Pick Up Trip: Day 8

Today was such a chill day!  The boys woke up early again, and Ry slept on the couch since Jack practically kicked him out of bed!  But, once I brought the boys out, Ry & my mom let me go take a 2 hour nap to recover from Jack's constant nighttime "cuddles".  The kids all played this morning, Niko got a bath and didn't hate it (big step from the first one!), Gramm & Grandad took Ana & Jack for a walk so that we could feed Niko lunch without much interruption.  He takes so long to eat - I think it's because this is the first time he has the opportunity to!  At the orphanage, I believe he had 10-15min to eat, so now he can just relax and eat as much as he wants!  He seems to really love the soup blend purees, probably because he ate mainly soups for the past 2+ years.  We put everyone down for a nap - Jack's was full of lots of tears, and Niko just played in his crib, but the girl slept and everyone woke up from their nap much better than before.

After the kids played, some of them pooped, we put everyone's shoes on, and let Jack gnaw on some cucumbers, we went walking.  Jacky loves the stroller, so I'm super thankful that we decided to bring the small one with us.  We found a really cute Bulgarian souvenir shop and bought a St. Nicholas icon.  I felt like we had to have an authentic icon from BG to show Niko who he was named after!

After that, we meandered back down to the Spaghetti Company, but everyone had to eat something different than they got yesterday. Well, except for Ana.  Niko ate some of his soup blend, and then ate a can of pureed peaches for dessert - he seemed to like them so that's great!  Once he's ready to eat solids, I think he's really going to love fruit.  We saw 3 (THREE) wedding parties come to take pictures in the courtyard right outside of the restaurant - each bride was dressed so differently, but each one had 1 bridesmaid and 1 groomsman.  No more, no less.  The restaurant and streets were pretty bare - I guess we figured out that on a Saturday night in Sofia, everyone goes to weddings!

We headed back and both boys were sound asleep by 8:15.  Niko actually fell asleep with Ry's hand touching his belly - he is trusting us more and more with each passing day.  It's an amazing feeling to know that you are creating a safe space for someone who hasn't experienced that feeling before.  I'm so devastated by what I know he went through for the past 3 years, but I am so excited that we get to provide for and love him how he deserves to be loved, as a child of the great I AM, who made him, knows him, and chose him.  This little boy is so loved and even though he is only learning what love is through food and hugs, it is amazing that we have the opportunity to do that.  When the Lord called us to adopt and gave us a heart and passion for orphan care, I didn't realize how much that would impact my walk along the way.

  This girl keeps finding the airplane candy snacks.

Well, as we sit with Ana and have her say "night night sunset, night night cars, night night buildings, night night sofia", we also wish you a good night.  Thank you for being our village and continuing to keep our family in your prayers.

Pick Up Trip: Day 7

Today was a good day.

No appointments.  A negative TB test.  A decent nap time.  Good food.

Besides Jack waking up at the CRACK OF DAWN, and Niko following not to far behind, we have had a great day.  We first went to a little cafe my parents found yesterday morning while on a walk with Ana and Jack.  They have wonderful croissants, and our waitress spoke excellent english, accompanied by an english accent.  Ry asked her how she learned to speak english, since most bulgarians know a couple words at least, and she said she originally learned via Cartoon Network (hilarious!).  Then, we finally made it to "Billa", the local grocery store, something we had been putting off for daysssss.  Stocked up on Niko's favorite purees, a ton of water (you can't drink the water from the tap here), and some breakfast foods to get us through the weekend.  We caught a cab back to the apartment, made Ana a grilled cheese (finally!) and started our nap time rountine-ish.  I got Ana to sleep, which was great - that girl has walked over a mile every day, been waking up at midnight every night, and is unknowingly exhausted!  Ry got Niko quiet in his crib in our room (we suspect that even though the orphanage says he "naps" everyday, it's actually just quiet time with no sleeping involved).  We moved the little crib out into the hallway, and Gramm miraculously transferred Jack into it.  But, he woke up about 10 min later, freaking out!  So, Gramm was outside doing a backwards row making that crib feel like the rock and play was rocking.  Jacky then slept for 2 hours!  Truly a miracle, y'all.  That boy is so picky about his sleeping!  So, us adults were quarantined into the family room, having to be most silent - haha!  Jack has also tried some of Niko's baby food - loved it.  He's tried a couple cucumbers - obsessed.  And he teethed on a carrot - love.  I think he's going to be the one to eat us out of house and home!

