In just a few hours our son, Ethan will be in his orphanage-asleep as the calendars will change to 2012 on all of the computers. What will that mean for him?
I see the hundreds of little boys and little girls with special needs in Eastern European countries who some have turned seven, eight, ten, eleven and even fifteen years old and they have never known what it was like to have a Mommy and a Daddy and my heart breaks. I still cannot fathom that Ethan is going to be our SON....he is going to be with us for the rest of our days on earth! He is going to be a brother, a son, an uncle (someday), a cousin, a nephew, a grandson, a great grandson, a friend, a best friend, and who knows what else all because he will be a Lindquist in 2012!
My heart breaks that there aren't more children becoming Smith's, Jone's, etc.... becoming a son or a daughter and then becoming a bigger part of a family's life, a friend's life, or a neighborhood's life or a church's life. THOSE people's lives will then be changed forever because they will have been impacted by YOUR son or daughter!
I KNOW our son has ALREADY changed lives in HUGE ways...he has brought friendships together, he has brought compassion to people's hearts, he has even brought a marriage about-not kidding!!! Maybe i will tell you about that at another time. Our son Ethan has been blessed with so many gifts, abilities, and i cannot wait to hold him, love him, care for him, and let him know that HE IS A HUGE BLESSING!!!
I CANNOT WAIT FOR 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will welcome him with open arms that WILL NOT LET HIM GO in 2012 and a few months later we will be introducing him to his EXTENDED FAMILY at our bi-annual family reunion where he will meet his great aunts and uncles and his great grandma and his second cousins and be loved on and cared about!
Yes, i know that all will NOT be easy, carefree and full of sweetness and candy canes BUT i DO know that i serve a God (who is Jesus Christ my Lord) who will be with me, my husband, our children, our family, our church family, our extended family and He will get us through those tough days, weeks, months and even years if it must be. I KNOW that we will have people who will say "tsk tsk tsk...we warned you...we told you you shouldn't have" BUT I ALSO KNOW that we will have people who will say..."WE ARE HERE" "WHAT CAN I DO?" "I AM PRAYING" "LET ME HELP" and we will ALWAYS ALWAYS be blessed!!!
I pray that you will live this year in such a way that you will KNOW that you are living an adventure that you could NOT live without FAITH in a MIGHTY God....the ONLY way that i want to live!!! SCARY....YES!!! WORTH IT....YES!!!!
ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
TAX EXEMPTION GIFTS
Just to let you know if you would like to donate a tax-free donation...just click onto our DONATION spot on our blog and give generously! WE will still be needing to pay for three plane tickets-ONE for a one-way ticket;) Our hotel costs will be more than last visit as there will be three of us and it will be at the more expensive hotel (not expensive by any means but more than what we paid last time), food costs, $5,000 final fee for our adoption agency plus who knows what else yet BUT that is what i KNOW! Thank you SO VERY much for your generosity already! We thank God for all of your involvement! ESPECIALLY your PRAYERS!!!! ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Being home without our son
Well, it stinks! Yep, it is so hard to have him there and us here and all of the paperwork in between!
Our time with Ethan was incredible! Our time with him was full of bonding, kisses, running after his busy little body, cuddling, singing, playing Mega Blocks- a LOT, more kisses & cuddling, chasing his adorable little self all over the big open room, throwing him in the air, taking him to the city so he could have his picture for his Visa/Passport, a Christmas party for the children at the orphanage-complete with simple presents & a Santa, more cuddling & singing & then the last kisses and cuddling as i walked him down the long hallway and handed him to his social worker for the last time!
IDK if it is because i didn't get much sleep in BG, the smoking that i am allergic to & is in every restaurant, jet lag, emotional exhaustion, or what but i have not been this completely wiped out....i don't know when the last time was. I feel like i could sleep all day and even struggle to stay awake if i sit down for too long BUT THEN i get into bed & i don't sleep well & can only sleep a short time & awaken with a headache that won't go away and feeling like i have a sinus infection but again it could be the second hand smoke or lack of sleep from last week. PLEASE PRAY that my body will meet the new time schedule REALLY soon! I have lots to do!!!
May i tell you that our son is worth every penny saved, every wide awake moment, every fund raiser given, every fear spoken, every piece of paperwork done, every FB post written, every moment spent trying to let others know of our love and trying to explain the unexplainable!!! WE LOVE ETHAN...a boy whom we had never met until last week, a little boy with DS who is unwanted in his own country, a little boy who would never know what it is like to be in a HOME with a family to call his own...until a few months from now when he comes into our home...into our family...into our lives....into our group of friends....into our extended family...into our church family...into a whole new world. I was told that there are hundreds of thousands of 'typical' Bulgari@ns who would do almost anything to be given the chance that Ethan will be given and we are so grateful that out of all of the Bulga#ians God chose him for us! He even looks like our family.
I know that the Lord will stretch me, each member of our family, our extended family, friends and even people that we don't even know because of our Ethan. I pray that there will be other children that will be adopted because of our son! I pray that people will change their opinions of children with DS. I pray that compassion will be started in someone's life that wouldn't have started without them meeting our son and his family!
Am i missing our son...incredibly! Are we ready for him to be here...are you kidding---do you recall that we have five DAUGHTERS with whom i have never had to 'child-proof' our house and he is used to living in an orphanage with big huge rooms with not much of anything in the room....NO! Would we take him in the morning if we could...YES!!!
I guess this post is just to let you all know that all of what you have been reading ...well, it's worth every bit of it for our Ethan!!! PLEASE keep praying for our family through this WHOLE adoption! We are ALWAYS BLESSED!!!! Lovingly, Connie for the crew
Our time with Ethan was incredible! Our time with him was full of bonding, kisses, running after his busy little body, cuddling, singing, playing Mega Blocks- a LOT, more kisses & cuddling, chasing his adorable little self all over the big open room, throwing him in the air, taking him to the city so he could have his picture for his Visa/Passport, a Christmas party for the children at the orphanage-complete with simple presents & a Santa, more cuddling & singing & then the last kisses and cuddling as i walked him down the long hallway and handed him to his social worker for the last time!
IDK if it is because i didn't get much sleep in BG, the smoking that i am allergic to & is in every restaurant, jet lag, emotional exhaustion, or what but i have not been this completely wiped out....i don't know when the last time was. I feel like i could sleep all day and even struggle to stay awake if i sit down for too long BUT THEN i get into bed & i don't sleep well & can only sleep a short time & awaken with a headache that won't go away and feeling like i have a sinus infection but again it could be the second hand smoke or lack of sleep from last week. PLEASE PRAY that my body will meet the new time schedule REALLY soon! I have lots to do!!!
May i tell you that our son is worth every penny saved, every wide awake moment, every fund raiser given, every fear spoken, every piece of paperwork done, every FB post written, every moment spent trying to let others know of our love and trying to explain the unexplainable!!! WE LOVE ETHAN...a boy whom we had never met until last week, a little boy with DS who is unwanted in his own country, a little boy who would never know what it is like to be in a HOME with a family to call his own...until a few months from now when he comes into our home...into our family...into our lives....into our group of friends....into our extended family...into our church family...into a whole new world. I was told that there are hundreds of thousands of 'typical' Bulgari@ns who would do almost anything to be given the chance that Ethan will be given and we are so grateful that out of all of the Bulga#ians God chose him for us! He even looks like our family.
