Travel plans all in place

Heard today from TOL that our in country airfare is taken care of, all though we do have 6 hours of waiting in Sophia to take the plan to Varna. Our agency there said they would meet us at the airport, take our luggage that we didn't need, and give us a phone. We will fly out that evening to Varna and a taxi driver will meet us in the airport with a sign with our name on it. He is the same taxi driver we had the last time we visited Varna to see our son. We will be staying at a nice hotel downtown close to the seagarden and beach. Our translator will be flying in the following evening (Sunday) and staying at the same hotel and then we will leave the following morning to pick up our son.

We were also told he has been taken off his heart medication, the doctors in Sophia said he doesn't need them anymore. Praising God for that. Can't wait to get him home to see the cardiologist over here. I tried making an appointment for him but they told me at the hospital he had to be referred by our family doctor. Wish we were leaving sooner of course, but 3 weeks isn't too long. Until then I am trying to get some fun things in for the girls to do. We have gone to the beach a few times, have planned some play dates, gone to the children's museum (it rained all day yesterday) and next weekend we are going to go canoeing. The loved it last summer and asked to do it again. Next week we will try and get the zoo in to. Once Calvin comes home we will be hibernating in our back yard with a kiddy pool and going to the park. We won't venture out for at least a month so he gets used to us as a family and our home.

Photo pendant

Last week I looked online at Etsy.com and found a photo pendant necklace. I ordered this for Calvin's favorite caregiver. It came today in the mail and I love it. When he gets home and we have our family portraits taken (scheduled already for October) I want to get one for myself of all 3 kids on it. The price ranges from $9-$30. Ours was midrange. I got the idea last November when I went to a craft show and saw some. I think he will love to give his favorite caregiver a gift when we leave.

We have about 24 more days until we leave. Right now some friends of ours are picking up their kids. And it sounds like things are going really well. So happy for them, can't believe our turn is coming soon.

Thanking and praising God. All the glory is HIS.

More pictures...and flight info

** Please keep these pictures private, if you have received an invitation to read our private blog, it is because we trust you will keep these private and not share with others. If someone wants to see our blog, please direct them to me so I can invite them. This is for friends and family members only, until we return back from Bulgaria in July. Thank you. **

Our last day visiting we got to take Calvin outside...he loved it
Got to push him on this tricycle up and down the hall. We were talking to another child here.
Calvin enjoying his fruit snack in the sweater we took him (to see what size he was, this is 18-24 mth sweater)
Calvin playing legos with daddy and eating his pretzels

I have already packed for Calvin, while we were waiting on a court date. Think I need a few more snacks for him for during the plane ride home. Packed 2 pairs of sandals for him, size 7 and 8. I think he is a 7. We bought tickets last night through Paylessbg.com. The lady was very helpful in Florida. We also checked Golden Rule Travel but they were a bit more expensive. We leave July 15 to spend a couple of nights in Varna seeing some sights and the Black Sea. Debating whether to take my bathing suit! Our pick up date is Monday July 18th. We then get home Saturday night July 23 rd around 7pm.

Travel Dates today...

We have travel dates, so need to book our flight tomorrow. We will leave July 15th and arrive in Sophia Bulgaria. We will then fly out to Varna that night and spend Saturday night -Sunday night there sightseeing. We will then meet our translator Monday am at Varna airport and go pick up Calvin Demi from the orphanage (45 minutes away). We will then drive back to Varna and fly out that Monday to Sophia. We will spend the remainder of the week in Sophia doing paperwork and getting to know our son.

We will have an appointment one day with the US Embassy, another appointment for a USA doctor to see him and give him the all clear to enter the USA, another appointment to pick up his VISA and Passport. Can't believe we will be traveling in 4 weeks to pick up our son. Boy is our life going to change. Glad God is the one in control and not me!

Sooo excited, please keep Calvin in your prayers as I am sure he will be scared and feel like he his being kidnapped from the only home he knows. Thanks

No travel dates yet....but

Calvin - February when we visited him
Calvin laughing at me playing peekaboo from behind a door
Chris running up and down the hallway with Calvin, he loved it and asked for more.
Picture we got at the end of March from our agency. Calvin with his new hair cut.

