So long, farewell, DOVIZHDANE, goodbye. . .

With passports and visas in hand, in just a few hours, we will finally be on our way home. The girls medicals and visa interviews went well yesterday. Lily had a bit of a meltdown while at the polyclinic. She gave it her all for about 15 minutes and, once she realized it wasn't getting her anywhere, decided it was no longer worth the effort!

We spent our last morning in Sofia exploring the market, enjoying ice cream and taking in the sights of the city one last time. This afternoon we received the girls passports/visas and said goodbye to Toni.

Both of the girls are very excited about our trip home. So excited that Lily insisted upon wearing her shoes to bed :-)

This girl is the craziest sleeper I have ever seen! I don't think she stays in one position for more than a few minutes and could cover the entire surface of the bed in the duration of one night!

Jacob will be happy to know we have another thumb sucker in the family!

Now we are just praying that their excitement will translate into a smooth and uneventful trip home (I know. . .wishful thinking)! We leave Sofia at 6am (11pm EST/Friday) and touch down in Dayton at 6pm (Saturday). We are so excited to get home and finally have all of our "babies" together (well, almost all of them. . we are certainly carrying Alexis with us in our hearts).

We have very much enjoyed this week in Sofia with our girls. Some things that we will miss:

1. The Backstreet Boys CD that plays in the hotel restaurant every morning at breakfast :-) It always gives Richard and I a good laugh and what better way to start the day than with laughter!

2. George, the hotel concierge. We LOVE George and wish we could pack him in our suitcase and take him home with us (unfortunately we are out of room). He is the nicest guy you will ever meet and goes above and beyond to make sure we have everything we need. He is also wonderful with the girls (and I'm pretty sure Alayna wouldn't mind packing him up and taking him with us as well)!

3. Bulgarian food!! The food here is amazing and just about everything is FRESH!! My stomach and my palate are really going to miss this cuisine!

4. The History. It is always fascinating to visit a country whose history dates back THOUSANDS of years. We have enjoyed visiting many of Bulgaria's historical sites, as well as a history museum, during our stay and we are happy to be bringing that knowledge and experience home with us.

5. The people and the culture. The people of Bulgaria are wonderful! Everyone we have met here has been helpful and hospitable. One of the things we have loved most is the opportunity to be out among all of the people during our daily "excursions" in Sofia, to exchange smiles and greetings and to observe daily life in the city.

6. The language. As nice as it will be to hear people speaking English (though many do here), I will truly miss hearing Bulgarian spoken everywhere I go. I have enjoyed learning the language (and will continue to do so) and the immersion has really helped my understanding and fluency. Fortunately I have at least one more trip to look forward to and some time to practice in the meantime (Alayna and I have enjoyed teaching each other our different languages)!

6. Team Vladimirova. What we will miss most about Bulgaria is our amazing friend and attorney, Toni, and her wonderful family. Toni is one of the most inspiring and Christlike people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. She works hard to have a personal relationship with EVERY family she works with and she loves these children with her whole heart. Finding homes for Bulgaria's orphaned children is her life's work and she is an amazing instrument in the Lord's hands, always, ALWAYS giving the glory to our Heavenly Father. What a gift she has been to us (and our children) and what a blessing it is to be able to say those things about our agency/attorney!

And now, as we close this chapter in our journey, I must also give all of the glory to a loving Heavenly Father who has seen us through every step in this process and who has ultimately entrusted us with the loving care and guidance of two of his most precious and beautiful daughters. We are humbled by the trust that He has placed in us to lead and guide them back home to Him and know that it is only through His continued guidance that we will be able to meet all of the challenges that come to us as a result of that responsibility.

One journey is ending, another is just beginning. . . . .we will see you on the other side!

Family Fun

We have had an enjoyable few days as a "family of four!" On Tuesday we enjoyed our routine walk in Sofia. As we walked down the street we ran into three missionaries from our church outside of the immigration office. We enjoyed talking with them and I am sure that they enjoyed being able to speak English for awhile (especially Elder Jones, who just arrived in Bulgaria a week ago).

At times it was difficult to navigate Alayna's wheelchair in a city that is not very wheelchair accessible, but eventually we made it to our destination and the girls enjoyed playing at the playground for a while. While at the park we met two other American families (both couples with two young children). One family just arrived in Sofia two weeks ago and is here working for the Embassy. The other family is in the Peace Corps and has been here for two years (we were excited to learn that this family also lived in Uzbekistan for 5 years). It was neat talking to them about their experiences living abroad with their families.


