Short and sweet!

We are in Bulgaria, having a great time when we're with him and a less than fabulous time recovering from leaving him. We'll do a more in-depth post soon. (we hope!)

He is amazing! A lot like Tam... and a bunch different too. He'll fit in really well!

We dealt with our first 'ne' (no) today - not as smooth as being just the awesome people who played with him yesterday. But most of the day was still incredible - playing, drawing, running, beginning to trust being in our arms, etc. Leaving at lunch time was rough - he puts so much expression into his face since his speech is lagging. But that was NOTHING compared to the cataclysm of leaving tonight. He wailed and cried loud enough for us to hear outside, at the street, with the doors closed. They are even new doors; they seal well. The director of the orphanage came with us to show our translator where the other two local orphanages are in this area and told us that Nikolas hadn't shown any emotion since he'd been there - 5 months +. We are still pretty emotionally fragile about it - as Donna sniffles proofreading this...

Okay, more than sniffles! :( But it's great that we're making such strides!

And he said "Thank you" today, not in Bulgarian, in ENGLISH! This is absolutely HUGE - size of the Earth HUGE! since everyone has a hard time understanding the 2-3 word phrases he uses in Bulgarian. He still does a fair bit of "goo goo ga ga" vocalizing (Bulgarian version). He knows quite a few words in BG, but says very little. Donna made the breakthrough by exchanging 8 jars of Play Do with him, each time saying "Thank you". They just kept going, and he started to murmur it, and it got stronger and stronger until our translator heard him clearly from across the room. The orphanage's nurse came in and told him to say it for her, and he wouldn't. Once she stopped talking, and Donna started in again, he said it several times, each time super clear.

This has enormous ramifications for his ability to adapt to his new life - with Tam and the rest of us talkers.

He eats very steadily - not fast, but he is very thorough - no bit of apple went to waste - we had to take the stem away early on and eventually the center. He is going to push it though - he tries to get us to do things that he knows he should do - take his bowl and cup to the kitchen, throw out his used kleenex, etc. And he loves to make us laugh - sound like anyone else? I can see the dueling comedic sons now...

He is still working on the potty - no accidents while we are around - and a diaper at nap and at night.

I'll stop here. More later- probably much more...

One more time?

Having been denied by a once every 200 years occurrence meshed with a "just right" wind in the northern Europe route to our boy, we took a break from our more faith based approach and tried like crazy to get to him anyway. And all it did was show us that trying for too much control will just make us crazy. Or completely bankrupt us (some individual coach tickets were going for $16k) And that we should plan on our trip through southern Europe. We almost went to Istanbul (not Constantinople!) and took a short hop to Sofia. But cooler heads prevailed and sooooo...

One week from our original planned departure, we will leave from Miami and fly through Rome. And we'll get to see a friend's home and maybe play in the sand on Saturday morning! Just playing the odds that the plume will either subside some or not get that far south. We will come back through France, a week later, so we're REALLY hopeful either the eruption will calm down or the winds will shift or both.

We really, really want to thank everyone who wished us well, was disappointed with us, and supported us. We'll pack it all up again in 6 days! and hopefully Tam will feel better by then - sinus drainage and sleep interruptions make for a less-than-happy boy :(

Flight canceled

Heartbroken!!

We are trying to make other arrangements, but it is not looking good.

Does anyone know the amount of time you are required to stay in county??

The unexpected..

In adoption we have come to expect the unexpected!
BUT!!!!
I never thought that a volcano would be standing in the way of us meeting D for the first time. I have been watching the growing number of airports closing. With every new one I get a sick feeling. Here is what I got from Lufthansa's website...The important part for us is that as of right now Munich is still OPEN! Which makes me very nervous about flying to Germany with all other airports around them closed. But that is a whole other issue. We are suppose to leave tomorrow. Please pray that it stays that way and for our safe journey! We have waited since Jan.22 to see our son.

Volcanic eruption causes irregularities in flight operations

Last update: 16th April, 10:05 UTC
Please read the latest updates on the flight status here on this page.

In the wake of the volcanic eruption in Iceland large sections of the airspace and many airports in Central and Northern Europe have been closed by the air safety authorities.

Like all other airlines, Lufthansa must comply with directives issued by ministries and air traffic control. Many European airports have closed. All German airports except for Munich are closed until 6 p.m. UTC. All arrivals and departures there have been canceled in those airports. Passengers who have booked flights from the above-mentioned airports are requested not to travel to the airport and to keep up-to-date with the status of their flights via:

"in process"

USCIS received our I800 on April 5th. We received a letter today saying that we were "in process." It only took 7 days. One step closer....

The time is almost here for us to meet our son. We fly out Saturday night!! We are ready to make this trip so we can get back and let the paperwork start rolling again. We have no idea when we will travel back. The summer break could slow us down:(
The only part of the trip that I am not looking forward to is leaving Tam. He will be in good hands, but they will not be mine!

Easter 2010

There was so much going on - and there was a little awesome story in Tam's behavior. After the intense egg hunt (pictures on Picasa), we returned to the row of inflatables. We had a solemn moment or two, while Tam contemplated the awesome nature of what was to come. Then a band starts playing, and, well, if you have to wait in line, you really should DANCE! Then came the climb. Intensity returns. Extreme focus and determination to reach the next stage.

Once the grandparents come back from vacation, we should have video of the slide. Sorry for the teaser!
Have you ever climbed stairs, each one half your height, for a total of 7-10 times your height? Let's just say that little shorts that cling to your non-existent butt and hamper you getting your leg up higher than your hips only make you cuter.

Some progress...

YAY! YAY!

Our I800 package shipped tonight. Now we wait to see if the NBC(National benefits center) will adjudicate it favorably without asking for additional documentation. Not sure how long this part of the process takes, but am hoping to find out soon. I wait easier if I have a time line!

I was asked a very good question. Why are we able to file our I800 before we leave on our first trip?
I don't think this is normal, but we have been approved by the MOJ since Jan.21. We have waited almost 12 weeks for our 1st trip. It seems that other families are traveling around week 4-6 for their first trip. The MOJ generates reports that are needed for the I800 to be submitted. It takes about 6-8weeks for this to happen. So if people have already traveled they would start their I800 after they get back. There is a bit of risk starting the I800 before we meet our son. The I800 is child specific so if something were to happen we would have to re-do our I800A and I800. A risk that we have no problem taking. He is our son! So I think it comes down to how long it has taken to travel for the 1st trip. I would love to hear if anyone else has done it.
Happy Easter!