sey028

First I wanted to give myself a pat on the back. Apparently I am now worthy of having my blog posts trolled and I received the honor of having someone leave me a nasty comment including a variety of four-letter words and other slang for human anatomy that we won't discuss. Among other things I was accused of being a child collector... so I'll address that and then move on. If adopting children lacking a family to love them, care for them and provide for their temporal and emotional needs makes me a child collector, then I guess that's what I am. If setting my own personal pursuits aside and focusing on the needs of my children makes me a child collector then I guess that's what I am. If having a strong moral foundation upon which I live my life and attempt to teach my children to do the same makes me a child collector, then I guess that's what I am. If overcoming my own fears, concerns and hesitations to find a place in my heart for children that are not born of my ...

During these adoption visits you tend to hit a plateau. The initial andreinalin for both the child and the parent starts to run out and you really start to get to see the true personality of the child (and the parent) come through to the surface during your interactions. My days have become more and more hectic as the boys have been both enthusiastic (and demanding) when it comes to what time I show up and how long I spend with them. Don't get me wrong - I love spending time with them, but as I've said before, it is emotionally and physically exhausting. From the time I get up in the morning I'm going full-tilt until I hit the sack each evening. Any spare time during the day is spent uploading photos, publishing videos, drafting blog posts, emailing audio recordings, answering emails and skyping with my family. Occasionally I run to Billa to buy more chocolate or exchange more money. Today was probably the longest day given that I was up early and just walked in the door at...

DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO TUESDAY, AUGUST 19TH AT MIDNIGHT! Ok folks... this is something I rarely do... I'm going to ask for your help.  Adoption is expensive. Very Expensive. I don't buy new cars, I buy kids. I work hard and have a good job, but for us an adoption is an extra above-the-line expense that we cannot easily complete without fundraisers. Our current adoption will cost around $30,000 when all is said and done. As a family we work hard to raise funds, and many people we know (and many we don't know) have contributed very generously to our current effort. To those who are joining us on this adventure by watching our videos, reading the blog and stalking us on Facebook, I'm asking for your help. But wait, there's more... You can make me miserable, and get chocolate... both at the same time. Who doesn't love that? Screw the ice bucket challenge... I'm going to do the "backpack-full-of-chocolate" challenge. Between now and Tuesday, Aug...

This morning I woke up nice and early so I could Skype with Valerie before she had to go to bed. She filled me in on the days activities and we talked about the boys and our visits. After saying goodnight I got ready for the day and took off on another long walk. This walk was devoid of many pictures because I was focused on timing the walk from the orphanage to the LDS building where the boys will take english classes one night a week. In order to do this, I had to first walk up to the orphanage (SZ is on the side of a hill that runs from south to north so east to west is flat but south to north is straight up the hill.) In the end, the walk takes about 25 minutes but it is an easy route and mostly devoid of cross-traffic. This morning's visit was first dedicated to time with each boy individually, first Eli and then Jesse. Because I'm married to a brilliant woman, I came to SZ with a bag full of activities and I've been bringing one to each visit to help engage the boys a...

My quest for a good night of rest was ushered in quickly last night when I accidentally ate some candy that was full of crushed peanuts (D'oh!). Since I'm allergic to peanuts my only option was to drink a ton of water, take some benadryl and go to sleep before my symptoms got too bad. Fortunately this worked and I woke up this morning feeling fine. Valerie would be proud of my breakfast, Bulgarian yogurt with granola and bananna slices - yum!  At 0945 I husteled my way through the rain to the local LDS building a few blocks from my hotel. I beat everyone there except for the missionaries and a few younger kids that were eager to impress me with their english, learned from the cartoon network. The congregation was small but I enjoyed listening to the talks in Bulgarian without translation which meant I caught about half of what was said.  Following the meeting I talked to the missionaries about how to allow the boys to be able to attend English classes which are held each week ...

