We Have Our Boy!!!

While our travel to Bulgaria was uneventful, it was uncomfortable. After 24 hours of travelling, we arrived in Sofia running only on the cat-naps we were able to get in during our trek across the Atlantic. We forced ourselves to stay up until 8pm local time in order to get a good night's rest before our first full day with Andrew. However, our systems were so out of sync that we still ended up waking up regularly throughout the night.

We missed our alarm and waking up an hour later, we began frantically getting ready.

We had arranged to have a "diaper donation" to be delivered this morning. When we arrived the delivery was waiting with a bill for over $100 what we had purchased. Fortunately, our agency was able to get the whole thing straightened out.

Meanwhile the workers had brought out Andrew. He recognized us immediately and we began getting reacquainted. Inside he was changed into clothes we had brought for him. The orphanage workers had prepared a backpack for him to take with us. It included the photo album we brought him in April, some toys and a few pictures of him during his time there. Andrew helped us hand out gift bags to the workers, doctors and directors. One doctor actually had gifts for us. A hand stitched wall hanging, a pillow case for Andrew, an authentic Bulgarian apron and another hand stitched wall hanging made by her mother 70 years ago!

Leaving was not nearly as dramatic as we had pictured it, only a few tears. We do know that one worker that he was especially close to chose not to come today out of fear that it would just be to difficult to take for the both of them.

We took a cab from the orphanage to the passport office. He hopped in the cab with a huge smile, and even asked to remove his back pack so he could hold it like we were. He behaved perfectly for us at the passport office which consisted of at least an hour of standing in line.

We left there and walked a short distance to play at a nearby park.

Then our first meal together at Santor's Pizza! Here again, he behaved perfectly. He sat still in his seat, and throughout the meal he would copy everything we did. It seems that if he gets something in his mind, he has no reservations about trying if for himself and asking permission later (i.e. drinking with out a straw, using a fork, pouring water from the bottle into his glass). He devoured two slices and we were out the door.

Then another cab ride. By this time we were noticing signs of fatigue. It was about the time for his scheduled nap. So we were actually trying to keep him awake so we could put him down at our apartment and avoid him falling asleep and awaking having only had a power nap.

Apparently, between leaving the orphanage, exhaustion, heat, two slices of pizza and the general stress of the morning he had had all he could take and proceeded to throw up ( I mean THROW UP!) in the back seat of the taxi. Twice. The driver quickly pulled over and we got Andrew out of the car and began to clean him up. We decided we were close enough to walk the rest of the way so after cleaning the back seat, paying the driver 3 times the cost of the ride to appease him, we stripped Andrew of his vomit soaked pants and walked the rest of the way back to our apartment through the streets of Sofia with our new, naked son ( shirt, diaper, shoes, and socks up to his knees ).

When we got back to the apartment, we tried to give Andrew a nap. However when he saw Jen shut the blinds, he had panic in his eyes and backed out of the room mumbling something.

He never got his nap, but we spent the rest of the afternoon playing indoors and introducing him to his family via Skype. It was evident he was still in shock. Although there was a moment when he loosened up while talking with his siblings. He never spoke to them, but he did interact showing them a book, smiling and even trying to throw a ball to them.

Our wonderful translator, Maria stayed with us until 4:30 to help with the adjustments. There were a couple of moments with a few tears as reality set in. He allowed us to pick him up and comfort him. At one point he began repeating English as we read through a picture book.

We made dinner at home to avoid any more excitement. At dinner he pushed his plate of pasta and sauce away only to eat a piece of Jen's home made bread, a banana and some cheese.

We walked to the store to pick up a few items and finished the day with him falling asleep in his bed, curled up between the two of us with his new glow-stick bracelet in one hand and his blanky bear in the other watching Franklin the Turtle on the laptop.