When we left the orphanage yesterday, they told us that Andrew typically wakes up around 6:30am. Yikes!! So we were pleasantly surprised when at 8am this morning Andrew walked into our room with a big smile on his face. Apparently an eventful day with no nap completely wore him out.
He seemed completely relaxed around us today and gave no indication that he wanted to go back to the orphanage. Jen made eggs and toast for us this morning, but again Andrew was only interested in a banana. In the moment Jen was inspired with some divine wisdom and told him that he could have more juice if he would take a bite of egg. That settled it and he finished his eggs.
We took a long walk in the park this morning. We stopped at a few play areas but finally rested in a big field. We brought toys and played until we were hungry.
We came back for lunch. Andrew scarfed his sandwich and we made another attempt at a nap for him. No go. So we tried having some chill time with a video. That lasted for about 2 seconds. We are so thankful to have a week alone with him to bond before we return home. However, that's one week alone with him. It's been a few years since we've been parents of one. At home the kids can keep each other entertained. Here, its just us and we are out of shape for this line of work.
Relief came in the form of a Skype call from the kids at home. Its amazing to see them connect with him online. He smiles, responds and interacts with them more than anyone else he's seen.
After the call we went for another walk in the park. At our first stop in a play area, Andrew climbed to the top of a piece of play equipment and called out "Mama!" for Jen to see. THE highlight of her day.
Its been amazing to see Andrew's progression even after just a short time with us. He has always been incredibly cautious and not very sure-footed. Even at the end of the first visit, Aaron could barely pick him up without it completely overwhelming him. This afternoon he was running and jumping all over the park. Aaron was rough housing with him and even throwing him up in the air( reasonably of course, as all Dads do ). Yesterday and this morning he would not walk with us near water, even while holding our hands. This afternoon he wanted to stop at a bridge and throw sticks in a creek (his idea).
We came home late for dinner, but Jen cooked some chicken. Some trouble with eating but that may have been due to the granola bar in the park to tie him over and the glass of milk he guzzled as Aaron was setting the table.
Bedtime went well. Andrew cried as Jen sat down on the bed with him and rubbed his back. Aaron stroked his forehead as he fell asleep within minutes between wimpers with another glow stick and blanky bear in his hand.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Travelling!!!!!
We just got word yesterday of some possible travel dates, the earliest being this Tuesday, Sept. 22nd. So, we decided not to wait another moment longer. We bought our tickets today and will be flying out this Tuesday, Sept. 21st. We will bring Andrew out of the orphanage on Thursday, Sept. 23rd. We are so ready to bring him home.
Every year we take a family vacation to Hilton Head Island the first week in October. It's our favorite trip as a family. This year all available funds were spent on two trips to Bulgaria instead. So we promised the kids we would take a long weekend. As we debated which dates we would travel, we soon realized that we would not be able to make the long weekend to HHI. As we gently broke the news to our children, their immediate response was "WHO CARES!!! We want our brother home!" We are so proud of them. Our entire journey has been a family endeavor and we could not, nor would we have done any of this without all of them. We'll write more on that in a later post.
Our first trip came upon us suddenly and with a weeks notice we were scrambling to have everything in place. We knew this trip was coming so over the past 5 months we have been slowly collecting items we would need for this trip (toys, clothes, travel items, etc.). That being said, a week to get ready is still just a week and we again are scrambling to make sure everything's in place. From mowing the lawn, to arranging rides for the kids, to setting up skype on our home computer -we are busy.
This week our oldest daughter and (now)oldest son each have birthdays. Our large family party for both will have to be postponed. In the meantime we're having two, much smaller birthday/family night parties before we leave. Complete with milkshakes, root beer floats, games, and finishing Prince Caspian, they're sure to be fabulous!
Since our last post God has provided $7,090. We are still needing another$3800, but for God there's no time crunch. We are continually reminding ourselves of all that He's done in the past. Last trip the final $1200 didn't arrive until 2 days before we left. He is faithful to complete what He started, and we'll rest in that. We are currently waiting to hear from an adoption grant that we've applied for. Ironically, we'll hear from them no later than the 21st, the day we fly out. God's funny.
We can't wait to be able to share Andrew with all of you!! Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support. There has been a tangible grace on our family at every step.
Every year we take a family vacation to Hilton Head Island the first week in October. It's our favorite trip as a family. This year all available funds were spent on two trips to Bulgaria instead. So we promised the kids we would take a long weekend. As we debated which dates we would travel, we soon realized that we would not be able to make the long weekend to HHI. As we gently broke the news to our children, their immediate response was "WHO CARES!!! We want our brother home!" We are so proud of them. Our entire journey has been a family endeavor and we could not, nor would we have done any of this without all of them. We'll write more on that in a later post.
Our first trip came upon us suddenly and with a weeks notice we were scrambling to have everything in place. We knew this trip was coming so over the past 5 months we have been slowly collecting items we would need for this trip (toys, clothes, travel items, etc.). That being said, a week to get ready is still just a week and we again are scrambling to make sure everything's in place. From mowing the lawn, to arranging rides for the kids, to setting up skype on our home computer -we are busy.
This week our oldest daughter and (now)oldest son each have birthdays. Our large family party for both will have to be postponed. In the meantime we're having two, much smaller birthday/family night parties before we leave. Complete with milkshakes, root beer floats, games, and finishing Prince Caspian, they're sure to be fabulous!
