Saying goodbye to Miroslav

Tyler and I woke up early to pack up before breakfast with Maggie. We drove over to the orphanage and Miroslav was outside to greet us before we could walk inside. He had a big smile on his face. 

We went inside the conference room and Maggie asked the big question: Do you want to be adopted? As we had been hoping, he said "Yes!" We were very excited to hear that he will soon be joining our family. 

We next discussed what name he wanted for himself. To our surprise, he doesn't want to keep the name "Miroslav," but opted for Michael Julian Pierce. He said he really likes the name Julian, and we like it, also. We also told him that there are nicknames for Michael, and he liked "Mick" the most. For now we are calling him Michael. 

Next he gave us two gifts:

 

The one on the left makes music when it you fill it up with water and blow into it. The one one the right is an elephant. Aren't they neat? We love them. 

We got his measurements for clothing and then drove over to the photo studio to get visa photos and a family photo taken. 

We had an hour-long wait for the photos, so of course we took Michael for some chocolate cake at the bakery! After we picked up the photos, we drove back to the orphanage and said goodbye to the director. Then we went outside and hugged Michael goodbye. We gave him a letter from each of us, that Maggie translated into Bulgarian. It was hard to say goodbye, but we hope to be back very soon!

 

Interesting way to dry hands. 

 

Baklava from the bakery. 

 

Fried yellow cheese. 

 

Pizza with yellow cheese. 

 

It seems that every backyard has a vineyard up on a trellis. 

 

Hotels on the Black Sea. 

 

Our hotel room tonight. 

 

Day 3 with Miroslav

 

The clock tower in старя Добрич. 

 

A boy from Miroslav's orphanage gave this to Tyler today. It was so sweet. So many children here who need families. It is hard on them to see us coming to visit Miroslav when they so desperately want it to be their turn. 

Today was a good day! It started off with the social worker telling us that Miroslav told her that he was 99% certain that he wanted to be adopted by our family. That's the best news I have heard today, for certain! We played games, had target practice with the light switch, and talked about his new name. 

 

French comedy. Interesting cover art. 

Next we went to eat lunch at the restaurant by our hotel. Miroslav said it was his favorite of the three restaurants that we have visited. 

 

Pitka bread that we had for lunch. It was awesome!

 

Spices that you sprinkle on the bread. 

 

Patatnik. We didn't think there was another way to prepare potatoes, but this is a new one! Potatoes that are baked, grated, and then pan-fried in puff pastry. 

 

All the chicken nuggets look like this. They are tasty!

After we ate lunch, we said that we had a surprise for him. The waitress brought out a chocolate cake - that we had purchased for him - with candles on and we sang Happy Birthday to him for all of the birthdays that we have missed. Next we gave him some balloons and an MP3 player with English music on it. He loved it all and was very appreciative. He said "Thank you" many times. 

We went to a target shooting range and shot some pellet guns. Then we went to an arcade and played some ice hockey. Finally, we played some more pool. Miroslav said he didn't want for it to end. We had a great time, and laughed a lot - especially while playing pool. 

We dropped Miro off at the orphanage and then we called Temenuzhka for the last time on the phone. We mailed her a thumb drive with all of the music that we had originally put on her MP3 player - which she had accidentally erased, somehow - and some lev (Bulgarian currency) to purchase some more strawberry jam - which we had bought her when we were there, but they ran out of soon after we left. It was lovely to hear her sweet voice again. 

In a couple of weeks, we will begin Skype sessions with the triplets and each of them will begin taking English lessons by a local English tutor. 

Once we return home, we will begin the paperwork process to help bring the kids home. 

This evening, we ate dinner with Maggie and went over paperwork for the notary tomorrow. We still need Miroslav's new name. He said he didn't want to keep "Miroslav" as a middle name, so he is thinking over some potential names tonight and will have his answer in the morning. 

During dinner, a deaf man came around trying to sell items. He had a card identifying himself as deaf and was doing some sign language with us, which was fun. Maggie was able to also sign with him from learning the signs from the sign language flash cards that we have gone over with each of the triplets. We bought something for each of the five kids back home. It was nice to support someone who needed it and to get some souvenirs. 

Tomorrow we will say goodbye to Miroslav and head over to the notary with Maggie, before going out separate ways. Tyler and I are exhausted after two weeks of being "on" all the time. We are going to take a few days to rest up before heading back to the states. This has been such an amazing journey, thus far, and we cannot wait to bring home these three kiddos!

Day 2 with Miroslav

 

My favorite snack here has been sliced Bulgarian bread, topped with butter, jam, and thinly sliced yellow cheese. So good. 

 

 

Breakfast omelet. 

 

Many of the restaurants have roaring fires in them. It is quite rustic and inviting. 

 

A traditional Bulgarian dress. 

Let me start with this statement: it is amazing what can happen in a day. Yesterday we were confused and nervous and stressed about what Miroslav thought about our family. This morning when we pulled up, he ran right out to meet us and he had this big smile on his face. 

We went inside and started playing games. Miroslav was much more interactive and smiling. It was a huge change from yesterday. The director told Maggie that Miroslav had had negative expectations for our visiting him, but we exceeded his expectations by a lot. One example is how good Tyler are I played pool. He thought he was going to have to teach us, but we taught him! Ha ha. We went over the sign language flash cards and Miro picked them up pretty quickly. Next, Tyler started teaching Miroslav how to juggle. 

