Saying goodbye to Georgi

 

We bought some local honey from the hotel. We were able to sample it every morning. Today we had some with our mektsa (Bulgarian scones).

Today we packed up all of our belongings and checked out from the hotel. It took us a little longer to get to the orphanage. Georgi was waiting for us outside. He was smiling and seemed happy to see us. 

We drove to the photo studio to get some photos taken for his visa and also a family photo that we framed. We printed some of the photos of our time together, too. 

Next we went to the bank and then to a clothing store for some underwear, socks, and a sweatsuit for sports. Additionally we bought him some soap. If he wants to hang on to his clothes, he has to wash them by hand. :(

 

I find this brand name very odd. 

We drove back to the orphanage and Georgi gave me a big hug. It was hard to say goodbye! I look forward to skyping with him soon. Now we are in Dobrich. Tomorrow we will meet Miroslav. We spoke with Temenuzhka on the phone today. She still doesn't want to eat much because she misses us. So sad! We miss her, too! It is amazing how my heart has enlarged to feel love for this two additional kids in our family. Hopefully our visit with Miroslav will go well. 

 

Bathroom. 

 

 

Our hotel room. 

 

 

A shepherd's salad for Tyler for dinner. 

Day 3 with Georgi

 

This morning we had some corn flakes and French toast added to our breakfast. We thought about Temenuzhka when we ate the French toast. It is her favorite! Before we left the hotel, we were able to call Temenuzhka on the phone. Apparently, she hasn't been eating much since we left Lesichovo. We encouraged her to eat and we also said that it is normal to eat less when you are sad. We told her how much we miss her and that we would call again tomorrow. It has been so nice to keep in touch with her these past few days. Unfortunately, we will be unable to talk with Georgi on the phone after we leave here. 

Next, we went to pick up Georgi at the orphanage. We brought him some breakfast as he has been choosing to shower in the morning instead of eating. 

When Georgi was little, he asked his mother if she would take him to church to light a candle. She was very upset that he would ask this and she refused. We decided to take him to a nearby Orthodox church this morning and to light a candle with him. 

The church was beautiful inside. The paintings were vividly painted, there was a beautiful choir singing, and the acoustics were incredible. We got there just in time to see a priest teaching a story from the Bible. The choir would sing intermittently throughout the service. Afterwards, the priest passed out some sacramental bread. I think that Georgi enjoyed being there with us. 

An elderly woman approached us afterwards and asked if we were adopting Georgi. Maggie replied that we were. This older woman said that she had adopted a child - a girl - 37 years ago and that this daughter had been such a blessing in her life. Adoption is such a blessing to both the parents and the child. 

We drove back to the hotel and played games, ate snacks, talked, and repeated! Georgi seems more relaxed than ever and is showing more of his personality. It is clear that no one has taken an interest in him before now and he is so happy around us. 

We went to a restaurant for dinner and once we were in there, he didn't talk much. He started to become emotional, with his eyes tearing up now and then. Maggie thinks he is sad that our time together is almost over. We will miss him!

Georgi was talking about having his own family one day. He said that if he cannot have children, that he would like to adopt. #meltedmyheart

Similar to Lesichovo, bananas are a big hit here in Georgi's orphanage. We purchased over thirty bananas to take back for all of the orphans. Georgi was excited to share them with everyone. It was nice to have a way to bring some joy to the children. I wish that we could provide families for all of them!

We hugged Georgi and said goodbye until tomorrow. Now we are packing up our things to prepare to visit Georgi in the morning and then to drive out to visit with Miroslav on Tuesday. 

Tyler and I both feel like adopting teenagers is very different from adopting younger children. It has been a heartwarming and emotional journey, as we learn about their sad beginnings and to hear how they have longed for their own family for so long. I cannot begin to tell you how blessed we feel to have found these children. They are precious gems to us! I hope that maybe someone following this blog may feel inspired to pray and consider adopting an older child. There is much happiness to be found in this venture. 

 

Since we do not have a fridge, we are keeping items cool on the outside window sill. 

Day 2 with Georgi

Good morning! Today we went downstairs for some breakfast and they brought in quite a feast!

 

Plum jam, local honey, and nesquik chocolate cereal. 

 

Quite a spread!

 

So these are basically the same as my mom's scones that she makes on Christmas morning. They were amazing! We topped them with butter and honey. So good. 

Maggie came to join us and we left to pick up Georgi. We tried to get some visa photos taken, but the shop was closed - which seems odd to have shops closed on Saturday, but this is Bulgaria...

We came back to the hotel and Maggie kept Georgi downstairs in the lobby whilst Tyler and I put together a surprise birthday party for him - to celebrate all the birthdays that we have missed with him. We blew up balloons and had little cakes with some candles on them. He came inside the room and started to become a bit emotional. 

