RIDE TO VISIT FRIENDS (blog post by Austin)

Finally! The day was here. We were going to visit some friends in different town. I wake up next to my dad in the living room. My mom is getting dressed and my little brother is doing what he does best: making noise. (and being a messy eater. He was doing that, too) I got dressed and ate breakfast. (Nutella croissant! Yum!) LG started complaining about not going outside, so I told him we were going on a train. We caught a tram to the train station. Getting on the train was kind of stressful, but we made it. We rode the train for an hour and a half, which was fun, and my ipad made it better! 

When we finally got there, there was some confusion because we didn’t see the people we were meeting. We found them, my mom went to get tickets for our trip home, and their mom went to get a tram pass for getting to the park. We hopped on the next tram and rode all the way to the first park. It was pretty cool. There was a giant wooden frog that you could ‘drive’. It also had a slide on its back.  There was also a big zipline that was a fish that looked kind of like a ship wreck. à |\_______/| 

We played there for a little while and then went to a restaurant. It was good but there was too much for me to eat. I had a chicken cheese quesadilla and a little bit of LG’s pizza. After that, we went to a big playground, but I didn’t like that one that much. We took a tiny tram to go get ice cream. (I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream, LG still just screams.) After ice cream, we said good bye and started walking to the train station. Right when we were getting there, it started to sprinkle, then rain, then POUR. By the time we got there, I was dripping wet. We got a few drinks, then then went to our train. When we got back, LG was falling asleep. We took a tram home and LG is getting put to bed.

ANOTHER GOOD DAY

After Tony received a full night sleep, we were able to take Tony to all the spots he missed that last time and some of our new favorites. 

LG showed Tony is mad zipline skills and the big playground. Austin demonstrated his favorite exercise equipment. After a full morning at the the park we headed down mains street to the grocery store and bakery. Most shops are closed on Sunday so it was pretty quiet around town. 

In the afternoon George paid us a visit and went over our itinerary for the remainder of our trip: 

June 28th: US Embassy visit
June 29th: Social worker visit 
July 8th: Finalize LG’s adoption in the city we started in (They call it ‘decision date’) and head to stay in Budapest for our remaining time. 
July 8-12: wait on LG’s visa, passport and a Dr. appointment.


After George left we went for a walk, got ice cream and heading to the small park.   

Once LG was fast asleep I joined Austin and Tony to watch the Euro2016 soccer game of the country we are in. Unfortunately they lost. The streets were pretty quiet around here. 

Thank you for your prayers,  LG slept great tonight! Looking forward to more nights like this! 

Please pray for a successful trip to the Embassy and for LG to adjust to moving (first to embassy city then US). 

WAITING FOR PAPPA

Yesterday was the day we’ve been waiting for for two weeks! Tony is back with us!!! 

I knew it was going to be a warm day, so I need to get the sheets out to dry as soon as possible. After stripping the bed the boys decided it was a great time to play in the blanket and pillows. After quite a while at playing we headed off to go grocery shopping. 

Not soon after we left the house did I realize that we were low on Forints and would not have any USD cash to exchange until Tony got here later on the afternoon. So we spent the day looking around the malls. Then we headed off for coffee (there’s always enough money for coffee!). We spent the rest the afternoon resting and waiting for Tony. We colored, built forts, watched a movie, and played with toys. 

Tony arrives! At 4:30 Tony arrives at our door and although he’s exhausted, he’s ready to try to stay awake as long as possible to get on this time zone (6 hrs ahead). So we headed off for ice cream and a walk. It is taking a while for LG to adjust to Tony again. He keeps questioning who Tony is and we keep playing the name game. He’ll point at Tony and say a name and then say no, point at me and say name and say yes, then point at Austin and say his name and say yes. This occurs over and over. LG can be quite a worrier sometimes (understandably). So it’s taking him a while to really understand who Tony is. Tony, Austin, and LG hit it off playing with the trains and blocks and having fun before bedtime. Although LG had a poor night sleep and so did I, we are ready to start the day.

IT FEELS LIKE SUMMER!

(I'm catching up on a few days of posts that I missed from Jen ;-P)

It is quite warm here. This is not ‘usual’ according to some locals. Most places don’t have air conditioning for homes. And shops that have it never get quite cool. So your best bet is shade of a tree, building, or umbrella.

We found some reprieve from the heat by going to the park early and coming home to our air conditioning (thank goodness!!) for the main part of the day.

At the park we had the zip line to ourselves, this was a first and I felt comfortable having LG try without too many other kids waiting. He loved it! He is quite the dare devil:). Austin went a gazillion times and even I got in the mix! These are the best things! I wish U.S. parks would have them!

