Our Baby Shower

Last night, Craig and I had plans to have dinner with our cousins Bryan and Maria who live in Virginia. We hadn’t seen them since June, so we were excited to have them in town for the holidays and get a chance to catch up. Coming back to their home state, they told us they wanted to eat at a favorite local pizza place and, of course, we gladly agreed.

When we got to the restaurant, I wasn’t sure why, but Bryan quickly walked us into a private room. It was a bit of a blur and there wasn’t really time in my mind to question what was happening. A moment later, I was looking at people around the table and thinking, "Wow, there sure's a lot of faces here that look like folks I know. How weird!" For a second, my brain just couldn't make the connection that it was actually our family and when it did, I thought, "That's strange that Bryan and Maria invited everyone to have dinner with them. I guess they have to see a lot of people in a short time while they’re here." Then I realized that everyone was looking at Craig and me with a lot of anticipation and I actually said out loud, "What is this?" Craig's brother's girlfriend pointed up to a balloon and responded, "It's a boy." And that's when I finally realized we were in the middle of a surprise baby shower for us and our little guy.

We had a wonderful time with the small group of relatives Bryan and Maria had gathered to celebrate our son. We had pizza and homemade cheesecake, balloons and presents, laughter and good conversation, and most importantly, the joy of being surrounded by our loved ones.

Craig and I definitely didn’t have the slightest idea that a baby shower was in the works for us or taking place last night. We were so glad to see our siblings and cousins there and to know how happy and excited they are for us and how much they want to meet our little guy. Thank you, Bryan and Maria, for this incredible surprise and thank you everyone for coming, for your generosity, support, and love, and for sharing this special journey with us.

IAC 163 & 164 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 163 which was held on 11/18/10:

1) Italian dossier from 2007 referred a child under 4 old, male

2) Swiss dossier from 2007 referred a child under 4 yo, female, with a family history

3) Italian dossier from 2008 referred a child up to age 5, male, with features in the neuro-psychological development

4) Italian dossier from 2009 referred a child up to age 5, female, with data on family history

5) Luxemburg dossier from 2009 referred a child up to age 3, male, with features in health status

6) French dossier from 2009 referred a child up to age 8, female

7) Dutch dossier from 2010 referred three biological children with respect to 7 years old, male

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The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 164 which was held on 11/19/10:

1) Norwegian dossier from 2006 referred a child up to 3 years old, female with a family history

2) Cyprus dossier from 2007 referred a child up to 5 yo, female

3) Greek dossier from 2008 referred a child up to age 6, female

4) Italian dossier from 2008 referred two biological children with respect to age 5, males

5) Cyprus dossier from 2008 referred a child up to age 6, female

6) Italian dossier from 2008 referred a child up to age 6, male, with a healthy margin

7) Dutch dossier from 2008 referred two biological children with respect to age 6, males

8) US dossier from 2009 referred a child under 10 yo, male

Family Christmas 2010

On Saturday, Craig and I hosted a little family Christmas gathering at a cabin we rented at a local campground. We met up with everyone in the afternoon and then spent the next six hours chatting, frolicking in the snow, hanging around the campfire, eating, and playing games. Here are a few photos:

Yes, my nephews rode their bikes and sleds on the frozen pond with encouragement and participation from their uncle, my husband. Such shenanigans are par for the course any time those guys get together.

Despite the snow, we had a nice campfire going and even made smores.

For dinner, I had prepared baked spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and from scratch potato soup. Judging by the nearly non-existent amount of leftovers, everything must have tasted great. For dessert, I made a chocolate cake with peanutbutter icing. I decided to try my hand at marshmallow fondant again which went much better than my first foray into this sphere. Still, I kept it simple and just cut out some fondant stars to decorate the cake. I think it turned out well.

After dinner, some of our guests returned home, but Craig’s sister and her sons stayed overnight in the cabin with us. Before bed, we played games for a few hours in the loft which put a new twist on Charades: no standing up while acting out the words. Here is Craig giving our middle nephew some help with how to convey a term to the rest of us:

On Sunday morning, there was time for breakfast and for opening Christmas presents, but then we had to pack up and go home.

I just can’t wait for our little guy to be part of all this fun in the years to come.

MOJ Adoption Data Released

Today, MOJ released the long awaited data on the numbers of active registered dossiers. It's quite an extensive compilation of very detailed information and I am sure proper translations will be forthcoming from agencies soon. For now, here's the gist of it as Google Translate put it:

In the register under Article 113, Paragraph 1, Item 2 of the SC from 2005 to 2009 inclusive there are 581 entries not deleted. Of these, 60 are in various stages of the procedure, after determining as suitable adoptive parents by the WCO. Of the remaining 521, entered in the register 401 adopters have been confirmed in the proper order (statement of CB or CC) - Table № 1 based on the same stated age of the child they wish to adopt (without taking into account health) and the number of adopters for children of that age […].

The number of entries of adopters in 2010 (to 15.12.10) is 683, of which 14 were deleted, 70 are in various stages of the procedure, after determining as suitable adoptive parents by the WCO and 599 are active.

As of 15.12.2010 the total number of registrations under Article 113, paragraph 1, item 2 is active adopters 1035.

IAC 162 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 162 which was held on 11/05/10:

1) German dossier from 2006 referred a child up to age 2, male, disclaimer 22.11.2010

2) French dossier from 2006 referred a child under 3 yo, male

3) Italian dossier from 2006 referred child up to age 5, female

4) French dossier from 2007 referred a child up to age 6, male

5) Italian dossier from 2008 referred two biological children with respect to age 7 yo, female

6) French dossier from 2009 referred a child up to age 7, male, with decline in neuro-psychological development

7) French dossier from 2009 referred two biological children with respect to 8yo, male and female

8) Dutch dossier from 2010 referred a child up to 4 yo, female, family history and characteristics in healthy status

9) Dutch dossier from 2010 referred child up to age 6, male, family history and characteristics in healthy status

10) Italian dossier from 2010 referred a child up to age 8, female, family history and characteristics in healthy status

11) U.S. dossier from 2010 referred two biological children with respect to age 4 yo, male, family history and characteristics in healthy status

By the way, I don't know what happened to IAC 161.

Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum

Our Christmas tree is finally up! Craig lugged it upstairs Sunday night and I decorated it yesterday afternoon. It’s more fun when we trim the tree together, but I knew it was now or never at this point. Craig’s favorite color, purple, is the annual inspiration for our tree. Unfortunately, the photos don’t show it well.

I finished writing all the Christmas cards and wrapped the remaining gifts. Craig and I decided not to exchange presents with each other this year as we have already received the most amazing gift in our son. Seems like now it’s time to simply kick back and enjoy the season. Hot chocolate, holiday parties, Christmas movies, crocheting, reading, and frosted sugar cookies here I come!

