Day 4 with E.

We have been gone to Bulgaria for 2 weeks! Now that we are home, I will be blogging all about our trip. Click theses links if you would like to first read about our trip to Bulgaria or meeting our daughter E.

From October 22:

Our 4th day visiting E. began first with hugs and kisses. She gives me a kiss on the cheek and lets me kiss her cheek in return. Andrew kisses her on the top of the head, because she doesn't like the prickles of his facial hair. She kisses her daddy on the cheek.

E. was wearing the outfit we gave her yesterday. It looked cute on her, but definitely no growing room, and a little small in the shoulders! Ah well, we know to bring bigger size clothes for the next trip when we get to bring her home!

We rode with E. in the car to a photo shop to have her picture taken for her visa. I don't know if she was nervous or carsick (she has rarely ridden in a car) or both, but after her photo was taken, she threw up right in the shop! I helped her get cleaned up and thankfully the floor was tiled, not carpeted! Then we walked to a large park with our translator and her social worker who came with us from her orphanage. E. said she wanted to swing and was feeling fine, but then she got a little motion sick again and had to stop swinging. E. sat on my lap until the feeling passed. It was so nice to hold her and have her snuggle up to me. When she felt better, we played on the other playground equipment and stayed off the swings. It was nice to see her slide and climbing, since she had been mostly only interested in swinging the other days. 

After a while, we bought her juice at a little outdoor cafe. Her second time to have something from a restaurant. 

I am going to pause here for a funny little conversation I had with E. When her bottle of juice was 2/3 empty, a gnat or bug flew down in it.

Me: "E., There is a bug in your juice!"

Ivan translates to E.

E: Bulgarian equivilant of "That's a bummer." (E procedes to drink all her juice anyway, bug and all! I am thinking Ew! Gross! I guess she didn't want to waist her special treat!)

Sitting at our table with E., her social worker, and our translator, Ivan. Photographed by E.

That afternoon we pushed her on the swings a little, sang some, strung wooden beads on a string. Near the end of the visit, we spent sometime with E. sitting on Andrew's lap while we talked with her about her adoption and what would happen next with the process. We had to go and visit her bother, just like we had visited her. After that, documents would have to be prepared and then we would return. It would be after Christmas, New Years, and her birthday, probably in April or May.  Tomorrow would be our last visit together. E. has seen another child from her group home in the adoption process, so she understands that we will be leaving and returning. She told us that she didn't want me to cry tomorrow when we left. That we would be happy together soon. My girl, you have strength and wisdom beyond your years. You have learned that tears a luxury you can't afford. Life has made you strong. But I am going to tear up, no matter what. I will do my best to be strong for you.

This talk was not only good for E., but me also. It was good for me to see that she understood we were returning. It helped me to begin the parting process - not that it was easy, but that this made it less hard.

The group home allowed us to stay later than normal with E. since it was our last evening together. (Thank you! Thank you!)

Click here to read about our last day with E. 

I know you all want to see pictures of our beautiful daughter. However, I won't be sharing any pictures publicly on the internet. In order to be allowed to take pictures with E., we had to sign papers saying we wouldn't publish her name or photos online.