Update on Calvin...

We are still having to go to doctor appointment for Calvin's heart. His cardiologist is in Ann Arbor, which is a drive for us. He has been on heart medications for a month and they did another echo to see if there was any improvement on his heart function. The good news is yes the medications are helping, they did increase the dose of one of the meds so it would do more. The bad news is that at the last echo they saw a dark spot in his left ventricle (not sure what it was, tissue from the surgeries he has had in the past or a blood clot). This second echo showed another dark spot so they believe they are blood clots, meaning he is now on blood thinner medication. To say I am sad, is an understatement. I am so nervous about him falling now because he could bleed longer and it is more dangerous. And yes he does still fall because of his low muscle tone! Hubby says we need to buy him a helmet!
He has had 2 nose bleeds the last month (think it is because of the dryness in our house) so we have a humidifier in his room. Trusting God will get us through this too. I just don't understand why they didn't have him on medication when we picked him up, other than aspirin. We are being told if they had to do another surgery on him now he could die in surgery, this scares me to death.
Another appointment this week is the dentist. Calvin has many cavities on his teeth, and a missing front tooth from falling at the orphanage.  He has to take some antibiotics tomorrow before his appointment. Supposedly they will just be doing x rays.
Attachment: still working on this. Calvin doesn't mold to us when we carry him, yet. If  you are an adoptive parent you know what this means. It is like carrying a sack of potatoes. He knows the difference between family and strangers now. We haven't left him with anyone yet, probably will wait until he is home a year. It has almost been 6 months but I can tell if we were to leave him in a nursery he would be fine, not care if we leave. So this is a concern for me. We will have an appointment with an attachment therapist in February. Today he asked a friend of mine for a kiss. He still doesn't know what family is. If you are an adoptive family, others will not understand what you are talking about. Most of the time I feel like they think I am off my rocker, or over protective. But I keep reminding myself, it is for a short time and it will be worth it, less complications down the road if we just do it now.
OT: We have had to discontinue, because our insurance won't cover his therapy. He is able to ride a tricycle now by himself but still needs to work on his stomach muscles.We are still brushing him and doing joint compressions. I feel like I have some good ideas on what to do with him at home. I am also signing him up for swimming classes with daddy and tumbling/gymnastics classes in January.
Food: Calvin still isn't too fond of certain foods and has favorites. He isn't crying now though, he just says no crying and eats it. He is too cute. He loves soup, bread and butter, mac and cheese, green beans, apple sauce, cheezits, bananas and apples.  He loves ice-cream but not a big fan of candy.  Calvin doesn't regurgitate anymore either. I believe this was because he was nervous when we first picked him up.
Tantrums: I have noticed Calvin only has tantrums when he is tired or overstimulated.  He is very compliant (obedient) and knows when he does something wrong, when he does he starts crying as he doesn't want a consequence.
Play: Calvin still loves Elmo and watches 15 min a day of Elmo. He is now also a fan of Mickey Mouse (we have a puzzle and stuffed animal). He recently received a Thomas Train which he loves too. He enjoys listening to music and singing along in the car. Favorites are Wheels on the Bus, Baa Baa Baa. We dance together, tickle and he likes to play with the kitchen toy we have in the playroom. He still isn't big on playing with cars. He also has his favorite books to read before bed time and rocking with me.
Sleep: Calvin still takes a 2 hr nap each day from 12:30-2:30pm. He goes to bed between 7:30/8pm and wakes up at 7:30. He never fights going down and he never makes a peep in the morning. We have a monitor otherwise we would never know when he wakes up.  We have been very blessed, he hasn't had nightmares and sleeps through the night.
Language: Calvin still isn't speaking in sentences. He says 2-3 words together at the most. He talks in 3rd person...Calvin music Baa Baa (asking for Baa Baa music). He is learning new words every day. He knows his colors and can count to 10. He sings the ABC song and some other songs like Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus loves Me. When we picked him up in Bulgaria he wasn't speaking sentences either, only a few words. I am curious where he is in development, other than going through a school system does anyone know where I can take him to find this out? Our adoption clinic never did this for us.
Overall: Calvin is adjusting well, eats well, is gaining weight 37 pds, plays well and is very happy and compliant. We are so blessed and thankful for him. We still need to work on his muscle tone, attachment and language. Can't believe he has only been with us 5 months, feels like he has always been with us. Looking forward to the day he has been with us longer than he was in the orphanage (that will make him 6 years old). Thanks for following our journey, hope this helps other adoptive families in the process and is an encouragement to you. Stay the course!

5 months out of the orphanage....

Thanksgiving 

Calvin Thanksgiving Day

We need to educate others about the HIV virus

What you need to know:

• `HIV is considered a chronic but manageable disease with proper treatment.
  `Children who receive treatment are expected to live a normal lifespan.
• `HIV has never been transmitted in normal family living conditions.
• `You NEVER have to fear contracting HIV through casual contact with an HIV+ person.
• `HIV is spread in three main ways: sexual contact, IV drug use through the sharing of dirty needles,
   mother to infant (pregnancy, birth or breast feeding.)
• `All around the world orphans are overlooked for adoption because of their HIV+ status.
• `Medications called ARVs can mean the difference between life and death.
• `The combination of three or more ARVs is called HAART. (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy)
• `With medications HIV can be effectively managed to the point that the virus is undetectable in laboratory tests.
• `There is a term for the miraculous transformation HIV+ people undergo when they begin receiving the medications they need.
   The Lazarus Effect is a term commonly used to describe people who were once on the brink of death who have been restored again to health through medication.

http://www.projecthopeful.org/

Thanksgiving and other stuff...

I remember last Thanksgiving we knew we would be adopting Calvin, we had seen his picture and were just waiting on paperwork to official make him our referral. We had been given the okay verbally but were waiting on paperwork stuff. This Thanksgiving I was thankful for Calvin's mom choosing life for him. We are so blessed by this little man. He brings so much joy to our family. The girls and I are always laughing at the things he says or how he says it. He is so precious and he loves to make us laugh. We spent Thanksgiving at my in laws, like we do each year, this was the second time Calvin was at their home. He did fine sleeping in the crib in our room and his behavior was actually fine too. When we first arrived he was a bit hyper, running around and being silly for attention. We are still working on attachment and i do notice it more with family members than strangers, but he will ask my mother in law and sister in law to help him with things and want their attention. It is difficult knowing the boundaries of letting him get to know them, playing with them, but also not preferring them over us. I feel like an ogre sometimes saying, I have to do that for him etc. We allow kisses and hugs with family members but I am still trying to be the one who does things for him (put on his shoes, coat and give him the toy, give him his food etc).  Another holiday is approaching and Calvin is clueless about Christmas. He didn't understand what we were doing cutting down a tree, he was more interested in the tractor pulling us on the wagon. He likes the lights on the trees and will point out Christmas trees and lights when we drive around. Can't wait to see what he thinks of presents Christmas morning.
Update: We have been going to OT now for about a month (once a week). I am thinking now that we know what he needs to work on we will discontinue at the end of December. His least favorite thing is the ball pit, he can't move init and wants out. His favorite thing is playing in the sandbox, which we can do at home.
Food wise, he is more picky and opinionated about what he wants to eat. I do let him choose what he wants for breakfast and lunch (so he feels he has some control in his life). He typically asks for a bagel, or waffle for breakfast which is fine by me as long as he has fruit with it. Lunch he usually wants soup, bread or mac and cheese. Dinner is meat, vegetables and carb. He is really feeling heavy to me these days.
Behavior: has improved drastically.
Coordination: Still some falling down when the ground is uneven (carpet to woodfloor), or running. Need to continue working on this. We actually also bought him some wrist weights to help with his weak side.
Attachment: We continue to rock him before bed, singing or reading. He has held the girls hands with out being asked in church, hugged us a couple of times on his own initiative. Most of the time when we hug or kiss him he asks to 'get out'. In January Chris will be taking a swimming class with Calvin (skin on skin and trust).
This little boy loves to sing and have music on. He loves Elmo on tv and he does imaginary play a bit. He is doing puzzles, not a fan of coloring, but is able to sit for longer now making it possible for us to go to church as a family. So blessed by my kids and thankful for our little boy.

