Gotcha day! – In words

Ok everybody! Here is a teaser photo and a blog post! The post with pictures is just below this!

Brian and Jordan in the director’s office:

Jordan sitting on the director’s couch for the last time. My handsome son in his new American duds. Thank you Lindsay for that outfit! Thank you Lord for my son!

So we got up early this morning. I couldn’t sleep past 5:30 for excitement. I had dreamed we got Jordan and he was walking and talking! Mom and I stood on the balcony before dawn and prayed for the day. Then chatted with Rachel in the pre dawn darkness. We had breakfast buffet and took pictures on the beach before loading into the van and heading to the orphanage. I had packed all the orphanage gifts into one suitcase. We hauled it all in at 8am but the director didn’t show up until around 9:30 so we sat on the silly orange sofa in the reception area. I was very nervous. Worried I wouldn’t get all our questions answered, worried I would forget one of the gifts, worried Jordan wouldn’t be here anymore. (at this point, Rachel interject, “Awwww, Brian!!”)

Finally when we got to talk to the director it went smoothly. They asked me for clothes to put Jordan in and then brought him to us. They brought us two other Reece’s Rainbow children that we were able to take pictures and video of. Joanna is quite fiery and knocked the camera out of mom’s hand when she bent down to take a picture. She was moving around quickly looking at toys in the office. The boy was younger and more reserved. I didn’t get much a video of him because he wasn’t doing much. Jordan was crying while I held him. At first I tried to bounce and shush him and it kinda worked. Then the director said I should put him down and leave him alone. I thought, “Yeah right lady” but when I did he instantly calmed down. sigh. That makes me a little sad. Not surprised; I remember that was how he was last June, but it’s still sad.

Once we finished paperwork and questions, I had to sign two documents. They said we could take him out. Oh Happy day! What a moment… taking him away from the orphanage. I know it has been his only home, even at 2 he must feel the loss of that “safe” place he knows. But the truth, dear Jordan is that you lose it for a much better place. We put him in the carseat and he started crying as soon as the van started moving. He did not like it one bit! He doesn’t scream like my girls, just cries and struggles to get out of the carseat. I took him out of it for a while and let him struggle on the seat next to me and on the floor. But it didn’t help so finally I put him back in the carseat and let him cry. It was hard to listen to him, I was proud he had the spirit to tell us he didn’t like the van, to keep crying even though we couldn’t do anything for him, and it hurt not to be able to meet his need. That’s what I want him to learn, to cry and have his need met. Thankfully, he settled down once we hit the highyway.

He played with the toys we had (rattling the plastic keys forever!), he sucked his fingers and eventually fell asleep. So did I for a while, until he woke me up. During the trip we were all very quiet. I don’t know why but I felt more like thinking than talking. Jordan drank a little water on the trip (barely any) and ate two small pieces of bread torn into tiny bits and fed to him birdy style. That was a huge success for the boy who didn’t know what to do with solid food last June. We didn’t make it to the passport office in time to make that appointment today, between the director being late and traffic in Sofia. At the hotel we were given a HUGE room and great service. We fed Jordan some of the baby food I brought and he ate it well. Then a bath, jammies, a chat with mama and he is playing in his crib. I am beat emotionally and ready to sleep. It is going far better than I hoped and God has been telling me to trust Him to give us good things, to take care of us. I am so grateful to Him for my son.

Added by Rachel:
They got pulled over by a police officer sometime after leaving Varna. Dmitry (our driver) got all the papers and stood in front of the van talking with the young police officer. Awhile later, he climbed back in and said he was supposed to have his lights on (all the time in the winter, I guess). He didn’t get a ticket and was happy for that. He didn’t think it would have gone so well with the officer if everybody, including Jordan had not been buckled up – and Jordan in a carseat! Praises and thankfulness to God followed this revelation, since they had considered keeping Jordan out while he was crying… Dmitry even suggested it!

So despite worrying that I wouldn’t sleep last night while my son was getting picked up this morning, I slept wonderfully. I think I was asleep with my head halfway to the pillow. Maggie didn’t even wake up to have me cover her up. We got our chores going and I had the dishes mostly washed, in between trips to make sure the computer volume was turned up!

When the Skype “rang” – all of us heard it and ran to the computer. Anna beat me by a few inches. We piled into the chairs and saw Papa again for the first time in too long (a day?) and then Tamera reaches over and put Jordan in his lap. I didn’t realize how much had been wound up inside of me until I saw him there on his lap. My overwhelming feeling was relief! Oh, such wonderful relief to see my son in the arms of family, in the arms of his Papa.

He is small and scrawny, but does not look unhealthy or starved at all. My kids are scrawny naturally, so he looks just fine to me! I wonder how much he will grow once he is home? He still sucks his fingers. His cheeks and hands are chapped and dry. I had the great joy of seeing them fix him his first bottle… I think it was pumpkin banana baby food mixed with a little water. He hadn’t eaten or had a drink since the morning…. except for some pieces of bread in the car. He drank that down quickly after we got the right nipple on the bottle. (Haberman nipple didn’t work. The lamb teat that we bought from the feed store worked great on an empty coke bottle though!) I’ll ask them for a picture of that! 🙂 Then he ate half a thing of minestrone.

He bathed well, I hear – didn’t like washing his face. Then the wrapped him in awesome dinosaur jammies that I have longed to see him in! He played quietly in his crib for awhile and fell asleep on his face. Oooooh, I just love him!

Thank you Tami, for sacrificing so much energy and time and taking on this stress to be there. We are both so grateful for your support. So, so, so, grateful. Thank you Brian, for being my hero. In every way. I love you darling!

The girls are doing very well. They are wondering why the work week has lasted through the weekend without Papa being home, but they’re hanging in here like champs. They don’t seem unnerved by the proceedings and were really excited to see Jordan on Skype! They got to go to a friend’s house this mornign to play in a bouncy house. Thank you Amy for driving! Time to get pictures onto this blog post now! And eat lunch! For the first time since Brian left… I am really and truly hungry. Remember how I said I was relieved? Think I’ll go eat and then pass out now! 🙂

Brian, you continually exceed all my expectations. I am so proud of you, so blessed that you are my husband.