Bulgaria Bound

Well, WE HAVE TRAVEL DATES! We received the call a few days ago, and we will be traveling to Bulgaria from March 25 - April 7. We are now mere days away from meeting and holding our child. We Skyped with Niko last week, and it was our best time together yet. At 2 years and 3 months, his personality is really developing! He loves to explore and laugh, and we can't wait to see the world through his eyes.

When we leave on Friday, we'll be traveling from Pittsburgh ---> Washington DC ---> Munich ---> Sofia. We'll stay in Sofia until Monday, when we travel to Pernik to pick up Niko from the orphanage. Once we are together, we will travel back to Sofia and apply for his passport. Then, we hang out for two days until the passport is issued, and Niko has a medical evaluation and TB test. 5 days later we get the results of the TB test, and visit the US Embassy to finalize adoption details. The following day, Niko receives his US Visa, and we can start the trip home. We are excited and a little nervous about all of this. Sofia looks like a wonderful place, and we are looking forward to seeing Bulgaria, but worry about communication issues or that Niko will be afraid of all these new experiences.

While we wanted to write this post to update you on the exciting news about nearing the finale, we also wanted to write this post to celebrate you. Yes, YOU! When we started this journey nearly three years ago, we had no idea how much you would be a part of this story. 111 generous people helped us raise just over $10,000. And that doesn't include the many people who have prayed for us and checked up on us. Some of you have watched the kids so we could complete paperwork. Some of you have given us a meal. You have been excited with us and sad with us and are going on this journey with us. We can never adequately thank you for all of it.

Last week, we were surprised by some of our friends with a sprinkle for Niko (which we believed to be only a St. Patty's Day party - hence all the green). As we were opening gifts, it occurred to me that we had been racing to get Niko here from the day that we said "yes," and that we had never slowed down to enjoy this process. It felt so nice to be excited, in person, with other people, and to reflect on this large community of friends and family that Niko is being welcomed into.

Another friend made these adorable (and delicious) Niko cookies for the party. This was another thing I reflected on for a few days. Niko has not had the chance to be celebrated the way he should. From what we know, he likely did not have a baby shower. We don't believe he ever left the hospital before he went to the orphanage, so there were no balloons or confetti welcoming him into the world. No fanfare. No "Welcome Niko" cookies then or on his first birthday, or on his second birthday. To imagine my friend making and decorating the cookies, spending time on his name and the little details was so touching to me. He's being seen and celebrated - the way all children should. This was the first of many celebrations Niko will have in his lifetime, and I plan to be there for as many as I can!

We received so many generous gifts from our registry and we were able to fully decorate Niko's nursery. He is coming home to a safe and special place that he can call his own, and we are so appreciative of everyone who helped us. We also received a few handmade items and some unique gifts that I wanted to share.

My cousin, Laura, who inherited my grandma Eva's skill with the crochet hooks, made this beautiful Bulgarian flag blanket for Niko. It's soft and stunning and something I know he will treasure forever. In the corner, she added a patch, with a picture of Bulgaria - Love Crosses Oceans. By the way, the rocking horse in this picture was also a handmade gift - a friend's (also named Laura!) grandfather made this before he died and told her to gift it to someone who could use it. We ended up being that family!

We received a few other unique and special gifts, pictured here. The children's book about Bulgaria legitimately taught me a few things, and I'm glad I read it before we left!

Like we've already said, this has been a very special time in our lives when we've been blessed to feel the support of so many family and friends, near and far. Some from our past and some from our present, but all who have made an impact on our lives and the life of Niko. This little boy will know that he's loved, that's for sure!

BUT, there's still one more star (and if you know me, then this will not surprise you). But you guys, God continues to show up in real and tangible ways. Since the beginning of this journey we've received unexpected blessings, but lately there's been so many things that really confirm to us that we are on the right path. We've been transparent with the cost of adoption, and if this is something you are considering for your own family, do not let finances be the only reason you decide not to move forward. The entire cost has been around $40,000 and my prayer through this journey was that we didn't need to go into debt to get Niko here. We had a large bill due right after our court date in early March that took us to the end of the road with our savings. We were really stretching our finances and weren't quite sure how we would pay for our travel without utilizing debt. As the travel bills have started to come in, we put them on the credit card and had been talking about our options financially.

Two days ago, we received an unsolicited email from our adoption agency asking if we would be interested in applying for a grant. I didn't think we would qualify, but decided to complete the application and write an essay anyway. On Friday morning, I submitted the grant and by dinnertime last night we received a response that we were awarded $4,000. Friends, this was more than I had even requested! It was as if they knew I had low-balled the number and generously offered more anyways. Brad and I were overjoyed. This will be just enough to keep us out of debt. And I know that as we start this journey as a family of 5, God will continue to provide. I hope this encourages you to trust and walk in faith - God sees the big picture when we only see a fragment. God has been preparing us to be Niko's parents long before Niko was alive, and He will give us the tools we need to succeed.

As we head into next week, our last week as a family of four, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared. I'm anxious to be away from Oliver and Ellis for so long. We're nervous about the long flights, about the Russia/Ukraine war, about Niko's transition and the communication barriers. But what helps us push through all of this is the thought of hugging our littlest boy: squeezing him tight and telling him Обичам те over and over again (I love you).

We can't wait to share him with you, friends. He is worth the wait.