Hohoho & Mistletoe

With nearly two weeks into December, our household is only about half way ready for Christmas. Holiday baking has been in full force. Last week we personally delivered Christmas treats to nine recipients, yesterday morning we sent several boxes of goodies to family and friends around the world, and next week another package needs to go off to Germany.

A dozen or so cards have made it into the mail with more waiting to be written and I did manage to book a large cabin last minute for our extended family Christmas overnight celebration next weekend. But our Christmas tree isn’t up yet. Can you believe it? I am hoping today will finally be the day we manage to bring it up from the basement and decorate it. I’d like to enjoy the glow and sparkle before the season’s over.

Even though we are a little behind this year, I love our Christmas traditions and can’t wait to share them with our son next December. Every time I wrap a present or open a holiday card or watch a Christmas movie or sneak a molasses spice cookie, I think of him and how all of these experiences will become part of his life in 2011.

Christmas Cookie Giveaway

For the last ten Christmases, ever since we were married, Craig and I have spent a Friday in December baking Christmas treats for our family and friends. The following day we always mail them out in packages that have become quite popular. One year we ran late and received calls from people wondering if we were doing the packages. That’s when we realized we’d started something that would be hard to stop.

Needless to say, we are continuing our tradition this year with the baking day being scheduled for the upcoming Friday. As always, we will make two kinds of cookies: a family favorite and a new recipe. Since I have made so many wonderful connections through this blog and other adoption sites, I would like to give away a box of homemade treats to one of you. If you are interested, please let me know at viviane8 @ yahoo.com by Thursday 12/9. First person to email wins the giveaway!

Our Son's Birth City

Even though I cannot reveal our son’s location on our blog yet, I do want to post some additional information and a few more photos from our trip.

First, here are two views from our hotel room which was located in a residential neighborhood with one and multiple family homes. We had windows facing both west and east. At night we heard street dogs barking, in the morning roosters crowing, and during the day hammers clanking onto metal.

Our son’s birth city has a vibrant, modern, wealthy city center with countless stores, restaurants, museums, sights, and so on. I will post some photos of this area at a later date. For now, here’s a look at how most people live in this city:

Traffic in the city was absolutely crazy. There seemed to be no rules. We were amazed that we only saw one accident per day. While I don’t have any photos of driving, check out this bird’s eye view of a parking lot and note that ALL cars shown are fully stopped and parked. Trust me, I know for sure because we stared at this lot in fascination for at least 20 minutes while waiting for an appointment.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that we delivered all the donations. We took them to the orphanage on Monday afternoon and on Tuesday morning our little guy was wearing a pair of overalls that we’d brought. I recognized them immediately because I had ironed on a fun patch over a thin spot on the knee. I was glad to know that the donations had, in fact, been distributed to the groups and reached the children for whom they were intended.

By the way, the day we returned home from meeting our son was the one year anniversary of our registration with MOJ in Bulgaria. While I am so happy that we took a leap of faith and pursued our first child in a different country, my heart goes out to all the parents who, like us, continue to wait for Bulgarian referrals in a very slow, seemingly unpredictable program.

Happy Thanksgiving

Several years ago, I came across a Native American prayer that has since stuck in my mind. Throughout the long months of gathering paperwork and waiting for the adoption process to unfold, with things mostly out of my control and surprises and obstacles at every bend, it gained even more significance for me and became my daily mantra. It still is. Today, I want to share this prayer with you and dedicate it especially to those of you who have been waiting for referrals for many months, if not years. My heart goes out to all of you. May there be good news soon! Until then, “Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.”

IAC 160 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 160 which was held on 10/21/10:

1) German dossier from 2005 referred a child up to age 2, female, with inhibitions in the NDP, a sequence

2) U.S. dossier from 2006 referred a child under 3 yo, female, in sequence

3) U.S. dossier from 2008 referred two children up to age 5, female and male, biological brother and sister, in sequence

4) U.S. dossier from 2008 referred a child under age 6, male, with features in health status

5) Italian dossier from 2009 referred a child under 5 years old, male, with a healthy tolerance

6) Swiss dossier from 2010 referred a waiting child whose profile was posted on the MOJ site

By the way, please don’t ask me what some of these terms mean. Obviously Google Translate is struggling with the particular lingo used by the IAC. My guess (!!) is that "in sequence" might indicate a referral being made in some sort of chronological order from the main procedure wait line. And I think NDP could be the letter by letter translation of a Bulgarian acronym referring to something in child development.

He’s Wonderful, He’s Marvelous

On Friday, November 12, 2010 around 10:30 am local time, after traveling well over 6000 miles and 24 hours, after waiting for almost two years to experience this moment, we met our son.

The morning was mild, the skies clear and sunny, and autumn seemed to have barely just begun. Accompanied by our translator, we took a taxi through the city center and then finally into a much less colorful, less active neighborhood. The difference between rich and poor was stark and seemingly immediate as if we had crossed some invisible line. The taxi wound up a hill and stopped in front of a blue metal gate, the entry to the orphanage.

After meeting with the orphanage director, we walked to our son’s room. When we arrived, he was being dressed to go outside and didn't see us as his hat and coat were being put on him. Suspended in time, Craig and I simply stood there, immobilized, staring at his little face. We didn't know what to do, what was appropriate. I took a few steps toward him and I think I might have said a few words, but he still didn't notice us. Finally, a caregiver placed him into my arms, a little person bundled into layers and layers of clothes. I know tears were streaming down my face and I just held him as he looked intently at me. "Mama's here. Your Mama's here, I'm your Mama, you are so beautiful." I remember saying these things, blubbering them and I am sure many others. Our son remained calm and simply studied my face. Then he turned to look at Craig who had stepped up next to us. I said, "That's your daddy, do you want to meet your daddy?" I gently handed our son to Craig. And then I don't know how long we just stood there, enveloping this little creature between our bodies and arms, while he serenely looked at both of us, his crying, smiling stranger-parents.

After an immeasurable moment, the caretakers told us to take our son outside as this had been their plan before our arrival. We weren't sure, but they encouraged us to do it which turned out to be a bad idea. In the hallway, everything was fine and our translator took our first family picture, but as soon as we hit open air, our little guy began to cry uncontrollably and inconsolably. One of his caretakers had to come, take him, and walk with him outside until he calmed down which seemed to take an incredibly long time. We knew this meant he was attached and healthily afraid of strangers, a good sign, but hearing his screams was still heart-breaking.

Eventually we returned to our son’s group room. I was sitting in an armchair when his caregiver handed him back to me. I held him tight and began quietly talking to him, rubbing his back, stroking his hair, kissing his cheeks. It didn't take long until this child, my child, rested his head and his body squarely against my chest. We sat together like this for at least 30 minutes, only the sounds of his breath and his cooing, my gentle words and motions. Occasionally, our son would lean back and study my face with his big brown eyes. Everyone who was there in the room later said they could tell an immense and profound feeling was flowing between the two of us. Our translator, the caretakers, Craig and I all had silent tears rolling down our faces. The caretakers said our little guy never reacts well to visitors and they simply couldn't believe how he was sitting with me, relaxed and calm and close.