I know that the Lord will stretch me, each member of our family, our extended family, friends and even people that we don't even know because of our Ethan. I pray that there will be other children that will be adopted because of our son! I pray that people will change their opinions of children with DS. I pray that compassion will be started in someone's life that wouldn't have started without them meeting our son and his family!
Am i missing our son...incredibly! Are we ready for him to be here...are you kidding---do you recall that we have five DAUGHTERS with whom i have never had to 'child-proof' our house and he is used to living in an orphanage with big huge rooms with not much of anything in the room....NO! Would we take him in the morning if we could...YES!!!
I guess this post is just to let you all know that all of what you have been reading ...well, it's worth every bit of it for our Ethan!!! PLEASE keep praying for our family through this WHOLE adoption! We are ALWAYS BLESSED!!!! Lovingly, Connie for the crew
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Our last time with Ethan this first trip-have Puffs
This morning i did the hardest thing that i have ever done in my life. Our time with Ethan was extremely short today as we were invited WITHOUT A CAMERA into the Christmas party for the orphanage children. My heart would have loved to have brought four more home...precious children were in that room. Ethan walked into the room and we were standing right inside the doorway. They handed him right to me. He was a HUGE handful today and was one of the only ones to struggle to sit still while there was music and a skit. I KNEW that the children had to have music time as he has been very melodic in his 'babblings'. Today, there was definitely proof of it as they had music going on a cd or something and i watched the eldest girl in the room sing every word. There were two older children, the one girl and the other a boy....who appeared to be missing his hands and issues with his legs...his face had a skin issue...he appeared to be shy but he did speak in front of the whole place using his memory. The little girl LOVED to sing and she would sneak smiles at me often. She LOVED that i was watching her. My guess was that she was about 7-9 years of age and that he was about 8-10.
The other children shocked me as they did a performance with children VERY young or else they were just VERY small for their age but they put on a full blown performance of music with actions! I was completely surprised and thought that our children at our church would not even be able to perform that well at this age. This whole time, i was trying to hold onto Ethan and he was really struggling. THEN "Santa Claus" walked in with presents....it got his attention for maybe ten SECONDS! When there was a musical performance later on, Ethan had to be shushed by me and he would not stop so i had to stand with him but even then he was just not like the other days. It was as if he wanted to be in the other room playing with the Mega Blocks which were right in the next room over. He was VERY restless, to the point of where i finally had to give up and give him to Scott so i could hold a precious little girl who is being adopted by a friend of mine. Her hair was black as night, as well as her eyes. She is a sweet, quiet, tender, loving soul who has CP. She looks into your eyes with this look that makes you melt. She is treated with such tenderness. I was able to hold her for a very extended period of time. Ethan's real name was called by the S.C. and so they wanted me to bring him up...i went to put the little girl onto a chair and i saw three different workers flinch or reach quickly to take her as i think that they are very careful with her. I lovingly handed her to one of the workers and took Ethan to SC. The person who had been taking pictures was not there and i was disappointed as i was hoping to have one. I gave Ethan back to Scott and picked up the little girl again...soon after, her name was called and they again wanted me to bring her up so i did and held HER as she got HER picture taken...i was so excited to do that for my friend!!! This little girl is going to melt her Mommy's life as soon as she meets her...oh my....such trust, such yearning to be loved and cared for, such a sweet sweet spirit about her.
I had to give her to someone so i could take Ethan again. We then were told that we could go in the next room where we normally were. We had gotten there over fifteen minutes late as the snow was so bad that we had to wait for the snow plow to dirt and plow the road before we could go up the road...i watched those precious fifteen minutes tick away and my heart was yearning to get out of the van and just run the mile to the orphanage!
We would only get to see our son from 10-11:30am...Monday through Thursday and 4-6 Monday through Wednesday...that is it and today we only had about thirty minutes with him in the room.
Ethan was really out of control today and i can't imagine if he had been cuddly as to how much harder it would have made it for me. I felt helpless, useless, incapable, and scared that i wouldn't be able to do this for 24/7 and in that same breath KNOWING that i didn't care if he was like this 24/7... that i would learn...my love is so full for him. He pulled my hair at the roots again and he gets it in their so i can't get his hand out so IDK what i will do if and WHEN it happens when i am alone. He was reckless and BUSY today so there was really no cuddle time at all...i so badly needed it and wanted it today.
It felt like in moments from getting into the room, they came to get him for the last time. I immediately turned away from them (as they were fine with that) and cuddled his wiggly body close and covered him in kisses telling him how much i loved him...oh how i just wanted to bring him home but i let Scott hold him while i got my stuff together...hoping that they would let me hold him again. I knew that the worker liked me as i liked her a lot. We got our stuff together and i went and kissed his little neck, cheek and nose again. I think i got him again and then gave him back but then "i saw that her hands were really full" so i asked if i could take him and she let me carry him to the door....where we said CHOW for the very last time this year. My eyes started filling with tears as i put my hand on the worker's face and told her thank you with the look on my face that meant it with every fiber of my being.....thank you for loving my son....thank you for caring for him...thank you for allowing me to bring him to the door...thank you for your tenderness with him...thank you....as she went around the corner, i tried to hold it together but then i turned and saw Toni who said with such tenderness in her voice, "Oh i know this is so hard" to which i started weeping and didn't stop for over thirty minutes in the van...i went from quietly sobbing to quietly weeping to quietly having tears go down my face...even shocking me as to their being there. I thought that my heart could not survive such a ripping away but it has.
I am going to have to "Ethan - proof" our ENTIRE house as he is going to be a HUGE HUGE handful. We will have issues with a lot of things...just because he is a boy but also because he does have some bad issues. I think that we will learn a lot though as to what triggers his craziness. As it could just be that he is all boy! BUSY BUSY BUSY!!! I am concerned about him staying in his crib once he wakes up as we saw that the child can climb anything that is climbable! He is also the most curious little boy ever. He also will eat ANYTHING in sight...including paper and banana peel and that is just what we observed on our short stays.
I am head over heels in love with a little boy with Down Syndrome who looks as if he had been born from my womb. He looks like a mixture of our girls and fits in beautifully into our family. Almost as if he had been planned on for being into the Lindquist household from the beginning of time!
I am falling asleep at the computer so should go...hoping to put up pictures, if i can make it but otherwise know that i am ALWAYS BLESSED! Love, Connie for the crew
The other children shocked me as they did a performance with children VERY young or else they were just VERY small for their age but they put on a full blown performance of music with actions! I was completely surprised and thought that our children at our church would not even be able to perform that well at this age. This whole time, i was trying to hold onto Ethan and he was really struggling. THEN "Santa Claus" walked in with presents....it got his attention for maybe ten SECONDS! When there was a musical performance later on, Ethan had to be shushed by me and he would not stop so i had to stand with him but even then he was just not like the other days. It was as if he wanted to be in the other room playing with the Mega Blocks which were right in the next room over. He was VERY restless, to the point of where i finally had to give up and give him to Scott so i could hold a precious little girl who is being adopted by a friend of mine. Her hair was black as night, as well as her eyes. She is a sweet, quiet, tender, loving soul who has CP. She looks into your eyes with this look that makes you melt. She is treated with such tenderness. I was able to hold her for a very extended period of time. Ethan's real name was called by the S.C. and so they wanted me to bring him up...i went to put the little girl onto a chair and i saw three different workers flinch or reach quickly to take her as i think that they are very careful with her. I lovingly handed her to one of the workers and took Ethan to SC. The person who had been taking pictures was not there and i was disappointed as i was hoping to have one. I gave Ethan back to Scott and picked up the little girl again...soon after, her name was called and they again wanted me to bring her up so i did and held HER as she got HER picture taken...i was so excited to do that for my friend!!! This little girl is going to melt her Mommy's life as soon as she meets her...oh my....such trust, such yearning to be loved and cared for, such a sweet sweet spirit about her.
