email update every Thursday from Soojin that tells us how many families are in each stage of the adoption process, if there have been referrals and paperwork reminders. Also sometimes there are pictures of kiddos who have already found their forever families and "Gotcha Videos" (video from the day a child joins their family...you can see a bunch on youtube). We also have phone calls scheduled monthly just to touch base. We started talking about needing to renew our home study before it expires in July and the NBC (National Benefit Center, aka Immigration) updates. If our paperwork expires, we lose our spot! Also, AGCI Michigan hired a new social worker to take over for our hero, Renee, and we needed to connect with her.
January and February had no referrals until the end of February when there was finally an email (Hallelujah!) that showed 3 referrals - 2 girls and twin boys. I emailed Soojin on March 4 wondering how to reach Sarah, our new Michigan caseworker and she emailed back wondering if she could call us later to go over things. She called minutes after we got home and I grabbed one phone (land line) and John had the other so we could both be in on the conversation. She greeted us in her usual cheerful manner and then said "Well, I wish I could be there in person to give you this news..."(and John came rushing in from the kitchen with his jaw dropped to the floor, I think I was jumping around) and then she said the most amazing thing..."I am sitting here looking at pictures of two beautiful boys - twins!" I could barely process what she was saying. In fact, I have no idea what else she said except "I am emailing you their referral pictures and information. Enjoy!". We hung up and quickly got the laptop and got our first glimpse of these precious boys. Hallelujah! God is so good! We spent the next several hours on the phone with and visiting family (and nearly family) and praying with them in thanksgiving for the boys. (Did I mention that I have felt for several years now that we would get a referral for two kiddos and not just one? Hallelujah!)
Pretty quickly we had to get down to business and find an International Pediatric Adoption Specialist to consult with. AGCI provides families with a list of doctors across the country and we eventually (after a not so great first consult in Michigan) found the International Adoption Clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. They have been fabulous and thorough and realistic and encouraging. The boys were born about 2 months premature and there are some issues that go along with that. We needed to be educated so we could make an informed decision about the boys. We could choose not to parent them if we feel that we would not be a good match. The agency typically gives families 10 business days to make a decision, but extended our time since we were considering twins and also because the referral came to us sooner than expected (less than one year from the time we were "listed" with Bulgaria).
It just so happened that we were going to be in Nashville with a group of students from Hope College on an immersion trip during the time that we needed to make our decision. Over the years we had chosen not to take certain trips because we "might get a call to go to Bulgaria". When this opportunity came up we decided we were tired of saying no to things just because we "might" get a phone call. So we said yes, and surprise, we got our phone call. Imagine that! The students and Nashville were amazing and we wouldn't trade that trip for anything. We got the last piece of information from our doctor on Thurday Mar 21 and called Soojin right away from outside a restaurant to tell her that we ABSOLUTELY wanted to create a family with the boys. Hallelujah! We ran back inside to 10 pairs of expectant eyes looking at us and waiting for the good news. It was so fun to be able to share that moment with them!! We were so excited we had to continue the celebration at The Pied Piper Ice Creamery!
Since we have been home from Nashville (March 23) it has been a whirlwind of sharing our news and LOTS of paperwork. Turns out we get to make our first trip to Bulgaria in 2 weeks. Wait, what? WE ARE MEETING OUR SONS IN 2 WEEKS PEOPLE!!!!! My soul wells up with Hallelujahs!
There was some activity with referrals between then and December and there was a brief holiday again for the government. During this waiting period, we (all families in the Bulgaria program) receive an email update every Thursday from Soojin that tells us how many families are in each stage of the adoption process, if there have been referrals and paperwork reminders. Also sometimes there are pictures of kiddos who have already found their forever families and "Gotcha Videos" (video from the day a child joins their family...you can see a bunch on youtube). We also have phone calls scheduled monthly just to touch base. We started talking about needing to renew our home study before it expires in July and the NBC (National Benefit Center, aka Immigration) updates. If our paperwork expires, we lose our spot! Also, AGCI Michigan hired a new social worker to take over for our hero, Renee, and we needed to connect with her.
January and February had no referrals until the end of February when there was finally an email (Hallelujah!) that showed 3 referrals - 2 girls and twin boys. I emailed Soojin on March 4 wondering how to reach Sarah, our new Michigan caseworker and she emailed back wondering if she could call us later to go over things. She called minutes after we got home and I grabbed one phone (land line) and John had the other so we could both be in on the conversation. She greeted us in her usual cheerful manner and then said "Well, I wish I could be there in person to give you this news..."(and John came rushing in from the kitchen with his jaw dropped to the floor, I think I was jumping around) and then she said the most amazing thing..."I am sitting here looking at pictures of two beautiful boys - twins!" I could barely process what she was saying. In fact, I have no idea what else she said except "I am emailing you their referral pictures and information. Enjoy!". We hung up and quickly got the laptop and got our first glimpse of these precious boys. Hallelujah! God is so good! We spent the next several hours on the phone with and visiting family (and nearly family) and praying with them in thanksgiving for the boys. (Did I mention that I have felt for several years now that we would get a referral for two kiddos and not just one? Hallelujah!)
Pretty quickly we had to get down to business and find an International Pediatric Adoption Specialist to consult with. AGCI provides families with a list of doctors across the country and we eventually (after a not so great first consult in Michigan) found the International Adoption Clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. They have been fabulous and thorough and realistic and encouraging. The boys were born about 2 months premature and there are some issues that go along with that. We needed to be educated so we could make an informed decision about the boys. We could choose not to parent them if we feel that we would not be a good match. The agency typically gives families 10 business days to make a decision, but extended our time since we were considering twins and also because the referral came to us sooner than expected (less than one year from the time we were "listed" with Bulgaria).
It just so happened that we were going to be in Nashville with a group of students from Hope College on an immersion trip during the time that we needed to make our decision. Over the years we had chosen not to take certain trips because we "might get a call to go to Bulgaria". When this opportunity came up we decided we were tired of saying no to things just because we "might" get a phone call. So we said yes, and surprise, we got our phone call. Imagine that! The students and Nashville were amazing and we wouldn't trade that trip for anything. We got the last piece of information from our doctor on Thurday Mar 21 and called Soojin right away from outside a restaurant to tell her that we ABSOLUTELY wanted to create a family with the boys. Hallelujah! We ran back inside to 10 pairs of expectant eyes looking at us and waiting for the good news. It was so fun to be able to share that moment with them!! We were so excited we had to continue the celebration at The Pied Piper Ice Creamery!
Since we have been home from Nashville (March 23) it has been a whirlwind of sharing our news and LOTS of paperwork. Turns out we get to make our first trip to Bulgaria in 2 weeks. Wait, what? WE ARE MEETING OUR SONS IN 2 WEEKS PEOPLE!!!!! My soul wells up with Hallelujahs!
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