I could have remained like we were forever and Craig would not have minded, but I wanted him to have some time on this first meeting, too. So I passed our son into Craig's arms and he stayed peacefully on daddy's lap just as he had on mine.

It seemed much too soon when our translator stood up and let us know that we had to leave for our appointment. I felt so overwhelmed by emotions; my life had changed in the course of just over an hour. I knew in my very core that I had a son, that I was now a mother forever.

We spent six more days with our son, visiting him each day for about 90 minutes in the mornings and three hours in the afternoons. We not only got to know him, but also the other seven children in his group, six of his caregivers, his doctor, his physical therapist, some of his previous caretakers and former doctor, and the orphanage director. Orphanage staff sought us out every day to talk to us, hug us, kiss us. Our happiness and love as a family must have been palpable and everyone wanted to be a part of it. We were glad to share our joy.

Every day, we played with our little guy in his group room and were also able to go outside for walks and time on the playground and every day our bond grew so much stronger. On the first day he cried when we took him outside, on the second day he did, too, but I was able to calm him by myself, on the third day he was pleased to be outdoors with us, and by the fourth day he made his way to the door to let us know he wanted to go for a walk with us. We found our son exactly as he had been described in his information and by the photos and videos. We were not surprised by anything we saw, but we could never have been prepared for the sweet sound of his laughter, the softness of his cheeks, the weight of his little body against ours, the long gazes from his beautiful eyes, and the expressiveness of his face. We walked into the orphanage as his parents, we had decided already to bring him home, no matter what. This was not an audition, this was our family reunion. And still, we could never have fathomed the intensity of our love and the depth of our joy until the three of us were finally together as it had always been intended.

IAC 159 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 159 which was held on 10/15/10:

1) Dossier from Cyprus from 2006 referred a female child under 3yo

2) Dossier from Germany from 2007 referred a male child 4yo

3) Dossier from France from 2007 referred a male child under 5yo

4) Dossier from Italy from 2008 referred two female children up to 5yo with features in health status

5) Dossier from the U.S. from 2010 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ website

Orphanage Donations Part 1

I believe in accountability and, therefore, while we are awaiting our first trip to meet our son, I wanted to let everyone know how much of the fundraiser money has been spent to purchase orphanage donations. We have raised a total of $434 thus far and since I am now definitely buying for two orphanages, I am only going to use half of that amount for this adoption. If we raise more money later, I will make sure half of it gets to our son’s orphanage even if his adoption has already been completed.

Now without further ado, here is what I have purchased:

45 pairs of new socks from a local clearance center: $22.50
12 new diaper covers from a local clearance center: $1.20
8 boxes of crayons during back to school sales: $2.00
12 bottles of children’s vitamins: $40.56
10 boxes of Band-Aids from Ebay: $9.00
19 pieces of clothing from Ebay/Walmart: $12.70
4 tubes of children’s toothpaste on clearance $8.00
8 tubes of diaper ointment $17.92
3 tubes of Neosporin $11.82
2 packs of safety cotton swabs $3.16
4 board books $22.00

Half of these clothes I purchased are going with us, too.

In total, I have spent $150.86 of the $217 ($434/2). I am going to take all of the above donations as well as half of all the children’s clothes (mostly boys') that were given to us by generous mom-friends along on this first trip. Yes, one entire suitcase will be designated solely for orphanage gifts. After we speak to the orphanage director and staff, we will decide how to best use the remainder of the funds.

Thanks again to everyone who has participated in our fundraisers so far. I hope you feel that your contributions are being put to good use.

Toddler Stowaway

A close friend of ours brought us a big suitcase this week so that we can be ready when it is time to travel to meet our son. When my little nephew saw the luggage, he made it abundantly clear that he is not opposed to being a stowaway if it would only lead to time with his new cousin. I can’t wait to see what kind of mischief those two will get into as they grow up together.

IAC 158 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 158 which was held on 10/01/10:

1) Greek dossier from 2005 referred a 3yo female

2) Greek dossier from 2005 referred a 3yo male

3) Greek dossier from 2006 referred a 2yo male

4) Greek dossier from 2006 referred a 4yo female

5) Canadian dossier from 2008 referred a 4yo female with family history and features in health status

6) Italian dossier from 2009 referred a 7yo male

7) U.S. dossier from 2010 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ website

8) Italian dossier from 2010 referred a 7yo male with family history and features in health status

9) U.S dossier from 2010 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ website

10) Swedish dossier from 2010 referred two waiting children with profiles on the MOJ website

11) Swedish dossier from 2010 referred a waiting child with a profile on the MOJ website

It's A Boy

Yes, it’s true: We have accepted the referral of a little boy. He is not in Bulgaria because he came to us as quite a wonderful surprise via a waiting children’s website. I will elaborate on this story later when things are more settled. All (prospective) adoptive parents know that at this stage of the process, it’s important to guard the privacy of the situation. We have been strongly advised not to share our son’s location online, so for those of you who do know where he is or even know some details about him, please do not mention this information on our blog or any public forum.

For now, suffice it to say that this little boy is an amazing answer to all of our hopes and dreams and, of course, we think he is perfect in and of himself. Anyone who’s interested in hearing a bit more about him should feel free to contact me privately.

Meanwhile, we will remain in the Bulgaria program to wait for our daughter.

IAC 157 Results

Since I know a lot of people are interested in this information, I have decided to post on my blog the results from the MOJ IAC meetings as they are published on the MOJ website. Please understand that while I can read the Cyrillic alphabet and did study Russian (which is very similar to Bulgarian) for 10 years, I use Google Translate to read the information on the MOJ site. This should account for the sometimes odd wording in English, but I am not editing what Google Translate gives me.

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 157 which was held on 9/28/10:

1) German dossier from 2005 referred a child aged 2 years, male sex, family history

2) Norwegian dossier from 2006 referred children aged 5 - twins, female, with peculiarities in development

3) Greek dossier from 2006 referred a child aged 5 years, female, with particularity in speech development

4) Maltese dossier from 2006 referred a child, aged 4 years old, male

5) Italian dossier from 2006 referred a child aged 5 years, female

6) French dossier from 2009 referred a child aged 7 years, male

7) U.S. dossier from 2009 referred two children aged 11 years with a biological connection, female and male

8) Italian dossier from 2009 referred a child aged 4 years, male, with specificity in health – (a decision by the WCO 17.09.2010g. to contain an account of the MAP site – please don’t ask me what this means, I don’t know. I think it might be referring to the child being listed as a waiting child on the MOJ site if the referral was denied by the parents)

9) U.S. dossier from 2010 referred two waiting children whose profiles were on the MOJ site

10) U.S. dossier from 2010 referred two waiting children whose profiles were on the MOJ site

News From The MOJ Website

I was visiting the website of the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice this morning and found some information on the number of international adoptions completed in 2010 through June 30, 2010. A total of 109 adoptions of 122 children were finalized. Fifty-eight of these adoptions were by Italian parents, 18 by U.S. American parents, 14 by German parents, 5 by Spanish parents, and 5 by Swedish parents. The remaining nine adoptions were completed by parents from Canada, France, Cyprus, Holland, Switzerland, Bahrain, and Norway.

