Where we are now

Rob and I have been busy settling back into the normal routines of daily life at the Pachciarz household since we arrived back from Bulgaria, but a certain little Bulgarian boy is always on our minds and hearts. We have had more adoption paperwork to do since our return to the states, which has also been keeping us busy such as our USCIS form I-800 (immigration approval) and new medicals and background checks. USCIS sent us a letter yesterday stating that they had received our paperwork earlier in the month and are processing it. Our agency and other friends who have gotten this receipt letter have stated to us that it usually takes another two weeks before the approval arrives. After the approval arrives, a copy of it will be wired to the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria and then begins our wait for a court date.

In the meantime, Rob and I will be taking Julia to the main post office in Nashville to get her passport paperwork done. She is so very excited about traveling to Bulgaria and seeing her brother for the first time. I am hoping that Julia's presence will help with the bonding between us and our little boy and will help him to feel more at ease after we leave the orphanage. Julia is also great with kids younger than she is so I know that she will be teaching her little brother all sorts of new things as soon as they meet. I also wanted Julia to go for another reason. I want her to experience what life is like in another country. I want her to see the similarities between our country and Bulgaria and the differences. I want her to be a part of our son's story.

In other news, I am excited  to report that some very dear friends and my younger sister are planning a "baby" shower for me in the near future. I have begun registering at Target for all the things that I think we will need once our little one gets home such as sippy cups, toddler feeding utensils and clothing. The clothing did make me a little sad when I realized that according to the height and weight charts our little boy who will be four next month is probably wearing 18-24 months since he only weighs about 21 pounds and is 30 inches tall. But, I know this will change quickly after he is home in a loving and nurturing environment and after we have his palate repaired.

The last thing I wanted to let you know before I end this post is that our little one now has a new name and it is Aleksandar! It is from the Greek and it means "defender of men." Rob and I have always loved the name Alexandar, but since my husband is Polish we decided to use the Eastern European spelling of the name. We also thought that was fitting since our little boy is from another Eastern European country. We have also decided to keep our little boy's Bulgarian first name, which I will be able to share with you after we pass court.