I had to give her to someone so i could take Ethan again. We then were told that we could go in the next room where we normally were. We had gotten there over fifteen minutes late as the snow was so bad that we had to wait for the snow plow to dirt and plow the road before we could go up the road...i watched those precious fifteen minutes tick away and my heart was yearning to get out of the van and just run the mile to the orphanage!
We would only get to see our son from 10-11:30am...Monday through Thursday and 4-6 Monday through Wednesday...that is it and today we only had about thirty minutes with him in the room.
Ethan was really out of control today and i can't imagine if he had been cuddly as to how much harder it would have made it for me. I felt helpless, useless, incapable, and scared that i wouldn't be able to do this for 24/7 and in that same breath KNOWING that i didn't care if he was like this 24/7... that i would learn...my love is so full for him. He pulled my hair at the roots again and he gets it in their so i can't get his hand out so IDK what i will do if and WHEN it happens when i am alone. He was reckless and BUSY today so there was really no cuddle time at all...i so badly needed it and wanted it today.
It felt like in moments from getting into the room, they came to get him for the last time. I immediately turned away from them (as they were fine with that) and cuddled his wiggly body close and covered him in kisses telling him how much i loved him...oh how i just wanted to bring him home but i let Scott hold him while i got my stuff together...hoping that they would let me hold him again. I knew that the worker liked me as i liked her a lot. We got our stuff together and i went and kissed his little neck, cheek and nose again. I think i got him again and then gave him back but then "i saw that her hands were really full" so i asked if i could take him and she let me carry him to the door....where we said CHOW for the very last time this year. My eyes started filling with tears as i put my hand on the worker's face and told her thank you with the look on my face that meant it with every fiber of my being.....thank you for loving my son....thank you for caring for him...thank you for allowing me to bring him to the door...thank you for your tenderness with him...thank you....as she went around the corner, i tried to hold it together but then i turned and saw Toni who said with such tenderness in her voice, "Oh i know this is so hard" to which i started weeping and didn't stop for over thirty minutes in the van...i went from quietly sobbing to quietly weeping to quietly having tears go down my face...even shocking me as to their being there. I thought that my heart could not survive such a ripping away but it has.
I am going to have to "Ethan - proof" our ENTIRE house as he is going to be a HUGE HUGE handful. We will have issues with a lot of things...just because he is a boy but also because he does have some bad issues. I think that we will learn a lot though as to what triggers his craziness. As it could just be that he is all boy! BUSY BUSY BUSY!!! I am concerned about him staying in his crib once he wakes up as we saw that the child can climb anything that is climbable! He is also the most curious little boy ever. He also will eat ANYTHING in sight...including paper and banana peel and that is just what we observed on our short stays.
I am head over heels in love with a little boy with Down Syndrome who looks as if he had been born from my womb. He looks like a mixture of our girls and fits in beautifully into our family. Almost as if he had been planned on for being into the Lindquist household from the beginning of time!
I am falling asleep at the computer so should go...hoping to put up pictures, if i can make it but otherwise know that i am ALWAYS BLESSED! Love, Connie for the crew
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Yesterday afternoon-finally caught up!!!! WHEW!
When we got back to the B & B, we immediately went to our room, each used the bathrooms, Scott went straight to bed and i grabbed the computer, my water and two Lindt chocolates and went down to their Cafe for the internet capability.
The whole time was spent uploading pictures, writing blogs, captioning the pictures and reading all of what people wrote. It has been so fun...i come onto FB and FB can't even let me see all of what people said because it obviously doesn't go over the number 99 messages and every time that is what i come on to. SO fun to share this JOY with all of you!
Other than RUNNING up to the room twice to use the bathroom...i used every precious moment to write and get up pictures...left time to get the computer hooked up to fill with battery while we are gone, potty, change from slippers to shoes, make sure we have everything and off we went back to the orphanage!
This time our afternoon visit was actually early instead of late! Again, i was eager to see our Ethan and this time they met us AT THE FRONT DOOR!!! I smothered him in kisses oblivious to the fact that in the next doorway to their "lobby" was a room with a dozen teenage girls all staring at me kissing our son to pieces. When i did walk into the lobby, i didn't care that they were there...i just kept smothering him in kisses as he just was eating it up. When i finally did notice, i noticed that there were looks of absolute awe to sweet faces to fascination. SO then i was PROUD of kissing him...THIS IS OUR SON!!!! Wooohoot!!!!
We then went into the play room with him. Again, i took off his COAT. Underneath his coat, he had the cutest outfit EVER...i HAVE to find him an outfit just like it because it was the cutest thing EVER on him...NONE of the pictures did it justice! It was a wool flannel shirt and as the visit went along i realized that he also had on a cream turtleneck and then a little later i realized that he also had on a shirt and another shirt...and he was not hot.....i then was hit with the fact that our son's floor is probably VERY cold. When we arrived to the orphanage yesterday afternoon i could hear Ethan plain as day. I could also hear the workers and other children as if there was a window open which led to me to search for the open window. Mind you it is Winter here and it was getting chilly...probably in the mid 30's at that time. Then i saw them....in a very quick moment i saw three different windows without glass. There was a wooden frame around them with a thick shiny clothlike stuff covering the window but it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was time to go in but in my mind i wondered about windows. THEN when i saw our Ethan...it all came together...UGH...i wish that there was something that we could do NOW! I will see....
Anyway, our Ethan's outfit had me talking a LOT about how i needed to get one exactly like it. He was breathtaking in it. He was precious and adorable and kissable and mellow. We noticed that he was more relaxed than he had been. The worker was all excited as she spoke with Toni (they usually do for a few minutes and then leave us) and i could tell that she was really worked up. She was telling TOni that Ethan was very sad that we had left and that he kept on looking for us...tears....uffda...ok, and that he struggled to take his nap because he wanted his Momma! Tears again...Writing these blogs have brought the first tears so far...as i know that it is getting close to when we will need to say good-bye and that time we won't be back in the afternoon to assure him that we are here and we love him....and he will have to wait for four long MONTHS!! OK...i can't see anymore.......WHEW! Ok....she said that he finally fell asleep but he missed us. It made me kiss him and cuddle him all the more. Scott finally had to tell me to let him down...
WHen i did...he didn't want me to SO i let him stay in my arms! Such precious times! He played a lot more focused last night. He played with the Mega Blocks for at least HALF of our time. The rest of the time he played with a red musical toy that had little notes and then it also had animals on it that had a bear that sounded like a frog. He wanted to do it and he wanted to learn and he stayed at that toy for a very long time. There were times when he would get frustrated and he would bang it and whip it so it would have hurt someone very badly if they had been in the way but we tried to calm him and told him NAY whenever he would get that way. He also did NOT want to share with Scott so we know that both Sophina and Ethan will have some learning to do with that area. He was getting frustrated after over thirty minutes of playing with it so i took him out for some calming cuddling Momma time. I don't remember if i danced and sang with him then or not but i DID do it often...he LOVES it and i LOVE doing it so it works;)
Ethan seemed very comfortable with Scott now and he enjoyed playing with his Daddy. Scott really wanted Ethan to play and feel more things but Ethan was really content with just a few items. We saw a top that was amazingly wonderful and i am sure it was old. When we pushed it up and down it would have the train go round and round and it would make the noises (very real sounding too) of the train. We again showed Ethan how to do it and again he picked it up quickly. Again, it was a toy that he played with for about thirty minutes but this toy kept going into his mouth...the whole top of the the part that you push went ALL the way into his mouth SO Momma got to have cuddle time again...singing again.
