Bulgarian Reunion 2019

 The 2019 Bulgarian Adoptive Families Reunion is in the books.  We had a great time, and the weather was much more cooperative than forcasted. 

I do have a picture of all 6 of us, but it was taken with Nathaniel's phone, so I'll have to get him to send it to me.

Our cultural activity this year was a Bulgarian New Year's Tradition:

This is the spelling in our alphabet:

Basically, we made these wands out of sticks (dogwood) and decorated them.  Young children pat their elders on the back with the stick for good luck and are given candy or money.  All of us worked on ours together, so it was a little chaotic but fun.

It was also the first trip in our new camper.  It went great!  We really like how much bigger it is, and the beds are decently comfortable.  Nathaniel was thrilled with how well the air conditioner works.  

And I never posted that I made soap last week:

This was my first go at hot-process soap, and it went very well.  I am thrilled with it, and it was really easier than I expected.  

Bulgarian Reunion

We are so blessed to attend a Bulgarian Adoptive Family Reunion every summer for the past 4 summers.  It is a great group of families.

The Bulgarian Society of Cincinnati comes to the reunion each year and teaches a little cultural lesson/activity to the group.  This year, they gave a brief talk on Kukeri masks, and the kids made their own masks.  Malachi, Lydia, and Gyunay really enjoyed this activity.  

The splash park is a perennial hit.  This year, Lydia and Gyunay enjoyed the splash park with me while Nathaniel took Elijah and Malachi on a canoe ride around the lake.

Bulgarian Reunion

I didn't take very many pictures at the reunion, and the ones I have are not the greatest.  See?  I don't know why Elijah has such a hard time smiling.

Our cultural activity this year involved learning about traditional Bulgarian clothing, and then letting the kids make their own versions.  These three really enjoyed making shirts:

on the porch of the cabin

A couple of the moms were great sports and did face painting for hours.  Lydia chose to be a black dog.

These descriptions were provided by Cincinnati's Bulgarian group, which taught us about the meaning behind the embroidery.  

Around Sofia

This former mosque now holds the antiquities museum.  It is a small but very nice collection, and I enjoyed it.  

This was the view down the street where we stayed in an apartment for both trips.  That coral-colored building was a restaurant.  (And like all of the places we ate in Bulgaria, it was good!)

Nathaniel took this picture on our first night in Bulgaria.  (It's easy to remember when, because I always wear my glasses when I fly - so I can sleep on the plane!)  We both enjoy eating outdoors, so we had our first dinner in Bulgaria at a little roadside restaurant.  

Ancient Bulgaria

I thought I'd post a few more Bulgarian pictures.  These are all in Sofia, because that is the only city I've visited in Bulgaria, but there are tons of ruins and historic sites throughout the country.

This is the remains of the ancient Roman city of Serdica.  This is under the current city.  

This is the Church of St Petka of the Saddlers.  It was built in the Middle Ages.  It is still in use, and there were church services going on when we were there (both times), so I didn't go into the sanctuary, but it is a very interesting building right in the middle of Sofia.

And here is my little guy, in my favorite picture of him at the orphanage.  He was so little!  

Sofia, Bulgaria

It has occurred to me that I never really posted any pictures of Bulgaria.  Here is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral:

The view from down the street

And just to remind you of how things were with meeting Gyunay at this time, in October 2014, during our first visits it was much easier for him to look at us in the mirror rather than in the face:

After a couple of visits, he became more comfortable with us, but at first he was hesitant.  This picture was taken in the room where families are allowed to visit with their kids.

This last picture is just a building on a corner in Sofia that I liked.

Bulgarian Reunion

We had a great weekend at the Bulgarian Adoptive Families Reunion.  All of the kids really enjoy it, and I enjoy talking to other moms who "get it".  There are so many families there.  This year, I think there were around 130 people, more kids than adults.  Some grandparents and extended family attend, too, but many of the families are large, so seeing big vans is the norm.  Nathaniel jokes that this weekend always makes me lobby for more kids ("See, they have 6!  They have 13!) but the truth is, I'm always game for more kids.  :)

Anyway, we had a great time.  Gyunay gained a friend in a 15-year-old young lady who was so kind and caring to him.  Lydia had a couple of little friends, especially a 7-year-old Armenian American girl.  Malachi and Elijah often stick together, but they were separated a few times, and they enjoyed the weekend very much.  Elijah got to participate in a teens' scavenger hunt.  Malachi and Lydia enjoyed a Bulgarian cooking lesson.