Learning about my son....

Calvin gets very frustrated when he tries new things and can't do them. There is usually tears, anger and frustration. He is learning puzzles, the type you put the piece into the matching piece. He has mastered the zoo animals (putting the lion into the lion). Today we did farm animals and he couldn't do it. Many tears.
I remember when he first came home and didn't know how to push his legs to climb the ladder on the swing set. Help mommy, help. I am there to assist, encourage, but he needs to accomplish it himself and feel good about himself. He gets the cutest little grin when he does accomplish things on his own. We say good job and high five.
The other thing, he loves being surprised. Peek a boo, chasing, jumping out from behind somewhere, makes him so excited. We started occupational therapy  (1 session so far). Boy does he get overstimulated when we get there. So much to do. He is not a big fan of the ball pit. He has to use his stomache muscles to get up and out of there. I would say his favorite thing is the tricycle, which he hasn't quite mastered yet. He got to try scissors (didn't last very long because he got frustrated that he couldn't do it). He is now able to open the scissors and make a cutting mark, after practicing at home. He is so proud of himself and wants to show daddy when he gets home. The therapist did show me how to do joint compressions for him, which we have been doing every 2 hours since Thursday. Can't say I see a difference yet. We were going to get an evaluation with an attachment therapist, but I decided to wait until he was home for 6 months. We feel he is doing very well. My social worker did recommend the Connected Child book, so I just ordered that on Amazon. Can't wait to read it.
 Calvin has come so far, and yet I also realize how behind he is too. We recently had a friend over (I babysat him for a couple of hours) who is the same age as Calvin. He was talking my leg off. At one point he said, 'I don't understand Calvin when he talks". It was very funny. Calvin only speaks 2 words together most of the time and he is more at a 2 yr old developmentally. He cuddles toys, and his little friend is fighting with swords and slaying dragons. Calvin wants to watch Elmo and his friend doesn't. They do paint a lot alike though!  So this is where we are at 4.5 months home.

NAtional Adoption Month....Morgan

Morgan 26HA

Click on the above link to see Morgan. He is looking for a family, through Reece's Rainbow. If you can't adopt him, maybe you could give a few dollars to his fund to help another family adopt him. Thank you.

In honor of Adoption Month...

Calvin

Lion costume...

 Repunzel, lion and butterfly for halloween

Calvin's 1st Halloween

Calvin has been home almost 4 months and got to experience his first halloween. To get him used to his costume we had him wear it and play with it for the week before. He loved his 'lion' and even growled on cue. We told him we were going to friends houses to say trick or treat, get candy and say thankyou. We went with some good friends of ours. Calvin walked up to the doors with daddy and did great for the first 30 minutes. After that he wanted to be held and was done with trick or treating. We got home and he went straight to bed.
We also had his immunizations updated this week. Poor kid had to get 5 shots (one was a flu shot). I have never seen him scream like that. We of course have to go back in 8 weeks. I am not looking forward to that.  When we were in the doctor's waiting room he said, 'mommy shots'. Um, nope honey, Calvin's getting shots this time. He looked at me, and said, 'no, no, no'.
This Monday we are going to the University of Ann Arbor children's hospital for a 3rd opinion about his heart. Chicago says the opposite of Grand Rapids, so we are going to Ann Arbor for a consultation. Calvin never seems out of breath but his lips are blue quite often.
This week we also had our first post adoption report meeting. I was kind of surprised that we met at their office and not our home! Calvin did great, really, for being in a small office and playing for 1 hour. The social worker asked how attachment was going. Well, of course he isn't completely attached but he is making progress. She gave us a name of an attachment therapist who could help us see how he is doing. So I called him yesterday and am waiting to hear back from him. Overall it went well.
The last week Calvin had some set backs but the last couple of days he seems to be getting back to where he was before.
We have an appointment (consultation) next week with an occupational therapist to help us with his sensory issues, hoping they can give us some suggestions and insight.    

3 Months home

Our darling boy has been in our home now for 3 months (12 weeks). It really is amazing how adaptable these little one's are. It seems like he has always been here. He is doing so well, speaking non stop, laughing, running, singing etc. The girls still can't get enough of him and are for ever picking him up, hugging on him, playing with him and kissing on him, which he isn't too thrilled about most times. He says ' Calvin get down' when he has had enough hugging and kissing. This past week he has been lying on the bean bags with the girls, cuddling. He wanted to sit by himself before. He will hold their hands when walking (on his terms though of course). He likes to give 'squeezes' and  kisses to everyone before going to bed for the night. He says I lub you when we say I love you to him.
This week he graduated from diapers to big boy pants. I originally was going to wait until he was home for 6 months. However, he wanted his diaper changed every time he urinated (which was every hour in his diaper). We were flying through diapers, and they are not cheap. So I decided we would try potty training this past week and see how it went. He had a few accidents the first 3 days, but by day 4 he was finally asking to go. We were bribing him with candy corn (one for each time he went). Friday we actually went out and did some errands, and we had no accidents. He has been requesting to go all weekend, so I would say he is done with diapers. He does wear them for nap (it stays dry) and night time (is very wet by morning).
Another mile stone, this morning we all went to church as a family. I was really missing going to church with my husband. We took a bag full of books, cars and crayons. The first 30 min is singing, which he likes. And I told him I would get him a donut in the cafe afterwards if he was quiet during the service. He did awesome. It is amazing how far he has come. He would never have been able to do this a month ago. Play on the floor by himself and obey us.
Update on the adoption clinic: he needs to get a chickenpox vaccination and whooping cough vaccination. We also have an appointment with the University of Michigan Hospital concerning his heart, in November. He had no parasites, and he has gained 1pound this past month and 1 inch. He is now 34 pds and 37 inches. If you are adopting from Bulgaria the immunizations they said they did, they did. So that was good news. His thyroid was a bit low so will retest that again in 6 months but otherwise he is doing great. He also does have low muscle tone, so we will be looking into occupational therapy for that and some sensory issues (he can't stand skin on skin). This weekend Chris went into Calvin's room to get him up for the morning, and he wasn't wearing a shirt. Calvin had his arms out to the side and wouldn't touch him. It looked too funny. But I was also so sad for him. He is such a precious little boy. I am so blessed to be his mom and so thankful that we didn't quit but stayed the course during all the ups and downs of the adoption journey.