We sang Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Joy to the World, Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Holy Night, Only a Boy Named David, This Little Light of Mine, and more...of course, not all at one time but throughout the day and night. He LOVES music and he is very melodic when he babbles...almost as if he is singing a song. I cherish these times the most. He just melts his body into mine....and then just when i think he is mellowed out he whips back and quickly grabs my glasses in a grip that at some points had to have three adults working on getting them loose ;) HE HATES glasses on ANYONE! SO definitely a prayer request there as he will be HAVING to wear glasses!
The rest of our time with Ethan...for way over an hour was Ethan and Scott or i playing Mega Blocks and he absolutely amazed us as he concentrated and worked diligently to work them. He many times would get six in a row built up!!! THEN he would take them all apart and start over with three of two or four depending on his mood! Throughout the night we realized that he preferred the smaller blocks so we just let him play with those. We also noticed that he does NOT like to be in the middle of the room but would rather have something against him so he can SLOUCH down and play!!! He slouches horribly...like a rebellious teenager is what i told Toni ;) SO that means he would spend a lot of time at the table and chairs and then he would go to another table...more like a small high chair...oh my, i wish that i had had that on video but it happened too quickly so i just clicked pictures. He LOVED being enclosed it seemed. Then the other place he loved was up against a room divider that was orange. It was not a secure divider but it was strong enough for his little body to slouch against. He played and played and played and played with those Mega Blocks!!! We saw his determination, his incredible length of time involved in the same item, his amazing use of fine motor skills and we just sat in awe of his wonderful capabilities!!! Just utterly amazed as to how advanced he is!!!
We were told that he is eating well, sleeps ok...as his breathing is an issue with his "third tonsil" and if what we are hearing is his normal breathing sounds than he probably has colds often -just like his sister!
Our time last night was absolutely precious. I again tried to get him to attach to Eeyore so he could have something to cuddle and think of his Momma and DaddT. He did do better with it. I will leave it with him on the last day....which is tomorrow's morning visit....my mind cannot grasp what it will be like for him tomorrow afternoon when he will eagerly be waiting for Momma and DaddT to come and we won't be able to...ugh my heart is literally hurting from that thought!
My heart is being ripped out as we will never be able to make him understand the stupid red tape that Mommy and DaddT's have to go through to bring him home....the tears are falling and getting my bed covers wet.
We left and this time i could hear his voice in the hallway. I prayed that he would stay warm. We went straight back to the B & B where we had another amazing meal. I had my OWN french fries with the Bulgarian cheese and Bulgarian ketchup. I had to guard the food i ordered as i ordered what Scott had had the night before. He ordered a spicy meat last night and it was delicious! He also ordered a plate of those fries. I ordered my first desert here...a crepe with chocolate...oh my word....nummy!
We went up to our room...the internet was not working so i had to put on Scott's heavy jacket, as well as being bundled up myself i took his fleece jacket to sit on as the flooring is very cold thick tile...in the stairwell. I took an hour to respond to FB and put up new pictures then collapsed into bed before 10:30....only to awaken at 3:15am BUT this way i got two blogs written and i am finally caught up on writing again!
This is NOT a vacation just like i was planning...it is BUSY!!! Scott is worn out and is still asleep...thankfully as he needs it.
When i looked out the window when i awakened i saw that it had snowed!!! I can't wait to take pictures as it looks like it may be the kind that is sticky and beautiful on the trees. Pray for safe travels though! We are always blessed and especially so right now! Connie for the crew
The whole time was spent uploading pictures, writing blogs, captioning the pictures and reading all of what people wrote. It has been so fun...i come onto FB and FB can't even let me see all of what people said because it obviously doesn't go over the number 99 messages and every time that is what i come on to. SO fun to share this JOY with all of you!
Other than RUNNING up to the room twice to use the bathroom...i used every precious moment to write and get up pictures...left time to get the computer hooked up to fill with battery while we are gone, potty, change from slippers to shoes, make sure we have everything and off we went back to the orphanage!
This time our afternoon visit was actually early instead of late! Again, i was eager to see our Ethan and this time they met us AT THE FRONT DOOR!!! I smothered him in kisses oblivious to the fact that in the next doorway to their "lobby" was a room with a dozen teenage girls all staring at me kissing our son to pieces. When i did walk into the lobby, i didn't care that they were there...i just kept smothering him in kisses as he just was eating it up. When i finally did notice, i noticed that there were looks of absolute awe to sweet faces to fascination. SO then i was PROUD of kissing him...THIS IS OUR SON!!!! Wooohoot!!!!
We then went into the play room with him. Again, i took off his COAT. Underneath his coat, he had the cutest outfit EVER...i HAVE to find him an outfit just like it because it was the cutest thing EVER on him...NONE of the pictures did it justice! It was a wool flannel shirt and as the visit went along i realized that he also had on a cream turtleneck and then a little later i realized that he also had on a shirt and another shirt...and he was not hot.....i then was hit with the fact that our son's floor is probably VERY cold. When we arrived to the orphanage yesterday afternoon i could hear Ethan plain as day. I could also hear the workers and other children as if there was a window open which led to me to search for the open window. Mind you it is Winter here and it was getting chilly...probably in the mid 30's at that time. Then i saw them....in a very quick moment i saw three different windows without glass. There was a wooden frame around them with a thick shiny clothlike stuff covering the window but it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was time to go in but in my mind i wondered about windows. THEN when i saw our Ethan...it all came together...UGH...i wish that there was something that we could do NOW! I will see....
Anyway, our Ethan's outfit had me talking a LOT about how i needed to get one exactly like it. He was breathtaking in it. He was precious and adorable and kissable and mellow. We noticed that he was more relaxed than he had been. The worker was all excited as she spoke with Toni (they usually do for a few minutes and then leave us) and i could tell that she was really worked up. She was telling TOni that Ethan was very sad that we had left and that he kept on looking for us...tears....uffda...ok, and that he struggled to take his nap because he wanted his Momma! Tears again...Writing these blogs have brought the first tears so far...as i know that it is getting close to when we will need to say good-bye and that time we won't be back in the afternoon to assure him that we are here and we love him....and he will have to wait for four long MONTHS!! OK...i can't see anymore.......WHEW! Ok....she said that he finally fell asleep but he missed us. It made me kiss him and cuddle him all the more. Scott finally had to tell me to let him down...