Also an interesting thing to note, for all my mom friends that dread going to the park only to have a daycare bus show up- it happens here too! Thank goodness they chose the older park over the furthermost park! So it wound up ok.

We refreshed with Juice and a pretzel. And a couple errands.

When we arrived home the cooking lady, Alina (my poor English translation) made another amazing meal for lunch! Austin was super happy about the main course! First was an amazing meat soup, I am learning to like soup even in summer! Then for the main course pancakes filled with Nutella or vanilla curd cheese! So amazing! Austin said I needed to get the recipe from her :) I wish I could have her come every week we are here!

After LG's nap we went out again, this time to cool off in the local bubbling spouting water. LG really got into it until he got all his clothes wet then he was DONE and wanted to go. Austin said it was to hot to go in the fountain. (???)

We ended the night listening to live music and a dancing part of a No Drugs campaign and they had games set up so Austin and I played tether ball, ping pong, basketball, soccer, and the boys even got to go in the trampoline! LG’s first time and loved it!

For those praying we had a great night sleep! Continue praying.

Also pray for LG's transition of having Tony back.

Day 26

(I'm catching up on a few days of posts that I missed from Jen ;-P)

Can you believe it!?! 26 days we have been here!! Life has changed dramatically since May 28! God has been so kind and gracious to us!

I have met some wonderful English speaking people (the Hungarian speaking are probably nice too but I don’t understand them :)) and shared our story to several of them.

Today was a down (quiet) day. We all woke up and started moving around late so we got to the park later(hot), we took a different way home to try to stay in the shade. Our normal way is direct sun between two buildings so we were craving some shade! Then early ice cream at the popular place then headed home for naps and lunch.

We got to FaceTime with Tony and LG’s favorite part is hanging up :) he says bye (with a southern drawl) and wants to push the hang up button. Ha!

I convinced Austin to go to a new coffee shop with promise of trying one of the desserts. LG surprised me by putting his sandals in with no socks! This is an Hungarian thing. Apparently older people believe you will be infertile if you have your feet exposed. This is that first them he has gone out with out socks and is slowly warming up to not wearing them around the house.

At the coffee shop, they had tons of coffee options around the world. I wanted something cold but was concerned the term ‘iced’ would be poorly represented. I ordered a Javan Iced Orange Mocha. Not much ice but DELICIOUS! Austin ordered Becsi Opera Torta cake. It was divine. I will be back!

Home we went after a bit to relax and play. I made spaghetti for dinner and love the noodles!

LG has started to get the hang of building with Legos and decided he wanted to take pictures with my phone. He discovered the Burst mode :) lots of deletes but lots of fun.

Another great bath, and easy bedtime. LG continues to be restless most of the night. Continue to pray.

TRAVEL TO THE CASTLE

Today we decided to take a tram trip to the castle. Tony wants to go to the castle so the boys wanted to take a tram ride (or Austin wanted to take a tram ride) so we took the tram out to the castle but did not tour it yet, we will do that once Tony comes back in town.

It’s getting quite warm out here! I guess it’s good to prepare us for traveling back home to hot Atlanta!

While at the castle we decided to get ice cream and on the way home from the tram we found a bubbling water spot to stick our feet in. LG is becoming quite brave at new things he even took his shoes and socks off and walked on the pavement!

After LG’s nap we FaceTimed Tony and then headed out to the park. LG actually went on something other than the baby swing! For a little while anyway.

We made it home just in time to start hearing the crowds root for the home team. I had some challenges getting the soccer game on but with Tony’s help we got the cable working on the TV and I watched the second half. Another tie! Everyone was pretty excited around here.

Bath and bedtime were quite uneventful (thank you for your prayers!) However LG is still having restless nights sleep and I’ve decided that the only way to describe it is that he flops around like a fish out of water.

It doesn’t help him or me that our bed is like sleeping on a soft box spring. So the comfort level is not very high and every movement is felt in the springs.

Pray for sleep and my back (from sleeping on the bed).

SUMMERTIME FUN!

Today we went in search of a new park to play in. LG was very excited that it had a baby swing.

Then we walked to the bakery to get hot dog rolls again.

Next home for a nap, ice cream, big park with lot of sandbox playing!

Home in time for 6:30 dinner and everyone was shower by 8. LG is really taking to the bath and I had to kick him out again tonight :) It was a miracle!!

We then played and watched movies till 9:45 then headed to bed.

LG went to bed without much fuss but had a restless night sleep.