Fall Family Foto

OUR PUMPKINS...

The kids decorated their pumpkins and daddy cut them. Calvin is saying 'cheese'. He enjoyed taking the yuckies out with a spoon!

Home with his family for 2 months

Language:

I am amazed every day how well Calvin speaks English and is picking up on language. He is now putting together 3-4 words. He loves fire trucks and is always saying in the car 'find fire truck'. He uses breakfast, lunch and dinner at the correct times. He knows his body parts (head, shoulders, knees, toes, mouth, nose, teeth, tongue, eyes and ears). He does mixes up inside and outside, upstairs and downstairs, open and close.

Eating:

Calvin loves bananas, yogurt, bread, peanut butter, baby oatmeal, mac and cheese, green beans, brocolli, juice, apple sauce, pudding, chicken nuggets, hamburgers, cheese, milk and ice cream. He does not like asparagus, and only ate half of his mexican dinner at the restaurant last night.

Sleeping:

We only had one night of terrifying crying at the beginning, when we got home. Since then he falls asleep at nap time and bed time just fine. We do rock in a rocking chair to some classical music before bed time and have a bottle of milk (2-4 oz) for attachement reasons.

Behavior:

In the beginning he had a lot of tantrums that lasted very long, and I was so unsure on how to deal with them. Holding time seemed to put him into more of a rage (constricting him), so we ended up just ignoring it or putting him in time in next to us. He would (and still tries to) bite sometimes when put into time out, when he bites himself or tries to bite me then I do hold him in holding time until he calms down and says sorry for the reason he was in time out. He does get frustrated trying new things and will through tantrums when I won't help him (like doing a puzzle ...I help him but won't do it for him). I want him to know he can do it and be proud of himself. His face just lightens up when he does accomplish it. These are puzzles for 18 mth olds that are doable for him, he just doesn't want to do it!!

Health:

Overall he has been healthy. We have visited the cardiologist, had an echo done and the cardiologist things he looks great. He will continue to be on aspirin and visit the doctor every 6 mths for a check up. He still needs to get some immunizations, we are waiting to hear what the international clinic finds from his blood work. He did get a flu shot a few days ago, has croup and still recovering, and has a cold on top of that right now. So we have had a few sleepless nights, but he seems to be on the road to recovery.

Play:

WOW, this has actually been the most difficult for me. He came home not wanting to play or knowing how to play. Having my older girls around though really helped (this summer) because he would want to join in with them or watch them. Now they are in school, it is just him and me. After breakfast I tell him its time to play, and he will usually start crying and say no play. He loves playing in water, so I put water in a bowl for him and some cups and other things and he will play with that for 10 minutes. He will do the puzzles (placing an animal into an animal) but gets very frustrated when it doesn't fit and he has to turn it. I try to show him to put the face in the face etc. He did play with some spagetti but only until the timer went off after 5 minutes. He will do play dough but not for very long. So we usually do about 30 minutes one on one playing and then run errands, eat lunch, take a nap, pick up the girls from school and then he plays outside with the girls on the swing and slide. Another thing he didn't have attention for was TV. He now can watch about 20 min of Elmo. He loves Elmo, fire trucks and monkeys (curious George). Hope this is helpful to other parents adopting on what to expect once you have your little one home. We love every minute with him, he is a joy.

We took Calvin out of the orphanage 2 months ago

Calvin has been in our home 7 weeks! But he has been with us now for 8 weeks (1 week in country). Looking back, that first week in Bulgaria wasn't 'real'. He had one fit, but nothing compared to what he had once we got to America. He fell asleep straight away then too, now he plays for about 15-30 min and then goes to sleep in his crib. We have a video monitor so we can watch him. The other day he was jumping in his crib, turning the light switch on and off etc. He is a totally different child.

He is smiley, happy, and loves monkeys, elmo and kitties. He still isn't watching much television, maybe 10 minutes at the most. He loves Curious George the monkey and will watch a few minutes of Elmo. Calvin's English is expanding every day. He now knows kitchen, wipes, ice cream, this way, that way, cheese, snack, breakfast, lunch, dinner, bubble bath, blanket, doggie, kittie, monkey, sissy (for Caroline), marsh mellow, music, play, water, find it, fire truck, home, we're here, store, doctor, kisses, okay, broken, night night, drink, shoes, purse, keys, mc donalds, that one, see you soon, and he counts from 1-10, sings head shoulders knees and toes and twinkle twinkle little star and probably many others I can't think of.

He is turning food away now too thankfully. He doesn't like fruit salad, raspberries or any fruit that is kind of watery, and slimy. He likes applesauce and bananas. We went raspberry picking on Saturday, and he was eating some of them as he was picking. But he didn't like them today after they were a bit squishy.

We have also been going to church separately as a family. I will go with the girls, then Chris will meet me for the second service and pass Calvin off to me and then I go home with Calvin and the girls. Well we meet in the cafe for the switch, and it is full of people talking (gym). Calvin doesn't last very long in there, today he started biting me and himself, so I had to tell Chris to leave and stop talking to our friends (we switched services today). Poor kid, guess he isn't ready yet for church. Our social worker said it would be 6-12 months until we can take him to church.

The last 2 weeks we have been to the University of Chicago Adoption Clinic. The first week is supposed to be get to know one another, second week is blood work and stool. Our last visit is developmental and attachment stuff. It is very stressful when we go. Firstly because it is a long time in the car (3 hrs there and 3 hrs back), but mainly because when we are with the doctor he has 3 other ladies with him, who 'play' with Calvin while we talk. Well..... Calvin doesn't play, so he gets hyper, screams in fun loudly, runs, falls and then it is too much for him so this time he threw his shoes across the room. I finally took him into my lap and said to everyone he needed a time out to calm down. At home if I say it is time to play, he starts crying. He doesn't like to sit and do an activity. He would rather walk, run around, closing doors. He HATES coloring, enjoys playing in water, not crazy about books and will only cuddle with me during rocking time before bed.

He is still sleeping well and eating well. He takes a nap every day and sleeps from 1.5 -2 hrs and goes to bed by 8pm and wakes up between 7:30-8 am. He loves his bath now too and asks through out the day where daddy, sissy and Cathryn are. We think he has adjusted so well. So this is where we are after 2 months with us.

Old Blog post about attachment worth reading again...

Attachment and Bonding

Yesterday we attended an attachment and bonding meeting with other waiting families at AAI. I was very impressed with the psychologist that talked, he gave a good presentation. He himself has adopted a little girl from China 2 years ago. So he spoke from experience as an adoptive parent as well from the aspect of a professional who helps families withattachment issues.

