Day 7

Monkey shoes! :)

I’ve heard Bozi call me Donke many times over the past week. It’s the name of his sweet caregiver. He isn’t upset or crying out for her, it’s when he is asking me for something in the morning. At least he is not sad, but I can’t get him to call me Mama or Mommy. The funny thing is he has before. I guess all in good time. Either way, I’m thankful to know Donke made such an impact on him and obviously took care of him.  

He is very good at saying Daddy, although it’s pronounced “Dati” in Bulgarian. It’s so cute, when he’s unhappy he will call for Dati, but poor Kev rarely gets much voluntary love until today. Today, I caught Bozi crawling to him on video. When Kev offered to pick him up, Bozi reached for him. That is a big deal. He has really only done that with me. So we are so thankful to see him attaching to Kev as well. Attachment takes time and is a process when it comes to adopted or foster children. Granted the love only lasted two seconds because I went to sit by him and tell him “bravo” and he immediately wanted to come to me. I’ll know to stay away for a little while next time.

We had a very exciting morning with a stray cat at the park. The girls named it Cuddles and begged to take it back. Bozi loved it, scared it and petted it. It kept coming back for more so I guess it was ok. 

Cuddles, our Bulgarian cat.It's staying in Bulgaria.

We bought a little board book in Bulgarian about different foods at the grocery store. Primarily for him to have in the future, but also it has awesome big pictures and we can teach him fruits and veggies. Today, he said “apple” for the first time. 

Speaking of food, Bozi has decided, despite his humble beginnings, that in the past week his tastes have become too refined for baby food. The last five jars we’ve opened he will only eat a couple bites before he says “nay” which is “no” in Bulgarian. Then he holds up his hand as if to say, “please remove this inferior cuisine from my presence.” It would be pretty funny if we weren’t just having to throw it away. First, we thought it was because he didn’t like rice, then certain flavors and then lasagna and now we’ve come to believe he simply likes the good stuff—real food. Problem is, the kid doesn’t chew. So, we mash up everything and luckily he is a fan of fruit pouches. So at least I can carry those around easily. He’s eating really well. He is drinking ayran and taratop soup, but that’s all he drinks so far and only from a cup with no lid. Sooo, I’ll be learning how to make that once we get home and probably cleaning up a lot of messes until he figures out straws or a sippy cup.

Today we went back to the medical clinic to have his TB test read. The results were great. He had started to whimper, but when he realized all they planned to do was look at his arm he smiled and started laughing. Next, we went to the US Embassy. That was pretty cool. We had our visa interview and Kev took the oath for Bozi, since he’s two and can’t do it himself. So, tomorrow we will have his Bulgarian passport in hand. That means we can take him home!! Woot Woot!! BTW, his passport picture is SOOO cute. 

We took a late nap once we got home and then headed out for a yummy dinner at a local Bulgarian place close to our apartment. Here is a picture of it for those of you traveling who may stay in this apartment off Vitosha or nearby. It was reasonable as well. This place had the yummy crispy cheese with blueberry jam for dipping we had last time we were here. Oh. My. Gosh. It is so good. They should sell Bulgarian cheese everywhere. 

The kiddos are in bed and Kev and I are just trying to relax and breathe. I think back over the day and our time so far. There are sweet little memories that I want to keep forever and I hope hang around a little longer. Bozi says “boomtiti” all the time. We have no idea what it means. Ani thinks it’s baby talk, but regardless it’s cute and we say it back. He plays “cuckoo” which is the European version of “peek-a-boo,” except he says “goo goo.” It’s pretty adorable. The girls laugh at him endlessly. I’m pretty sure he will become the annoying little brother one of these days, but currently I’m treasuring all the “he’s so cute” statements I hear all day and their giggles. He says “dom” which means “give” when he wants me or food or to get up or to go outside or do anything; it’s one of his favorites. When I pick that sweet boy up he leans his face in super close to mine, smiles and rubs his cheeks on my cheeks. I hope he still does it when he’s 40. OK, maybe that’s weird, but I’m sure there are some moms out there that agree. In the mornings when he wakes up, I pull him out of his pack ’n’ play and I set him between Kev and me. He plays with me for a few minutes, but if Kev doesn’t roll over pretty soon, Bozi sits and stares at him, then he starts to pet his back, then he starts to smack his hand on him until he wakes up. It’s pretty sweet. I can’t believe we only have two more full days here. 

That face is just so cute when it's sad.

Honestly, this day hasn’t been easy. Bozi has cried A LOT because of the messed-up schedule. All our important appointments are during nap time. They prepared us for that at the beginning of this trip. We are tired and stressed. The girls are hit or miss behavior-wise (at least that means they are acting normal). We’ve had headaches from Bozi’s screaming and it’s just been a long day. But, while that’s adoption life, that’s also toddler life. Although, hopefully back home we will have a little more control over his schedule…Maybe. In the midst of things I’m grateful. Tonight we had our third attempt at toothbrushing and Bozi didn't scream. It was miraculous. He even laughed. I love hearing Kev saying “son…” It doesn’t matter if he’s correcting him or just talking to him. It’s just so sweet. It’s something we prayed for.

Now to finish up this trip strong, make memories and get to the airport by 4:15am in a few days. That’s gonna be a fun trip—not really.