Still waiting...

Zdrasti!  This post is a “Just checking in” post as I really don’t have much to report, except that I found out our dossier was officially registered with the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice (MOJ) in May 2014.  So we’ve been on The List for about a year and a half now. 

Every year that passes without a referral, we need to update our home study and renew our I-797 (an approval from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services allowing us to adopt internationally), because you never know when you’ll get that magical phone call, and you better make darn certain everything is in order.  That, and trying to save up money to fund the ridiculously expensive process that is adoption.  However, with car repairs, a much needed roof, and new windows, this is becoming increasingly difficult to do.  But such is life.  There will always be something that pops up that drains the account and makes you worry if you’ll ever be able to afford this adoption that you’ve now jumped into with both feet.  That’s when I have to remind myself that God will always provide for our needs.  He has yet to fail me.

With that being said, instead of not trusting God’s plan and worrying day and night about finances and home repairs, we could probably start tackling a little of the Bulgarian language.  The only word I know so far is zdrasti (z-DRAHS-tee), which is the equivalent to “Hi”.  I love saying it.  It makes me feel so cultured.  (It really doesn’t take much.)  Zdrasti.  ZDRASTI!  Zdrasti.  I also can say “good morning”…Dobro utro.  That is the extent of my Bulgarian.  I honestly don’t know how much Bulgarian we’re going to have to know since we’ll have a translator both times we’re in-country.  To aide in our learning process, I’m thinking of posting sticky notes of Bulgarian words on all the essential items in the house.  (Example: bathroom = banya)  See!  How fun is this!?  This way we can at least partially know what our child is trying to communicate in the beginning.  Not that we’ll be able to understand what a 3-year-old is saying anyway… 

Also, an interesting tidbit I learned, apparently adopted children lose their Bulgarian very quickly, some within a matter of weeks!  I read that one child, age 9, went to Skype with his Bulgarian foster mother, and had a difficult time recalling the language after only a couple of months of being home!

Bottom line, the important part I need to continually remind myself is to not get discouraged when our savings end up going to yet another repair, or when I read about other families getting to meet their children or bring them home.  We knew this was going to be a long journey fraught with emotional highs and lows.  One day it will be our turn.

It will happen. 

One day.

Me, waiting for a referral.