Saying Goodbye to M.

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. We first spent 5 days meeting our daughter E, then 5 days with our son M. You can read here about the day we met our son M.

From October 28: 

We met M. and his foster parents at the Social Welfare Office and went inside. M. sat between Andrew and me. We sat in their for a while and signed some papers saying we had visited with him for the past 4 days and today. We thought we would have the morning to visit with M. then we would say goodbye because we would have to travel in the afternoon. However, the Social Welfare Office informed us that M. needed to go to school. (He had already missed Friday and Monday visiting with us.) Our visit was shorter than I expected, just the time in the office. 

We went outside the office building and took pictures of M. with his foster parents, of M. with us, and of  M. with both his foster parents and us. Then we all said our goodbyes and had goodbye hugs and kisses with M. right in front of the social welfare office. M. got in the car with his foster parents and went to school. We waived and blew kisses to him as drove away.

I don't know if it was the suddenness of the goodbyes, or the fact that M. is in a foster family, or that I had already done this before with E., but I didn't cry. It was hard and I miss my son every day, but I know we are coming back for him!

Since we have been home, I have received a few emailed photos of M. from his foster mother. (And also of E. from her orphanage director.) It helps to know they are well, but I miss them both everyday! Sometimes I look over their pictures and videos. Sometimes I cry. I miss E.'s radiant smiles and hugs, and M.'s spontaneous laughter and kisses! But I tell myself only a few more months and we will all be together as a forever family! 

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