This was the first time that Alayna was with us for our walk and she really enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city. I was also pleasantly surprised by how few people stared as we walked down the street, played at the playground and ate our lunch (don't get me wrong, people definitely stared, but no more than we are used to in the US). It is extremely rare to see people in wheelchairs out and about in Bulgaria (and the few we have seen are usually begging) so it was nice to be able to take Alayna out, without being the focus of everyone's attention, and hopefully change a few perceptions in the process.


This morning we took the girls to the Sofia Zoo and a great time was had by all. Unlike the zoo's in the US, this zoo was much smaller and very low key (there were very few people there and I have a feeling this is the way it is most of the time). So, for those of you following in our footsteps, if you need a low key and inexpensive activity to do while you are here, I highly recommend the zoo.

It's almost scary how close you are to some of the animals!

Hmmm. . .I could be wrong, but I doubt this tiger would be handing out big, slobbery kisses if you got close enough to touch!

People feeding the animals is a big problem at this zoo. We saw people throwing cheese puffs, pretzels, etc. to the animals at most of the exhibits. We thought this sign was particularly amusing :-)

Alayna enjoying some ice cream at the zoo (please excuse the dress. . .we are still working on modesty)!

Lily enjoying her ice cream. This is the first "sweet" thing I have seen her eat since I've known her.

Swinging!! There are little playgrounds throughout the zoo and we stopped to play at this one on the way out. Not a very flattering picture of me, but I love the look on Lily's face. Both the girls love to swing!

We generally keep our afternoons very low key and yesterday and today were no exception. We spent both afternoons in our hotel room napping, coloring, doing puzzles, painting nails and taking baths.

Alayna and Lily enjoying some splash time

The girls are both doing well. Both have "orphanage behaviors" that we are working on (and will likely be for some time), but nothing that we are unfamiliar with or unprepared for (I will go into more detail about these things once we are home and settled because I think they are important to discuss). The days are long and we are all ready to head home, but I am grateful that we have been able to spend this time in Sofia with the girls. Obviously because it is nice to be able to focus our attention completely on them for a few days before we get home and have to divide our attention seven different ways, but also because I feel that, in a way, having the girls with us in Sofia for a week puts us all on common ground. We are all in an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people, speaking an unfamiliar language and it certainly makes it easier to understand even a fraction of what the girls might be feeling.

Tomorrow morning we will take the girls to their medical appointments and, in the afternoon, we have our visa interviews at the US Embassy. It will be a long day for all of us. Please keep the girls in your prayers, especially Lily as, the last time we were on "official business," she had a major meltdown and I am worried (more for her than for me. . .at this point in motherhood, I am seasoned veteran when it comes to meltdowns) that tomorrow could bring more of the same for her.

Gotcha!!

Today was a WONDERFUL success! After spending half the night awake changing Lily's diapers (I'd say we changed at least 10 absolutely awful diapers during the night. . .poor baby) and starting the day with Lily throwing up over breakfast (she ate WAY too much yesterday and her poor digestive system just couldn't handle it), I was a little nervous about how we would all make it through this day and live to tell! Although, we definitely had our rough spots, for the most part, everything has gone very well.

We drove to Lukovit first this this morning where Alayna's mother, grandmother and grandfather were waiting for us. Aside from Lily throwing a tantrum throughout most of the meeting, it was an incredible experience for all of us. Alayna's birth family is wonderful. They love her dearly and, although they are sad that she will be so far away, they are so happy to know that she will be loved and cared for and have the opportunity to reach her full potential. I was deeply touched when Alayna's grandmother took me in her arms and told me that, she had been blessed with two daughters and now she had three and when Alayna's mother kissed my cheeks and told me that I would forever be like her sister. It was an emotional meeting for us all and I will be forever grateful for the blessing of having these wonderful, loving people in my life (and Alayna's). What a truly incredible gift.

Mama Valerie, Mama DiDi (Dimitrina), Diado Mitko (grandpa), Baba Violeta (grandma) and Tatko Richard.