Well - it's a new day here in Stara Zagora. My unhappiness with the hotel we were in didn't stop with the poor internet but continued with banging noises late in the night from the kitchen below, a constant chirping by the A/C unit in the room anytime it was running and loud talking in the hallways. So before I even went to bed last night I wandered the streets until I found an open hot spot and researched hotels in our area until I found one I liked - I walked to one that looked good and talked to the girl at the desk and reserved two rooms for the next day.  So long story short we're in a new hotel that was only slightly more expensive but MUCH nicer (I'll post pictures of my room later.) That's the end of my spoiled American paragraph. (Hey Toni, don't ever use the Ezeroto again - go with Hotel La Roka - only 7lv more but SOOOOOO much better.) But who cares about me?! Let's talk about Jesse and Eli! At 1000 we drove up to the orphanage - as always it was ...

First, let me be a whiny American for a second. The Internet at our hotel stinks (figuratively speaking, not literally). Seriously, it stinks. Download speeds of under 3Mbps and Uploads under 500Kbps - when it WORKS which is only half of the time (so no videos tonight unless I find an open hotspot from my room). That being said, we will probably switch hotels tomorrow. (Valerie had the same issue when she was here.) I'm writing this blog just hoping that the electrons don't get lost, which shouldn't happen considering Bulgaria is one of the best-connected countries in the world and good Internet is dirt cheap. But I digress (badly). But on to the awesomeness that was yesterday evening and today. Yesterday afternoon we had a brief visit with Gabe and his mother. She showed us how he uses a walked and I was quite impressed with how well he does with it, but along with this came a sad story.  Gabe doesn't like to use his walked because when he does, other children in the p...

Yesterday was hot. So hot. But back to the adoption... Yesterday went well and the visits continue to be what I consider to be positive for all involved. In case I hadn't made it clear before, our visits in the morning are with Gabe and his FGM and in the evening we visit with Gabe and his FM (his FM works during the days at the orphanage as a physical therapist.) Yesterday afternoon we met him at his apartment building and went for a LONG walk around the park, along the Danube River and back up the middle of the park to one of Gabe's favorite spots, the swings. He could swing all day I think.  Being able to interact with his FM has been a very positive experience and is a real change for us compared to our past adoptions where we have had little background information, if any that was really reliable. We talked about Gabe and how he has been doing this week. He is happy to see me when we arrive and after crying the first few times when I leave we've settled into a routine ...

The first six hidden boxes in our Back to Bulgaria Box Fundraiser have been uncovered!  Congratulations Cheryl Johnson!  You are the winner of a $10 iTunes Giftcard! Congratulations Carrie Whitlock! You are the winner of a $25 Target Giftcard!  Congratulations Kirsten Armstrong! You are the winner of a $25 Fandango Giftcard! Congratulations Lee Gates! You are the winner of a $25 iTunes Giftcard! Congratulations Denise Reker! You are the winner of a $25 Target Giftcard! Congratulations Lisa Keillor! You are the winner of a scrumptious assortment of European chocolate!   You can contact me via email with your mailing address (or email if you would just like the redemption code) by clicking on the "Contact Me" link on the sidebar. Thank you for your generous donations and your support! 

After a rough night of sleep I had a quick call with Valerie at 0630 my time and then went back to bed, barely rolling out of bed before meeting Yavor downstairs for breakfast (nothing exciting for breakfast, the same toast and veggies as usual). Adoption trips are exhausting. Period. It's emotionally draining, psychologically challenging and physically difficult. It also doesn't help that I do a ton of walking during my downtime which leaves me even more tired. But nothing is better and more rewarding than finding a supermarket, well except for spending time with Gabe. Yesterday afternoon we met with Gabe along with his FM and FGM in their apartment near the park in Ruse. They live on the fourth floor of a standard soviet-style apartment building complete with that I like to refer to as "the ancient elevator of death" - you know, the one with no inside door so you see the wall of the shaft as you go up and down... so scary. Seriously. His FM showed me his room and th...