The Start of A New Chapter

May 6, 2014 seemed like it would never get here, and then the next thing we knew, it was upon us and we had to get prepared for the next step in our journey.  We got the boys over to my parents late on the 5th and then we went home to finalize our preparations.  I do thank God for the wake up call the next morning as we needed to leave town early and I apparently turned the alarm off instead of getting up when we originally planned.  However, we did get on the road on time.....at 3:45am.  Our drive to Dallas was smooth (Amy got some rest and I managed to stay awake the whole way).  25 hours after jumping in the car, we were at the Sofia airport picking up our luggage.  Besides the happiness to see all our luggage arrive with us, it was so awesome to have to bring additional luggage; A suitcase with Zoya's clothes and toys.  We then met up with our translator, Ivan, and our driver, Dimo, and headed to our rented apartment.  After settling in, Amy and I took advantage of some quiet time and caught up on some necessary rest!!

.....That leads us to the next chapter of our lives!!

Thursday, May 8:  Ivan and Dimo picked us up from our apartment at 7:30am and we headed to the village of Gavril Genovo.  After our 2 1/2 hour drive, we made the familiar turn down the road to Zoya's orphanage.  The butterflies really started to hit Amy and I as we headed through the gate and towards the door.  That is when we see Zoya in the front window and we could see her familiar smile!!  The door opened and out came Zoya.......A big hug erased all the butterflies!  We finally have Zoya in our arms again!!

After delivering gifts to the orphanage and finalizing paperwork, Zoya said her goodbyes to the orphanage for the last time!  Zoya held our hands and we walked to the car.  Though, it was another 2 1/2 hours in a car, it was so cool to have her fall asleep in my lap!! We arrived back in Sofia and met Maya, our Bulgarian adoption representative (and Ivan's boss and Dimo's mom) at the immigration center to start Zoya's passport process.  While, I may be biased, Zoya's passport photo blows all other identification photos out of the water.

It was then time for a late lunch.  We found a nice pizzaria down the street from our apartment.  We ordered a couple of pizzas thinking we would bring the left overs back to the apartment for later.  Nope, that did not happen.  First, I have a pizza addiction and I can pretty much put down more pizza than any person should eat in one sitting.  But found out, Zoya can hold her own, as she put down four slices and a small plate of spaghetti.

After lunch, we said goodbye to Ivan for the rest of the day.  Amy and I are now alone with Zoya for the first time ever.  It is time for us to be her parents and for her to be a daughter in a loving family!!  It is also time to see how well we can communicate with each other.  Zoya does not speak English and while Amy and I are trying, we do not speak much Bulgarian.  It has been a little over 5 hours and God has continued his blessings as we have been able to pass the communication test.  While we do not understand all she is telling us in speech, we do understand what her needs are by action and constant interaction.  Amy has done a fantastic job creating ways to teach Zoya and for us to learn from her.  I am always amazed with Amy and her interaction with children!!  Zoya has definitely tested her limits with us and we have had to ensure boundaries are not to be broken or compromised.

It has been such a glorious day!! Amy and I have been able to hold and hug our precious Zoya!! Holding hands while walking down the street are memories that will last forever!!  Amy gave Zoya a bath and put her in brand new PJ's.  It is so cool to see Amy with our daughter, making her all pretty; blow drying her hair and putting bows on her head!  It is getting late and it is time to put Zoya to bed (and Amy and I are about to fall over asleep)!!!

Please continue to pray as this chapter in our lives will last forever!!  Thank you all for your support!!