Alayna met with her birth family to say a final goodbye before we arrived this morning and her mother explained to her that she was blessed to have two mama's that love her and that today she would be going home with Mama Valerie and Tatko Richard so she was ready to go when we arrived. While we were meeting with her family. her caretakers were preparing her to leave. All of the children from the orphanage were playing outside when we arrived and were still out there when we left. As we walked to the car with Alayna, everyone followed us yelling "Goodbye" and "We'll miss you" (in Bulgarian of coure).

Leaving the orphanage

Alayna did fairly well as we drove away from the orphanage, but about 10 minutes in to our drive back to Sofia, she broke down and began to just sob. My heart ached for her as I watched her grieve the loss of her friends and family. She cried on and off for most of the trip home, but by the time we arrived in Sofia she was fine.

Before returning to the hotel we had to stop by the immigration office to apply for the girls passports. As soon as we left the car and walked into the building Lily began to wail (one thing we know for sure. . .there is absolutely nothing wrong with this girls lungs!!). She screamed and cried and kicked in my arms the entire time we were in the immigration office and she refused to be comforted. I can't wait to pull out her Bulgarian passport when she is a teenager and show all the boys what Lily looks like when she doesn't get her way :-) As soon as we left the building and got back into the car it was like nothing had ever happened. I think she has already given me a few gray hairs!

We spent a low key afternoon in the hotel room. Alayna enjoyed coloring, listening to Bulgarian children's songs on my iPod and talking to her aunt, uncle, brothers, sister and grandma via Skype. Richard and Alayna went downstairs and ordered pizza for dinner. I think this pizza will probably feed us all for the rest of the week, don't you?



I am very glad that I took the time to learn enough Bulgarian to be able to effectively communicate with the girls (and, of course, I continue to learn more each day as I talk to them). Alayna is a social butterfly and it has made bonding and attaching much easier because I understand what she needs/wants and can respond to those wants/needs without a lot of frustration caused by the language barrier. There have been a few times when I have not understood her (and I pretty sure she cussed me out in Bulgarian at one point), but for the most part, we have been able to communicate very effectively.

Alayna is an amazing girl. She gets around without a wheelchair VERY well (although the orphanage did allow us to take one with us (neat story about that later) she hasn't used it much). She absolutely LOVES the bath. She took two baths tonight and wanted to take a third, but we eventually talked her into waiting until tomorrow morning! She has also tried on just about every article of clothing (including every pair of socks and every pair of underwear) that we brought for her! She is destined to be a daddy's girl. She loves hanging out with her daddy and I am pretty sure the feeling is mutual. They have already developed a "secret handshake" (okay, it is just an "exploding" fist bump, but it is hilarious to watch). She seems to enjoy her mommy time as well, but for the most part, I am just the translator for her and her daddy (which is actually very good because Lily still needs a decent amount of my attention).

Alayna and her daddy! Two peas in a pod!

Both of the girls (and Richard) are now sleeping peacefully. Your thoughts and prayers were heard and we have been blessed with a truly amazing day! Tomorrow and Wednesday will be "down days" as we wait for the girls passports to be processed (they should be ready to pick up on Wednesday afternoon). We will make up for those low-key days on Thursday which we will spend at the polyclinic in the morning (in order for the girls to be issued Visa's, the US requires a medical exam) and the US Embassy in the afternoon. The visa's should be ready by Friday and our flight departs on Saturday morning at 6 am.

We are overjoyed to FINALLY have both of our beautiful girls with us and we cannot wait to get them home! Please continue to keep the girls in your prayers. They are doing well, but they still have a long road ahead of them as they process through all of these changes in their lives and transition into our family.

A Unique Situation

Tomorrow is Alayna's "Gotcha Day" and we are so excited to finally have our girl in our arms! We have not shared this with many people but, when I met Alayna for the first time in March, I learned that her birth mother and grandmother still write/call/visit her several times per year (every birthday and Christmas as well as various holidays throughout the year). This revelation brought with it many different emotions as well as some stress in regards to how this might effect Alayna's adoption.

Once the adoption was finalized I asked Toni if it would be possible to contact the birth mother to let her know that Alayna had been adopted so that she would have a chance to see her daughter and say goodbye before we brought her home. For this to happen, the local social services had to approve the contact. The day before we left for Bulgaria, Toni contacted me to let me know that social services had approved, the birth mother had been contacted and that she and the grandmother had been to visit Alayna that day. To my relief, they were very happy to learn that Alayna had been adopted and were excited that she would finally receive the medical treatment she needs. They also requested to meet Richard and I. We gladly accepted!