If this pace continues, there should be another 18 or so adoptions finalized by U.S. parents in the second half of 2010. This would make for a total of 36 adoptions which, in turn, would mean that the number of Bulgarian children adopted to the U.S. would have more than doubled from last year to this year. Sadly, I can't quite decide if this is good news or bad news for those of us in the long wait line for referrals.

Bibs or Bust

One of the things that I had always intended to donate to our children’s orphanage(s) are bibs. Specifically, I was looking for tie closure bibs as I think Velcro bibs hurt the tender skin on babies’ necks and collect lint and other gunk in the wash. After some research, I realized that tie closure bibs are not easy to find, so I asked my friend Whitney to check with her seamstress on the price of having some bibs made. A few weeks later, Whitney told me that her seamstress, along with the members of her church sewing circle, would like to make the bibs for free and donate them. What a wonderful and generous gesture and what cute bibs!

I would like to thank the seamstresses by name or at least mention their church here, but I have been unable to find out this information. Maybe they would like to remain anonymous. So, to the women who made these bibs, our sincerest gratitude for your kindness, time, and efforts. Your thoughtfulness and generosity are deeply appreciated.

Brotherly Love

In case you ever wonder how I spend my time, a lot of it goes to being Naunty (or Nanny Aunt) to my two littlest nephews. Sweet moments like this one I got to witness on Friday make taking care of them so well worth it for me.

I think they will be great big cousins to our children when they come home.

More Paperwork In Progress

On Saturday we finally fedexed our I-800A* Supplement 3* application for the free extension of our I-797* approval. It was received at the USCIS facility in Texas on Monday. In order to avoid any RFEs* or other potential delays, I included any and all documentation that NBC* could possibly want even if they already have it on file.

Also for those of my readers just starting out on their journeys, please be advised that on November 23, 2010 USCIS will increase its fees for all immigration filings. The fees for I-600a/I-600 and I-800a/I-800 will increase to $720. Biometrics (fingerprinting) will increase to $85. For detailed information regarding the increase, please visit USCIS's website.

*If you don’t know what any of these things are, you must not be a (P)AP*. :)

Grandma Rocks

Craig and I spent Labor Day weekend with his mom and step-dad near Pensacola, FL. While there, Craig's mom presented us with this beautiful quilt she made for our children. We are so thankful to know that Grandma is just as excited as we are about our adoption and that she will love her new grandchildren in that special grandma way.

The Magnificent Seven

Moms, that is, and they just made a big difference. Here’s the scoop:

Several weeks ago, our cousin Jessica asked me if there was anything she could do to help us in our orphanage fundraising efforts. At the time, I was stumped, but I promised to let her know if something came to mind. So I thought and thought about it and one day I finally had an idea. I had always intended to give gently used children’s clothing to the orphanage(s). My plan had been to scour the local Goodwills, Ebay, yard sales, etc. to find the best deals, but then it occurred to me that Jessica has many wonderful friends who, like her, are mothers of young children. So I asked Jessica if she and the other moms would be willing to sort through their children’s wardrobes and donate gently used clothing for us to take to the orphanages. I am happy to say that they were.

This weekend, Jessica and I got together to pick up any donations that hadn’t already been dropped off at her house. I am glad she told me to bring the truck. Here’s a picture hubby snapped of me unloading at home:

And here’s a photo of the majority of what was donated. There were some stray shoes and coats and overalls that I forgot to add before taking the picture, but I think you can see that some of the orphans in Eastern Europe will be quite well-dressed. By the way, due to the sheer volume, I had to snap this photo from our loft looking down into our entry:

I am very humbled by the unbelievable generosity that was extended through us to the children who will remain behind in our kids' orphanage(s). My sincerest thanks go out to Jessica who clearly has a huge and loving heart and offered to help in any way she could and to the magnificent seven moms, including Jessie, who so liberally and graciously donated clothing for far-away children in need.

Flower Fundraiser & Giveaway

Recently, Craig and I overhauled the landscaping in the front of our house and as part of this process I thinned out my iris bulbs. These bulbs were given to me several years ago by a dear friend who has since passed away, so they are very special to me aside from being quite beautiful. I have moved these bulbs with me through three states and hope to keep them as part of my landscaping for the rest of my life. Here’s a picture of my irises from 2009:

The bulbs bloom in three colors: a silvery light blue, a soft pink, and a dark purple and white. You won’t find these colors at Lowe’s or Home Depot. My friend collected iris bulbs for decades and had at least 50 different colors of blooms alongside her driveway every year. She shared the blue irises with me because they were my favorite, the purple/white ones because they were Craig’s favorite, and she gave me the pink irises because she said that particular color reminded her of me.

I receive lots of compliments on these flowers every year from neighbors and visitors alike. As I have done many times before in the spirit of my friend, I would like to pay it forward, so I am giving away a box of mixed iris bulbs to the first person who reads this blog entry, then emails me and says he/she would like them.

In order to raise more funds for our children’s orphanage(s), I am also offering for sale additional boxes (8 5/8" x 5 3/8" x 1 5/8") of bulbs for $5 each plus $5 flat rate USPS shipping unless you’re local and we can exchange the items in person. Simply email me at viviane8 @ yahoo.com if you’re interested in buying some of these bulbs which will make gorgeous flowers next year. First come, first served while these supplies last:

Needless to say, any and all proceeds will benefit the orphanage(s) in which our children reside.

Summer's Bounty

While we wait for our children to be found and join our family, another season of gardening has come and almost gone. Even though my suburban garden is only about 55 square feet in size, this year we have been incredibly blessed with a bountiful harvest that is still going strong. Here’s a picture of what I picked this morning to use in today’s meals:

To date from eight plants, we have harvested 393 tomatoes of all sizes from cherry tomatoes to those big beefy ones. We grew about 30 bulbs of garlic which we continue to enjoy along with a seemingly endless supply of basil, green onions, and parsley. We had around a dozen cucumbers and zucchinis, lettuce early in the spring, and carrots still to come. I might put in another row of lettuce and more green onions soon, and of course, I need to plant garlic for next year. The one thing that didn’t turn out this season are the green beans which usually climb on the deck posts. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. I won’t complain.

I hope that in the summer of 2011 we will share our garden’s bounty with our children and that my love of gardening will be transferred to them as they grow up.

Eat, Wait, Love

Waiting is hard and even though this summer has been extremely busy for us, the thought of our children somewhere on the other side of the world preoccupies our minds every day. Pondering the matter incessantly, it’s easy to get bogged down by the uncertainty of adoption, by frustrations about bureaucracy, and by the length of this process. So, this past week, I attempted to channel my waiting energy into some extra cooking, baking, and canning. Some items were old favorites while others resulted from trying out new recipes that have been piling up on my counter.