If you have been approved to view our blog it means I trust you! Please don't print these pictures,or send them on the internet to anyone. If someone wants to see these pictures they need to request permission to view my blog. These are private and only for your eyes. Thank you.

Since we have passed court (haven't heard otherwise) and are the legal parents of Calvin, I will share some photo's of our son. This blog will remain private until we return to the US with Calvin.

We have a son.....June 13, 2011

Today was our court day in Bulgaria. Usually our agency would contact us with approval and travel dates once court is done. I know that our travel dates are a bit more complicated than others, because we fly in country to the other side of Bulgaria, so they have to call the orphanage about available dates, and book our in-country air travel for us. This time we are also requesting they make hotel reservations for us in Varna a couple of nights before we pick our son up.So I am hoping we hear something this week about travel dates.

Our agency says if we haven't heard anything about court it is good, rather than bad. If the court had requested more information we would have heard something. I still however am not sure if I can celebrate, because we haven't necessarily heard 'a ok' either. But I will say, as far as we know, today we are the official, legal parents of Calvin Demirhan Haven. I have made this blog private so I can post pictures. Once we get travel dates I will do that. I know some of my adoption friends are dying to see his picture. He is such a cutie, big dark brown eyes, and dark hair.

Please however, don't share any of these pictures with anyone. Please keep them private. They are for your eyes only. Thank you. I will open our blog again once we return back to America from our trip.

Varna on the Black Sea

Hoping to spend a couple of nights here before we pick up Calvin. His orphanage is 30 minutes away from the black sea.

Varna has a navy museum, seaside garden, dolphin aquarium, beaches, architecture, roman thermal baths. We saw the archeological museum last time we were in Bulgaria.

Photos from trip 1

Dobrich park from our hotel window February 2011
Sophia road, taken from our balcony apartment
Irish Pub in Dobrich, where we ate for Valentines Day
Dobrich, Bulgaria Feb 2011

Projects around the house as we wait...

So to keep busy and save my sanity waiting on a court date, we have been working around the house doing projects that we kept putting off. What we have been doing since May? First we mulched the front and back yard, bought sod and put on the side of our house (where I had tried to make a vegetable garden 6 years ago when we moved into our home. Didn't work because it didn't have enough sun, so it just got weedy). Replaced the outdoor carpeting at our front door and side door (it was torn up by the last 2 winters). Planted my flowers for the summer, and finally this weekend we had a friend pick up the wood that was on the side of our detached garage and Chris moved the bricks and cut down the weed trees. Today my father in law and I put down mulch and it looks so much tidier. We also finished Calvin's room last week. What are my next projects you ask? Well this weekend we are celebrating Chris graduating from seminary (finally after 7 years of long distance learning). So we will be washing outside furniture, and getting ready for that the rest of the week. Next week my plan is to clean out the 2 garages and get things together for a garage sale after July 4th. My laundry/storage room needs to be de-cluttered again too. And in my dream world I would love to repaint my hallway upstairs and my bedroom (that might have to wait until next year I think).

Today Caroline had her piano recital, she did such a great job we are so proud of her. I also found out that our little guys best friend is being adopted and the family lives in Indiana, close by. This makes me so happy! Praise God.

Blessed by my friends and family....

Yummy food...

Friends

Bulgarian Flag, verse and where Calvin is from....

National flower of Bulgaria is the rose....These were given to me from Melissa.

Today my friend Melissa had an adoption shower for us to celebrate Calvin. She did such a great job. The food was yummy, she had a framed picture of his full name, flag , verse Jer 29:11 and a map of where he is. We played some fun games, making words out of his full name (my sister in law won a potted plant), then a guess the nursery rhyme game ( Barb Bol and I won that one). And I won the guess how many m &m's are in the sippy cup. The m&m's were the color of the Bulgarian flag; red, green and white. Calvin was blessed with clothing, toys and we received some frozen meals for when he gets home. We are so blessed by our friends and family. Thank you for the encouragement, love and support.