We are very happy to have this opportunity to sit down with Alayna's birth family and get to know them, ask questions and continue our contact with them once we return home so that they can continue to watch Alayna grow and reach her full potential as the beautiful daughter of God that she is. We know that this relationship between two families that love her with also be beneficial to Alayna.

Tomorrow will be a very busy and emotionally charged day. Please pray that our meeting with Alayna's birth family will be positive and that we will be able to share our hearts for Alayna with each other despite the language barrier. Please pray that this transition will be smooth for Alayna and that she will be able to understand what is going on. Pray that we will be able to help her process through the change to the best of our abilities. And please, please pray for Lily. She is making great strides, but tomorrow will be a big day for her as well and we are a little nervous about how the events of tomorrow will effect her.

Today was another wonderful day and we feel that Lily has taken some very positive steps forward already. There is much to tell and I promise that those things will not be left unsaid, but it is going to be an early morning and a long day tomorrow and my bed is calling my name (oh, wait. . .I think that was Richard!).

Thank you all for your prayers and also for your encouraging comments! Those things are what keep us going when the going gets tough!

Settling In

Today has been a much better day for Miss Lily. After a good night's sleep, Lily and I laid in bed this morning for about an hour while I ran my fingers through her hair (she LOVES this) and snuggled.

Loved walking into our hotel room this afternoon and seeing our pillows lined up!

While Richard went downstairs to get breakfast for us, I gave Lily a bubble bath. At first she was not quite sure about it, but after about a minute she sat down and started splashing and playing with the bubbles until they all disappeared.

After baths and breakfast we decided to take Lily for a walk. She was thrilled to ride in the stroller and to finally be outside. We walked down to see some of the historical sites (Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Russian Church, etc.), then grabbed some lunch at McDonalds (we generally try to avoid McDonalds and enjoy the local cuisine when we are in other countries, but, because food is an issue for Lily and we knew she would eat the fries, we decided to stick with what we knew she would eat) and then walked to a local park to enjoy our lunch. The park was alive with families enjoying the beautiful weather and there was even a group of musicians/storytellers there to entertain the children. It turned out to be a wonderful family outing.

Mommy and Lily in front of the Russian Church (it wasn't until we got back to the hotel that we realized this was the only picture we had taken! Oops!)

We kept the afternoon very low key and spent the rest of the day in our hotel room. Lily was not a big fan of that plan and just wanted to get back into the stroller and go, but eventually she accepted just sitting in front of the window in the stroller and watching the hustle and bustle from there.

Thank goodness for a room with a view!

She is definitely still mourning the loss of life as she has always known it and I know that this will be the case for quite some time. She spent a good portion of the day looking through the photo album of her friends and caretakers and went to bed tonight with the album turned to her favorite picture, tucked in beside her. Though she is obviously still hopeful that, at some point, we will get back into the car and take her back to the orphanage, she has stopped fighting and is content to be here with us and to allow us to love and comfort her. She enjoys having me close by and especially loves to have her back rubbed or for me to run my fingers through her hair, but every now and then she needs her space and we give it to her. This is an enormous change for her and very traumatic and she needs time to process and grieve.

Sitting in the stroller with the bag she packed (with her bear, photo album, clothes and shoes) in front of the window.

Like most children her age, she wants what she wants when she wants it and there has definitely been some testing of boundaries, especially where food is concerned. If she had it her way, she would eat french fries and juice for every meal. Due to the current condition of her palate (it has been "repaired" but there is still a fairly significant crevice as well as a small hole) her diet is limited to mostly soft foods like yogurt, soup, banana's, bread, etc. Though she often puts up a fight when presented with these foods, she is quickly learning that, if she wants to eat, she will have to eat what she is given (and, thanks to her caregivers, we know exactly what her diet normally consists of and this is what we offer).

She has also had some trouble with the potty. She is potty trained but she has always used a "pot" rather than a regular toilet and, at this point, she has refused to sit on the toilet. She has had an upset stomach (diarrhea) since we left the orphanage and, after going through several pairs of underwear within the first few hours of arriving in Sofia, we decided to put her in pull ups for the time being. With her upset stomach and the trauma of leaving everything familiar behind, this is simply a battle that we feel will be better fought at home once she has had some time to adjust.

