Hello, How are you?

View from our apartment, of Mt Ararat!

Gorgeous Sunset!

We arrived at the orphanage around 10am, before our translator.She said she would be there shortly.So we walked up, by this point we are feeling fairly comfortable around all of his caregivers so it wasn't super awkward or anything.It was Music day, and Owen really wanted to attend.He asked if we could go too, and of course we said yes !It was so fun watching him interact with all of his friends and play with the instruments.He really enjoys singing and shaking the little shaker things. They were singing Christmas and kids songs.

I feel like this visit went by so fast because before we knew it , it was lunch time. So we left and walked around the city some more.

We headed back to his orphaange around . He was in the playroom with his friends when we got there. He was excited to go for a walk today, but we decided not to. We felt it would help if we stayed in the orphanage and played together. We wanted to call Ethan and Ashlyn before they left their grandmas house for the day. So the translator stepped out of the room while we made the call.

He really enjoyed talking to his brother and sister ! He even got to talk to his grandma Jersey (Its what we call my mother in law because she lives in NJ ;) ) When she said Hello, he yelled "Hello, How are you?" In perfect English. Needless to say Grandma Jersey was not expecting that at all. Ethan and ashlyn got on the phone and were talking to Owen. Ethan asked if we were going to bring brother home, and I had to explain that it wasn't going to happen this trip, but the next one. It so hard trying to explain to 4 year olds that our family is separated right now. They dont understand, and cant grasp that there is paper work to be done and fees to be raised. All they know is that family is supposed to be together. And it hurts my heart.

We noticed that without the translator present Owen seemed to be making more effort to interact with us and communicate with us. So after our phone call was over we asked if she would mind stepping out again. She completely understood, and didn't mind one bit. While we were alone in the room we were playing with the ball just rolling it back and forth between the three of us. We were blowing bubbles which he really loved ! At one point the ball rolled behind him so I reached to grab it. He reached up and grabbed my arm. He pulled it towards his face and in that moment I thought "oh man. He is totally about to bite my arm." .... But he didn't. He kissed my hand instead ! Again, that boy melted my heart. He had absolutely no reason to trust us when we first got there. We started the week as complete strangers and by the end we were trusted friends. He wanted to be near us. He wanted to sit with us. He wanted to interact with us. Which were all things that we had hoped would happen but didn't expect to happen.

While none of that means it will be an easy transition once we come home, it gives us hope that maybe it will be a little easier than we expected. Even though I want to be clear that we do not expect and smooth, uneventful transition home. Children who come from hard places have a lot of trust to build. And while his orphanage is "good" its an orphanage, not a family. Every adoption starts with a profound loss, one that we can not even imagine. So it will take time for him to adjust to his new life, his new family and his new home.

The best bread,ever!

After we were done playing with the ball we went into the dining room. Him and Tony were playing together, and by that I mean Owen thought it was funny to roll really fast on his zipzac by Tony to see if Tony could "catch" him. It was seriously the cutest darn thing ever. He would let out this sweet little giggle every time Tony caught him and if Tony didnt, he would zoom back by !

We left at supper time and went to eat at a Georgian Restaurant in the city. It was so yummy !!!! I seriously love food, like a lot. So I am not hard to please but it was delicious ! We will definitely be eating there again when we go back !

I have no idea what I ate, but it was awesome ! :)

To Make things easier for those of you reading our blog I am going to keep our adoption fees on each post. That way you will know where we are in the process and wont have to search old posts to figure out what we have left and where we stand. Please feel free to share any of our blog posts with your friends or family. The more people that know about our process and know about our sweet little guy means more people praying for us. I am a big believer in prayer, praying works !

Remaining Adoption Fees:

 Final international fee: ($2,000)
Hosting-will include apartment, translator and transportation: ($4600)
Post placement fees: ($1400)
Visa for Owen to come home: ($325)--almost covered--
Estimated expenses for airfare and in country expenses:  about $4500

Thank you for taking the time to read about our journey!