Some good points he made were:
1. It takes time to form an attachment because if these children have been in an orphanage for 6 months or more think about what they have missed out on. They haven't had their emotional needs met most probably because of the limited amount of caregivers in an orphanage taking care of many children. If our son wakes up in the middle of the night he wont have someone there to sooth him or comfort him, because most probably if he is awake other children are awake crying, or in stress. So he will have to learn to sooth himself, and ultimately he learns he can't trust anyone to help him so he learns to mistrust others and to rely on himself.
2. We need to spend time with him and be engaging, touching, reciprocating,nurturing to him. When he cries in the night we need to be there to comfort him so he knows he can trust us to provide for him. When he falls only the parents are to comfort him (not grandparents or friends), the parents need to provide for his every need (at least for 6 months until he has bonded). He needs to be clear who his parents are and that we will be there for him in need.
3. He stressed that we shouldn't have huge amounts of people at the airport to meet us because this can be stressful for the child, who is grieving the loss of his friends, only caregivers he knows in the orphanage, his language and culture (smells and sounds). If family want to see him they need to do it at our home in the beginning (his turf) and not many at one time so he is overwhelmed. The psychologist also said we shouldn't put him in the nursery at church or have babysitters for at least 6 months. So I will probably go to night church and Chris will stay home with him then.
4. For our biological children he stressed that we should explain the situation of bonding with the child and treat them to special time with mom and dad so they don't feel left out.
5. The most important point he made I think is that this isn't the child's problem but a family issue. We need to learn how to relate to him and bond with him. If he has a difficult time with touch we need to go at itslowly- patting him on the back (instead of hugging) etc. We need to treat him like a newborn...respond when he is in need, cuddle, eye contact,etc because he has missed out on this and needs to make up for lost time. We need to spend time with him, not put him in daycare but try and stay home (thankfully we are able to do this).
6. Children from orphanages with attachment issues have feelings of shame and self hate. This breaks my heart. I can't wait to tell him that God made him, loves him and placed him in our family for a reason. And that we loved him before we met him because he is a child of God!
I thank God for adopting me.

1st day of school pictures

Cathryn 1st Grade

Ms. Mehari

Caroline 3rd Grade

Mrs. Bodine

1st day of school

I will have to post pictures later, but today was the first day of school for Cathryn (1st Grade) and 3rd grade for Caroline. They looked too cute in their school uniforms. It was a bit rushed in the morning (I don't know why?). I made them a special breakfast (prepared last night) and Chris got up at 6:30 to put it in the oven. They had Caramel French Toast! Calvin didn't want to let go of Caroline's lunch box (he wanted to carry a bag too).

After praying for them we left and Calvin and I went home to eat breakfast. We woke him up as we were leaving the house and gave him a cheese stick for the carride so he wouldn't be starving. After breakfast we went for a walk, our usual routine. Then I decided to be brave and go to the library with him. We had a little talk before we went in about screaming and biting and obeying. He did amazingly well. We played with matching colors, coloring a picture for daddy and that was his limit. So we left with no tantrums and running away. He has come so far. Also the stroller helps when we arrive and leave.

After the library we went home for snack and then went to the store to buy a few things. Then it was lunch time and nap. He was happy to go pick up Caroline and Cathryn at school after nap and get a treat at McDonalds (icecream). The girls enjoyed their first day so it was a success.

Home 5 weeks

Today was the first day we took Calvin to the beach. School starts next week so this was our last hoorah. We went as soon as they opened and were one of 5 families there until we left at noon. Calvin was fine in Chris' arms but nervous about the water. He enjoyed the splash pad more. He doesn't mind water splashing in his face. It was the perfect day for him.

We aren't seeing as many tantrums either, I think with him understanding us more we are able to communicate better. He is also obeying us, not running off as he did before when we tell him to come. He is loving the slide now more than the swing at the park, still asks to go in the car every day and for a walk.

We have started giving him a bottle at night and rocking before bed. He loves this cuddling time and asks to rock. He however doesn't want anything in his crib anymore, he throws the blanket and bear out of the crib. Oh well. He is still sleeping well. He takes a 1.5 hr nap in the afternoon and sleeps through the night, even thunderstorms. He still doesn't have much of an attention span for playing or watching t.v. He also always has to close doors, anyone else understand this concept.

Calvin loves music and I have found he learns to music. Like counting 1-5 and the ABC's song.

We are so blessed by our son!

Progress

1. Calvin loves water now, meaning he plays in the bubble bath, plays in the turtle swim pool, runs through the sprinkler in the back yard.

2. He loves to pray...he reminds us to pray before meals, at bed time and through out the day. Tonight he was praying himself, in broken English, thanking God for his home and car. He loves the car.

3. He is singing Twinkle Twinkle, Jesus Loves Me, and getting better at Head Shoulders Knees and Toes.

4. Beginning to be choosy with food. Turned peas and carrots away yesterday at dinner. He was asking for 'puddin', which I put in front of him and told him to eat his peas and carrots for some pudding. After a few tears, he did.

5. Understands us very well, better than he speaks.

6. When the phone rings he says' daddy'. Daddy is usually the one calling us from work.

7. Says hot, open, close, thank you, pray, pudding, yogurt, drink, milk, water, juice, banana, apple sauce night night, see you in the morning (says this when he lays down to sleep at nap and bedtime). Yells at the girls to stop, asks for his pacifier, diaper, lets me know when he goes pee pee or poopie. Says mommy!

8. He was rubbing Cathryn's head when she hurt herself, and was saying okay and kissing her. Too cute. He kisses his bear good night, and kisses us when we ask.

9. He is happy and teases. He is fun.

10. Still not interested in tv, sitting for a book or sitting for long periods of time. Learns well to music and sings well too. He ask for music (the radio to be turned on).

I love him so much, and am so thankful for this gift God has given us.

I look at him sometimes and feel sad for his biological mom, how she is missing out on this little blessing. He is so adorable and such a ray of sunshine. He is stubborn, gets scared and insecure but we love him for who he is.

pictures ..

Playing with play dough

snuggles after playing in the water

Calvin now sings Jesus loves me, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and counts when he walks up and down the stairs. He counts up to 5. Such a smart little boy.

Busy week for Calvin...

This past Saturday my mom flew into town from Alabama to see her first grandson and her grand daughters too! Calvin calls her baba, even though we have tried to get him to call her granny. There have been kisses and hugs but no picking up or helping him. He was shy when she first got into the car at the airport but by dinner time he was running around outside and playing and doing just fine.

This week has been a very busy one for Calvin. He had his peds appointment Monday. Our doctor had to make referrals for us to the cardiology and the urologist (he needs to be circumcised). We also noticed he vomits (in his mouth, through out the day) so we had to go to radiology this morning at the children's hospital. The appointment this morning he did great. He wasn't allowed to eat or drink so we had a 8am appointment. He had to drink some pink raspberry flavored stuff and then lie down (strapped in with velcro) and they did watched the fluid move through his tummy and intestines. Everything looked fine! Great, except we still don't know why he is vomitting and how to stop it. I personally think it is so he can have a 'second meal' and he forces himself out of habit. This is not good, mainly because of his teeth. He has many cavities (brown spots on his teeth). So not sure what to do now, any suggestions? Anyone else experience this with their kids?