Both boys respond to their names now, and it's awesome!  And today, NIKO signed!  That was the first time he has ever communicated with another person without pointing, throwing, screaming, laughing, or crying.  It was magical.  He still insists on our hands touching his when he signs it, but that's okay - working on that felt safety!  But he signed.  We have also learned that food is going to be a sensitive subject for him for a while.  He obviously didn't get nearly enough, obvious by looking at his body, but he is always so nervous if you take the bowl away to get more, or if you change the situation of eating.  He thinks that it means he won't get anymore, and he gets so so worried.  Sweet boy.  If only he knew he could eat whatever he wanted and however much he wanted!  In time.

After everyone woke up, we headed out to a souvenir shop.  We took the more scenic route, which was lovely!  We saw a center of tons of faucets where people go to fill up jugs and jugs of water to drink - it was so cool!  We also saw tons of water fountains and a really awesome museum.  The cobblestone streets make Jack feel like he's on a roller coaster if he's in the stroller, but he seems to like it.  When we got to Vitosha Boulevard, the walking boulevard, we found the most awesome tiny souvenir shop!  I wanted to get things to show Niko when he got older, because who knows when we will be back.  After we were done there, we got a "Cup O' Corn" (corn is a big deal here!) and then hopped into the local pharmacy to get some more food for Niko.  The pharmacy's sell a lot more baby food and baby products than grocery stores, so we're having to go there to get the foods Niko likes.  Then, on our way back, we found a great Italian restaurant.  Dad has NOT been loving the food, and has made it very obvious just about every meal haha - so we finally found one that he really liked!  Foods are cheaper here, so we are able to get nice meals for even less than expected!  Niko is comfortable eating out, which is absolutely amazing - we had prepared ourselves to not being able to go out much at all.  But, we just bring his food with us, mix it up there, and he eats it while we're all waiting for our food.  Since he loves to just be cuddled, he just hangs out with someone while we all eat.  Ana ate amazing - a piece of pizza and 1/2 a huge bowl of pasta!  The cheeses here are so strong and intense - I can't quite handle them!  Ry likes some of them, and Bulgaria obviously takes great pride in their cheeses, but BOY are they strong!  Then, we got some apple pie and cheesecake.  Ana wanted to try a small bite of each - she ate the cheesecake but didn't love it.  She took a bite of apple pie and started spitting everywhere screaming "I DON'T LIKE IT, I DON'T LIKE IT". It was hilarious - she obviously doesn't love apple pie!  We then walked back to our apartment and did our bedtime thing.  Everyone fell asleep pretty well, Ana slept through the night, and Jack did the same horrible wake up schedule he always does haha!  I fell asleep 1/2 through this blog, so it's getting posted today :)

Pick Up Trip: Day 6

This morning was hard.  And by hard, I mean I cried.

We met our social worker outside of our apartment at 9am sharp.  Gramm, Grandad, Ana & Jack went to grab breakfast at a local cafe while Ry, Niko & I went to the Vita Hospital.

First was blood work to test for TB.

Horrible.  Scarring.  Traumatic.

Because of his size and undernourishment, his veins were very difficult to get blood from.  They inserted the needle, then had to physically pump his little arm to get drops of blood to come out.  He screamed a scream that will probably haunt me forever.  I had to hold him tight so he wouldn't kick the nurse or pull the needle out.  I also tried to block his eyes from seeing a needle sticking out of his arm with red stuff pouring out, but he kept pushing his head back to see.  But, it ended and I held him while I held myself together pretty well.

That's when the Bulgarian dialogue started.

The nurses kept talking to each other rather quickly.  Now, as an ASL interpreter, I'm used to an interpreting situation where everything is interpreted for the client and the client then has the right and responsibility to react how they deem fit.  That is not how this happened.  We were on a "need to know" basis, and got the synopsis of the conversation as the nurses were telling me to sit back down.  The pediatrician said that we had enough - 2ml was fine to do the test.  But, because he is 3, not matter how small, the nurses were claiming they need 4ml.  So, the needle went in the other arm and he fought even harder and screamed even louder.  I cried as I forced him not to look this time.  Talk about traumatic.

The only time this sweet boy has been in the hospital (or really out of the orphanage for the most part) was to get surgeries done at a hospital.  So this was even scarier for him than we could imagine.

Then, up we went to the pediatrician's office to do an exam.  He whimpered and fussed during most of it, but it wasn't too bad.  I felt like she had zero compassion or patience for him, but I'm going to chalk her behavior up to a cultural difference - no way someone would act like that to a child, much less a former orphan.

Then came the tongue depressor.