I started off my culinary extravaganza with a summery fruit cake which I took to a picnic. It had three layers: pound cake, vanilla cream and fresh berries.


Next, I made almond tea cookies which got a big thumbs up from everyone who tasted them. They may be contenders for our annual Christmas treat packages this year. Then, I made pitas from scratch and was fascinated by their baking process. I squatted in front of the oven door like a little kid watching the air spread through the dough, making it rise and puff. When Craig came home and saw the pitas on the dinner table, he said, “You made those? They look real!” Thanks, honey.

Then I made a lemon sponge pie which is absolutely delicious, especially for a lover of lemony things like me. I also prepared a vegetable frittata which turned out well, but is probably not something I couldn’t replicate or even improve upon without the recipe. On Wednesday, I pickled some cucumbers and shared with the neighbors and on Saturday, I turned part of our wonderful tomato harvest into canned salsa. Last but not least, today I made and froze pesto from homegrown basil as well as finished a no knead everything bread. It rises overnight and then bakes. So yummy.

Did cooking and baking and canning beyond the normal daily meals help with the wait? I would say it did. It gave me a couple of hours each day to focus my mind on a pleasant task and then enjoy and share the fruits of my labor with those I love. I’ll probably use this strategy again sometime when it feels like the wait is about to overwhelm me.

Art Auction Success

As promised, I wanted to let everyone know about the outcome of our orphanage fundraiser. The art auction was a great success and raised a total of $360 which will go a long way in buying supplies and gifts for our children’s orphanage(s). I will provide a detailed account of everything that was purchased with these funds at a later time. Our sincerest thanks go to everyone who looked, passed on the information, or bid so generously to help the children who have to stay behind.

And the winners are:

Photographs - Ben M. of Indianapolis, IN
Vase – Bryan and Maria W. of Richmond, VA
Painting 1 - Jessica S. of Sunman, IN
Painting 2 – Mary Ann P. of Oswego, NY (please see previous blog entry)
Cards - Sue S. of Birmingham, AL

Of course, we would be amiss if we did not express our heartfelt gratitude again to the wonderful artists in our life who were kind enough to donate their works to this cause. Josie, Yuri, Isabelle – you are the best!

Art Auction Addendum

In a turn of events that I did not anticipate, there were two people really interested in my sister’s painting and I felt sad that only one could win it. So I offered one of these bidders this two-panel painting which my sister had also given me for orphanage fundraising:

I am happy to say that this item received a generous offer from the bidder and has found a new home. I just love it when things can work out for everyone involved.

Orphanage Art Auction

After many months of planning, here is our first adoption-related fundraiser. This fundraiser would not have been possible without the generosity of the artists in our life who kindly contributed their original works to this cause. Thank you so much!

This fundraiser is not intended to alleviate or supplement the costs of our adoption. None of the money raised will be used to cover any of our personal adoption expenses. All proceeds will be donated to our children’s orphanage(s) either in the form of items purchased by us in the U.S. and then delivered personally or in cash as facilitated through our placing agency. Every dollar raised will benefit in some way the children who, sadly, have to stay behind.

If you like any of the items up for auction, please send me an email (viviane8 @ yahoo.com) with your bid. Please put Art Auction in the subject line. I will be monitoring my inbox diligently and let you know if you’ve been outbid. The auction will end on August 6, 2010 at 7:00 pm EST and winners will be announced over the weekend. I will also post the amount of money raised and later add a detailed entry about everything that was purchased with these funds. The pieces of art will be mailed to the winners on August 14, 2010.

Now, happy bidding, everyone, on these beautiful items:

My best friend from college, Josie Virgin-Crowe, is a photographer in Indianapolis. She contributed two black and white photographs to be auctioned off together: A Place in Pueblo, Texas (11.5x8 in) and The Grazing Herd (16x5 in). Each photograph is in a 20x16 inch mat. If you would like to see more of Josie’s work, please visit: www.croweseyephotography.com.

My friend Yuri Okamoto is a glass-blower and glass-blowing teacher in Indianapolis. She donated this white and violet vase which is 6.5 inches high and has an opening at the top of 2.5 inches in diameter. If you’d like to learn more about Yuri and her artistry, please visit: http://www.yuriglass.com/.

My sister Isabelle Seumel is an artist in Vienna, Austria. She just completed her Master’s Degree in Art and plans to earn her Ph.D. in the field next. She contributed this set of abstract paintings to be auctioned off together. Each canvas panel measures 7.75x15.75 inches. To get in touch with my sister about her work, please email: atelier @ lichtkind. at.

Lastly, this is a set of twelve handmade greeting cards (5.5in x 4in), one corresponding to each month of the year either through a holiday or the season. Each one-of-a-kind card contains a quote from a work of literature on the front and is blank inside. This is my own handiwork, so if you’d like to learn more, please visit: www.litbitgreetings.com.

International Adoption Simplification Act

Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate passed the International Adoption Simplification Act. This bi-partisan bill allows parents to adopt siblings even if one of the children is between 16 and 18 years of age. Normally children aged 16 and above are ineligible for international adoption into the U.S. The act also includes a provision that allows U.S. parents to safely immunize their children within 30 days after arrival in the U.S. instead of having to subject them to potentially unsafe immunizations in foreign nations. The legislation was sponsored by Senator Amy Klobuchar and now moves to the House of Representatives. For more information, click here: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1376/show

Senator Klobuchar has also introduced the Adoption Fairness Act which would prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from charging a fee for the issuance of a Certificate of Citizenship for a child who is adopted by a U.S. citizen parent and who is eligible for automatic citizenship, regardless of where the adoption was finalized. Click here for more info: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s3091/show

Kudos to Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota as well as to her co-sponsors for supporting international adoption. Minnesota has the nation's highest per capita rate of international adoption, so Senator Klobuchar is serving her constituency along with all International (P)APs well.

More On The Shelf

Well, it's taken me a few weeks, but the new shelf is finally all set up with my arts and crafts supplies and several other items that seemed to fit on it, too. I just love hiding my messes in pretty boxes:



Progress on the children's room is well under way. We painted the walls, installed blinds, set up a crib and a toddler bed, and organized the closet. Now we are waiting for Grandma to make curtains and picking out mattresses and bedding. When everything's finished, I will post some pictures.

I also wanted to let all of you know that next week I will hold my first fundraiser for our kids' orphanage(s). If all goes according to plan, an auction of original art works will go up on this blog on Sunday. Come back and take a look then and if you like anything, make a bid.

The New Shelf

Those of you who have seen the upstairs of our home know that I have been using an extra bedroom as my arts and crafts space for years. It's been quite nice to have all the supplies stored in one area and to be able to just go into this quiet room to make cards, wrap gifts, design scrapbook pages, etc. However, now that we are waiting for our children to come home, the time has arrived to give up the luxury of this space and begin turning the room into the kids' bedroom. In order to do so, I had to find a new spot for all of my arts and crafts stuff.