Calvin has an appointment with the cardiologist in October!!! When we were at our primary care physician on Monday he said he didn't hear any murmurs and his heart sounded great! What a praise. He was also weighed and is 28pds. Calvin eats everything and is learning to be more patient for his food. He says 'yum yums coming?', over and over. He says about 2 new words a day, yesterday was all done and please. He says good night at bed time, bubbles for bathtime and brush for brushing his teeth. He loves to brush his teeth, have his diaper changed and bath now.

My favorite time of day though is bed time. I rock him in my arms in the rocking chair, we read a story, sing some songs and cuddle. He is a precious gift from God. He is doing very well, we lay him down for naps and bedtime and he will talk and play for about 30 minutes and then go to sleep sucking his finger.

This past week home..

We have had some good days and not so good days!. What is considered a good day you ask? No tantrums (or not many). We did go one day with no tantrums, it was lovely. He was affectionate, cuddly and smiley. The other days he was grumpy and not happy ( Thursday was tantrum after tantrum). It seems like he has most of his tantrums in the morning and gets better through the day. Evenings are the most enjoyable. What are his tantrums about? Anything! Changes from one day to the next. So this doesn't help me much.

He loves to go in the car and ask all the time to go in the car. We always go for a walk in the morning (he loves outside, probably because he doesn't know how to play). He loves all food, says banana, and water now too. He loves singing twinkle twinkle little star. He doesn't want to learn any other songs. He will start singing twinkle in the middle of me teaching him another song. He said thank you for the first time today in English, what a surprise that was.

I am trying to put some weight on him. Thanks to Viviane, fellow blogger, she suggested making pudding with pediasure to put some weight on him. He eats this for snack time or dessert before bed. I have only been giving him juice at breakfast (prune) so he isn't drinking as much during the day now. He doesn't love water. This past Wednesday he was very constipated so I bought him some prune juice and he drinks this at breakfast. It has really helped him. We have never had a problem with loose bowls (most adoptive parents do because of the change in the children's diet when they come home). Calvin has always had 'pellets' in his diaper since the day we picked him up. Now he is doing better with his bowl movements. Calvin is still prefering me to anyone else. He wants me to do most things for him and no one else. He has some good moments with Chris but I am not sure if he thinks Chris is a caregiver and not part of the family. The girls and I are with him all day, but Chris only comes home for dinner and sees Calvin for 2 hrs each day. I am trying to let Chris do more on the weekends to bond with Calvin, and to give me a break too and spend some time on the girls. Calvin has not had any problems at night sleeping which is wonderful. He doesn't need me anymore during nap time to sit by his crib, he just goes to sleep. At night one of us will sit with him for 30 minutes (sometimes he is asleep by then and other times not)If he isn't we still leave, and he has been fine with this too. He doesn't cry in the mornings for us when he wakes up. I have a baby monitor in my room and know when he wakes up. It is usually around 7:15, the last 2 mornings it has been 8am. Then I go in and he smiles at me and sits up.

The girls just love him to pieces and he laughs when they laugh and wants to do what they do. He still isn't keen on the sandbox or turtle swimming pool. The girls were on their slip and slide today and yesterday and he wanted to join in, so he just walked down it. That was fun enough for him. Today after dinner we went to the public swimming pool the last hour it was open. There was hardly anyone there, which was great. He did so much better than I thought he would, I was sure we would have to leave after 5 minutes. He walked around in the baby pool for about 5 min and wanted to leave. So we went in the big pool. He was fine as long as he was in my arms and we did sit on the stairs most of the time. The girls had so much fun jumping off the diving board and going down the water slide. They have been begging me to go and see them. Chris usually takes them and I have stayed home with Calvin. All in all he is doing very well. I would say he is like a 2 yr old emotionally rather than a 3 yr old. However he is ready to be potty trained and I am having to change him quiet a bit because he tells me all the time when he has gone pee pee or poopie.

I am still trying to figure out his tantrums and what sets them off, if anything, and how to manage him during these times. I just feel like holding time makes him more angry and he wants to bite me or himself. The verse in the bible keeps going through my mind about parents not making your child angry! Any suggestions welcomed!

Learning English words

Well I think today Calvin is finally over his jetlag, his nap time was later and shorter and he doesn't seem ready to go to bed for the night either. Thankfully, hubby has taken over bedtime duty this weekend. This means he gets to sit next to Calvin's crib until he falls asleep. This can take between 15 minutes to 45. So far he has been sitting there for 30 minutes. He doesn't cry just lays there.

This morning hubby got up with Calvin and ate breakfast with him (eggs). I was supposed to sleep in but my eldest kept coming into my room, either to snuggle or ask when I was going to get up to asking me to make pancakes. Calvin was up at 7:15, I was up at 8am. I made pancakes for the girls while Chris took Calvin outside to swing (so he wouldn't beg for more food). After we were all ready for the day we then took a walk to our friends down the road. They bought a house a few blocks from us and are fixing it up before they move in. We got to see the progress and they got to see Calvin. We then got home, made a picnic and went to the park by the public pool. After 1 hr of playing the girls went to the public pool with daddy and mommy and Calvin went home for a nap. He slept 2 hours (the same as in Bulgaria) which is an hour short of what he has been sleeping this week.

After nap, the first thing he always asks for is food (same in the morning). After snack we went in the basement to play. It is very hot here, in the 90's and our back yard is pretty sunny in the afternoon. For dinner we grilled outside and ate outside. I also put Calvin in the turtle pool (the water was warmer than his bath water). He was complaining in the beginning but enjoyed it for 15 min. He of course wanted to drink the water, and didn't understand how to play in it. I had to show him how to transfer water from one cup to another.

So far his english vocabulary is : doggy, woof woof, sorry (when he is in time in, or hurts someone), dally (for daddy), swing, yum yums (for eating food), he did say water but usually says the bulgarian work 'voda'. And he is singing twinkle twinkle little star. He says pee pee's when he wants a diaper change. This boy is ready to be potty trained, but I am not. I feel like we still need to work on tantrums and obeying. He thinks it is really funny when I say no and then he smiles and does it again (like hitting a glass window with a hard object or throwing toys). Have to say today his time out was alot shorter, praise the Lord. I still think he is really doing well, so much better than I ever expected. He wants only me to hold his hand walking up and down stairs, he wants only me to go outside, put him in his swing and push him. I have to say though I love the weekends when daddy can help me a bit.

Pictures ..

Me and the kids at Meijer Garden Monday afternoon (daddy is taking the picture)

The 1st picture of our kids. The girls loved to push him in the stroller. They are such good helpers.

Calvin playing in the sandbox with the girls

Calvin touching the wall of water (he is in his swimsuit here, because there is a part of the garden where the kids can walk through water and play with boats. He walked through the water but didn't know what to do with the boats)

Day of Firsts...

Calvin slept through the night again, he went down at 8:30 after the girls' softball game. I had him in the ergo carrier so people wouldn't pick him up and/or he wouldn't run away or get overwhelmed by all the people.

Today he had his first McDonald's hamburger and french fries. Ate half and burger and all the fries. He also was introduced to our basement this afternoon. His eyes said,wow, is this a toy store. He is playing with the kitchen and food right now. He loves baby dolls too, kisses and hugss them. So good to finally see him playing, he isn't too interested in the little people stuff yet.