WHen i did...he didn't want me to SO i let him stay in my arms! Such precious times! He played a lot more focused last night. He played with the Mega Blocks for at least HALF of our time. The rest of the time he played with a red musical toy that had little notes and then it also had animals on it that had a bear that sounded like a frog. He wanted to do it and he wanted to learn and he stayed at that toy for a very long time. There were times when he would get frustrated and he would bang it and whip it so it would have hurt someone very badly if they had been in the way but we tried to calm him and told him NAY whenever he would get that way. He also did NOT want to share with Scott so we know that both Sophina and Ethan will have some learning to do with that area. He was getting frustrated after over thirty minutes of playing with it so i took him out for some calming cuddling Momma time. I don't remember if i danced and sang with him then or not but i DID do it often...he LOVES it and i LOVE doing it so it works;)
Ethan seemed very comfortable with Scott now and he enjoyed playing with his Daddy. Scott really wanted Ethan to play and feel more things but Ethan was really content with just a few items. We saw a top that was amazingly wonderful and i am sure it was old. When we pushed it up and down it would have the train go round and round and it would make the noises (very real sounding too) of the train. We again showed Ethan how to do it and again he picked it up quickly. Again, it was a toy that he played with for about thirty minutes but this toy kept going into his mouth...the whole top of the the part that you push went ALL the way into his mouth SO Momma got to have cuddle time again...singing again.
We sang Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Joy to the World, Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Holy Night, Only a Boy Named David, This Little Light of Mine, and more...of course, not all at one time but throughout the day and night. He LOVES music and he is very melodic when he babbles...almost as if he is singing a song. I cherish these times the most. He just melts his body into mine....and then just when i think he is mellowed out he whips back and quickly grabs my glasses in a grip that at some points had to have three adults working on getting them loose ;) HE HATES glasses on ANYONE! SO definitely a prayer request there as he will be HAVING to wear glasses!
The rest of our time with Ethan...for way over an hour was Ethan and Scott or i playing Mega Blocks and he absolutely amazed us as he concentrated and worked diligently to work them. He many times would get six in a row built up!!! THEN he would take them all apart and start over with three of two or four depending on his mood! Throughout the night we realized that he preferred the smaller blocks so we just let him play with those. We also noticed that he does NOT like to be in the middle of the room but would rather have something against him so he can SLOUCH down and play!!! He slouches horribly...like a rebellious teenager is what i told Toni ;) SO that means he would spend a lot of time at the table and chairs and then he would go to another table...more like a small high chair...oh my, i wish that i had had that on video but it happened too quickly so i just clicked pictures. He LOVED being enclosed it seemed. Then the other place he loved was up against a room divider that was orange. It was not a secure divider but it was strong enough for his little body to slouch against. He played and played and played and played with those Mega Blocks!!! We saw his determination, his incredible length of time involved in the same item, his amazing use of fine motor skills and we just sat in awe of his wonderful capabilities!!! Just utterly amazed as to how advanced he is!!!
We were told that he is eating well, sleeps ok...as his breathing is an issue with his "third tonsil" and if what we are hearing is his normal breathing sounds than he probably has colds often -just like his sister!
Our time last night was absolutely precious. I again tried to get him to attach to Eeyore so he could have something to cuddle and think of his Momma and DaddT. He did do better with it. I will leave it with him on the last day....which is tomorrow's morning visit....my mind cannot grasp what it will be like for him tomorrow afternoon when he will eagerly be waiting for Momma and DaddT to come and we won't be able to...ugh my heart is literally hurting from that thought!
My heart is being ripped out as we will never be able to make him understand the stupid red tape that Mommy and DaddT's have to go through to bring him home....the tears are falling and getting my bed covers wet.
We left and this time i could hear his voice in the hallway. I prayed that he would stay warm. We went straight back to the B & B where we had another amazing meal. I had my OWN french fries with the Bulgarian cheese and Bulgarian ketchup. I had to guard the food i ordered as i ordered what Scott had had the night before. He ordered a spicy meat last night and it was delicious! He also ordered a plate of those fries. I ordered my first desert here...a crepe with chocolate...oh my word....nummy!
We went up to our room...the internet was not working so i had to put on Scott's heavy jacket, as well as being bundled up myself i took his fleece jacket to sit on as the flooring is very cold thick tile...in the stairwell. I took an hour to respond to FB and put up new pictures then collapsed into bed before 10:30....only to awaken at 3:15am BUT this way i got two blogs written and i am finally caught up on writing again!
This is NOT a vacation just like i was planning...it is BUSY!!! Scott is worn out and is still asleep...thankfully as he needs it.
When i looked out the window when i awakened i saw that it had snowed!!! I can't wait to take pictures as it looks like it may be the kind that is sticky and beautiful on the trees. Pray for safe travels though! We are always blessed and especially so right now! Connie for the crew
I can't keep up...you got to see the pictures before the story-our yesterday's morning
Yesterday.....
I slept until 6:30am but that is because i was up SO VERY LATE trying to get video to work and finally gave up after FOUR HOURS of trying only to wake up and see that it WORKED!!!!
We got ready in time for breakfast, which was amazing AGAIN! This time it was a different meat but the same concept as the morning before...this time was even BETTER than the morning before! The meat was a Bulgarian mix of 60% pork and 40% ground meat with the Bulgarian spices which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. IF we ever had time to shop...THIS is what i would buy...their spices, their cheese is amazing and there is NOTHING like it in America and their veggies! Cucumbers at every meal! LOVE!
There coffee made me talk of our son-in-law...he would LOVE their coffee. It comes in a very small coffee cup...remember those of days of old where the cup would match the plate and the plate would have a little spot for your coffee cup made right into it...THAT size. The coffee is only 1/3 to 1/2 full and is BLACK and full of flavor! I always ask for a coffee and a hot cup of water and i put in my hot chocolate mix and add the coffee...i think that it shocked them but i LOVE it!
As soon as we were done eating i went running upstairs, brushed my teeth, made sure the camera was ready, got our bags and my purse and ran down. I couldn't wait to see Ethan!
We got there earlier than the first day and i was so excited waiting in the play room (for visitors) so i went to the door peeking out to catch a first glimpse of him. He smiled really big when he saw me and she let go of his hand and he ran to me. THe picture of us kissing with him in his jacket is those first moments...made me just take in a deep breath and my eyes water just now thinking about it! I still cannot fathom that he is my son!!! He SO LOVES being cuddled and it makes my heart sing!
Scott knew from the night before that he LOVES the Mega Blocks so we went and played those...he loves them and he enjoyed playing them with Daddy. He absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED the hearts that a little boy cut out for Ethan. He played with them, crinkled them, ripped them, ATE them, carried them all over, and just had a blast with them JUST LIKE I KNEW HE WOULD!!! SO someone make sure Christy reads this blog...Taylor (Catherine's friend) would you please let her know???
Ethan was wearing tights and i remembered that the boys wear tights here and mentioned it. Toni said that she doesn't understand why it would be just for girls as boys need warm legs too. Ethan is always dressed warmly! He has always come down with a coat on too. Ethan has had on a different pair of shoes at every visit at that point and that morning visit was my favorite pair so far. It was also Ethan's favorite pair. I fixed his velcro as it was just a little crooked so i did it without even thinking about it. He watched me do it and immediately he did it and the shoe was off and in his mouth! OOPS! I let him bite on it but not on the bottom. I still cannot get over his perfectly white straight FULL set of teeth!!!
He is amazing us more and more with each visit. The visit was over too quickly as the time just flies. We can tell though when it is close to time as he gets more cuddly and quiet. I always get to cuddle him before we leave and we say CHOW. I love his social worker. She is beautiful! I still have not seen his groupa leader though and i would love to meet her. They walked with us to the door, i think so we could have more time together. We went outside where the fog was still there in the mountains. I asked Scott to take some pictures and i turned around and there was Ethan with the worker, on the third floor waving at us! He didn't see me at first but then i just kept on waving and he finally saw me! He smiled and i am sure i had a goofy grin all over my face! He is so loved!