Nikolay was born with a cleft lip and palate, and has had 2 corrective surgeries.  Because of that, and his institutional neglect, he is very sensitive to what goes in or near his mouth.  He gritted his teeth shut when she tried to put the depressor in to look down his throat, and instead of taking things slow and working with him, she shoved that piece of wood through his teeth and down his throat.  Granted, she was quick about it, but I wanted to go and smack her with her stick she was traumatizing my child with.

Finally, it was over.  Into the ergo he went, and we headed out the door.  We went on a hunt for Pediasure, but we had no luck.  So, we just headed back to the apartment to regroup.  Dad went out for pizza slices, and the kids sat down to eat and play.  Niko seemed to recover quickly, which I was so thankful for.  He still ate and drank for us, despite his scary morning.

Oh!  And he pooped!  Not necessarily what you wanted to hear, but that's a big deal on pick-up trips - many kids have trouble eating and drinking, and often hold in their bowel movements.  He obviously felt comfortable enough.  Poop = trust!

Ana napped, Jack did some version of sleeping-ish, and Niko played in his crib for a little while.  Once everyone was up and we did our diaper line, Ry fed Niko (most likely his first!) afternoon snack.  He ate quite a bit!  Then we got a special birthday skype date with our sweet niece, Liliana (who is SIX!!).  Ana LOVED seeing her cousins, and Niko was somewhat fascinated by the screen that was talking.  We absolutely loved getting to catch up with some of our family back at home - those girls bring such a smile to our faces!  Especially Magnolia and her outfit ;)

The kids played some more and then we headed off to the mall to grab some dinner and let Ana burn off some energy.  We ate at Happy's and Jack had the BEST time gnawing on Ana's cucumber sticks. He LOVED them.  Gagged and threw up a bit when he got a piece, but still loved them nonetheless.  It was fun to watch him be so excited.

We walked, Ana ran, and we hitched a cab back to the apartment.  The kiddos went to sleep (well, Jack is currently up crying, but they all went to sleep in theory) and I am sitting here typing this and eating cookies while Ry's computer "dings" with work emails.

We don't have any appointments until Tuesday (if his TB test comes back okay), so we are entering the weekend with nothing to do but grocery shop and buy souvenirs!

(don't judge my filthy screen.  blame the toddler)

Our World

Pick Up Trip: Day 5

Today has been great!  We all got out of the apartment, which was lovely!  We went for a mile walk down to the "Mall of Sofia" to get some things for the kids (since we're going to be here for a while!).  We packed up Niko's lunch, and he ate in the food court there, which we thought was a huge win!  We ordered a KFC 10 piece bucket, which included 2 normal size chicken pieces and 8 tiny tiny sized pieces.  It was so odd.  So, we got McDonald's lol.  Silly Americans.

We got the boys some pants, since it's been kind of windy/chilly during our walks.  We also got a bunch of toys to compliment my huge suitcase of toys I brought from home!  I was able to get Niko to doze off for a while in the Ergo - it is amazing to see trust develop in someone who hasn't been able to trust anyone before.

When we got home, Ana & Jack took a nap while Niko played with our new car toy.  And, I'm kind of positive that he tried to sign "AGAIN".  Not sure, but I think there were a few attempts made, which is AH-MAZING.  Niko has been wanting to try and walk a lot today, so him and Ry have been doing laps in the apartment for quite a while.

 Ana loved her pink monster donut!

Today has been good.  And necessary for us all.  Tomorrow, we head to the hospital to do blood work.  Praise for us all, especially Niko.  It will be a very scary and painful experience, coupled with the knowledge that the only two times he has been in the hospital in his life have been for scary surgeries.  Praise for him to have peace and comfort tomorrow!

Pick Up Trip: Day 4

 Today was relaxing, which was a nice change from the hustle we've been doing since August 19!

Jack turned 6 months old today, so he got to taste his first solid food!  We had some Bulgarian bread lying around, so I toasted it up, cut it into strips and let me chew on it.  He got a tiny piece, and then threw up all over Gramm.  So, that went well - haha!  First day of baby led weaning always ends in puke :)

These are some of the sites from our apartment - the city is pretty nice to look at!

The kids played with the suitcase full of toys I brought, and we continued to try and see what Niko would eat.  He is eating for us, which is such a blessing.  We are currently making a magical mixture of baby rice cereal and baby food puree that he seems to like.  He is also eating yogurt (but spitting out the oh so tiny strawberry chunks that are in there!).  So, although it's not much, it is something and for that we are thankful.  He is also continuing to hold on to the orphanage schedule of drinking water AFTER the food, so we can't seem to encourage him to drink unless he's done with a meal.  Yet.  But, that will improve with time.  We do think he is now responding to when we call his name, which is a BIG STEP!