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| Items that I was given for M at the shower |
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Today
Alright, so I have been very upfront with everyone about not wanting a kid shower. Ok, I know it might sound odd, but I really hate being the center of attention. The thought of it totally stresses me out....I know silly. So, today I as I was finishing up covering an IEP meeting with one of the special ed teachers I work with, my consultant Michelle comes in and sits down. As we were finishing talking Michelle told me that I was wanted in the teacher lounge. Well, you guess it....some of the teachers and associates I work with decided to throw me a small kid shower. It was very nice of them and totally unexpected. We ended up talking some and of course they wanted to know about M. Most had to leave quickly because of after school activities, which was fine. As Michelle and I were leaving the school she had to tell me what happened. She said that the MS staff was looking all over for me and she let them know I was in a staffing in the HS (MS and HS are in the same building, each has their own hallway). Well they finally told Michelle why they needed me. Her response was "Katherine's going to be soooo mad." I wasn't.....still don't want any more adoption/kid showers, wondering how many people are not going to listen to me on that one...
Saturday, January 21, 2012
1 month
It has been 1 month since I have seen M. I remember 1 month ago squeezing 2 visit in on that last day in Stara Zagora. The director coming in and sharing how happy he is for M and thankful that I am adopting her. Saying goodbye and knowing it would be several months till I would be coming back. Watching my girl walk up the steps after our last visit. Knowing that she is well taken care of and loved by the people in her orphanage. This made it so much easier to leave her there. Knowing that I will be back and when I do we will be a family forever.
I can't say that it has been an easy month away from her now that I have finally met her. I have gotten to email her, but heard no reply. I have worked on getting things together for her room and items that I hope she will love. I have bought Barbies and found the perfect desk. I have looked for pink items, even though a little can go a long way! I have broken down and shopped in the store Justice and discovered it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I have fielded many questions about her and her medical needs. Decided that open enrolling her into a different school district is truly the best choice. I have had my times of crying looking at her sweet face and wondering when I will see it again. I know that day will come....can't wait till it is here. Until then I pray that she is healthy....that she knows that she is loved and will be patient until I can come back. Love you M!
I can't say that it has been an easy month away from her now that I have finally met her. I have gotten to email her, but heard no reply. I have worked on getting things together for her room and items that I hope she will love. I have bought Barbies and found the perfect desk. I have looked for pink items, even though a little can go a long way! I have broken down and shopped in the store Justice and discovered it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I have fielded many questions about her and her medical needs. Decided that open enrolling her into a different school district is truly the best choice. I have had my times of crying looking at her sweet face and wondering when I will see it again. I know that day will come....can't wait till it is here. Until then I pray that she is healthy....that she knows that she is loved and will be patient until I can come back. Love you M!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Some of you might know my amazing friend Yvonne. She has been a wonderful advocate for Bulgarian children and adopting children with special needs. She is also one of the two organizers for the Bulgarian Adoptee's Reunion (wonderful event if you can come). She in now in the process of adopted two beautiful little boys from EE. Earlier today someone posted a very ugly comment on her blog. In true Yvonne fashion she addressed this person while maintaining her dignity and showed how intelligent she is. Please read her post and pass it on to others.
http://withloveourgivingtreegrows.blogspot.com/2012/01/ignorance.html
http://withloveourgivingtreegrows.blogspot.com/2012/01/ignorance.html
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
One of those moments....
Ever have one of those moments when you just want to shake your head in disbelief? I had on today at work. We had a big meeting, which was good. I had pictures from my trip with me and a co-work, who is big into animal rights was looking through them. She asked why I had a random picture of a dog.
I explained that there are lots of stray dogs just wondering around Bulgaria and how the dog packs in some towns have been known to attack and maul people. The kids at the orphanage are even taught to be afraid of dogs. She asked what they are going to do about all these poor animals. Really? I told her that I knew that there are some groups who are starting to fix the stray dogs, but this is also part of the country. The country and many of the people there do not have the money to spend on their animals, they are focusing on providing for their families. I love my animals as much as the next person, but I know that the 180 orphans at M's orphanage and the thousands of other orphans in Bulgaria are the important ones that should be taken care of.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy 2012!!!
Ok, so it's a little early. Sorry, I'm not going to wait for the BIG ball to drop...I will be in bed early. I did get to skype with some family friends in Germany....although my computer mic wasn't working for some odd reason. Will try again soon.
Anyway, my New Year's wish is that many children are united with their forever families this year. To all those with little ones home I hope to see you at the reunion this summer in Ohio. To all those just starting the journey or waiting for a referral, hold strong it will happen. Praying that M is having a wonderful 2012 so far...there will be many new and exciting things for both of us this year.
Anyway, my New Year's wish is that many children are united with their forever families this year. To all those with little ones home I hope to see you at the reunion this summer in Ohio. To all those just starting the journey or waiting for a referral, hold strong it will happen. Praying that M is having a wonderful 2012 so far...there will be many new and exciting things for both of us this year.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Day 6
12/23 Friday
Today we packed everything up. We were taken to the notary office and I finally got to meet Rosi. Many other families have been with her on their trips and have spoken very highly of her. I’m thrilled that I got to have Plamena, she is just wonderful and helped so much! Anyway....got everything signed and went to wait for Stephan to come back and drive us to the airport. Got to the Sofia airport with plenty of time to do a little shopping for souvenirs....ok I know that sounds bad, but we really didn’t have the time to do it any other day except Thursday and it was snowing like crazy (at least 3 inches). Our flight to Munich was about 20 minutes late. As we waited I sat and knitted next to an elderly lady. She started talking to me in Bulgarian, but quickly switched to English when she figured out my Bulgarian is really, really bad. She was going to Munich to meet her great granddaughter. I ended up giving her my last BIG Hershey’s chocolate bar to enjoy with her family over the holiday. Finally got to Munich and had to be bused to the terminal....they were having really bad fog and had a lot of planes on the ground. We had about a 40 minute delay at the Munich airport too. Went to the duty free store and got beer for Mike and chocolate to bring to the office. Then off to Chicago....the flight was LONG! It didn’t help that the people in front of us decided to lay back and there wasn’t much leg room. Landed around 6:40pm....Went through customs and had to have the customs officer tell me an adoption story. He was very nice and explained that next time will take a few extra minutes to get through Maria’s documents. Collected luggage and off for home.
