Paperwork Update and Fundrasing Info

Just a quick update about what's going on with us.  We've filed our I800 form and were notified that it has been received by USCIS.  We are hoping for approval sometime in March.  We're also working on our documents for court.  Bulgaria requires up to have updated medical forms and current FBI background checks for court, so we plan on getting those taken care of this week.  We are due for a home study update in March, and that also requires updated medical forms and local background checks, so thankfully we'll be able to take care of everything at once.

We've been able to schedule Saturday morning Skype sessions with Little Brother for the past few weeks and have enjoyed them very much.  He definitely recognizes us and seems interested in us.  He loves our cats and meows into the computer whenever he sees one of them.  We think his foster family is amazing and are so grateful that they are allowing us to have so much contact in between visits.

We are doing a little fundraising to help with our travel expenses.  We'll most likely be travelling to Bulgaria this summer when flights are more expensive.  We'll be taking Nikolas with us, so we'll need to purchase three round-trip tickets and a single one-way ticket.  We left Nikolas at home with my parents when we visited Little Brother, and he hasn't stopped talking about how much he missed us while we were gone.  We think it will be best for everyone to take him along with us on the pick up trip.

Our family has been awarded a matching grant from Brittany's Hope Foundation to help us bring our little guy home from Bulgaria.   After we raise $2,000, Brittany's Hope will match that amount and award us a $4,000 grant.    This grant will help with our final adoption fees and travel expenses.  To donate online, please visit www.brittanyshope.org/donate, choose "Special Needs Adoption Grants", and then enter our last name in Recipient Family blank. 

I'm also still an Independent Consultant for Tastefully Simple, and everything I earn from that also goes towards our adoption travel fund.  The brand new Spring/Summer catalog just came out, and there are lots of great products available.  Visit my website at www.tastefullysimple.com/web/kvanroekel to order.  If you're interested in hosting either a taste testing party or catalog/Facebook party to help out, just let me know. 

We are so thankful to everyone who has supported us and prayed for us during this journey to complete our family.  We appreciate you more than you will ever know.  Thank you!!

Day 8 - The Journey Home

After about 3.5 hours of sleep our alarm went off and it was time to wake up.  We quickly got our things together and headed downstairs at 4:45am to wait for our taxi.  It was plenty wet and snowy out there.  The driver picked us up about five minutes later and we were on our way to the airport.  There was a bit of confusion because we didn't know which terminal we needed to go to and the driver didn't speak much English, but we figured it out.

 

We checked in and got through security with no problems at all.  We bought some more chocolate in the duty free area because we were able to find the large Oreo Milka bars that we liked so much.  Our flight out of Sofia was a few minutes late, but we were still able to make it to Paris on time. 

 

So on Saturday we saw the Eiffel Tower and had lunch in Paris.  That sounds so much better than it really was.  We had flown through Paris a couple of times before, but this was the first time that we were able to catch a good glimpse of the Eiffel Tower.  If you have ever been through the Paris airport before, you know what an annoying airport it is to visit.   We rode the bus around the airport and rushed to our gate only to find out that our flight had been delayed... by at least four hours.  We stood in a very long line to get new connecting flights, because there was no way that we would make our connection in Detroit. 

 

They finally set us up on a new flight to Atlanta that left late that afternoon and would get us home at 11:30pm instead of 4:50pm like we were originally scheduled to arrive.  It was the best choice, because all other options required us to spend the night in a hotel and fly home on Sunday.  They gave us each a 16 euro food voucher for our trouble, so at least we were able to grab something to eat in the airport.  

 

Our flight to Atlanta was uneventful.  We passed through customs without any issues and rechecked our luggage.  One of those bags would travel to Indianapolis with us, but the other would take a journey around the eastern part of the country and arrive home the following evening.  Our friend Mark picked us up at the airport since it was decided that 11:30pm was too late for my mom to have Nikolas out.  After a quick trip to Taco Bell, we arrived home safely from our long journey.    

Day 7 - Goodbye Little Brother, Hello Snowy Sofia

We woke up early on Friday morning so we could get everything packed.  After breakfast we walked over to the social worker's office to sign some paperwork.  We said goodbye to everyone at the office and then headed back to the hotel.  We checked out and said goodbye to the staff and then headed over to Little Brother's foster home for one last visit.

He was watching out the window for us when we arrived.  We went in and were able to spend about two hours playing with him.  We gave his foster mother the photo book that we had prepared for him. As she looked through it with him, he could easily identify us in person from the photographs.  We traded contact information so we could get set up to Skype with each other until we are able to come back for him.

