One Month

Apologies that the blog has been kind of quiet the last two weeks!

One month from today we will land in Sofia, Bulgaria to bring R and S home! We have our travel dates - we leave July 19 (land in Bulgaria the next day) and return home on July 30. We are looking forward to the travel part of the trip - we like to travel and experience new cultures, new food, and different sights and sounds. We're not looking forward to leaving M and E for 10 days, but it's all part of the process.

Originally we planned to bring M and E on this trip with us, but after we took the first trip and got a glimpse of how difficult the second trip would be, we decided against it. There are some logistical reasons - the apartment we'll stay in only has two bedrooms; the cars will ride in don't easily accommodate six passengers, a driver, and their stuff; and, there are some appointments (doctor, U.S. Embassy) where technically M and E are not supposed to be present.

There are other reasons not to bring them. R and S are going to require a lot of energy, patience, and attention. And in another country, with different food, smells, customs, etc., M and E would require a lot of attention, too. Not to mention everyone (including us) being 'off' for a few days because of jet lag. I hope that someday (if R and S want to), we can all take a trip back to Bulgaria, but it will depend on their personalities and desire to travel - we won't insist on it.

This will be time for us to bond with R and S and begin building the bonds of trust that will lead to attachment. That sounds kind of lofty, but what it really means is helping them meet their basic needs, comforting them when they need it, and helping them grieve the loss of their foster families. It's going to be difficult, especially with the language barrier, and it will be key to building our relationships with the kids.