We sang Happy Birthday and then he pretended to blow out the candles - as we couldn't light candles in our room. Then we gave him a gift: a camouflage watch. Maggie asked him if he had ever had such a birthday party before. He said that he had never had any of his birthdays celebrated. So sad. And it explains why his eyes were tearing up when he saw that the balloons and cake for him. 

After we had some cake, we used the balloons for target practice with the nerf guns. We all had a blast! Next we had Maggie translate our family rules for dating and what is appropriate at what age. It's so nice to have Maggie with us! She is wonderful. 

We went to the hotel restaurant for lunch. Once our food arrived, Georgi reminded us that we needed to pray. Maggie asked him if he wanted to pray. Georgi replied that he didn't know the order of what to say. So we mentioned that we open by saying Heavenly Father. Then we thank Him for our blessings. We ask Him for those things that we need. And we close in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Georgi said that he could try. During his prayer, he thanked Heavenly Father for bringing him a mama and a daddy. I felt like I was on sacred ground and couldn't help but become emotional. Georgi is one special boy. 

Georgi ordered chicken nuggets (again) and some cheesecake. He ate until he was completely stuffed. We played uno for a bit and then went to the bowling alley. He bowled for the first time in his life. Maggie said that we will get to experience a lot of first's with him. We played air hockey and then some pool. 

We had purchased some snacks for him to eat during our time with him. One of the cookies, he said, was a favorite of a little boy at the orphanage. This little boy has mental retardation and some of the kids make fun of him. Georgi asked if he could take some of the cookies back to him. He has such a kind heart. 

We learned the reason why Georgi is so skinny. The menu at the orphanage is awful. Every morning he gets ONE piece of bread with either cheese or jam. For lunch he gets boiled cabbage or boiled wheat with two pieces of bread. For dinner, they usually have a broth-based soup. He said that everyone goes to bed hungry. Sometimes they get some fruit as a snack, but the last time that happened, the apples were rotten. 

As for toiletries, he gets a tablespoon of shampoo to clean himself when he showers. No soap. No toothbrush. No deodorant. We took him to the store and bought him some soap, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. They didn't sell any deodorant there. I am eager to bring him home and exceed his expectations in providing better food and toiletries for him. 

Tomorrow is our last full day with Georgi. We will have to say goodbye on Monday. I imagine that will be hard, also. 

There is a sibling set of three kids who are being adopted by a family in Idaho. Georgi is very good friends with them. Some of the other orphans are mean to the sibling set and to Georgi, because they have families committed to adopting them. It is nice that Georgi has some close friends there. One of the kids, named Sasha, has been encouraging Georgi to share things with us and to "not mess this up" with us. So much pressure on these kids, but Sasha truly wants to the best for Georgi. Every day that we have come to the orphanage in Razliv, Sasha has been waiting to get a hug from Maggie and to practice his English with us. 

We have been able to call Temenuzhka everyday since we left Lesichovo. It is wonderful to hear her voice. I miss her more than words can say. I am so blessed to have such incredible children. I love being a mama. 

Day 1 with Georgi

 

Our breakfast this morning. Tyler went down to breakfast before me and the server brought out some coffee. Tyler said, "No, milk." So then she brought him some warm milk for the coffee. Ha ha. Eventually we were able to communicate that we do not drink coffee and that we wanted milk.  

Day 1 with Georgi exceeded our expectations. Maggie met us at our hotel near Pravets after breakfast, and we went over to the orphanage. As soon as we drove up, there were about five boys waiting outside. I scanned their faces, looking for my Georgi, but he wasn't out there. 

We got out of the van and were about to head inside to meet the director, until Maggie said, "Here he is! Meet Georgi!" My first thoughts were that he was taller than I expected and also on how handsome he is! I introduced myself to him before we went inside to meet the director. 

The director is a nice lady. She told us that we are getting such a good boy. She said that he is different from the other boys. He does what he is told and is smart. Partway through our conversation, it comes to our attention that Tyler didn't lock the car doors and there may have been some boys getting in and out of the car! So Tyler quickly locked it up and we went over to sign Georgi out. 

We packed up in the car and headed back to our hotel. We did a lot of talking about the other Pierce babies and then Georgi asked if he could share some of his childhood with us, although he said that it wasn't a good story. Most of it we already knew from reading his file, but we learned some new things, also. Georgi said that he has been praying every day for a family for a long time and that every time he would see the social worker that he would ask if there was a family for him. And how excited he was on the day when the social worker said that we had committed to him. Maggie couldn't help but become emotional as she shared that last part with me. We were both tearing up! Georgi hasn't had much love in his life thus far, but that is about to change. 

He said that he was very excited to receive the package that we sent him. When he showed his photo book of our family to the other boys, some of them made fun of my weight. Georgi replied, "What does that matter? She's my mama and not yours!" 