We said our goodbyes to Little Brother and his foster family before heading back to Sofia.  The wait in between trips is so hard, but knowing that he is being taken care of by a family that loves him makes it a little easier.  We'll have contact with the family, so that helps, too.  It's amazing how easy it is to get attached to one little boy in just five short days.

It was very windy on our drive back to Sofia.  Our attendant dropped us off at our friend Noreen's apartment.  She is in Sofia picking up her three children.  We met through our agency, Children's House International, and she offered to let us stay at her apartment for the night.  We visited for a bit and then set off in the rain to pick up some souvenirs and to have some dinner.  We walked to the nearest Metro station and took the train to the Serdika station.  We knew that area had several souvenir shops and would be the best place to shop.  By the time we arrived at the station the rain had turned to very wet snow that was coming down rather quickly.  It was a mess out out there!  We purchased our souvenirs and then caught the train back to Vitosha Avenue.

We stopped at Pizza Palace for dinner.  It was a very nice Italian restaurant that had great food.  We had pasta and risotto followed by the best tiramisu for dessert.  We met a nice couple from the south of Turkey and chatted with them for a bit.  They were excited to see the snow because it doesn't snow in that part of Turkey.  I'm sure we'll be visiting Pizza Palace multiple times this summer when we return to bring Little Brother home.  On the way back to the apartment we stopped at a small grocery store to pick up some chocolate, since European chocolate is so much better than American chocolate!

We headed back to the apartment (without getting lost!) and enjoyed some wine and laughs with Noreen before crashing for the night.  Our cab was due to arrive at 5:00am, so it was definitely going to be a short night for us.

Day 6 - Visa Picture and a Walk

On Thursday morning we picked up Little Brother from his house and took him to Blagoevgrad to get his visa picture taken.  He fell asleep in the car on the way, so he was a little drowsy for his photo.  We took off his coat and hat and sat him on the little stool, and he was done in about 30 seconds. 

We walked over the grocery store to do a little shopping while we waited for his photos to be printed.  About ten minutes later we picked up the photos and were on our way back to Kocherinovo. 

We dropped Little Brother off at his foster home so he could have lunch and take a quick nap.  His foster mother called when he woke up, and we went over to the house to pick him up.  We are forming such a positive relationship with his foster mother.  We typically go through the gate while our attendant parks the car.  We wave through the dining room window and then walk right in to the house.  His foster mother told us that he goes to the window and watches for us now.  He seems happy when we get there.  He really likes Jason.

Today his foster mother gave us a CD of photos that she had taken since Little Brother arrived in her home.  We are so blessed to have over 200 baby pictures of our little boy.  It's such a great gift!  We're also grateful to have such a good relationship with his foster family.  I have a feeling that they will always be our family in Bulgaria and we will keep in touch with them forever.

We took him back to the hotel and Skyped with Nikolas.  After our Skype session we took a walk around town.  We walked around the city center and then over to an area that used to be a park.  The playground equipment was gone and we found a man who was letting his sheep and goats graze in the area.  Little Brother loves animals and didn't seem too phased that they were walking right by him.

After our walk we ordered some French fries with cheese and cherry juice from the restaurant downstairs.  Little Brother loves French fries and had a good amount of them for his afternoon snack.  After snack time we played in our hotel room for a bit before taking him back home.  We are so thankful that we've had so much time with him.

We relaxed for a bit after returning to the hotel and then met our attendant downstairs for dinner. 

Here are a few pictures that I took around the village:

Day 5 - Signing Papers

Since we weren't going to be seeing Little Brother until the afternoon, we had some extra free time on Wednesday morning.  We decided that we were ready to go to the notary's office to sign the paperwork saying that we wanted to adopt Little Brother.  Since Kocherinovo is such a small town, we had to travel to Blagoevgrad to find a notary.  Blagoevgrad is a college town located about 12 kilometers south of Kocherinovo.  After signing the paperwork we took a walk around the city center to find a photo shop, since we would be returning to get Little Brother's visa picture taken the following morning.

After we took care of business in Blagoevgrad we headed back to the village to relax until Little Brother woke up from his nap.  His foster mother called our translator around 1:00pm and let us know we could pick him up.  We drove to the house and brought him back to the hotel.  We played with his toys and visited with the ladies in the restaurant downstairs.  He even got to Skype with Nikolas while he was there.  He's a very busy little boy and we enjoyed spending so much time with him.