We then went to the Pizza place where we tried something Bulgarian because our philosophy is WHY WOULDN"T WE??? It was a cucumber, ham, mushroom, corn pizza...it was good and i would have been LOVING it but the cucumbers on it were just good. I am really glad i tried it though! We had a step up from the Shopska salad and had it plus added the other items to make whatever this salad was...it also had flat salami (Bulgarian salami which if Scott could he would bring home a case of), ham and another meat, corn, black olives, egg and the kitchen sink...;) It was so good!!! I will never ever NEVER get used to the smoking...it is SO very hard for me!!! Toni and Marti have been so kind as to not smoke in the van and when they smoke they try to blow it away from me but EVERYONE smokes so you are surrounded by it.
Toni and Marti are amazing! Toni is in a wheelchair from an accident. Marti is the driver and an excellent one! There have been some near misses and some craziness and even some parking on the sidewalks...EVERYWHERE! Pedestrians just have to move out of the way!! You will see cars parked normally and then you will see a car parked straight in instead of parallel with the others..they are like a T in there...as there wasn't enough room for them to parallel park!!! Hilarious! TOni is a love. She just all of a sudden reached out to have me hug her and OH how that made my day...she knew that i would GLADLY hug her back! She is a dear woman who is about the Father's business of saving the lives of children!!!
We are always blessed!!! Connie for the crew
I slept until 6:30am but that is because i was up SO VERY LATE trying to get video to work and finally gave up after FOUR HOURS of trying only to wake up and see that it WORKED!!!!
We got ready in time for breakfast, which was amazing AGAIN! This time it was a different meat but the same concept as the morning before...this time was even BETTER than the morning before! The meat was a Bulgarian mix of 60% pork and 40% ground meat with the Bulgarian spices which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. IF we ever had time to shop...THIS is what i would buy...their spices, their cheese is amazing and there is NOTHING like it in America and their veggies! Cucumbers at every meal! LOVE!
There coffee made me talk of our son-in-law...he would LOVE their coffee. It comes in a very small coffee cup...remember those of days of old where the cup would match the plate and the plate would have a little spot for your coffee cup made right into it...THAT size. The coffee is only 1/3 to 1/2 full and is BLACK and full of flavor! I always ask for a coffee and a hot cup of water and i put in my hot chocolate mix and add the coffee...i think that it shocked them but i LOVE it!
As soon as we were done eating i went running upstairs, brushed my teeth, made sure the camera was ready, got our bags and my purse and ran down. I couldn't wait to see Ethan!
We got there earlier than the first day and i was so excited waiting in the play room (for visitors) so i went to the door peeking out to catch a first glimpse of him. He smiled really big when he saw me and she let go of his hand and he ran to me. THe picture of us kissing with him in his jacket is those first moments...made me just take in a deep breath and my eyes water just now thinking about it! I still cannot fathom that he is my son!!! He SO LOVES being cuddled and it makes my heart sing!
Scott knew from the night before that he LOVES the Mega Blocks so we went and played those...he loves them and he enjoyed playing them with Daddy. He absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED the hearts that a little boy cut out for Ethan. He played with them, crinkled them, ripped them, ATE them, carried them all over, and just had a blast with them JUST LIKE I KNEW HE WOULD!!! SO someone make sure Christy reads this blog...Taylor (Catherine's friend) would you please let her know???
Ethan was wearing tights and i remembered that the boys wear tights here and mentioned it. Toni said that she doesn't understand why it would be just for girls as boys need warm legs too. Ethan is always dressed warmly! He has always come down with a coat on too. Ethan has had on a different pair of shoes at every visit at that point and that morning visit was my favorite pair so far. It was also Ethan's favorite pair. I fixed his velcro as it was just a little crooked so i did it without even thinking about it. He watched me do it and immediately he did it and the shoe was off and in his mouth! OOPS! I let him bite on it but not on the bottom. I still cannot get over his perfectly white straight FULL set of teeth!!!
He is amazing us more and more with each visit. The visit was over too quickly as the time just flies. We can tell though when it is close to time as he gets more cuddly and quiet. I always get to cuddle him before we leave and we say CHOW. I love his social worker. She is beautiful! I still have not seen his groupa leader though and i would love to meet her. They walked with us to the door, i think so we could have more time together. We went outside where the fog was still there in the mountains. I asked Scott to take some pictures and i turned around and there was Ethan with the worker, on the third floor waving at us! He didn't see me at first but then i just kept on waving and he finally saw me! He smiled and i am sure i had a goofy grin all over my face! He is so loved!
We then went to the Pizza place where we tried something Bulgarian because our philosophy is WHY WOULDN"T WE??? It was a cucumber, ham, mushroom, corn pizza...it was good and i would have been LOVING it but the cucumbers on it were just good. I am really glad i tried it though! We had a step up from the Shopska salad and had it plus added the other items to make whatever this salad was...it also had flat salami (Bulgarian salami which if Scott could he would bring home a case of), ham and another meat, corn, black olives, egg and the kitchen sink...;) It was so good!!! I will never ever NEVER get used to the smoking...it is SO very hard for me!!! Toni and Marti have been so kind as to not smoke in the van and when they smoke they try to blow it away from me but EVERYONE smokes so you are surrounded by it.
Toni and Marti are amazing! Toni is in a wheelchair from an accident. Marti is the driver and an excellent one! There have been some near misses and some craziness and even some parking on the sidewalks...EVERYWHERE! Pedestrians just have to move out of the way!! You will see cars parked normally and then you will see a car parked straight in instead of parallel with the others..they are like a T in there...as there wasn't enough room for them to parallel park!!! Hilarious! TOni is a love. She just all of a sudden reached out to have me hug her and OH how that made my day...she knew that i would GLADLY hug her back! She is a dear woman who is about the Father's business of saving the lives of children!!!
We are always blessed!!! Connie for the crew
Pictures with our SON!!!!!!
Day 3- we met Ethan!!!!
My First Picture with Ethan!!
Scott's First Picture with Ethan!
He is a cuddler!
He LOVED being kissed.
He just wanted to cuddle and cuddle and cuddle.
HE. KISSED. ME. and Scott captured it!!!! PRICELESS
I couldn't stop kissing him and he didn't want me to
First Picture with the three of us
Daddy and his boy playing trucks.
Ethan's Favorite thing
He LOVES zippers!
Father and Son
He really liked the mirror.
Ethan with our Attorney, Toni.
Toni's brother, Marti. He loved Ethan and Ethan loved him :)
Day 2- another visit with our boy!
My first seeing Ethan that morning
Oh MOMMY!!!!!
Playing Legos with Daddy
My FAVORITE of the day!!!!
He did very well in this chair.
LOVES being in the air.
CUTE
We have no idea who this was....she just came in and loved on him and said Mama and Dada a lot
Being Silly
More being silly! And playing with daddy :)
UP IN THE AIR!
Playing with Mom :)
Ethan's home......for now.
Isn't it BEAUTIFUL!?!? Country right outside the orphanage.
