Trip to Bulgaria - Part 4

Song of the Day – ‘Green Onions’ (I’ll explain that here shortly 😊)

Some would argue with me. But you’ll never convince me otherwise….

Today…I have seen the most beautiful, precious boy in the world. He’s got bounce to his step. He’s got big beautiful, brown eyes. His name is Bojidar….

‘Are you nervous?’ the interpreter asked.

We were walking up the hill…almost to the building where we would meet him. Steph and I looked at each other and I said. ‘No, I don’t think so. We saw him in a picture almost a year ago and have been loving him ever since. We are eager to meet him’.

In a few more seconds…we did meet him. The cutest little boy was walking beside a lady named Tonka. He reached out his little hand to shake ours and said ‘Dobr Den!’ (which means ‘Good day!’ in Bulgarian). We spoke to Tonka (the Social Worker) for a few seconds.

Suddenly…he snatched it right out of my hand and took off. It was a brand new, mini ‘Sporting Kansas City’ soccer ball. I laughed and we followed him into his play room.

I looked at him….he looked back and me. He threw the ball straight at me…and I laughed out loud as I caught it. I threw it back to him…and he caught it.

So much for ‘breaking the ice’….this little guy is awesome!

Walking

The next several minutes, Stephanie and I tossed the ball up and down a mini slide with Bojidar. Over and over again we’d say ‘Gatovlitsa?!?!’ (Are you ready?!?). Over and over again he’d say ‘Dah!’ (Yes!).

After a while, all of us decided to go for a walk (Galina, Tonka, Stephanie, Bojidar, and me).

He surprised me when I grabbed by my hand and Stephanie’s hand. We started walking. Then, suddenly…he got SO EXCITED! He saw a horse. With the translator’s help, we heard all about his opinion about horses. He said ‘Look – that one has two tails!’ I didn’t see a horse w/ 2 tails….I was too busy looking at the most beautiful boy in the world. 😊

Slide with Mom

Over the next 2 hours, we played with him at a café. There was a set of slides and fun ‘outdoor kiddie stuff’. Over and over again, we slid down the slide with him, helped him climb that ladders, and just enjoyed being with him.

Stephanie quickly transformed from the ‘World’s Greatest Wife’ into the ‘World’s Greatest Mom’. (She carries both titles in my book 😊). I love watching her interact with him…encourage him…help him to build confidence as he climbed and played on the equipment. As I watch my wife interact with him as I hear the café play ‘Green Onions’ over the loudspeakers. It’s a moment…and a song….that will forever be imprinted on me….

Slide with Dad

Meanwhile, Tonka and Galina sat in the café and watched us. Tonka is still scared to death. She’s afraid we won’t like him and will reject him. She tells stories about Bulgarians that reject potential adoption kids over and over again. One of the reasons is the color of their skin.  Bojidar (Bo) has a dark complexion. He comes from a ‘Roma’ group of people here in Bulgaria. Many are prejudiced against this group.

Tonka says things like ‘Look what a light complexion he has!’ through the interpreter. I think I understand what she really means. Her heart is good…she wants Bojidar to have a family. I assure her we love him as he is regardless of the color of his skin.

2 hours flies by. He doesn’t want to leave the play area, but it’s time to go. First test for ‘Dad’. How do I handle this?

I pick him up and carry him. I see Tonka squirming a bit. I can tell she wants to take him from me. But…I’m already a proud Dad. I ignore her and keep walking. I’m wondering if he will want down.

Bubbles with Dad

After a couple of minutes…I notice that he keeps looking at me. He’s not complaining. He’s not crying. He’s not saying anything. He’s just watching me.

Tonka asks him ‘Do you want to walk or do you want him to carry you?’. He looks at me and says that he wants to be carried.

For the next 5 minutes I carried my new son and told him how beautiful he is…how precious he is. He just looked at me…touching my face or shoulder now and then. I think he was soaking it in as much as I was.

I’m going to be pissed if at least some of you didn’t ‘tear up’ when reading this.

Stay tuned for the next installment….soon.