Today we packed everything up. We were taken to the notary office and I finally got to meet Rosi. Many other families have been with her on their trips and have spoken very highly of her. I’m thrilled that I got to have Plamena, she is just wonderful and helped so much! Anyway....got everything signed and went to wait for Stephan to come back and drive us to the airport. Got to the Sofia airport with plenty of time to do a little shopping for souvenirs....ok I know that sounds bad, but we really didn’t have the time to do it any other day except Thursday and it was snowing like crazy (at least 3 inches). Our flight to Munich was about 20 minutes late. As we waited I sat and knitted next to an elderly lady. She started talking to me in Bulgarian, but quickly switched to English when she figured out my Bulgarian is really, really bad. She was going to Munich to meet her great granddaughter. I ended up giving her my last BIG Hershey’s chocolate bar to enjoy with her family over the holiday. Finally got to Munich and had to be bused to the terminal....they were having really bad fog and had a lot of planes on the ground. We had about a 40 minute delay at the Munich airport too. Went to the duty free store and got beer for Mike and chocolate to bring to the office. Then off to Chicago....the flight was LONG! It didn’t help that the people in front of us decided to lay back and there wasn’t much leg room. Landed around 6:40pm....Went through customs and had to have the customs officer tell me an adoption story. He was very nice and explained that next time will take a few extra minutes to get through Maria’s documents. Collected luggage and off for home.
Day 5
12/22 Thursday
Well, today we were on our own. We were able to sleep in.....I slept in till about 7 BG time....Dora Beth till about 9:30. We eventually went out for something to eat. We went to a restaurant that Stephan had suggested our first night. The waiter spoke a little English and they had no menus in English....but we told the waiter to bring us chicken (grilled) and just trusted that it would be good. I can say I think this is the best meal I have had in Bulgaria. It was grilled chicken on some kind of rice mixed with veggies and a sauce. The check for the meals were just over 12 Lev....really cheap! We then went to the grocery store to get somethings to take back to the apartment. When we were getting ready to leave we looked outside and it was snowing....lots of snow. It is a very heavy wet snow which was making everything slick and slushy on the roads. Another interesting BG thing (well at least is Sofia today) there were cars parked on the sidewalks....all the roads are very narrow and the cars parked on both sides of the street would have prevented any other cars from going down the street. Anyway.....the grocery store worker was rather annoyed by us....no we didn’t do anything inappropriate. He pointed at the amount we each owed and when I handed him a 20 Lev he said 10?....I said Ne 10 and he just shook his head. With Dora Beth he ended up smacking his hand on his forehead because she gave him a larger bill also. We came back to the apartment....didn’t bring the best shoes for walking through the snow (no they didn’t clean off the sidewalks while we were out, but it was also still snowing). We started to watch a movie and I ended up going to take a nap and slept way too long! I guess that the change in time, all the travel and stress finally caught up with me. Think we might try getting something warm to bring back to the apartment to eat....the snow has finally stopped. Tomorrow will bring a trip to the Notary’s office and then onto the airport to come home. Can’t wait to see everyone at home! It has been a wonderful trip, but I know that there is still much to do to prepare for M....more documents to get and a room to put together.
Well, today we were on our own. We were able to sleep in.....I slept in till about 7 BG time....Dora Beth till about 9:30. We eventually went out for something to eat. We went to a restaurant that Stephan had suggested our first night. The waiter spoke a little English and they had no menus in English....but we told the waiter to bring us chicken (grilled) and just trusted that it would be good. I can say I think this is the best meal I have had in Bulgaria. It was grilled chicken on some kind of rice mixed with veggies and a sauce. The check for the meals were just over 12 Lev....really cheap! We then went to the grocery store to get somethings to take back to the apartment. When we were getting ready to leave we looked outside and it was snowing....lots of snow. It is a very heavy wet snow which was making everything slick and slushy on the roads. Another interesting BG thing (well at least is Sofia today) there were cars parked on the sidewalks....all the roads are very narrow and the cars parked on both sides of the street would have prevented any other cars from going down the street. Anyway.....the grocery store worker was rather annoyed by us....no we didn’t do anything inappropriate. He pointed at the amount we each owed and when I handed him a 20 Lev he said 10?....I said Ne 10 and he just shook his head. With Dora Beth he ended up smacking his hand on his forehead because she gave him a larger bill also. We came back to the apartment....didn’t bring the best shoes for walking through the snow (no they didn’t clean off the sidewalks while we were out, but it was also still snowing). We started to watch a movie and I ended up going to take a nap and slept way too long! I guess that the change in time, all the travel and stress finally caught up with me. Think we might try getting something warm to bring back to the apartment to eat....the snow has finally stopped. Tomorrow will bring a trip to the Notary’s office and then onto the airport to come home. Can’t wait to see everyone at home! It has been a wonderful trip, but I know that there is still much to do to prepare for M....more documents to get and a room to put together.
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