We played uno, Spot It, pick up sticks, and gave him his MP3 player. He figured it out in no time. He also picked up Tyler's iPhone and figured out how to take pictures on it! He clearly loves technology. He said he converted a calculator into a radio! He also showed us some magic tricks with the uno cards. He enjoyed watching Tyler juggle. He is very curious of the items in our hotel room. He noticed my CPAP machine and asked if I needed oxygen. When I explained that I have sleep apnea, he looked worried and asked if it meant that my health was at risk. We assured him that it helps me sleep better and that is all. I was touched by his concern for my well-being. 

We took Georgi to a restaurant in the village for lunch. It was his first time there. He ordered chicken nuggets and French fries. He asked if he could get a milkshake made with ice cream and сок (juice). Then he asked if they sold Melba there. We ordered him some Melba (it was a fruit and ice cream sundae) and he said he has always wanted to have a Melba and now he could try it for the first time. We watched this skinny kid pack away more food than any of us could eat. Maggie said that that meal was probably the best meal of his whole life. 

We have been talking with Georgi about names, as we have to select a full name before the end of our visit with him. Instead of retaining "Georgi" as his middle name, he said her preferred this name that he wrote below: 

 

I absolutely love it, too. ❤️

 

I wonder what "stuffed with trivia" tastes like. 

 

Potato soup. 

 

Chicken in a cheese sauce. 

 

Милка и какао (hot chocolate made with milk).

 

Some kind of sausage with salad. 

 

Potatoes with dill. Most dishes include fresh herbs. 

 

I found this photo hilarious in our rental car. 

The hotel we are staying in is quite lovely. It has been remodeled to reflect an older Bulgarian style. The views outside our window are lovely. We feel very blessed to be staying here. And the restaurant has some nice Bulgarian food, also. 

 

Our bathroom. So nice!

 

 

 

 

 

Our view!

 

 

The restaurant. 

 

Verbal Referral

We were happy to receive our verbal referral last week. Now we wait for 2 weeks to get our written referral. Once we have that, we can make travel arrangements. We hope to leave in early December. We have also received letters from Temenujka and Georgi! Hooray!

Here is one:

Hello, dear family! I was very happy when I received the letter from you and the photos of your family. Dear Jill and Tyler, I can’t wait to meet you all. I am looking forward to meeting you. I am fine. I attended a camp in the mountains close to the town of ***. The holiday house there is located in a quiet and beautiful spot. We visited many places of interest – the *** monastery, the Natural History museum in the village of ***, the towns of ***, *** and ***. It is very beautiful there, just like the park around your house. Jill and Tyler, I am impatient to meet you. I got acquainted with the members of your family. I liked you a lot. I am looking forward to joining your family. I am so excited. I’ve wanted for many years to have a family of my own, parents to love me and respect me as well as brothers and sisters to play with. Dear Jill and Tyler, I love cooking, going for a walk, riding a bike and going to the beach. My favorite color is red and my favorite flower is rose. I think it will be pleasant for us to spend our time together. I will help you with the household chores and with preparing meals. I am currently working on compiling the recipes for my favorite Bulgarian meals. I am becoming familiar with opera singing and classical music. I am interested in learning English because it is important for me that we will be able to understand one another. My biggest dream has always been to have a large family. Jill and Tyler, thank you for your wish to accept me as a member of your family. I am looking forward to our first meeting. We don’t know one another yet, but I love you! Respectfully, Temenujka

And here is the other one:

Hello , Tyler and Jill! I will be very happy to be a member of your family. I am very happy for Anna, Keith, Iryna, Calvin. As well as for the dog. My favorite color is blue. I love drawing, riding a bike, listening to music, watching TV, playing soccer and basketball. I like playing games on a touchscreen phone. I live in Bulgaria, in ***. I am from *** but I have been in *** for 5 years now. I attend a summer camp at the seaside every year. It is very beautiful there and I also love swimming!!! There is a swimming pool at the camp, we swim there, play games and I like that very much. This year we went on another camp! It was nice and our camp was in the forest. We went hiking in the mountains and we saw a waterfall that was 80 meters high. Bye! I will be happy to see you!!! In the heart: Tyler, Jill, Silas, Iryna, Anna, Maggie, Keith, Calvin, Georgi!!!!

We received this note and photo: 

Last week one of our psychologists - ***, was accompanying an adoptive family who are adopting from the same orphanage in which Georgi resides at present. She recognized him and had the chance to talk with him a little bit.  She shared her impressions that Georgi is very shy and quiet but also extremely excited about the Pierce family's upcoming visit. He wrote a letter for them and he had prepared a teddy bear to send over to them.

Isn't he so handsome? And he got this teddy bear for US. #meltmyheart

We are so excited to meet our kids!