Day 11 was an absolute bear of a day, so we chose sleep instead of blogging :) The kids were all not feeling well, so all the big people were on high alert! Ana's breathing became so labored, shallow, and quick yesterday morning that she couldn't even finish a sentence. Her chest and throat were retracting pretty dramatically, and mama bear was freaking out. Ry has fairly severe asthma, so I was super worried that this awful congestion had triggered something. So, we waited until our around 3pm our time, and called our pediatrician. It was right before the office opened, so we phoned the after hours number. We see Dr. White with Future Hope Pediatrics in Shelbyville, and we are slightly obsessed with her. Not only is she everything we ever wanted in a doctor for our kiddos and more, she has adopted herself, so she has a unique perspective that we find invaluable. Therefore, we knew she was the perfect person to call. She gave Ry some things that wouldn't be difficult to find in another country, seemed to agree that avoiding a Bulgarian hospital was of high importance, and then followed up on facebook to make sure we had everything in writing. So, off to the pharmacy we went to buy Vitamin C & Vitamin D.
My sweet girl LOVES her motrin, so we expected this to be easy peasy. NO. NO. NO. "I don't like it!!!" was all we heard in between screams and gasps for air as we tried to force these meds down her little throat. It was horrible. Finally, we all learned that putting the meds via syringe into a pouch is much less traumatic, and she doesn't even notice. So, we're encouraging her to eat these pouches, that were originally for the airplane rides, every couple hours. She loves her pouches and pretty much downs them whenever we offer! Thank you, Jesus.
Jack is still super hoarse - it's hilarious and oh so sad to see a baby cry but not be able to hear him. You can tell he's slightly confused, too. So, we're having to make sure someone has an eye on him at all times, since we wouldn't know if he was crying or not! Niko seems to, unfortunately, be used to a cold (and has honestly, due to his diagnosis, had one most of his life), so he's not bothered by the snot at all. Dad is on the mend (he found an english speaking pharmacist who had zyrtec-d!) and we are all doing okay.
Niko woke up last night for the first time, and absolutely freaked out when I tried to soothe him in his crib. Makes me wonder what they did to these babies when they cried at night. He seemed so worried! We finally rocked him to sleep. Jacky woke up at the same time, so Ry and I were tag teaming at 2am. I'm so thankful for my buddy.
We didn't really do much since everyone was feeling so puny. But, the boys and Ry & I did have to go to the embassy. We met our FNA attendant at our apartment, then caught a cab to the U.S. Embassy. It wasn't at all what I expected, but I think that's mainly because I was so ignorant. I expected a much fancier building (the UK Embassy seemed much more grand when we drove by) and I expected the workers there to be American, or at least speak excellent English. When we encountered mainly Bulgarians, I was so thankful Hristina came with us!
When we got into the right building (after going through security, where they had us test our water, purell, and Ry's asthma inhaler on ourselves to prove it was safe to bring in, and walking through a beautiful courtyard), we sat and waited until our case was called. It was first called in Bulgarian, and Hristina went up and presented all the original (in Bulgarian) documents to them. Then, a few minutes later, after I fed Jack and Niko got some walking practice, Ry & I were called up. I gave my fingerprints and swore an oath of accuracy, then we answered some simple questions. The questions touched on the length of our adoption process (3 YEARS!), our post-adoption report requirements, and some feedback to give the host country (Bulgaria). She asked if we were satisfied with Niko's care within his institution. We gave a big, fat, resounding ABSOLUTELY NOT. Then, we left. Literally that simple! I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was something much more intimidating than that!
We came back to the apartment and called our pediatrician, went to the pharmacy, and went and got some dinner later that night, in which we were all too tired to blog :)
*Letting super hot shower water go into the toilet so the girl could take a bath in some serious steam and get that wheezing under control!
*Can you tell who didn't feel well??
Day 12 started out much better than day 11! Ana woke up not feeling normal, but feeling better. We kept giving her her vitamin pouches, and by the end of the day, dare I say, I think she was back to her normal wild self :) 2 thumbs up for Dr. White! This mama felt so much better!
We ended up going for a walk late this morning - we finally made it to the big cathedral! We were able to go inside and look around, while I tried to convince the 2 year old on my back to talk in her "little voice", which did not work well until she saw the giant painting of Jesus on the ceiling. Then, she spent the next several minutes looking up. It was absolutely beautiful inside, and I'm so glad we got to visit some of the places we wanted to see, but weren't sure if we would be able to. Mom even snapped some "illegal" photos with her phone while we were inside!
We also found a much older church on our walk this morning - there was a fallen "wedding this way" sign, so if they let you have weddings here, that is AWESOME.
We then went to "Happy's" again for lunch, and hunted for some souvenirs right around the restaurant. Ana loved her new "froggy" that her daddy bought for her - the great thing about Bulgarian money is that a 5Lev toy is only like $2 at home!
Oh! For those who haven't gone to Europe before, tiny spaces and old buildings are a must around here. The elevator to our apartment freaks me out every.single.time. The floor literally feels like it's going to cave in.
We had a lovely time this morning - no sickies, no meetings, and everyone liked getting to go out and look around. I had a ton of Jesus-sent energy, so it was a blessing to be able to go out today. The weather has been so beautiful while we've been here, too.
Practicing for when daddy has to go back to that j.o.b.
And, today was the last of our requirements while we are in country. Our FNA attendant met us at the apartment, and we signed multiple declarations, were given a ton of translated paperwork (including a sealed envelope of papers to give to customs once we land in Detroit - so official!), had Hristina call us a car for Friday morning, paid her our wiring shortage, and gave her a hug good-bye. The FNA was extremely helpful during this process - I can't imagine a better NGO.
Finally, we went to our favorite restaurant that we've found, topped off dinner with some creme brulee, and came back for bedtime (which Niko is HATING tonight, unfortunately).
Some praise is that Niko attempted to sign "WATER" today. The boy's wheels are turning! Please pray that nighttime improves tonight - at least so that Ry & I can get some decent sleep!
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