Since our last post God has provided $7,090. We are still needing another$3800, but for God there's no time crunch. We are continually reminding ourselves of all that He's done in the past. Last trip the final $1200 didn't arrive until 2 days before we left. He is faithful to complete what He started, and we'll rest in that. We are currently waiting to hear from an adoption grant that we've applied for. Ironically, we'll hear from them no later than the 21st, the day we fly out. God's funny.
We can't wait to be able to share Andrew with all of you!! Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support. There has been a tangible grace on our family at every step.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Introducing Andrew-Aleksandar Thomas Santor!!
We have just received word this evening that the Bulgarian court has approved our adoption. He is officially our son!!! We had been checking our email ALL day, knowing that our case was being heard today, and had finally given up on hearing anything. Jen checked one last time around 6:30 while we were heating up dinner and getting ready for the college home group we host. There was the email! We all started screaming and kissing. We've been wired ever since. You can imagine how difficult it was to put the kids to bed tonight!
We are told that the actual court decree will take another two weeks. After that the Bulgarian agency will work on getting his new birth certificate and paperwork required by the Hague convention. We will not know our travel dates until this happens, but we are expecting no later than early September.
Money for the remaining amount continues to trickle in. On Monday night, our 3yr. old niece emptied her piggy bank into our donation jar that sits on the counter. We've learned to thank God for every penny of provision and not discard even the smallest gift.
We are still needing over $9,000 to finally bring our son home. This amount includes air fare, agency fees, medical exit exam and a weeks worth of accommodations while we travel. If you would like to be a part of bringing Andrew home please click on one of the fundraisers listed on the sides of this post. Just in the last few weeks we've received $40 from a friend at church, $10 for a loaf of Jen's bread, the piggy bank money from our niece, and even a $10 donation via the "Donate" button on this page.
Another friend from church is offering a photography class. The cost of the class will be donated to our adoption fund. Just to have someone help by taking up our cause is a tremendous blessing and we are so grateful.
God has provided every cost upfront from the first $550 application fee. So we are in no position to doubt his provision now. This is His story and He will be faithful to finish what He started.
On a side note:
Two weekends ago Jen suddenly felt the urgent need (nesting?)to make sure everything was in place for Andrew's homecoming, even though we had no news. We needed two dressers for the boys and wanted bookshelves to organize our home (specifically the home school materials that had accumulated in piles throughout the house).
We decided to take a trip to IKEA to see what we could find. We found two solid wood dresser within our budget, but were not sure if the dimensions would fit so we decided to go home and check the measurements. On our way out the door we notice the "As Is" section. There we discovered two 4' w X 6'h solid wood bookshelves. $62 a piece, marked down from $250! We grabbed them.
When they were assembled at home they not only fit all of our home school supplies but also all of Aaron's books that have been sitting in boxes in our attic for the past 7yrs. We took some measurements and realized that it would not be difficult to build in a corner desk between the bookshelves. Jen's mom and dad eagerly planned the whole thing out so that once we had the money we could finish it off.
The following weekend we returned to pick up the two dressers that we now knew would fit; however, this weekend there was only one on the shelf. As we spoke with a service guy in the "As Is" section, Jen's dad noticed two solid wood dressers already loaded on a cart, bigger and better than the two we were trying to buy. $49 a piece, marked down from $200!
Jen's dad was determined to make our desk happen now and suggested quickly looking down an aisle for desk tops. We found an exact sized piece of wood for the desk and the shelf above only $20 a piece, so now we wouldn't have to wait. The very next day her parents came and worked until 1a.m. to finish the desk.
Altogether we bought 2 brand new, solid wood dressers, 2 brand new, solid wood bookshelves and a custom built, solid wood desk for only $328!! Again God provides.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Article 5
The Article 5 letter has been received by the agency in Bulgaria. They will translate and legalize it this week and could have it to the MOJ by next week.
We are missing our son and cannot wait until the day he is home forever.
We are missing our son and cannot wait until the day he is home forever.
Monday, June 21, 2010
U.S. Embassy interview
We just got word today that our embassy interview in Bulgaria was successful. For anyone who does not know, the agency in Bulgaria sends a representative for us to be present for the interview. So we were not there in Bulgaria this week.
We do not know details of what next. We do know that they are waiting for the embassy to issue the Article 5 letter. They'll need to translate and legalize this information and then will present it to the Ministry of Justice. We do not know a timeline from there as of yet.
We will keep you posted. Thank you for your prayers and all your support.
We do not know details of what next. We do know that they are waiting for the embassy to issue the Article 5 letter. They'll need to translate and legalize this information and then will present it to the Ministry of Justice. We do not know a timeline from there as of yet.
We will keep you posted. Thank you for your prayers and all your support.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
I800 news
Today we received the provisional approval for our I800. It took exactly 3 weeks to get here from the day they received our application. One more step closer.
We don't know the process fully, but the next step is for the Bulgarian agency to meet with the US Embassy to submit documents. From there, the US Embassy will issue a letter that will in turn be translated, legalized and sent to the Ministry of Justice in Bulgaria to give consent to continue on with this adoption.
We are excited to be moving forward with the process and pray that all will go smoothly.
We also received $70 more for our adoption in the mail today as well. Thank you, Jesus for Your provision and encouragement!!
We don't know the process fully, but the next step is for the Bulgarian agency to meet with the US Embassy to submit documents. From there, the US Embassy will issue a letter that will in turn be translated, legalized and sent to the Ministry of Justice in Bulgaria to give consent to continue on with this adoption.
We are excited to be moving forward with the process and pray that all will go smoothly.
We also received $70 more for our adoption in the mail today as well. Thank you, Jesus for Your provision and encouragement!!
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