Again, I am very grateful that we are able to spend the weekend focusing on Lily and helping her to process through this traumatic time before bringing Alayna into the mix. It is absolutely what she needed and I have little doubt that the timing of things was absolutely orchestrated by a loving Heavenly Father who already knew just what she would need.

We thank you all for your prayers and support. We know that they are heard and we feel the effects of each and every one of them. What a blessing it has been to know that there are so many people praying for us and for our sweet little girl.

Allow me to be frank. . . .

Today was an emotionally exhausting day for everyone. As much as I would like to report that Alexis walked back to her group with an understanding smile on her face and Lily walked out of that orphanage never to look back, that is just not how things went down today. Let's face it, adoption is rarely all sunshine and roses. Fortunately, we understood that when we signed up!

We were able to visit with Alexis for about an hour this morning. I knew from the moment that she walked into the room that this visit would be different. While she normally runs down the hall yelling our names and burst into the room and into our arms, today she simply walked into the room, stopped and stared at us. She absolutely knew what would be happening today and she was not at all happy about it. For the most part, she kept her distance from us today and throughout the visit she would ask us again and again why we were taking Lily and when we would be taking her. We were able to catch a small glimpse of the vibrant, feisty girl who has stolen our hearts when we gave her the teddy bear we made for her (it says "I love you" in Bulgarian and English). She LOVED it and sat and pushed the button over and over again while repeating the words.

Alexis with her bear

Mommy, Alexis and bear preparing to say a temporary goodbye

At the end of our visit Toni, the psychologist and the doctor all explained to her again that we would be leaving but that we would be back for her soon. We then gave her huge hugs and kisses and said goodbye. Oh, how it broke my heart to watch her walk away.

Once Alexis had returned to her group it was time for Lily to say goodbye. Her clothes had been changed, documents has been signed and gifts had been given. The psychologist walked her out to the car, kissed her cheeks and handed her off to me. We waved goodbye, climbed into the car and watched the orphanage fade into the distance. Lily was a little scared at first, but as she drank in everything around her, she relaxed and soon she was laughing and playing with her daddy.

Freedom

Lily finally got to ride in a car. . . .she LOVED it!

We stopped at McDonalds on the way back to Sofia and learned that she REALLY enjoys fries. It was actually a relief to see her eat because, in the 10 days that I have spent with her, I have never seen her take a bite of anything that was offered.

Yummy french fries

We arrived in Sofia around 3:o0 and checked into our hotel. As soon as we were in our room and Lily realized we would be staying she began to panic. She ran to the window and then to the door and she opened it to leave. When we explained to her that we would be staying here she began what would be a 3-hour melt down complete with kicking, screaming, and crying. For three hours, one of us always had to be by the door so that she couldn't get out. For three hours she raged and grieved. She even packed her bags to leave (filled a grocery bag with her clothes, shoes, photo album and bear) and tried to drag our bags to the door as well. Fortunately, she allowed us to try to comfort and love her as she experienced the first waves of grief and loss that are often felt in adoption. We comforted and loved, but we also allowed her space.

When she was finally done, she crawled up into the bed with me, lay down and asked me to cover her with the blanket I had brought for her. She was absolutely exhausted, emotionally and physically. As she settled in she began to do what adoptive parents know as the "orphanage rock" (a self-soothing, full-body rock). I placed my hand gently on her arm, gave her her teddy bear and she stopped. I can't wait to get her home so that I can rock her every day and teach her that she no longer needs to rely only upon herself for comfort. Right before she drifted off to sleep she looked up at me and I smiled at her. She smiled back at me and then reached down and pushed the button on her bear and I heard my own voice say "I love you" in Bulgarian and English. It was just what I needed at the end of a very long day.

I am VERY glad that we will have a few days to focus our undivided attention on Lily before we pick up Alayna on Monday. This transition is going to be difficult for her and the grief and loss that she is feeling runs very deep.

Right now she is sleeping peacefully in our bed, just a few feet away. It is so surreal to finally have her with us after such a long journey. She is an incredible little lady and we are very blessed to have her as our daughter. As you can see, the "end" of this journey is really only the beginning. All of our girls have a long road ahead of them, but we are so very grateful to be able to bring them into our home, take them into our arms and show them the unconditional love of a family and of their Father in Heaven.