(From a far...for me ;-), it's been amazing to watch God answer prayers for us. We aren't naive enough to think we are home free but we do know that things have gone as well as they have only because God has been with us and answering prayers. Thank you all for your continued support and prayers for our family. We can never fully express how much it has meant to us!  - Tony)

Catching Up

(Jen put up multiple posts today to catch up on what's been going on. I'm putting all of them into one post here on this blog)

(Sunday)

Night time madness

It is 10:30 at night and this kid FINALLY fell asleep. I am exhausted and DONE. Austin and I are nitpicking each other because we are both tired. This is life right now. Dishes aren’t done, no shower was had, and I am exhausted. To add to my poor choices of adoption parenting I let him go with out a pull-up hoping that would help him sleep and not flail around and wake himself up (and me!). Well, he had an accident and I found myself pulling wet sheets off the bed at 1:30am and sleeping on the floor. Not my day!

The next morning I felt God refill me with love and grace to start another day. The sun was shining and my super team at Lifeline sent me these encouraging words and you all are praying for me.

Rachel, the Lifeline Eurasia program director we work closely with reminded me yesterday:

We frequently see that nighttime has been scary for children prior to being adopted. There are a variety of reasons for this. It may take some time for him to feel safe and comfortable at nighttime. Going to bed with him is not something you would have to do long term, but maybe until he feels more secure and attached. We’ve seen other children respond well to this for a period of time until they learned that mom (and dad) will still be there the next morning.

And Lynn from Lifeline Post Adoption support reminded me:

You are in survival mode for the next few weeks until you can get him home so do what works best while still maintaining some structure and routine. You are working on that relationship and building trust right now with him the trust is more important than the task at this point. So think, how can I accomplish the goal of getting clean without the struggle/trauma. Same with the bedtime routine.

I will trust in the Lord, and he will guide my path.

(Monday)

THANKFUL THE DAYS ARE GREAT

After that rough night we all woke up a little apprehensive about how the day would go. LG was a little on edge after the bed wetting and the change of sleeping arrangements. So we just took the morning slow. Lots of tablet time, dishes, sheet washing, and breakfast. Soon we felt we were ready to face the world and headed out. Since stores are closed on Sunday for the most part we didn't get to buy water so off we went to the supermarket, Inter Spar. This is a large store in a mall and we are able to buy pretty much anything we want or want to try. The challenge is- you by it you carry it (at least in our case). So we are cautious not to over purchase.

We first decided to walk around the mall, I got a macchiato and got the boys drinks of their choosing. 

Then we saw a book store, we thought it would be a cool souvenir to have a Hungarian Lego book. Austin used the Google Translate app to read some of it.
Now off to by groceries. We had a list and made our selections. As we checked out I thought the peppers were priced individually since they didn’t have a vegetable number (you have to get a price label in the production section and stick it to your bag the sign tells you why number your produce is ex- bananas are #1 so you weigh them our put on quantity and a label spits out). So the lady looks at me and me at her since I can’t clearly speak to her about it. I finish checking out and Austin is putting the food in the cart and accidentally drops grapes all over the floor. Now I am trying to pick up grapes, pay and finish putting our grocery in the cart. One lady handed me a bag to put the dropped fruit on which was nice. Now I’m flustered. Since Austin will only eat peppers for vegetables (don’t get me started) I knew I had to still get peppers. So I left Austin with LG at the cart (bad mistake). LG chose to call for me and Austin starts telling him ‘no’. Now something you need to know- kids are seen and not heard here and EVERYONE is quiet. I mean really quiet. So you can imagine these Americans being loud just put me at ease right!?! Finally peppers bought, bags filled and I wind up with all the grocery bags.

Glad to be out of the store and heading home! 

Lunch and LG took a nap then playtime! We built a fort and we played with a beach ball. LG has a good hard throw! We chased each other and had a lot of fun.

Off for ice cream and the park to finish off our day. Now to make dinner. Praying for no excessive whining from LG. I have to constantly remind him we will eat and sometimes he wants to sit in the kitchen while I cook. My big concern is the kitchen is very small and the small gas stove is too easy to access. Today it didn’t take long and Austin was able to keep him occupied with the tablet and soon dinner was on the table!

Then trains and cars and coloring!

(Monday Night)

ANSWER TO PRAYERS- THANK YOU!!!

LG has not liked showers at the apartment and Lynn suggested I try a wash cloth bath tonight and that worked great! LG loves to blow dry his hair even though he does not like it being wet, so I let him do that part. He even let me put on lotion!

