Made It With 30 Minutes To Spare!

Keeping up with this blog is getting quite a bit more challenging! After the long day we had yesterday, there was no way I was going to be able to update the blog, especially since it took a long time before Emily Cate finally wound down enough to get some sleep. (We interrupt this post to bring you news from the war! As I wrote that last sentence, several gunshots went off that sounded like they were just to the west of us. Judging from the sound, it was a BIG gun - sounded like artillery. Not sure what it was, but it stopped after 5 or 6 shots, and no one walking around on the street seemed the slightest bit upset or concerned. No one really even seemed to notice, so I assume it was some sort of show or celebration. So, back to our regularly scheduled post.) I will be writing a double-header tonight unless I drop off to sleep first, but in keeping with the challenging nature of this enterprise, the hotel Internet is down at the moment, so I can't get pictures moved around or get this post uploaded. Maybe tomorrow i can get it posted, but I'm going to write it anyway while it is fresh on my mind, then go back and write for yesterday.

The challenge for the day was getting back to Sofia before the passport office closed to get the applications filed so we could have the passports by Thursday. We also needed to spend some time saying goodbye to Darin and Yordanka. They were giving us a big part of their lives, and that is not a gift you simply grab and run. Emily Cate was up before the alarm this morning (about 6:15 - a habit we will have to fix in the time change when we come home!) and all smiles to start the day. She helped us both get dressed, then helped me pack the suitcases in the car, install Madelyn's car seat, and generally get everything cleaned up and ready to go. She has such a helpful spirit, and is quite protective and motherly toward Madelyn, keeping her out of trouble and comforting her if she gets sad or upset. We had breakfast on the patio at the hotel, a meal we really enjoyed last trip and one I was very much looking forward to this time. We checked out about 8:30 and headed for Darin and Yordanka's home to pick up Madelyn.

We had a great time with Darin and Yordanka this morning. It was great to see Baba Irena, Yordanka's mother, and Maria, our social worker in Shumen again. Maria was gracious enough to bring all of the necessary paperwork to Darin and Yordanka's home this morning to save us the time it would have taken to go by her office first. She was truly a joy to work with throughout this process! As usual, Yordanka and Darin rolled out the red carpet for us this morning with tea, coffee, juice, cookies, and a wonderful homemade tiramisu. Yordanka also showed us the things they had packed as special gifts for Madelyn for her to have when she grows up to remember her time in Shumen. I probably won't remember them all as she went through them with Carolyn, not me, but I know there was a beautiful "life book" Yordanka made with photos and mementos of Bulgaria, Shumen, and her life with them. Baba Irena gave her a beautiful crocheted table topper, and Darin gave her a set of commemorative anniversary coins. She is so fortunate to have a set of lasting memories from that phase of her life, just as we treasure the photos and videos we have of Emily from her time in Lom. We had a wonderful visit, went through the necessary paperwork when Maria showed up, and then said a very warm and tearful goodbye to all. We will miss them greatly, as will Madelyn, and we will do everything we can to make sure they remain a part of her life.

 

The race to Sofia went amazingly well for traveling with two little girls who aren't used to riding in a car for long distances. They both were champs, and once again, Maggie was invaluable. She comforted Madelyn as we left Shumen, spent the whole trip talking with the girls to keep them engaged and calm, and was able to tell us when somebody needed to stop for something. As expected, we visited a lot of restrooms on the way! Emily has traveled more distance in a car I'm sure in the last two days than the entire rest of her life. Her body just isn't used to travel, and when you combine it with the condition of the Bulgarian roads, the curves through the mountainous parts, and the fact that she was stuck in the back seat, it was sometimes more than her little tummy could take, so we had a few delays on that account as well. However, we still were able to leave Shumen at 10:00 and make it to the passport office in Sofia by 3:30 on a route that Google Maps predicted at 5 hours and change without all of the stops for kids. We were able to make really good time, much better than the trip from Lom to Sofia yesterday - that trip just seems to last forever.

 

 

 

The passport effort went very smoothly. Nina from Family National got there ahead of us and took care of all of the application paperwork. While she was finishing up, we went next door and had photos made to be used on the medical reports, then back to the passport office for the passport photos, and finally a quick stop to pick up the processed medical report photos. The entire process took less than 30 minutes. I think it was a good thing, too, because we were all pretty much at the end of our ropes after the stress of the trip and the push to make it back in time. When we finished up there, we said goodbye to Maggie for the day and went to check in at the hotel. When we got to the room, Carolyn took some time out to rest her back, since she didn't get much chance to stop and walk this trip, and the girls ran off some pent up energy in the room and then played computer games and watched nursery rhyme song videos. I sat in front of the air conditioner for a while and just made sure nothing got out of control.

After dinner, Madelyn's foster sister dropped by for a visit. Natalia is Darin and Yordanka's daughter who is an actress and screenwriter here in Sofia. After having heard so much about her from a proud mama, it was great to get a chance to meet her. She brought gifts for the girls, and we had a great visit. We plan on seeing her at least one more time while we are here. She works on Wednesdays at a center for children that I think is very much like some of the science museums and children's museums we have in the States. We are going to take the girls there for a couple of hours before our visa interview that afternoon. After Natalia left, we spent a little time at a playground nearby that Emily had spotted on the way to dinner. It was a great cure for some frazzled emotions for both girls, and they were very disappointed when we left. As you might imagine after such a day, the girls were both very worn out at bedtime, and their emotions were in high gear, so it was a very tearful bedtime for a little bit. I laid down between them and provided some comfort, Carolyn quietly sang some hymns and choruses, and both calmed down and fell asleep pretty quickly. Tomorrow morning we have our medical exam as required for entry into the US, so we are meeting Maggie right after breakfast to get that taken care of. Not sure what we will do after lunch, but it will probably involve shoe shopping for Emily Cate and a playground or two. And hopefully the Internet will be working so I can post this stuff!