For those of you who want the non-splashy, basic details about what's going on with our adoption, you've come to the right place! We have come a long way this month, but still have a long way to go.
The day before Thanksgiving, we started having Skype calls with Baby 3 (BB3). You might be thinking, "I thought BB3 was barely 2? How in the world are you Skyping with him?" Your questions are not unfounded, and we brought out puppets, toys, and even a Disney bubble wand to keep his attention. Originally, we were supposed to travel in person to Bulgaria to meet BB3, but they are having their own difficulties managing Covid, and the Ministry of Justice asked us to take a "virtual visit" instead. Five Skype calls were set up so we could meet BB3, which included us, BB3, one or two caretakers, and a translator. It was a lot of chaos, but it was simply magical to see BB3 and be able to interact with him. The orphanage is very supportive of the adoption, and the caretakers always referred to us as mommy and daddy. They would ask BB3 to give mommy a block, and he would hand it to the phone. I melted of course. The calls were 30 minutes long and were approximately 10 seconds of smiling and waving, 20 seconds of blowing kisses and playing peek-a-boo, 5 minutes of bad internet connection, 2 minutes of me (Kristen) butchering the Bulgarian language, and 22 minutes and 30 seconds of watching BB3 play. The caretakers mentioned that he was in his crib a lot, so that once he starts playing, he doesn't slow down. They also said they were very excited he was being adopted, because he should thrive in a family setting.
By the end of the fifth call, BB3 seemed to know who we were. He is very playful, constantly laughing, and ALWAYS moving. He will fit right in here, in this house of boys. We made him a Shutterfly book (that got stuck at customs for awhile, but has now been released) with pictures of us, the boys, our house, his bedroom, the dog, etc. There are pictures of him too, so he knows that he is part of this story. We are hopeful that the book helps him remember us while we finalize the arrangements to bring him home. Our translator (who works for the adoption agency in Bulgaria) will try to coordinate another few calls between now and when we travel to bring him home. Did I mention our calls were at 3:30am ET? We would set our alarm for 3am, do our hair (and my makeup), get camera-ready and try to be as energetic as possible for him. We were tired, but that's all of parenthood, isn't it? Overall, we would have loved to be in Bulgaria, visiting him in person, but this was better than nothing, and we were able to record these precious virtual visits with him.
Once the Skype sessions concluded, we moved on to paperwork. We signed the acceptance documents last week, which Brad had to personally drive to Harrisburg. Delivering them in person results in expedited processing, and we have learned that in a world where everything moves slowly, it's great to speed things up when possible. This past week we learned that there is MORE paperwork. So. Much. Paperwork. This next set of paperwork is complex because part of it needs to be completed by our Pittsburgh social worker, part of it needs to be completed by our doctor, part of it needs to be completed by us, and ALL of it needs to be notarized (even my doctor's signature). Get ready, Brad, for another drive to Harrisburg! Also, we need to be fingerprinted again (this will be our 7th time giving our fingerprints in a 2.5 year period). Once that is complete, and only when it is all complete, will we be able to get our court date in Bulgaria. And the court date is not the date we adopt BB3, but rather the date they decide we can adopt him. If you're a little confused, it's ok, so are we. Once that court date is set, we can estimate travel 2-4 weeks afterward. Our agency is telling us to prepare for March or April. We will do everything we can to speed it up, but since they have 30 years of experience doing adoptions from Bulgaria, they are likely right.
So, there is our logistics update. You may recall that I went back to school for a professional designation after the pandemic started, and I have 2 classes left before I can sit for the exam. I took the month of December off because we also needed to do 20 hours of parenting classes (which I really do enjoy - I always learn a lot of valuable information, which has been helpful with our biological kids). It's been nice to "relax" from school this month, but I'll hit the ground running again in January.
Please continue to keep us and BB3 in your thoughts and prayers. Please pray that we will continue to juggle all of this with the energy needed to see it through. Please pray that BB3 is well cared for while he waits for us, and that we can bring him home soon. We are SO THANKFUL for all of you, our dear friends and family. We hope that each of you are enjoying the holiday season and are finding peace and rest during this special time.
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