Tonight the girls are going to see Cars 2 with Chris.They are dying to get out of the house, so they are going on a date with daddy. Next week I will try and do something with them while Chris stays home. It is raining today, so we played outside this morning in the back yard. He doesn't play very long in the sandbox, but loves the swing and his car we push him in.

Monday Day 2 home

Calvin wakes up happy to see me in the mornings. We got dressed and then I unpacked suitcases and the girls put away their clothes and did their chores. Calvin was walking around looking at the different bedrooms, and exploring. The girls then played with him in his room with is cars and trains. Once I was done we all went down stairs, I got breakfast for the kids and then we went outside to water the flowers. Calvin loves being outside, he especially enjoys the swing and he did play in the sandbox a bit. We filled up his turtle pool but he didn't like it (it was probably a bit cold). I then had some errands to run so we left in the car to go to the bank and library. He had his first lollipop, which Cathryn taught him to lick. At the library he was running away up and down the aisles, thankfully we got there at 9:30 when it opens so no one else was there. The girls chose some books and then we left.

After lunch Calvin took a nap by himself in his crib and woke up 1.5 hr later. Chris worked half a day and came home. Once everyone had a snack we went off to Meijer Garden. It has a children's area which he enjoyed touching the water and playing in the sandbox. We were there for 2 hours. I was hot and Cathryn was tired of walking so we returned home. Dinner was hamburgers, which he ate and he had some chocolate cake. We bathed him (still not a big fan) and then we read some books and he played with his sisters upstairs (wanting to be chased). At 7pm I put him down for bed as he started crying and acting tired. He fell asleep 20 mintues later. However, at 8:30 he woke up screaming. So I went in and rubbed his back, he fell back to sleep until 9:30 and screamed again. This time he wouldn't go back to sleep and he didn't want to be in his crib. I sat in the rocking chair next to him crib but he didn't go to sleep. Finally at 10:30 I left the room and he started screaming again LOUD. I was soo tired. I went back up and took him out of his crib and lay on the bed with him, he kept pushing me away, saying no , I felt like he wanted me to hold him but he didn't want me to hold him. He was confused. This is what they call grieving I guess. Chris came in telling me to leave him and come to bed. But I felt like he was afraid and needed me. So I finally just held him really tight (legs and arms) and told him to be quiet, stop, it's okay, singing, etc. About midnight he finally relaxed in my arms, fell asleep in the bed and snuggled with me. This was soooooo hard. I was soooo tired and sooo angry that he wouldn't be quiet. I had to keep reminding myself, he is scared and is grieving. Of course he didn't sleep in , 7 am he woke up next to me. So up we got (otherwise he rocks back and forth). Now it is 10 am in the morning and he is tired (so am I). So he is taking an early nap, so much for trying to be on a schedule. We have been eating breakfast between 7:30-8am, eating lunch between 11:30-12 and then he goes down for a nap until 2:30/3pm. We do a snack when he wakes up and eat dinner between 5:30/6pm. He has been going to bed 7/7:30 when he is tired. I am hoping this is just jetlag and doesn't last a long time.

I am just not sure what to do about night time. Do I sleep with him in his bed (for how long, will he let me transition to his crib, or do i leave him in the bed?) or do I bring him into our bedroom in a pack and play and transition him out (then he has to get used to his bedroom down the road). Wish I could just let him cry himself to sleep but that doens't work, I tried to do that last night when I was at my wits end at 10:30 last night.

Also today he has been a bit jealous, Cathryn was kissing and hugging me and he said no and came over to sit in my lap I have made an effort to kiss them all at the same time to show him I love them all. Well that is an update of how things are going now that we are home.

1st Day home and travel update.

We left early Friday morning to get to the airport and Calvin did great on the first leg of the journey to Germany. The 8 hr flight from Germany to NY was awful. He didn't want to watch the t.v screen, he doesn't really know how to play, he was over tired but not wanting to go to sleep. All he wanted was to drink juice and eat. Well after a point a parent has to say no, or he would have vomitted. Well he screamed, we didn't know what to do. Chris covered his mouth and he bit him, it made him scream louder if possible. I then started taking him to the restroom when he screamed but he liked that and the bathroom wasn't always available. So we ended up having a screaming child on and off, walking up and down the asile ( he would see others eating and want a snack), at one point the stewardess asked us what the problem was and I started bawling. The shorter plane rides went a lot better. We almost missed our plane at one point (long story). It was so good to finally get home. We were greated by some friends at the airport, which was wonderful after the long day we had.

A friend picked us up and took us home. She also made us dinner. It was so good to eat a homecooked meal. Calvin was a bit nervous about his new home. He said no when I showed him his room. I sat in his room with him, while he fell asleep in his crib. Calvin actually slept alone in a room at his orphanage, so he is used to that. But I did sit with him because he wasn't so sure about his new room. He went to sleep at 9 pm and woke up at 8am. He slept through the night, and so did we. Once he got up we gave him breakfast and a bath. We then went to the grocery store ( Chris had the cart, Calvin was in the ergo on my back). He loves going out so he really enjoyed the car ride and the store. Once we got home he went on the swing in our back yard. He loves being outside. I think being inside makes him nervous. We tried playing some in his room, with trains and cars. He did play with me for a few minutes and then it was lunch time. He is a great eater. He went down well for his nap, slept from 12:30-3pm. Our girls finally came home at 5pm. Calvin was shy in the beginning but by the time he had dinner at 6pm he was smiling at them. He is now in bed at 7:30. He started screaming at 7pm for no reason, so I told him it was time for bed and he was happy about that. I have tried reading to him before bed, but he isn't interested. He was rocking himself to sleep for 15 minutes. I guess he isn't comfortable in our house yet. Tomorrow we are going to put water in the turtle pool and see how he does, and play in the sandbox. Overall, he is doing great adjusting and settling in. He still speaks Bulgarian to us, which we don't understand most of the time. I understand he wants his shoes on and wants a diaper change, but that is about it.

Friday, last day in Sophia

Calvin woke up again at 6:15 and rocked until we got up. He ate his baby cereal with milk and fruit puree. Chris made himself eggs, and I got to eat a yoghurt behind them as they walked down the street. I can't eat in front of Calvin or else he wants to eat all my food too.

We didn't really know what to do today, so we walked to the subway where the souvenirs are and bought ourselves something and got Calvin a hat that says Bulgaria on it. We then walked around and made our way back home for lunch. I had my usually gyro and Chris had eggs and sausage. Calvin had a meal I bought in America that you warm up in the micro (veggies and meat and pasta). We skyped our family again today and Calvin went down for a 2 hour nap. Once he was up he was ready to go again. He had juice and a snack.

This time we walked to the Grand Hotel Sofia by the theatre. He enjoyed swinging for a while and watching the other children. He also went down the slide. We then got went back home try and book our seats home (didn't work, we have too many different passports among us - American, British and Bulgarian). We played around the apartment and went to our local dinner spot Pizza Roma. He was very good about waiting for the food, he asked me only a few times when we got there for food, but understood he had to wait. Once we got done with dinner we returned home, gave Calvin a bath (not a big fan tonight, was whimpering) and then watched some Animal Kingdom on tv until bed time. He finally fell asleep at 8pm, with me by him. Our translator then dropped off our translated paperwork (court papers, Calvin's birth certificate, his Bulgarian passport etc) We were told we will be picked up tomorrow at 3:30am, so guess I should go to bed now so I can get some sleep. Excited to be traveling home tomorrow, Chris is worried about the flight, I just want to get home and people are just going to have to deal with it!

