We Met Our Son!

He is so wonderful and strong and handsome and smart and silly and fun and…

I could go on for a while and often do. But let me say just say that he is the perfect little boy for us and we love him very much! I will write in detail about our trip in the coming weeks but let me give you a quick summary of our week:

We met him one lovely morning in a little office filled with people… He walked in with his Baba (a very nice lady from the town that comes and plays with him almost every day) holding his hands! He was big too – a full sized three year old! And loud! He was so excited and babbled away… not shy at all. I had expected a cute, cuddly, quiet boy… and he is still cute, and sometimes cuddly, but not quiet, no way!

We went for a walk with him… he loved to prop his feet up on the front bar of the stroller – he is so flexible. We sat down on a bench and pulled the stroller in front of us. We spoke loving words to him though he wouldn’t understand, of course, as he does know English yet. We told him about how we loved and wanted him and how he would eat at our table and be our son. When we were finished, he reached for Ian – for his tati (Bulgarian for daddy) – to pick him up. Just like that. Like he understood all that we had been telling him and that he was eager to join our little family.

The next day we went back. We met in a spare room at the orphanage and were astounded at how well he could see… he proved again and again that the doctors were wrong about his sight. Yes, he still has a great deal of visual impairment, but he can see! We also learned that he hates the gruel they feed him – once again proving he could see by artfully avoiding the spoon! We spent the afternoon in the park with him, walking about, playing with his toys, and singing our favorite songs to him.

The next day, he was so sleepy… I don’t think he slept well the day before. We went to another park. He was extra cuddly and extra cranky... he had his own special way of being sweet and grumpy all at once. We bought him some clothes as the ones he was wearing were old, too small, and smelly. What a big improvement to have him dressed in clean clothes that fit. And we found out he is very particular about his clothes. No rolled up sleeves for him! He is stubborn and opinionated – he will fit right into our family!

The next day we went to take his picture for his visa – he had to sit all alone on a little stool and look up at the camera. He was so frightened and would not raise his head, so everyone started calling his name to make him look up. This made it worse. You could see him thinking on how to get away… he called for his Baba, but she did not come. Then he called for his Tati and Mama! Oh, to be called “Mama” for the first time! As he called out he looked up and the photographer took his picture and I was able to swoop him up and love on him! We then took him to a nearby church and played at the park next door.

The last day… so sad. We had to leave our little boy. We loved on him and snuggled him and sang cute little songs to him. He must have sensed our tension because he was more agitated. Soon the time came for goodbyes and then he was swept away by a nurse. We left him with a photo album, a recordable storybook with our voices telling him how much he was loved, a snuggly blanket, and our hearts.

We used to be a couple and it felt fine and normal. Now being a couple feels incomplete. During those short few visits, God joined our hearts together as a family and now it just feels wrong to be without him. We miss him terribly. I wonder if he is missing us…

We will travel to Bulgaria again in four – six months. We will pick him up and take him away and he will be our son forever. We will bathe and clothe him. We will try to give him all that he needs to nourish his body, mind, and spirit. We will love him and hold him close. We can’t wait!

Sorry – but no pictures of him will be seen until he is our own. The orphanage is very serious about this and we want to respect their rules. But let me reassure you he is a handsome little lad!