The Trip and Day 1 (Monday)

We left Saturday about 1:00 pm and flew to Charlotte. As we left there, the temperature was in the low to mid 70's, and Sofia was predicting the same for our arrival. As our plane approached Munich for landing, we were shocked to hear that it was currently snowing there!  We were not dressed for snow, and this was the one airport where we took a bus out to the plane and boarded from outside.   Brrr!

Once we were in Sofia (now Sunday) and settled into our apartment, we headed out for dinner and ice cream.  We were so very tired but stayed up as long as we could to adjust to the time.  Monday we headed to Montana to pick up the kids.  We left at 7:30am and didn't get back until about 5:30pm. We met with each orphanage director (a fill-in director at one).  Next we got to meet their teachers!  That was a treat.  They truly seemed happy for the kids and a little sad to see them go.  Each of them made sure we left with a way to contact them if we had questions or anything. Oh, and just before we began the trip back (about 2.5 hours), they informed us that Vanessa gets car sick. They gave us some pills (to be taken with food but she had not recently eaten) and some plastic bags and napkins.   We did end up using one bag and stopping a couple of times. We completely missed lunch and had to go straight to the police station to do paperwork and pictures for passports.  

By the time we finished, everyone was starving. Our translator dropped us off at our apartment, and we set out for our first solo venture with the kids. We decided to go to the one place we were most familiar with... The Pizza Palace. We struggled to understand each other, but we managed to place an order and eat. 

After dinner, we still needed to stop for a few groceries before heading home. The kids asked for a couple of treats each, and we asked them to choose some cheese, sandwich meat, and even some yogurt and granola we thought would be good for breakfast. All of our food may have filled two Walmart bags back home. Now, I believe these kids have been fed just fine, but by the looks on their faces when we put it all on the checkout counter would have convinced you we were preparing a feast. I'm not sure they can handle Thanksgiving in a few weeks!   : )  They were grinning so big!  When we were back out on the sidewalk, Milcho thanked me and kissed my cheek for all of their purchases. 

Although, I've read adoption material about watching how much they eat (so they don't overeat), I was still surprised that they wanted to eat everything before bedtime. They had not finished their pizza, so I thought they were full. We finally said no, and told them to wait until tomorrow for more. 

Later we had two Skype calls with Colton and Eli, watched a little TV, and Milcho made several phone calls to people like his teacher who had given him phone numbers to take with him.  I could tell he was telling them everything he did today. It's his way of staying connected to them just a little longer.  

Finally we tackled baths and got ready for bed.  Bedtime took a really long time. Just about the time I thought they would soon be asleep, they got a second wind and the lights went on.  The next thing I knew, Milcho and I were trying to have a conversation on the iPad with the translator while Tim and Vanessa were coloring. Our second attempt at bedtime resulted in our lying down with them, and everyone went to sleep. I woke up and snuck back in my room to finish writing this. 

Already they seem to be very loving. They like to touch us, hold our hands, hug and kiss us, or just be near us. I could tell Milcho was correcting Vanessa a few times which made me grin. Milcho has already expressed some sadness to be leaving, but when asked if he was happy to be here tonight, he said he was very pleased. 

I'm anxious to get back to a place and routine I am familiar with, but I know what is my comfort zone is completely the opposite for them. We really must begin working on English tomorrow, so we can communicate more comfortably. Besides, my translator only works here at the apartment where I have wifi. 

Tomorrow we have their medical visits. It's basically a formality required for travel, not anything extensive. I think of it like the sports physicals back home, more of a wellness screening for paperwork. But in keeping with our family tradition, ice cream may be required afterward.    : )