Glad this is finally coming to an end in a sense. We can start living a new 'normal' and not have life up in the air anymore. We now start a new chapter as a family of 5. Thanking God and leaning on him each day.

Mosque

Celeste clothing store

Calvin finally trusting daddy to carry him! Mommies back says thank you. We stopped at Happy Bar Grill for ice coffee and coke, and then later for dinner. Great to be outside and eat with a little one who is loud. Tip: ask for your check when they bring you your food so you don't have to sit there so long with an impatient child.

Thursday Day 4 with Calvin

Can't believe it has only been 4 days that Calvin has been with us, feels longer. Well the orphanage said he slept from 8pm-8am. The last 2 mornings he has been up at 6:15am. I let him lie there until 7:15 and then turn on the animal channel on the tv. This morning he was rocking back and forth lying on his back at 7am so I turned the tv on a bit earlier. This stopped him, it must be because he is bored? This is the only time I have seen him rocking!

Today he also had his fingers in his mouth most of the day, when he wasn't talking. Chris got him to go in the ergo carrier on his back, I am so thankful for that because my sciatic nerve in my left leg was hurting today from carrying him. He still wont' hold Chris' hand, but he will let him pick him up and carry him if I am standing close by. Thankful for the little progress we are making there.

We left this morning at 8:30 (all the shops were closed still) so we walked to see a mosque and indoor market by the statue of Sophia. The marked had food, clothes, toiletries, everything you could think of. We found some baklava so bought 2 pieces for me. I had one tonight with some tea and will have the other one tomorrow. After the market, we walked to the mineral baths (it is closed) and then we saw a place to get a drink. Happy Bar Grill. We sat outside and gave Calvin a snack (10 am by this time) and I had an ice coffee and Chris had a coke light. Calvin wanted my coffee of course when he was done with his water and snack, but I said no. So he screamed on top of his lungs. Chris about died and asked me to take him out to the sidewalk. I told Calvin he had to stop 'spri' and be quiet ' topli'. Chris then paid and we left (not very relaxing, but oh well we do have a 3 yr old with us). We then walked back to the area where our apartment is and took some different side streets, and we came across a clothing store called Celeste. Too funny. Once we got home at noon, we fed Calvin and put him down for a nap. Chris then went out and got me another gyro. He had eggs and sausage, which he made in our apartment. Calvin slept 2 hours and woke up still kind of sleepy. We then skpyed our girls and gave Calvin a snack of pureed fruit. He loves to eat and always asks for more when he is done.

At 3pm we were picked up by Petko and taken to the US Embassy with the Dornberger family and their daughter. It was great to finally see them. They are a bit far out from us and their little girl doesn't like to go out, it over stimulates her. The embassy appointment was Chris signing some paperwork and that was that. I asked Petko why they didn't ask us for out tax returns etc and he said that is usually requested for the I600, we are the I 800. We then returned home and walked back to the Happy Grill Bar (15 min one way from our place) to get dinner. I was tired of pizza. I ordered a hamburger and shared my french fries with Calvin. He loved them. Chris had chicken and salad and shared some of his chicken with Calvin. Once we got home it was 6:30 so we gave Calvin a bath and then he actually asked to go to bed!!!! WHAT.

I should have know that was too good to be true. He climbed into bed around 6:45 and then was playing around, grabbing the curtain, making noises etc. I actually fell asleep until 7:15 and he was still awake. I repeated go to sleep, good night. He would laugh etc. At 7:30 I then got up to leave and he started to scream, so I got a book and was going to sit on the floor. He was telling me to lie down in the bed. So I sat in the bed and read, finally at 8pm he fell asleep. I don't think he was ready to go to bed at 7pm, I think he likes me to just lie down with him. Now I know. We did have to put him in a time out today. He was screaming when I told him he no to having my hot tea, so Chris took him and placed him on the couch opposite of me and wouldn't let him get up until he stopped screaming. This wasn't longer than 5 min. No hair pulling today either.

Tomorrow we have no plans, our translator will pick up our stuff from the us embassy and bring it to us in the late afternoon. We will go and buy some more souvenirs, eat lunch in and eat dinner out. I forgot how hard it was to eat out with a little one. He wants to eat as soon as we sit down and doesn't understand we need to wait so gets upset. Then when he is done eating he wants our food and doesn't understand why he can't. Please pray for our journey home, we leave Saturday early, probably have to leave our apartment at 4am for our 6am flight. FUN!!

Pictures for those of you who asked...

Calvin finally sitting with Daddy, eating peanuts.

Have food, he is your best friend.

Playing in the sand box, outside of the Grand Hotel Sophia

Loved the swing, he could pump his legs himself.

He loves the ergo baby carrier, and sings nursery rhymes as we go. Today he let daddy carry him home in the carrier, mommy is so happy about that.

Wednesday in Sophia

This morning started off a bit early, Calvin was awake at 6:15 am which means I was awake at 6:15 am. I have been sleeping with him. He laid in bed until 7:30. I turned on the animal planet for him to watch, he was talking about the cats etc so I couldn't sleep. He was then pulling my hair, pinching my nose so I figured it was time to get up. I fed him baby cereal with milk and pureed fruit. He asks for bread, which I am guessing is what he had for breakfast at the orphanage. He also drinks apple juice (sok). He asks for this all day. This morning I actually had Chris feed him, so I could eat in the other room (otherwise he wants my breakfast too, and he can't eat all that food or he will be sick).

After breakfast, we gave him a bath. He enjoyed it more this time. The first think he wants is his diaper and shoes on! He is going to nap and bed with out his shoes now. After his bath, we got ready and he occupied himself. He was ready to leave at 9am, and gave Chris his shoes and then gave me my shoes. We put him in the ergo carrier today. He freaked out when we tried the first day at the mall. This time he cried at first but once he was in it he loved it. The second time out after his nap he actually asked for it. At 9am it was already warm outside. We walked to all the sites we had seen on trip one, but took pictures of Calvin in front of them this time around. We also went inside one of the churches, it was beautiful with many murals. Calvin started getting loud, so I had to go outside and wait for Chris. We stopped along the way at a few 'parks'. By park I mean grassy areas with some shade. The first stop was by the Russian church, I was hot from carrying Calvin so we stopped and blew some bubbles. There were a lot of dogs and their owners at the park. The second stop was a play area by the Grand Hotel Sofia (close to the Alexander Church). It had some swings, slide and sand box. Calvin enjoyed playing there. We then made our way back home as it was getting hot and we had run out of water. We stopped along the way to buy some souvenirs and once we got home we gave Calvin lunch and put him done for a nap. Chris went out and got us some gyros (so good, I was starving). We both took a nap after skyping with our family. Calvin went down at 1:15 and got up at 3:15. He then had a snack and we went out again for a couple of hours. There really isn't much to do in the apartment, so he likes to go out. I had a frappacino at Starbucks by the Palace of Culture, it was so yummy and cold. We were looking for shade where ever we went. Calvin also finally wore his hat today, but still won't wear his sun glasses. He also sat on Chris' lap to eat some peanuts. If you have food, he will be your friend. As soon as he was done eating his peanuts he was off Chris' lap.