Outside our window of the Hitar Pitar..our B & B
Afternoon visit yesterday
After our time with Ethan in the morning, we went to a pizza place/restaurant. I will never get used to all of the smoking. It is EVERYWHERE...everyone smokes as they feel it is their Bulgarian obligation as it is their cash crop. Believe me they do a great job of their "patriotism". SO hard for me as i am "allergic" to the smoke...i get headaches and my eyes burn. The food was amazing. We went back to the B & B, Scott went directly to sleep so i went to the computer, put up pictures and wrote on the blog...ran out of time thus the reason why i forgot the card in the computer...they had to knock on the window to let me know that they were getting in the van!!!
We were late yesterday. We had to stop at a store to pick up some items that were needed so we lost out on almost thirty minutes of time with Ethan and i forgot the card for the camera in the computer back at the B & B! UGH! It killed me because there were so many times there should have been a picture of our time together! BUT we got to just focus on being with him and not capturing the moments.
We got to Ethan and he immediately cuddled and then gave me kisses. He warmed up more to daddT and Scott ate it up. Ethan LOVES Mega Blocks!!! We hadn't seen them the first visit but Scott found them and then DaddT moved WAY up on Ethan's love list ;) They played a lot with them. We had a very lovely time with Ethan! It went SO fast! I wish i could remember everything in details!
He LOVES the mega blocks, being up in the air, being tickled, being held by Mommy, kisses, he sings, babbles very well, walks incredibly well and runs, he can go from very mellow to crazy nuts in under a second. He DESPISES glasses on himself or anyone else for that matter. They let us know that they cannot keep them on him. SO...idk what we will do when he gets home. I can't imagine that his needed surgery would take away the need for glasses. He will DEFINITELY change our house...doors WILL have locks that will be high, drawers WILL have childproof locks on them, and much more. He is so fast that the two of us were kept busy the whole time. LOVED his cuddles time though...OH MY, how he melts me! He loves his Momma and i love him.
He is sick with a cold of some kind. He had a fever and they told us that he had worked himself pretty hard because they had to wake him for his nap and he had his arms over his head and is mouth wide open and did NOT want to get up. They are VERY scheduled.
He had on a different outfit then in the morning...even a different pair of shoes...VERY VERY slippery NON-pliable tennis shoes that did NOT look comfortable but looked brand new...he is adorable in everything they put him in. Last night, they had him in overalls and DaddT loved them! They kept on coming undone though. They had Rudolph the red nosed reindeer on them. I had to have put them back on five times and each of us had to at one point or another. I was going to take them off completely but they said that his pants would fall off. He IS very skinny.
We came back to the B & B and we had INCREDIBLE food again. They were very busy with people coming in at the same time as our trying to get food. It was a long wait but the food is worth the wait! French fries with Bulgarian cheese...nothing like it in the states...with their ketchup...way tastier than ours. We both had something different...he had Drusen Kebap and i had Chicken Kavarma...no, i don't have the menu in my room...i am IN the Cafe...alone. This is the best spot for the internet so they are letting me down here...LOVELY! We had had Kebapche the night before and i had had pork steak with mushrooms and we had pepper Byvrek...oh my goodness the food!!!
Well, that was last night. We are always blessed, connie for the crew!
We were late yesterday. We had to stop at a store to pick up some items that were needed so we lost out on almost thirty minutes of time with Ethan and i forgot the card for the camera in the computer back at the B & B! UGH! It killed me because there were so many times there should have been a picture of our time together! BUT we got to just focus on being with him and not capturing the moments.
We got to Ethan and he immediately cuddled and then gave me kisses. He warmed up more to daddT and Scott ate it up. Ethan LOVES Mega Blocks!!! We hadn't seen them the first visit but Scott found them and then DaddT moved WAY up on Ethan's love list ;) They played a lot with them. We had a very lovely time with Ethan! It went SO fast! I wish i could remember everything in details!
He LOVES the mega blocks, being up in the air, being tickled, being held by Mommy, kisses, he sings, babbles very well, walks incredibly well and runs, he can go from very mellow to crazy nuts in under a second. He DESPISES glasses on himself or anyone else for that matter. They let us know that they cannot keep them on him. SO...idk what we will do when he gets home. I can't imagine that his needed surgery would take away the need for glasses. He will DEFINITELY change our house...doors WILL have locks that will be high, drawers WILL have childproof locks on them, and much more. He is so fast that the two of us were kept busy the whole time. LOVED his cuddles time though...OH MY, how he melts me! He loves his Momma and i love him.
He is sick with a cold of some kind. He had a fever and they told us that he had worked himself pretty hard because they had to wake him for his nap and he had his arms over his head and is mouth wide open and did NOT want to get up. They are VERY scheduled.
He had on a different outfit then in the morning...even a different pair of shoes...VERY VERY slippery NON-pliable tennis shoes that did NOT look comfortable but looked brand new...he is adorable in everything they put him in. Last night, they had him in overalls and DaddT loved them! They kept on coming undone though. They had Rudolph the red nosed reindeer on them. I had to have put them back on five times and each of us had to at one point or another. I was going to take them off completely but they said that his pants would fall off. He IS very skinny.
We came back to the B & B and we had INCREDIBLE food again. They were very busy with people coming in at the same time as our trying to get food. It was a long wait but the food is worth the wait! French fries with Bulgarian cheese...nothing like it in the states...with their ketchup...way tastier than ours. We both had something different...he had Drusen Kebap and i had Chicken Kavarma...no, i don't have the menu in my room...i am IN the Cafe...alone. This is the best spot for the internet so they are letting me down here...LOVELY! We had had Kebapche the night before and i had had pork steak with mushrooms and we had pepper Byvrek...oh my goodness the food!!!
Well, that was last night. We are always blessed, connie for the crew!
Monday, December 19, 2011
more.....
When we set Ethan down, he RAN and i mean RAN! We couldn't believe as to how well he is doing in that area. He loved climbing onto the couch and would do it over and over and over again. He especially loved Marty, Toni's brother and Ethan would cuddle up right next to him and look up at Marty with his big brown eyes. It was adorable.
We got out Eeyore...the stuffed animal and Ethan didn't know what to do with it so i had Eeyore tickle him and play with him and then i took Ethan's arms and tried to show him how to cuddle it. I will be working on that every time we see him as that will be what we leave with him. He did play with it and the afternoon visit he even carried it around a little.
We got out a soft pliable truck but again he didn't look like he knew what to do with it so Scott showed him but he wasn't interested...no matter how many times Scott tried.
Ethan ran us all over the place and he was into everything. THis room that we were in is ONLY for when a family visits so the children are not normally allowed in there.
I had brought a mirror and as soon as he saw himself, he was drawn to it. He LOVED it BUT he wanted it with him always so one or two times he'd all of a sudden just take off running with the glass mirror. Let's just say that we got our exercise. ;)
He loved our bags (backpacks) with all of their zippers! He loved digging in them and he found our HUGE water bottles that we had bought at the motel in Sophia. He slobbered all over it trying to get the bottle up for a drink. He is sick with a yellow runny/stuffed nose (i wiped it a few times with TP that Beth Cragle gave me) Today, i am bringing Puffs Plus!
I was telling Toni that i could tell that he was very thirsty and was about to ask if we could give him a drink and the worker walked in to take him to eat. It went so fast! We said CHOW to each other and they walked us to the door.
We then went to the pizza place in Gabrovo and the food, once again, was amazing!!! Oh my goodness! We will be eating there for lunch every day while we are in this city! We can't wait! The food is always fantastic!