 

Tyler is showing Miroslav how to throw a ball behind his back. 

We also played Spot It (such a popular game with all of the kids) and pick-up sticks. Then Tyler broke out the nerf guns. They were a HUGE hit (pun intended) with Miroslav. After that, he asked us if we wanted to see his room. It was well organized and tidy. My boys at home could learn a thing or two from their big brother. 

Next, we went to a pizza place for lunch. Miroslav loves vegetables and his favorite kind is cucumbers. His favorite fruit is orange. His favorite kind of candy is chocolate. 

 

Bulgarian lasagne. We also tried the margarita pizza, which was tasty!

After we finished eating, Tyler and Maggie shared our family's views on dating and appropriate girl and boy relationships at various ages. He listened intently and told us that he wasn't planning to kiss a girl until he was at least 18. There will be some heartbroken girls between now and then! 

We were somewhat nervous about how he would take that instruction for our family. Instead of him being upset at all, he asked us if tomorrow we wanted to see his photo album from his childhood thus far. Um, yes, please! 

He is talking more, smiling more, sharing things with us. It's wonderful. He said that he likes the name "Michael" and he will think on a middle name. The colors that he wants for his quilt are deep red, cobalt blue, and brown. 

 

Miroslav and I each chose this chocolate cake for a treat at a local bakery. It was so sweet that I couldn't finish mine. Miroslav ate all of his, plus drank some coke. Teenagers can pack away the sweets!

After dessert, we went to see a movie called "Balerina" which was dubbed in Bulgarian. It was cute and we all enjoyed it. One embarrassing thing for me was when I sat down in one of the chairs, the seat cushion fell down. I thought that I had broken the chair and I was mortified! But the person working in the theater said that the chairs are old and that it happens all the time. Tyler was able to lock the cushion back in place, so no harm down. Miroslav was concerned about me and didn't seem embarrassed by it at all. 

 

At the movie theater, I found a toilet that you flush with a string. 

After the movie, we headed back to the orphanage. I signed to Miro that I wanted a hug and he gave me a big hug. I am very optimistic about Miroslav committing to be adopted by us after today. We told him that we need his answer by Friday morning. 

Maggie learned that this is Miro's first time to be approached by a family to be adopted. So, I imagine he didn't know what to expect at all!

We also gave him a watch this evening, which Anna selected for him. He seems to like it! We are excited to what tomorrow may bring. Thank you all for your prayers!

Day 1 with Miroslav

 

Tyler is packing up items for our first day with Miroslav. 

 

They have mketsa that is different in Dobrich, but still delicious. I love the pottery plates here. So pretty!

 

I think I might be taller than the average Bulgarian woman. This is the second time where I cannot see my face in the mirror!

 

I have seen doors just open here in Dobrich. It seems a little strange to me with all the snow outside...but maybe they know something that I don't know. 

We went over to the orphanage to meet Miroslav. First impressions: he is tall and handsome! We went into a room and met the director. Shortly afterwards, a social worker, Rosalina, joined us. She will be with us whenever we are with Miroslav. 

We had a long chat with Miroslav, telling him more about ourselves, our other children, our family schedule, holiday traditions, etc. He seemed to be soaking it all up, but he didn't show much emotion. 

Tyler asked him if he wanted to hear me sing and he said he did. So I sang for them. It was fun to see him smile and lean forward to hear it. I could tell that he liked my singing. 

We played pick-up sticks and Spot It. Then we went to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch, which Miroslav selected. I found it funny that he ordered chicken nuggets and French fries with cheese - what Georgi always ordered - and at a Chinese restaurant! Miroslav had excellent manners at the table and didn't quite finish his meal - so different from Georgi, who ate so much food at every meal. This must mean that Miroslav is being fed well where he lives. I am thankful for that. 

Next we drove over to a bowling alley to see if it was open, which it was not. On the way to play billiards, our car got stuck in the snow! Over the next 20 minutes, there were a few Bulgarians who came over to help. One of them must have called a friend, because someone drove up in a ranger and pulled us out. I was so thankful to them for their help! 

We went to play some pool, which is a fun pastime for Miroslav. On the walk to the building, I was having some trouble walking on the snow. I asked Miroslav to help me and he did. I was impressed by his willingness to help me keep my balance. 

We played three rounds of pool. I think Miroslav had a nice time. He was smiling and would do the fistbump with us whenever he hit a ball in. Tyler helped him to hold the pool cue more correctly, and he took that instruction well. He was already hitting the ball better by the end of the hour. 

We dropped him off at the orphanage and I gave him a hug. I feel good about the day, but we don't know where he stands on being adopted by us at this point. 

With Temenuzhka, I was nervous to meet her because it was our first time adopting a teenager. With Georgi, I knew beforehand that he wanted to be adopted, so I wasn't nervous at all. With Miroslav, I am nervous because he doesn't show much emotion. Partway through the day, the social worker asked him what he thought about us and he said he didn't know yet. I guess time will tell. Until then, I will have faith that all things will work out for the best. 

Addendum: I forgot to mention that when we were leaving the orphanage with Miroslav to go eat lunch, an older boy came over and started talking with us. He had some impressive English skills, also. He said that he told Miroslav that for many years he has been wanting for someone to come and take him away from there. It's so sad how many children here are just waiting to be adopted.