For as long as we have lived in this house, I have been wanting a built-in shelf in the loft around the window where there was an unused 16 inch-deep space from floor to ceiling. We finally decided to move forward with my shelf idea, so that I could use the area as my new arts and crafts storage. Here's a photo of the space before we changed it:

We solicited the help and expertise of a good friend, drew up an idea for how we wanted the shelf to look, headed to Lowe's to buy supplies, and then started building. I should probably be honest and say that my main job was trying to stay out of the guys' way as they measured and cut, carried and assembled everything. My sole contribution was serving them a hearty lunch.

It took about three weeks to get the shelf completed. The bulk of it was built in one long day, but putting up the trim, filling in nail holes, applying two coats of primer and a coat of paint added some extra time to the job. I am happy to say that I was able to help with the latter parts of the project.

Here's is the final product of everyone's efforts. Many thanks to our friend Bryan who truly was the main force behind getting the shelf built and making it look so nice. We are really happy with how it turned out and I am very excited about the extra storage which I have already begun to fill. I still have to find a few containers to hold some of the items that will be relocated to the shelf. Then it's on to painting the children's room.

Turn Available Into Eligible

There are many insensitive statements people could make about adoption, but one term used even by those who advocate in the field really makes me cringe every time I hear or read it. What is this horrible and offensive word, you might wonder? Well, it's AVAILABLE as in children being available for adoption.

Think about the definition of the word available: obtainable or accessible and ready for use or service, not busy, not otherwise committed, convenient for use or disposal. While I know that this term is sometimes applied to people, such as, "The eye witness was not available for comment," to me, it's mostly inanimate objects that are available. For example, a library book may be available if it's not checked out or a car may be available for purchase once it arrives at the dealership.

By applying the term available to children waiting to be adopted, we objectify them and turn them into a commodity. Granted, some might say that children are any nation's most valuable and precious natural resource, but I still don't think we should refer to them in the same language that we use when renting a reception hall, buying a CD, or trying to get our cell phones to work in areas where service is not offered.

I understand that no one in the adoption community means to be offensive or negative when using the word available, but please join me in making an effort to remove this term from the way we speak or write about orphans waiting for parents. Personally, I have been using the word eligible instead, but if anyone else has other ideas, I would be happy to hear about them.

If You Build It, S(He) Will Come Part II

I have been poking around Craig's List lately to find furniture and other items for our kids' bedroom and play area. About a week ago, I came across a listing of a daycare closing and selling all of its equipment, so my husband and I went and checked it out. We ended up buying quite a few things which were all nearly new as the daycare had only been open for a short time with very low attendance. We got everything you see in the photos along with an outdoor water/sand play table, a nap cot for my nephew, as well as 9 brand-new plastic cups and plates for $150. That's a very decent deal.

MacGahan Festival 2010

For those of you living in driving distance of Columbus, OH and looking for a cultural event about Bulgaria, please consider attending the 2010 MacGahan Festival in New Lexington, Ohio. The main day of the festival will be June 12.

The day will begin at 10:30 when the Very Rev. Vladimir Ivanov will officiate a Memorial Service at the grave of Januarius MacGahan at New Lexington Cemetery. Last year this service was bi-lingual, so I am assuming the same for this year. From the cemetery, attendees will proceed to the MacGahan Statue for a floral tribute and then to a luncheon at the Perry County Library at noon. The lunch will be catered by a local restaurant and will also include a program. Kavatsi, a Bulgarian rock band, will perform.

Last year, the festival was well-attended by Americans and Bulgarians alike. Among the guests of honor this year will be the Bulgarian Minister of Education as well as the Bulgarian Minister for Bulgarians Living Abroad.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Carma Jean Rausch at carmajeanrausch@gmail.com or at 740-342-1870. The event is free, but organizers would like a head count for the luncheon. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me privately at viviane8 @ yahoo.com

Homestudy Update

As you can probably tell by the silence on this blog, there has not been anything new in regard to our Bulgarian adoption except for more paperwork, of course.

Over the past few weeks we have been working on our homestudy update. We must have this update to apply to USCIS for an I-800 A extension later this year. For an Ohio homestudy update, you need new medical statements from your doctor, a new home fire inspection, new child abuse clearances from all states you've lived since age 18, new letters of employment, a new financial statement, new BCII and FBI background checks, a new letter of reference, and another visit with a social worker. We have completed all of these tasks and our homestudy could be ready except that the Ohio child abuse clearance report has not yet arrived at our agency. It could be another month before it does which is rather aggravating when all it takes is someone punching our names into a computer and running them through a database.

Fortunately, spring has been and will continue to be quite busy for us, so waiting on various adoption related matters has not been as difficult as it was over the winter which is not to say that it is easy now. There's a church we pass on our way home that currently has this message on its sign: "Patience is a virtue that carries a lot of wait." I'll be trying to keep this idea in mind as we move through this process.

Easter Sunday 2010

Easter Sunday was a busy day for us. We started out hosting a family brunch and Easter egg hunt in the morning and then attended the Easter celebration of Cincinnati's Bulgarian Cultural Club in the afternoon. This is this group's biggest annual gathering with people coming from as far as Dayton, OH, Columbus, OH and parts of Kentucky.

When we arrived at the party, we were overwhelmed by the large number of people and by the tables laden with food. Before we had even sat down, we were served slices of Kozunak, Bulgaria's traditional Easter bread. Earlier in the day, there had been a Kozunak contest and the slices on our plates came from the winning bread. Then we tried a main dish containing lamb, rice, spinach and green onions made by our friend Dani. She explained that lamb or lamb liver is prepared for the traditional Easter meal all over Bulgaria. As we looked around the tables, we could see that there were many different versions of lamb cooked according to various family recipes.

Around 4:00 pm, it was time for music and dancing. From everything we have seen, Bulgarians love to dance and this time, they chose traditional Bulgarian songs and dances. For the next two hours, we watched a line of dancers form and re-form, people joining in, others dropping out. The line of dancers wound around the tables, varying in length, but never stopping altogether.

We even learned about Bulgarian Easter egg fights in which you have to hit two eggs together just right in a certain manner to see which one will break. Without the visual aid of hard-boiled, died eggs, I cannot explain the exact method, but suffice it to say that the winning egg moves on to its next competitor until only one eggs survives intact. The holder of this egg is said to be blessed with good luck.

As always, we were among those who left early. Still, we had a wonderful time and cannot wait until our children will be able to be part of this celebration.

News Grab Bag

Over the past few weeks, there have been a couple of developments that affect adoption from Bulgaria.

On March 23, 2010, representatives from the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice, Bulgarian adoption agencies and Bulgarian Social Services met at a conference to discuss the state of international adoption. The conference underlined Bulgaria's current focus on referring older and/or special needs children to their forever families and made known that the program has been very successful in facilitating these kinds of options. It was noted that having current photos and videos of waiting children is especially helpful in finding them parents.