We took him home at 6:00pm and then came back to the hotel to enjoy dinner in hotel restaurant.  Things have been going great!

Day 4 - Rila Monestary

The Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria.  I had been wanting to go to the monastery for a long time, so I was excited to find out that we would be staying in a village that was less than 30 kilometers away.  I was even more excited when our attendant suggested a trip to this beautiful place.

On Tuesday the weather was great, so we decided it would be a good day to visit.  Our group consisted of us, our attendant, the social worker, little brother, foster mother and foster father.  As we drove up the mountain we saw more and more snow on the ground.  

The main church was amazing.  Everything was so detailed.  We could have spent so much more time there.  While we were there Little Brother's foster mother explained that he had been named after the saint who founded the monastery.  Before leaving the church, she asked us to all light a candle together for him. 

We walked around the grounds for a bit longer and took everything in.  We also stopped by the gift shop to purchase a few postcards of the inside of the church before heading back down the mountain for lunch. 

We stopped at a cute little restaurant near the river and enjoyed a traditional Bulgarian meal.  While we waited for our lunch Little Brother enjoyed checking out the stuffed animals that were mounted on the wall and checking himself out in the mirror.  His foster mother ordered him a meatball and some French fries, but he preferred Jason's chicken dish over his own meal.

After lunch we said our goodbyes and headed back to the village.  On the way we talked about our plan for the rest of the week.

We arrived back in time for our daily Skype session with Nikolas.  After that we took a walk around the city center and also down to the small church down the road.  We always felt comfortable when we were out, and the people we met were very friendly.  We definitely enjoyed the slower pace of village life.

As normal, we had our nightly dinner in the hotel restaurant with our attendant followed by relaxing upstairs before bed.

Day 3 - Meeting Little Brother

We met our attendant downstairs at 8:30am and shared a plate of freshly made banitsa before heading over to the social worker's office.  The office is located in the one office building that is located in the city center.  It is a small room located on the top floor of the building.  We took care of some paperwork, picked up the social worker and drove over to Little Brother's foster home. 

We were greeted at the door by his foster mother.  She invited us in for some juice and snacks, and we sat and talked about Little Brother until he got comfortable with us being there.  We then joined him in the bedroom and spent a couple of hours playing with him.  We could tell right away that he's a clever little boy.  He's very energetic and has a sweet giggle.  His favorite toys are cars, balls, my iPhone, and the television remote.  Towards the end of the visit he let his foster mother know that he was hungry.  After a quick lunch he grabbed his blanket and fell right asleep.  We dropped the social worker off at her office and returned to the hotel.

In the afternoon we took a walk to the small grocery store in town to pick up some soda and juice to take back to the hotel.  We also picked up some souvenirs at another small store in the town center.  There are a couple of souvenir shops in town, but neither seemed to be open during our visit.  Perhaps will check back this summer when we return to bring Little Brother home. 

That evening we enjoyed a quiet dinner downstairs in the restaurant and then went back upstairs to get some sleep.

Days 1 and 2 - Getting There

We left Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon and flew to Sofia via Washington DC and Vienna.  Katie from Adoption Airfare booked us some great flights on United and Austrian Air.  All of the flights were on time with short, easy connections. 

We arrived in Sofia at 12:50pm on Sunday and were met by our attendant.  He drove us to Kocherinovo, which is a small village located in the southwestern part of Bulgaria.  It's known as "The Town of Storks".  We were able to spot many nests on top of buildings and are excited to watch for storks when we return this summer.  This part of the country is absolutely beautiful.

We checked into the Hotel Mishel, which is a small guest house that has six rooms.  It's owned by a very nice couple that we got to know throughout the week.  Our room was comfortable and we enjoyed having a small terrace.

After getting unpacked we were able to Skpye with Nikolas at home.  We were very thankful to have a reliable internet connection all week.

We enjoyed a nice meal in the small dining room at the hotel before an early bedtime.  

Here's a website that includes a lot of neat information about Kocherinovo: http://www.sputnik-bg.net/en/index.htm.

Referral!!

We received a referral in mid-January and just returned home last night from meeting our little guy.  He's am amazing little boy and we had such a positive experience going to visit him.  He's going to be a great son and little brother.  I didn't take the laptop with me when we travelled, so I wasn't able to post blog updates during our trip.  I'll be working on them over the next couple of weeks, so be sure to watch for them!