A roller coaster of emotions

Today was our last full day of visits with Alexis and tomorrow we will have to say a temporary goodbye to a beautiful little girl who has completely stolen our hearts. My heart is breaking just thinking about leaving Alexis behind.


Of course, it will also be an incredibly joyful day because Lily will finally be free to walk through the front doors of her orphanage and her new life will begin. I am so excited I can hardly wait!


The roller coaster of emotions continues.

The girls are blessed to be in a wonderful orphanage (as wonderful as an orphanage can be of course). The children here are well-fed, well-dressed, and very well loved. They receive therapy (physical, occupational and speech) on a regular basis and even celebrate birthdays and holidays (complete with gifts and goodies). The psychologist at this orphanage is a gift! She works primarily with the older children in the orphanage,but she also takes the time to hold the babies and provide needed stimulation for them which helps facilitate healthy attachments and development. The benefits of this kind of care are VERY evident in our girls. She has done an amazing job preparing Lily for the dramatic change that is about to occur in her life and, although I am sure the transition will not be without its difficulties, Lily is ready and excited to begin the next chapter of her life! Not only has the psychologist done a wonderful job preparing Lily for the transition, she has also anticipated future needs and has put together an amazing photo album full of pictures of friends and caregivers for Lily to take with her. This is a priceless gift!

While tomorrow will be an exciting and wonderful day for Lily, it is sure to be a difficult day for Alexis. Not only will she have to say goodbye to mommy and daddy, but also to her best friend. Although we have explained many times that we will return for her soon, I am sure that, to her, it will still feel as though she is being left behind. I will admit, although I have known since the day we committed to her that we would not be able to bring her home on this trip, after spending a week with our girls together, it feels very unnatural to be leaving one of them behind. They are "sisters", a packaged deal, two peas in a pod and, while my heart rejoices that Lily is finally coming home, it is aching for the daughter we will leave behind. It is a blessing however, to know that I will be leaving her in the loving hands of the psychologists (and caretakers) who have already promised to remind her daily that we will return for her and to prepare her for the new life that awaits her.

Showing Alexis how to use the camera

The results of those photography lessons :-)

Tomorrow morning we will visit with Alexis for the last time. At the conclusion of our visit, we will kiss our feisty girl goodbye, sign the necessary paperwork, change Lily's clothes, and walk out of the doors of the orphanage with Lily in tow. It will be a big day for all of us.

A picture is worth a thousand words. . .

From the first time I met Lily, all she has ever wanted to do is walk through the front doors of her orphanage, get in the car and leave this life behind. She loves to stand in the window and watch the cars come and go and she is constantly asking when she will get to "go in the car."

This morning she stood in the window again, watching the world around her from "behind bars", and it struck me that, in just a few short days she will finally be free of those bars. Free to run, free to play, free to fully experience all of God's amazing creations and free to finally get in that car and go. . ..home. Freedom is near my sweet girl and I cannot wait for you to taste it!


We had another wonderful day with Lily and Alexis and I cannot help but feel blessed and privileged by the opportunity that I have to be their mommy. When they bring the girls to us for our visits I can hear Alexis coming from a mile away! "Mamo? Mamo! Kuhde? (Mommy where are you?)" and when she sees us she breaks into a run and jumps into our arms for hugs and kisses. Her favorite phrases are "I want this/that" and "Give me this/that." We are working on our pleases and thank yous ;-) She LOVES my iPod which is filled with Bulgarian children's songs. It puts a smile on everyone's faces to watch her sing and dance along.


When she is not using the iPod to listen to music, it becomes a phone. I receive at least a dozen phone calls a day from my little Bulgarian beauty!

"Alo Mamo!"

I continue to be amazed by how much Lily has changed since my first visit. The transformation is truly incredible and, if she has blossomed this much just since my first visit, I cannot wait to see how she grows and changes once she is outside of these orphanage walls. It has also been wonderful to watch the bond between Richard and Lily grow as they get to know each other. They shared some tender moments with each other during our morning visit and I'm afraid that Richard is well on his way to being wrapped around her finger!

Lily and Daddy sharing some snuggles and laughs!