There was no announcement regarding a possible increase in referrals for relatively healthy toddlers. Ministry of Justice officials declared that there are currently over 2600 registered dossiers of waiting parents, most of them from Italy, Sweden, and the USA. The Ministry of Justice expects that by the end of this year, approximately 4500 new Bulgarian children will become eligible for international adoption and be entered into the International Adoption Registry. Nevertheless, it is unclear when these children will begin to be referred.

Many U.S. agencies and their waiting clients expect that with the registration of these new children, the speed and number of referrals will increase. However, in my opinion, the number of eligible orphans (which is currently estimated at over 2700) seems to have very little to do with the number of referrals being made. Instead, the real hold up appears to be at the Ministry of Justice where weekly adoption meetings over the last six months have resulted in an average of 12 referrals each (see the MOJ website for the results of the IAC meetings). To put this information into perspective, here's an approximate calculation: 2600 waiting families divided by 50 referrals per month makes for a possible 52 month wait, depending upon the criteria of the child a family wishes to adopt and the place they hold in the dossier line. Fifty-two months is over four years and yes, there are people who have, in fact, waited this long for their Bulgarian referrals. Many are still waiting. All we can do at this point is hope that the International Adoption Council will either increase the frequency of its meetings or begin to make a significantly larger number of referrals every week.

In better news, when Congress passed the Health Care Reform Bill last month, many people were unaware that this new law extends the adoption tax credit through the end of 2011 and raises it to $13,170. This credit is now also refundable, so adoptive parents no longer have to spread their adoption expenses over several years of tax filing. Hopefully many, many children can be united with their forever families before this tax benefit expires.

Daddy-Long-Legs

For those of you in Southwestern Ohio, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is performing the musical Daddy-Long-Legs from March 13 through April 10. I haven't seen it myself, but I read that it is about an orphanage trustee who offers a college education to an 18-year-old girl on the conditions that she never know who he is and that she write to him every month though he will never respond. Her letters paint a moving picture of her life in the orphanage and capture her blossoming into a young woman. When the two finally do meet in person several years later, they have an instant connection.

The musical is loosely based on a novel by Jean Webster and was made into a Hollywood film with Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron in 1955. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards related to music.

If you're interested in seeing the show, call 513-421-3888 for tickets.

If You Build It, S(He) Will Come

The title of this blog describes approximately what went through my mind last Saturday when I found myself at a local elementary school's annual consignment sale and bought $25 worth of kids' clothes. I could explain my behavior by noting that one of the adoption books I read said that parents waiting for a referral should act like expectant parents, so buying clothes fits the bill. But if I am honest, the whole thing was an act of faith, something I had to do to renew my confidence in the fact that some day our children will be here and need to be dressed every morning.

Here's a look at my finds. Not a bad batch for $25, methinks.

Adoption Comic

If you haven't visited this new website yet, you should check it out:

www.adoptedthecomic.com

The writer and illustrator are both adopted internationally and have only just begun expressing their experiences in this humorous and easily accessible way.

The Kite Runner

Those of you who know me personally are aware that I am an avid and discerning reader of books and lover of literature. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that I am now using this blog to recommend a novel.

Last week I finished The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and it was one of the best books I have read in recent memory. The plot is exciting with many unexpected twists and turns and the themes range from father-son relationships and childhood friendships to guilt, trauma, politics, and forgiveness. Add to that a fascinating helping of Afghan culture as well as 20th century Afghan history and you have a worthwhile, memorable page-turner with characters so real that it makes you wonder if you're reading a memoir rather than fiction.

In addition - and this is how the novel connects to this blog - the Kite Runner is a story about adoption. I do not want to spoil anything, so I will not divulge details. Instead, you'll just have to read for yourself or, if you don't have time for the book, watch the movie which I haven't seen and, therefore, cannot endorse.

Quote for Thought

"From his father, Athos inherited sea charts that had been passed down by captains and hydrographers, augmented by generations. He drew his great-grandfather's trading routes for me in chalk on a black slate learner's globe. Even as a child, even as my blood past was drained away from me, I understood that if I were strong enough to accept it, I was being offered a second history."

from Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels

Zarezan Valentine

Last Friday evening, we attended a party celebrating Zarezan Valentine. The party was organized by the Bulgarian Cultural Club of Cincinnati which has about 80 members, most of whom are native Bulgarians who have ended up in this area for one reason or another. Of course, Zarezan Valentine is not a real holiday, but a combination celebration for two actual events that take place on February 14: Valentine’s Day in the U.S. and Trifon Zarezan in Bulgaria. If you would like to learn more about Trifon Zarezan, follow this link: http://sofiaecho.com/2006/02/13/643178_trifon-zarezan-day.

Having been to Bulgarian celebrations before, we knew we could be looking forward to good food, music, and many friendly conversations. The party officially started at 7:30, but Craig and I did not arrive until 8:15. Why? Because we have learned that Bulgarians are notoriously late for events like this and that it’s almost a matter of national pride. One woman even told us Friday night that it might be considered rude if you showed up on time for a party and disturbed the host in the last frantic tasks of preparation. Well, when we got there 45 minutes late, we were still early. Most people arrived around 9:00.

As expected, there was a large potluck buffet with a great variety of food. From salads to meats to breads and dessert, the meal was plentiful and delicious. Being German, I contributed a homemade Black Forest Cake. I used my mom’s recipe and the cake turned out great. I’ll never claim to be a talented cake decorator, but if you want something scrumptious and from scratch, I am your baker. The cake was completely gone by the end of the night, just the way I like it.



Of course, we met several new people at the party and were asked to retell our adoption story again and again. Bulgarians in the U.S. are very interested in hearing details about this topic as most of them do not have any idea how the process works. However, as they learn more, most are incredibly supportive and very appreciative because they do all seem aware that large numbers of children live permanently in their country’s orphanages. One woman even called us heroes and it was quite difficult to convince her that we are just ordinary people who wish to parent. Many Bulgarians are shocked that international adoptions take so long from the MOJ’s end, but attribute this fact to old bureaucratic habits dying hard and to the lack of funds available to the government.

As the night went on, the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics were airing on a large TV in the background. I hadn’t quite realized how many different nationalities were represented at the party until the Parade of Nations which brought cheering at different times from different people and provided a gateway for finding out where everyone was from. Of course, most attendees were Bulgarian, but there was also one person from each of these other countries celebrating with the group on Friday: Tanzania, the UK, the Ukraine, Botswana, and Columbia. Add myself from Germany and we were a pretty international bunch.