When he doesn't want to walk, he sits down in the dirt and won't stand up. So we have started having Chris pick him up, so now when Chris starts walking towards him to pick him up, he says ne and jumps right up. Too funny. Most of the time he is on my back, but when I get too tired or hot he walks for a few minutes. Of course he would rather be carried. So he is now in bed sleeping after eating pizza at Roma Pizza. That is a good place to eat dinner. It is close to us and he can be as loud as he wants and we have our own room (non smoking). Thanks for you prayers, we feel so blessed. I am homesick and missing my girls, so looking forward to leaving in a couple of days. Tomorrow we have an appointment in the afternoon. lecka nosch (good night)

Photo's of our trip so far....

Day 2 was Gotcha Day

This first picture is Chris and Calvin at the airport leaving Varna for Sophia

This is us leaving the orphanage with Calvin.

This was taken after they changed his clothes into what we brought for him and I was reading him a book.

Day 1 in Varna

We saw the Roman Baths, Navy Museum (outside), number of orthodox churches, walked around looking for a number of other museums. Most of the roads had no names on them so it was a bit difficult to find anything. Then we went to the beach in the afternoon and I got to swim in the Black Sea.

Tuesday Day 2 with Calvin

Sleep:

Calvin cries for about 5 minutes for naps and night time and wants me with him. He then turns over, and sucks his fingers. We have seen no rocking or other orphanage behaviors.

He slept from 9pm until 8 am this morning.

Food:

He eats solid foods that are cut up. He will eating anything. He had baby cereal with milk for breakfast and a crosissant. And asked for mine, but I said no. He loves juice, which I give to him in the morning with his asprin. He didn't know how to drink out of the sippy cup, I took the suction part out so he can drink it now with the lid on. For lunch he ate 1 piece of pizza, mango and pear puree and cheese and cucumbers from Chris' salad.

Behavior:

This morning we went out to run some errands for paperwork. He wanted to hold my hand, sit in my lap but he didn't want Chris today. He was also testing me, when I say no he would redo what he was doing to see what I would do. He through his toys across the room at the doctors, so we put them away etc. He did great at the doctor though, when we left he told the doctor he will come back again!

The only time he cried today is when we returned to our apartment after lunch, for nap. He says a word we don't understand (and neither does our translator). He said the same word yesterday at the mall while we were coloring and started bawling. GRIEF. I am wondering if it a person's name? I will post pictures tonight when he is in bed. I need to get him up from nap. Chris is sleeping as he isn't feeling well today, a bit achy. Hope it isn't flu! Thanks for your words of encouragment but most of all thank you for your prayers, we need them. I turned to Chris in the car today on the way to our appointment and said this is one of the most stressful situations i have been in. It is hard! Wish I could understand the language and Calvin when he talks. He talks no stop. Today he was also talking to strangers, saying hello and goodbye.

Gotcha day Monday

I didn't sleep as well as I did the night before, must have been because of the coffee I had at dinner time. Anyway, we finally got up at 9am, went to breakfast and got a phone call at 10am that we needed to meet our translator to go to Dobrich. Our translator had left earlier in the morning to take an Italian family to the Varna Orphanage. Once we left for the 40 minute car ride, I started getting butterflies in my stomache. I turned to Chris and and asked if he was nervous, and he said no. Well I was. I was terrified of him screaming and not wanting to leave, and having to pull him out of there. I had all these horrible scenerios going through my mind. Then I started praying, asking God to give me the wisdom I would need and the patience, and to protect Calvin's heart. This calmed me down, and I tried to dwell on different scriptures in my mind to calm myself.

We got to the orphanage and the security guard remembered us and welcomed us. The social worker then came out to meet us. We gave her gifts for two of the other children there, whose parents had sent gifts with us to give to them. I got to meet them, it was so precious. The kids were outside in a swimming pool and some of the others were playing in the shade. There are some really young beautiful children at this orphanage. Once we gave them their gifts, we then had a meeting with the Director. She told us some things about Calvin's health, medications, his schedule and thanked us for adopting him so he wouldn't be in an institution. We gave her a small gift and thanked her for taking care of our son.

We were then lead to his side of the orphange and he came through the door saying 'I am going to America". Of course he has no clue what that means. He came up to us and I kissed him. We then went into a room where we read him a book and they took him to change his clothes into an outfit we brought him. We then asked if we could take a photo of all of the caregivers with Calvin, which we did. They were telling us that he recently went to the zoo and enjoyed it, and that he loves cats and dogs. He also loves juice. I then gave his 'teacher' a pendant with his picture. She is the closest one to him. She was crying when we left and walked us to the door. I had Calvin hug his friends so we could take some pictures, and the social worker also took pictures. She asked that we send them updates and photos. I was doing great, I lifted him up to leave and we started walking down the hall. I remembered he liked to walk so just before we got the the exit I put him done, and he started saying no and crying. This did me in. I started bawling, so I put my sunglasses on so he wouldn't see and then the social worker took his hand and led him to the car. She placed him inside. I climbed in next to him and then his 'teacher' came out with his favorite stuffed animal, and she could tell I was crying so she started crying. At this time Calvin was calm and he sat all the way between Chris and I to Varna looking out the window and eating his snack.

We had some time to kill so we spent a couple of hours in a mall that had a children's play area, Calvin colored and that was about all he was comfortable doing. The ball pit scared him and so did the swing. We also ate lunch there, and he loved it. He will eat and eat if you don't stop him. We then left to go to the airport to return to Sophia. We flew with the Italian couple and the kids really did great. The only time Calvin made a peep was when I put on his seat belt, he was terrified and crying. It last about 5 min and he just stopped. At this point he had missed his nap so he was almost dozing off but not letting himself. Once we arrived in Sophia it was dinner time so we had a quick salad which I shared with Calvin (ham, cheese and bread for him). I feel like he has been eating none stop the whole day. Once we got home it was almost 9pm so we got him ready for bed. He did great except for when he had to go to sleep (and he wanted his shoes on)....I lay down with him rubbing his back while he screamed and after 5 min he just stopped and started sucking his fingers. I was praying those 5 minutes that none of the neighbors would call the cops and that he would trust me and go to sleep. Prayers were answered. He is sleeping now and I will be joining him soon. So that is our day in a nut shell. Over all it went really well.

Tomorrow we have our passport appointment and doctor's appointment. Please continue to pray for him that he will grow more comfortable with us and that we would have patience and wisdom with him. The biggest obstacle is he is talking a lot and we don't understand what he is saying, and we don't know how to communicate with him either. My pronounciation is terrible. I have been kissing him a lot, he holds my hand without me asking, and he has been sitting in my lap a lot today. Thanks again for following our journey and please leave comments :)