He is now sitting quietly on the bed watching a movie while Austin takes a shower. Hoping I can get one in too! Otherwise I might start taking them during his nap. I will start putting him to bed with me at 10
—–
Sooooo during typing this LG wanted to watch Austin take a shower Austin agreed even though he is quite modest. LG really wanted to get in the bathtub. He was quite nervous but after a while he was brave enough to do so!!! The rest was history, LG was washing himself with soap he was spraying himself with the shower! This shower is a little more challenging since there is no shower curtain and the hot and cold are separate gears. I have to remove him from the bath so I could take one before bed!

Praising God for answered prayer tonight!

Now he’s sitting and playing trains while I get ready to take a shower and then we will all go to bed at the same time.

I was afraid LG would put up a fuss over his pull-up but he only fussed a bit and a little more when I put him on the bed. Austin, LG and I said prayers. We all then went to bed about 10:15.

LG laid his head down and quietly fell asleep! He then proceeded to sleep calmly the whole night through!!! I of course was so afraid he was going to wake up (and this bed isn't that comfortable) I didn’t sleep as soundly BUT I could finally rest!

Thank you all for your help and your support and your prayers! Keep them coming!

Give Thanks In All Circumstances

Today we started at the park after a very restless night sleep. 

LG was mesmerized by a dad playing/chasing his kids. Soon we walked to the larger playground where many families were playing on a Sunday morning. LG loves little kids and can just stand there watching them and their interaction with their parents . He knows the slides, ladder, and tunnels. 

Austin and I decided to change our routine and go for ice cream in the early afternoon, Sunday’s many places are closed so it was quiet waking around town.

On our way home from ice cream a bakery was open and I thought I would get the boys ‘pigs in a blanket’ for lunch as I had just seen a little girl with one. So in the delicious bakery we went, I point ordered the two 'pigs in a blankets’ (I’ll get the real name next time) I also got some other amazing carbs goodness. Then as we checked LG’s smile convinced the cashier to give him a huge pretzel with garlic and cheese. It was soo good and that wound up being lunch.

Austin said 'There one good thing about little brothers free food!' 

Then a nap. After the nap we walked around the boyla boyla park (swing). LG only likes the baby swings and this is the park that has them. So off we go to enjoy some swing time. 

Then a walk home the whole time LG saying nem (no) meaning he doesn’t want to go home. Why you might ask? Because he know that leads to bed time, our darkest hours. 

Pray for us please every night between 7-10 our time (1-4pm est). 

Pray, I thank God for each and little thing he has give the me today and always to remind me that he is in control. 

From the Power of a Simple Prayer by Max Lacado 'Don’t be too quick in your assessment of God’s gifts to you. Thank him. Moment by moment. Day by day.’

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬ 

http://bible.com/111/1th.5.18.niv

TO THE ZOO

Our next outing I let Austin choose what to do, he however is looking forward to the outing as we had planned once Tony comes back. So today we decided to go to the zoo. After going to the tourism center and getting tickets we took the tram and then a bus to the zoo. After getting off the bus the driver indicated that we would need to call to find out exactly what time the bus would be returning to pick up (this is a problem!). You see I talk in charades around here so phone conversations are not gonna happen. We went in and enjoyed the zoo looking at all the animals. I’m still amazed at the lack of barriers between you and the animals. Some of the animals have a sign that warning you that the animal will bite. After a while both boys were hot and tired and I decided I needed to figure out how to get back on the bus. So I said a little prayer and ask God to make sure the bus picked us up. :) 

As we arrived at the bus station the sign indicated the bus would arrive at 1:15 so I decided to wait to 20 minutes to see if the bus actually arrived before calling Adam to help translate over the phone. Two other ladies arrived at the bus stop and were talking about the phone number they were able to call and confirm the bus should be arriving at 1:15. So now I can sigh in relief knowing we won’t have to walk back to the tram. :)

LG and I took a late two hour nap and when we woke up we started our afternoon routine. Off to the grocery store and for ice cream. Today we noticed the crowds were gathering in the Square which only met one thing – there was a soccer game going on tonight! So down to the grocery store to get bread, Carlsberg beer, and chocolate croissants (the essentials). The most popular ice cream’s shop in town had a very short line on our way home so we decided to stop there Austin was able to get Nutella ice cream! Soon after we ordered our ice cream the line began to form again. (They give big scoops)

So we arrived home, opened the windows listen to the crowds cheering for the home team as we watch the game on our computer and played and colored. We are excited that Hungary tied Iceland. We are becoming fans of Euro 2016!! We enjoyed the leftovers from the night before and we all went to bed at 10 ready to do it again tomorrow!