We made it!

Tuesday, around midnight we made it to our hotel after 28 hours of travel.  Luckily we arrived without a problem and so did our luggage.  Though the knob that releases the shoulder restraints on the carseat did not make it, but we can still make it work.

We are no longer "light" travelers

Wednesday morning we met with the our translator and facilitator.  They brought us to the minister of child welfare for the region for a brief meeting.  Then we were allowed to go visit our daughter.
The drive to the village was predicted to be 1 hour and a half, but just 2 weeks ago a new highway was completed- reducing the driving time to just 1 hour. 

We can't even explain what it was like seeing our daughter for the first time.  She clung to the foster mother for the first hour or so, then she warmed up to us.  She really warmed up to us after Chris pretended to ride away on her rocking horse.  By the time we left Wednesday, she was giving us kisses.  (We can't share photos here, but we have been able to Skype with our families)
We are grateful she was in such a loving foster home.  The family doesn't have much, but they really care for the children.  She also has access to good nutrition.  We had sent her gifts are Christmas, and we've heard stories of families arriving to see all that they sent the child still in its packaging.  We can gladly say this is not the case- the coloring book was used, the crayons, the stuffed puppy and the children's CDs- all loved by a 2 1/2 year old.  We had sent a book of photos and the foster mother had taught her to say "mommy" and "daddy" in English. 
Today, we got to visit with her again.  We had to take her to the local doctor to get all her files (she is now 12 kg and 83 cm!) But she was not pleased- she remembered the last time she was there- they drew blood.  The doctor was great and even spoke a bit of English.  Everything was in order and she traveled beautifully in the car seat for the first time. 
Tomorrow we are taking her to the nearest town to pick up some items and to practice riding in the car and stroller. 
We had heard that children, especially from orphanages, are sent with nothing- but her foster mother has packed a bag of her favorite items.  She has been so blessed, her foster mother is amazing.  She is definitely attached to her and leaving with be difficult.  But the foster mother has been careful to encourage our daughter to sit next to us, and go to us to be picked up while we are there. 
The translator and facilitator have been very helpful.  The facilitator has been doing this for 10+ years and knows exactly what needs to be done.  He is careful to prepare and have everything in order before it is needed.  He was able to arrange everything for our consulate visit next Wednesday.
Tuesday is our little one's birthday and it will also be the first day she is our custody!

Grown Ups

It's funny how you never feel like a grown up.  I remember when I realized I was one- I was 27 at the time.  I had already been working in schools for 3+ years at that point.  There was a fire drill, we all exited the building, and one first grader said to a friend: "how come all the grown ups are always outside first?"  I remember thinking, "oops, where am I supposed to be?" before realizing, that I was (of course) the grown up to which he was referring. 
We leave tomorrow to pick up our daughter, and I can't help thinking "are we old enough to do this?"
Chris also expressed he couldn't believe they were letting us do this, do they even know who we are?  We are meeting our daughter for the first time exactly 6 months before my 30th birthday, that's surely old enough, right?

Last Day of Work

Friday was the last day of work for both Chris and I- well I should say "paid work"- as our friend reminded us we won't be at our jobs but this is certainly not a vacation ;-)
Big changes for both us.  Chris will be on a new assignment when he comes back, and I won't be going back to work for 3 months.  It was difficult for me to explain to the students where I'll be going.

Here are some exchanges I've had in the past few days:
"I'm going to Hungary..."---"that must be near Turkey."
"I'm leaving for 12 weeks"---"Why 12 weeks?"  How do you explain that's how long FMLA is to a 1st grader?
"I'm adopting a little girl"--- "Good, because boys are crazy"- surprisingly from the sweetest little boy, who is not at all crazy, maybe he's got a little brother.
"I'm going to be gone for 3 months..."- "You get 3 months off school for adopting a baby, I'm going to do that!"
"I'm leaving because I am adopting a little girl"--- "That's the best reason!" awww ;-)

Just 2 make my last week a little sweeter- 2 hour snow delay on Thursday and 2 hour early release due to inclement weather on Friday.

In 7 days...

In just 7 days, everything will change.  We'll be driving through the Hungarian country side en route to our little pumpkin's orphanage.
All the preparations will have been worth it.  We've been busy studying Hungarian with Simon and Schuster's Pimsleur CD's (so much easier than "Teach Yourself" or Rosetta Stone series).  I even got the "Little Pim" DVD's for our peanut to learn some English. 
We're still busy with preparations, but our to-do list is shrinking.  All the child locks are on and gates are up- and my 2 year old nephew dropped in Saturday to test them all out.  (And to prepare our cat for some major life changes :)  I still need to have the car seat checked, pick up a gift for our translator, and finish packing, oh and do laundry...  But some friends will be staying over our house while we are gone to keep an eye on things and feed the cats while their kitchen is remodeled.

I keep hearing "are you ready," and I don't know how to answer it.  Can you ever be ready?  "We are prepared" I say.
 

2 weeks!

14 days until our flight takes off
15 days until we land in Hungary
16 days until we meet our daughter
23 days until we have custody
56 days until she's legally our little girl
59 days until home forever!

Happy New Year and Adoption Tax Credit Extended!

We are traveling in just 3 weeks to get our sweet little one! 
For Christmas, we wanted to keep it low key.  We've been so busy lately with Home Depot and Ikea runs, it was nice to take a break.  During our house fire and subsequent, we accumulated thousands of hotel loyalty points.  We booked a trip to Mexico before we had the referral.  It worked out perfectly, though, it was our babymoon :)  We had a relaxing vacation and told all the families to skip the gifts.  We sent both grandparents a Hungarian house blesssing Christmas ornament:

Available here: http://magyarmarketing.com/category/holidays

And the 4 grandparents-to-be got to together and gave us our very own iPad.  (Which is awesome, by the way!)


But the best news is the adoption tax credit was extended in the "fiscal cliff" deal.  You can read more about it: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/01/04/cliff-deal-made-adoption-tax-credit-permanent.html

 There have been some changes, but as it stands now, though no longer refundable- families that earn less than $150,000 can claim the full $10,000.  This is the best Christmas gift for families and children in the United States.  This helps put adoption back into reach for many families.