Speaking of which....time for breakfast! That finishes up our morning YESTERDAY!!! ALWAYS BLESSED!!! Connie for the crew
We got out Eeyore...the stuffed animal and Ethan didn't know what to do with it so i had Eeyore tickle him and play with him and then i took Ethan's arms and tried to show him how to cuddle it. I will be working on that every time we see him as that will be what we leave with him. He did play with it and the afternoon visit he even carried it around a little.
We got out a soft pliable truck but again he didn't look like he knew what to do with it so Scott showed him but he wasn't interested...no matter how many times Scott tried.
Ethan ran us all over the place and he was into everything. THis room that we were in is ONLY for when a family visits so the children are not normally allowed in there.
I had brought a mirror and as soon as he saw himself, he was drawn to it. He LOVED it BUT he wanted it with him always so one or two times he'd all of a sudden just take off running with the glass mirror. Let's just say that we got our exercise. ;)
He loved our bags (backpacks) with all of their zippers! He loved digging in them and he found our HUGE water bottles that we had bought at the motel in Sophia. He slobbered all over it trying to get the bottle up for a drink. He is sick with a yellow runny/stuffed nose (i wiped it a few times with TP that Beth Cragle gave me) Today, i am bringing Puffs Plus!
I was telling Toni that i could tell that he was very thirsty and was about to ask if we could give him a drink and the worker walked in to take him to eat. It went so fast! We said CHOW to each other and they walked us to the door.
We then went to the pizza place in Gabrovo and the food, once again, was amazing!!! Oh my goodness! We will be eating there for lunch every day while we are in this city! We can't wait! The food is always fantastic!
Speaking of which....time for breakfast! That finishes up our morning YESTERDAY!!! ALWAYS BLESSED!!! Connie for the crew
TODAY...the first day with Ethan
This morning i was up at 6am...better than the 3:30am the day before...i had been up for 24 hours before the 6am waking up. I got onto FB & then curled my hair & got ready. We had another wonderful meal here at the restaurant and then not long after that, we were on our way!!! It is all the way through town. BTW, i was surprised as to how BIG Gabrovo was! It is a VERY large city and has SO MANY MANY MANY of those "block apartment buildings" that are all on top of each other. We got to the orphanage and i could not believe the beautiful setting that was all around the orphanage. There were mountains that would be absolutely stunning in the Fall or Summer but now it was gloomy and bare...but beautiful none the less! The building was not a shock to me as i had seen the pictures from Chrisy just a few months before. We went inside the first door then i was about to open the next door for our attorney, who is in a wheelchair, and she stopped me immediately. We waited for a very short time and then the director opened the door to the orphanage and then walked us to the familiar office. I had also seen these due to Chrisy's just being there in October, what a blessing! I had also recognized the director even though she was in her Dr. uniform. She definitely appeared as had been described...kind, caring, strong, involved in the children's lives, and determined. She said that she was thrilled that Ethan was getting a family! They talked a few moments, asked some questions and then she picked up her phone which was obviously NOT doing what she was needing it to do SO she went herself to somehow let them know to bring him down. She came back into the office...which was a nice office...not where i would say too rich but clean..VERY clean, nice clean desk with nice computer with a couch and chair with a glass living room type table. Toni asked if i was ready for this and then there was chit chat. Marty left the room to smoke and so i moved Scott to where i wanted him to get the angle from and i moved to a different spot too. Then Toni looked at me and said, "Here he comes...." with a big smile on her face and then i looked and saw him with the familiar social worker, not his groupa leader. He was walking so well, holding onto her hand...he looked very comfortable with her and especially with walking. She walked him right directly up to me then let go of his hand and walked to the director's desk. I was going to take it really slowly but i don't think that i did very well ;) AND he didn't mind at all! I held him and held him and held him and then realized that i was sure that Scott would actually like to do the same so i let him have him for a minute...probably LITERALLY! ;}) I got some pictures of them then took him right back. OH how we cuddled! Then very shortly later, TOni said that it was time to go to the play room.
We walked down to the play room...of course i held Ethan the whole way while Scott exchanged that item to carry with my purse ;) Hee hee...i may have gotten the heavier item but i for sure got the best item to carry! He cuddled with me for at least thirty minutes and EVEN threw in a real live kiss for me!!! He was actually acting like he may fall asleep and as much as i would have LOVED to have held him while he was sleeping...i wanted to get to know him SO....i put him down! WOW!!! What a bundle of energy!!! He was just precious! HE LOVED ...well, almost everything! He loved me the best though ;) Hee hee....i am literally falling asleep as i am writing this and i need to get to bed.....i will end with our night visit ended. His "teacher" came to get him and i had never seen her so i didn't know who she was until Toni said that it was time to leave! UGH! The lady had played with Ethan's hair (while he was in her lap almost)and she played with his hair the whole time. (one of the many things that he loves) I watched how she loved on him...WONDERFUL! Then i watched her have HIM clean up his toys...LOVE that too! Then she scooped him up and he loved her...i could tell that he felt secure! Relief! THEN i went and with my face asked to take him and say goodnight..."CHOW" SO i did and he ate me up again...i kissed him to pieces and then went to give him back and he didn't want to go with her!!!! He. WANTED. ME!!!! Yep, it made my night!!! THERE IS SO MUCH MORE but i am literally falling asleep...barely have eyes open,....night
We walked down to the play room...of course i held Ethan the whole way while Scott exchanged that item to carry with my purse ;) Hee hee...i may have gotten the heavier item but i for sure got the best item to carry! He cuddled with me for at least thirty minutes and EVEN threw in a real live kiss for me!!! He was actually acting like he may fall asleep and as much as i would have LOVED to have held him while he was sleeping...i wanted to get to know him SO....i put him down! WOW!!! What a bundle of energy!!! He was just precious! HE LOVED ...well, almost everything! He loved me the best though ;) Hee hee....i am literally falling asleep as i am writing this and i need to get to bed.....i will end with our night visit ended. His "teacher" came to get him and i had never seen her so i didn't know who she was until Toni said that it was time to leave! UGH! The lady had played with Ethan's hair (while he was in her lap almost)and she played with his hair the whole time. (one of the many things that he loves) I watched how she loved on him...WONDERFUL! Then i watched her have HIM clean up his toys...LOVE that too! Then she scooped him up and he loved her...i could tell that he felt secure! Relief! THEN i went and with my face asked to take him and say goodnight..."CHOW" SO i did and he ate me up again...i kissed him to pieces and then went to give him back and he didn't want to go with her!!!! He. WANTED. ME!!!! Yep, it made my night!!! THERE IS SO MUCH MORE but i am literally falling asleep...barely have eyes open,....night
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Pictures!
Our First Day!
More of Sophia
Hotel in Sophia with the tram that you share driving areas with....with very narrow roads
A market.
On our way to Ethan's City!
HUGE tunnel....it was so long
It was as if God spray painted the snow on
In Ethan's City!
Those are just the buildings that fit into the camera lens - there was so much more
Our Hotel in Ethan's City!
More of the hotel- isn't it beautiful!?!?!?!
Out our window in the capitol...yes, people are living in that gold place....yes, it is raining and has been since we have been here
Right out our window
Out our window and to the right
More views of the city.
Our room- it was lovely.
Day 2- Leaving Sophia, going to Ethan's City!
More of Sophia
Hotel in Sophia with the tram that you share driving areas with....with very narrow roads
On our way to Ethan's City!
HUGE tunnel....it was so long
Those are just the buildings that fit into the camera lens - there was so much more
Our Hotel in Ethan's City!
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