It was a gorgeous day in Stara Zagora so Richard and I took some time to walk around the city this afternoon between visits with the girls. We enjoyed people watching at one of the parks at the city's center- parents playing with their young children, old men playing chess and couples, young and old, enjoying the beautiful day. Tomorrow we will go to the History Museum and learn a little more about the city of Stara Zagora and, because two of our children were born here, we hope that we will be able to pass on some of the things we learn to all of our children, but to Lily and Alexis in particular.

Richard, Flat Stanislav and I continue to eat well. On the menu tonight:

Mish-Mash (eggs, onions, peppers and Bulgarian cheese)

Chicken skewers with bacon (SO yummy!)

Melba (ice cream with fruit and a berry glaze)

Ayran (a drink made of plain Bulgarian yogurt, water and salt. . .sound gross? Don't knock it til you try it!!!)

"She said Konnichiwha"

I already love the relationship that Richard and Alexis have developed. They both love to tease each other and, even though they don't speak the same language, they always seem to know what they other is trying to say. This video puts a smile on my face every time I watch it! Enjoy!

Introducing. . . .

Alexis Rayna Rieben

It has been an incredible, incredible day and that doesn't even begin to describe the joy and gratitude we feel! We started the day by officially meeting Ladybug #3, to be known from this time forth as Alexis. I had the opportunity to meet her earlier this year while visiting with Lily, but didn't get to spend much one-on-one time with her then. Let me just say, this girl is NUTS and we absolutely adore her. Our Heavenly Father could not have picked a more perfect child for our family! She is so full of personality and she kept us laughing all day long. She and her daddy had an especially good time together today and I think that they are going to be two peas in a pod! She is loving, outgoing and bossy (watch out Maren) and she is SO excited to have a mommy and daddy. We heard the words "Mamo" and "Tate" (tah-te) (mommy and daddy) no less than 500 times today. I can only imagine how good it must have felt to finally be able to have a mommy and daddy to call her own! How grateful I am that we followed the promptings that there was a third child waiting for us because there is no doubt in my mind that this amazing little person was meant to be a part of our family.

Mamo and Alexis

LOVE this picture of Richard and Alexis! She is a daddy's girls already!

She loves to laugh and be silly! And did I mention that she is BOSSY!?

Our morning visit was just with Alexis. We wanted to be able to give her our undivided attention so that she could get to know us and feel safe and comfortable with us. We also wanted to be able to explain to her that we were Lily's mommy and daddy as well and that Lily would be coming home with us this time and that we would be back for her soon. She took the news well and we were relieved.

The afternoon visit was spent with Lily and Alexis together. Oh, how I have missed my beautiful Lily! It was so good to see her again and to be able to introduce her to her daddy. She has grown and changed SO much since I saw her last. When we arrived this morning, the orphanage psychologist told us that Lily was so excited that her mommy had finally returned to bring her home. I was excited to hear that she remembered me! The head doctor also told us that, after I visited, Lily had really come out of her shell and that she had made significant progress in her development.

When she came into the room this afternoon and we saw each other for the first time in 5 months, her face lit up and she walked right to me for hugs and kisses! It felt so good to hold her and kiss her again.

Bliss!

We had such a good time visiting with the girls together and watching them interact. They have been together for a very long time and you can tell that they love each other very much. They are also already very much like sisters and I am so glad that they will have the opportunity to continue to grow up together. I have a feeling that the coming separation will be difficult for Alexis.

Lily and Alexis together

Bonding with my girls! Lily is my hairstylist and Alexis is making me talk on the "phone" (my iPod) while she sings along with some Bulgarian Children's songs.

We could not have asked for a more amazing day and we are looking forward to spending the rest of the week with this wonderful duo! The thought of leaving Alexis behind on Friday is already breaking my heart, but I know that it won't be long before we are blessed to see her smile and hear her laughter every day!

Just to put in perspective how much Lily has changed since my last visit, prior to today I had exactly one picture of her smiling (that was 5 days worth of pictures). Now I have MANY (in just 2 hours of visiting). That smile rarely left her face and it really made my heart soar to see her so happy and to know the reason why!

We are SO blessed!

In other news, we continue to enjoy the Bulgarian cuisine. Here is Flat Stanislav enjoying some find dining at the hotel restaurant:

Grilled Pork Ears (believe it or not, they were actually quite good)

The "Big Meatball." Pork stuffed with cheese, pickles and. . more pork (ham).