This is Banitsa, which Malachi really enjoyed.  They also made tarator (cold cucumber soup), which Gyunay ate, and shopska salata (a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and Bulgarian cheese), which I devoured.  I ate a lot of shopska salata in Bulgaria because it is just so good.  Gyunay also ate most of Lydia's banitsa, although Nathaniel and I both tried it and liked it, too.  It's mostly cheese and phyllo, so what's not to like?

My happy Bulgarian American

He was so wiped out!  The crowds and activity do overwhelm him, and he would beg to go nigh-night.  Sometimes he passed out (for nap and bedtime) and sometimes we just snuggled in the cabin for a while to regroup.  

If anyone is interested in learning more about the Bulgarian Reunion, here is the website: http://bulgarianadopteesreunion.blogspot.com/

One Year - Gyunay's 1st year home

One year ago today, I carried Gyunay out of the orphanage forever.  A staff member poured water on the steps, and Nathaniel and I walked through it.  (They explained that it's a Bulgarian custom for good luck.)  Gyunay was understandably scared. We were nervous, relieved, and anxious to get him back to the apartment.  We were praying that he would learn to love us.  Nathaniel went all over Sofia looking for soup, because it was lunch time and they told us that he always had soup for lunch.  The one thing they specifically said he was never given - pork - was the first thing he ate for us that first lunch in the apartment.  He picked the ham out of my salad and ate it all!

When we got Gyunay, we were just starting to see glimpses of his happy and mischievous nature.  He was unsure about us and everything new around him.  He was also pale, with thin, scraggly hair and an uncertain smile.  He had no idea how to walk up or down stairs.  He had no idea that "Mama" and "Dada" weren't just our names.  He had no concept of danger, whether from cars or ovens or strange animals.

1 year ago - see how unsure he is?

Now, he's a vivacious, happy, full member of our crazy family.  He loves having 2 big brothers and a big sister to pester.  He had never been around animals before; now he plays with the dog and chickens regularly.  He's a mama's boy who also loves his daddy dearly.  He's put on about 6 lbs, and about that many inches.  

Today

When we got Gyunay, we obviously knew that he had one arm.  We also knew that he had had past lung problems, was a very early preemie, had only started eating solid foods a few months  after he turned 2, could say a few syllables but essentially no words or phrases (just "no" "Mama" "da" (yes)  "Dada" and "more"), and was developmentally delayed due to institutionalism.  Now we know that his lungs are fine, and he can eat, run, and climb stairs like a champ.  He still has delays, and we now know that his speech issue isn't just a delay but a disability, probably apraxia of speech.  We also know that he will overcome this.  In his referral, it said that he was a fighter and a biter.  He is, and so much more!  He doesn't bite very often now, but he does pull hair something awful when he's mad.  He can throw a tantrum like a typical toddler, but he also bounces back really fast into his happy self.

None of us can imagine life without him.  He is so greatly loved by all of us, and he loves us all fiercely.  He knows he belongs with us.  He fits right in with all of his grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles.  He charms people everywhere we go, and although he loves others' attention, he sticks close to his family.

We still have milestones to work on - speech, potty training, learning to share.  He's 3 and a half years old.  He still acts more like a two-year-old, developmentally speaking, but he's come such a long way from where he was!  We knew he would thrive with our family, and he has.  He's amazed us so many times.  This is a kid who can conquer obstacles with a smile on his face.



"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:12

Sofia shirt

I never posted any of our photos or info about our trips to Bulgaria, because before we had Gyunay home, we weren't supposed to post which country he was from.  Now, I can post whatever I like, so here is Lydia's shirt from Bulgaria:

 

It says "Sofia" in Bulgarian.  You can see how different the words look!  Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic alphabet. 

 

I'll post some pictures of Sofia (the capital of Bulgaria) soon, once I figure out how to transfer them from the flash drive to the blog.