The one thing that I didn’t expect from this celebration was to find myself dancing in a large circle of Bulgarians later in the night. I am not really sure when the dancing even started at all. The TV was turned off at some point, the lights were dimmed, furniture (some with children sleeping right on top and undisturbed) was moved toward walls, and music started to play. I saw one lone couple dancing one minute and the next time I turned around, there were a dozen people in a large circle just cutting a rug. A person standing next to me must have seen the surprise on my face and said, “In a few minutes, we will all be dancing.” I didn’t really think that this would include me, but when an ABBA medley came on, I couldn’t resist joining the ever increasing group of dancers. It was a lot of fun, people were completely relaxed and comfortable and very un-self-conscious.

Another thing we have learned about Bulgarians is that they like to get together and celebrate for special reasons or just because. When they do, they party hard and long. My husband and I knew that we would be the first to leave. When we said our good-byes around 11:30, everyone was shocked that we were headed home at such an early hour. Even so, we had a great time and are looking forward to joining the group for their biggest annual celebration on Easter Sunday.

Happy Valentine's Anniversary

One year ago today, Craig and I mailed our application for an international adoption from Bulgaria to our placing agency. I remember hastily running off copies in the morning and then realizing that we were missing a document. We emailed our contact person at the agency and, even though it was a Saturday, she quickly sent it to us again. We filled it out and rushed everything to the local post office before it closed. It was very important to us to be able to get the initial paperwork for this adventure mailed on a day that celebrates love.

So, today is the first anniversary of the date we consider the official beginning of our adoption journey. Let’s hope that by the time the second anniversary rolls around, we will have a referral!

Cultural Education

In order to fulfill our required training, we had to complete three cultural education credits for our placing agency. They did give us some suggestions on how to receive these credits, but we chose our own activities as you can read below:

MacGahan Bulgarian-American Festival, New Lexington, OH, June 14, 2009 – 2 credits

The MacGahan Festival is an annual event to celebrate the life and accomplishments of Januarius MacGahan who was an American born in New Lexington, OH and who later worked as a journalist in Europe. His reports on the Turkish war atrocities in Bulgaria in 1876 changed the course of history and are credited with winning the country of Bulgaria its independence. You can learn more about MacGahan here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Januarius_MacGahan.

The MacGahan Festival draws an annual crowd of native Bulgarians who now live in the US as well as Americans of Bulgarian descent and New Lexington locals. Last year a delegation from Bulgaria was in attendance, including the Vice- President of Bulgaria, Angel Marin, and the Ambassador to the US, Lachezar Petkov. The VP’s hometown is Batak. MacGahan reported as follows from Batak, “We looked into the church which had been blackened by the burning of the woodwork, but not destroyed, nor even much injured. It was a low building with a low roof, supported by heavy irregular arches, that as we looked in seemed scarcely high enough for a tall man to stand under. What we saw there was too frightful for more than a hasty glance. An immense number of bodies had been partially burnt there and the charred and blackened remains seemed to fill it half way up to the low dark arches and make them lower and darker still, were lying in a state of putrefaction too frightful to look upon. I had never imagined anything so horrible.” This church remains in Batak today as a monument and remembrance that many Bulgarians visit.

The day began with a moving bilingual (Bulgarian/English) service at the grave of Januarius MacGahan. At the end of the service, VP Marin spread a handful of soil from Batak over the grave. After the ceremony, the group of about 100 visited the MacGahan statue near the New Lexington Court House for a photo op. Then we walked to the library where we participated in a live Skype chat with Bulgarian teenagers who have been researching MacGahan and who attend an English Language school in Sofia. After the chat, we had a meal which included some Bulgarian/Balkan specialties. The meal was followed by a number of speeches in Bulgarian and English and then by a slideshow about Bulgaria.

Craig and I even had an opportunity to speak personally with the VP who told us that his daughter is an adoptive parent and with Ambassador Lachezar Petkov who said that adoption procedures in Bulgaria had just been revised and should be more efficient and streamlined now. A few days later we found out from our agency that what he was referring to was the new family code the government had passed the day before the MacGahan Festival. We also met several native Bulgarians from Cincinnati who are part of an active group of about 100 in our area. We exchanged contact information with them and have since joined their online email group and taken part in some of their events.

All in all, this was a highly informative, interesting and touching day for us.

A Concise History of Bulgaria (Second Edition) by R.J. Crampton, Cambridge University Press, 2005, 269 pages (1 credit): I wouldn’t exactly call this book concise, but it is full of great historical information on the region that is now Bulgaria. The material is presented in an easily accessible way even for those who have no background in European history.

Kozijat Rog - Goat Horn (1 credit): This movie is set in the time of Ottoman rule over Bulgaria. A goat herder’s wife is raped and killed by Turkish men in front of her young daughter and husband. Witnessing this brutality becomes the bitterly defining moment for the path of both of their lives on which the movie centers. There are two versions of this movie, one from 1972 and one from 1994. The earlier movie is more cinematically stunning and artistically beautiful; it was submitted for consideration for a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award in 1973. However, the 1994 version has English subtitles. Neither movie, in my opinion, is appropriate for children. Both movies are accessible for free online:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6158942232462202330# http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2417750913312392171#.

Placing Agency Required Education

While assembling our dossier, we also tackled the task of fulfilling our required educational credits for our placing agency. These credits meet Hague Treaty Standards and satisfy Hague requirements. As our agency feels that this preparation is of great importance, each of us had to accumulate 35 credits by completing the following tasks:

1) Choose a pediatrician who is familiar with the care of internationally adopted kids – 1.0 credit
2) Locate an Early Childhood Intervention Program or similar local service – 1.0 credit
3) If applicable, arrange appropriate child care – 1.0 credit
4) Complete infant/child CPR course – 1.0 credit
5) Join a local international adoptive family support group – 1.0 credit and/or
6) Join an online international adoptive family support group – 1.0 credit and/or
7) Meet with another family who adopted internationally – 1.0 credit
8) Complete ALP online course Conspicuous Families - 1.5 credits
9) Complete ALP online course Let’s Talk Adoption – 2.0 credits
10) Complete ALP online course The Journey of Attachment - 2.0 credits
11) Complete ALP online course Finding the Missing Pieces: Coping with Grief & Loss – 2.0 credits
12) Complete ALP online course Adopting the Older Child – 2.0 credits
13) Complete ALP online course Medical Issues in International Adoption – 2.5 credits
14) Complete ALP online course Eyes Wide Open – 4.0 credits
15) Read Raising the Adopted Child – 2.0 credits
16) Read Adoption is a Family Affair – 2.0 credits
17) Read I Love You like Crazy Cakes – 1.0 credit
18) Read A Blessing from Above – 1.0 credit
19) Read Borya and the Burps – 1.0 credit
20) Read Through the Stars and Moon and Night Sky – 1.0 credit
21) Complete cultural education (more in my next blog) – 3.0 credits
22) Additional credits based on activities of our own choice – remaining credits

Fortunately, some of these tasks overlapped with the education we had completed for our homestudy agency, so we didn’t start totally from scratch with this big to-do list. We were able to fulfill these requirements by the end of last summer and now feel as prepared as you can get without having had the hands-on, real-life experience.