This afternoon we just spent time together in the apartment. We read books and sorted the pattern blocks. We know that Grace can count to ten in Bulgarian, sort pattern blocks by color and shape, and answers to Grace, Daniela, Danielka, or Gracie Daniela. We made meatloaf and fried potatoes and she asked for more and more meatloaf. We also didn't ask her if she had to go to the bathroom as often and she told us twice that she needed to go. She has been dry any time she is not wearing diapers which she calls "pampers." She has really figured out what "please" means and she uses it any time she wants something and anytime that we have told her "no."
Rosi stopped by today while we were napping and brought us the packet of papers required to be handed over to the immigration officer which is about 1 1/2 inches thick. We also got her visa and passport, so we are ready to go. All she has to do to be an American citizen is touch US soil. We were really glad that we were given her xrays, too. We have images of her chest and kidneys. This might keep us from having to put her through more unnecessary tests.
She started crying at bath time again when she heard the water start running, but as soon as Mark turned off the water, she was fine. She sat in the tub, poured water over her head, and had a ball. I keep wondering what happened that made her love playing in water and hate hearing it run out of the faucet.
This afternoon we remembered that the orphanage had given us her photo album and we went through the photos with her. The last page in the book has a photo of Grace on it that has been damaged by some water. This actually made us happy to see. It means that the book didn't just sit on a shelf after we left it there. Grace looked at the album and had a special name that sounded something like "adabe baba" that she used when she saw the pictures of her two grandmothers. I think the "aunties" must have been commenting about the album as they talked to her. She pointed out to us the picture of Blaise on a bicycle and say "policia" which she often says when she hears a siren, so we think that she has the idea that he is a bicycle policeman. She also said "kade tate" when she looked at the large family photo of my family and found him in the photo. She could identify mama, tate, baba, and diado and also noticed the photos that had cars in them and pointed to them in the pictures. She told us that some of the photos were of her new home (novia dom). I am so glad to know that she was being reminded of us and prepared to leave by people who knew and loved her.
The "aunties" also gave us the photo of the 3 of us that we took on the first trip and had put into a foam craft frame that Grace decorated with stickers. They had told us they would put it up by her bed, but we didn't really think they would do that. The photo frame had tape still stuck to the back of it, so we know that they did have it hung up for her to look at. I am so thankful that these wonderful women cared about her and tried to make this transition easier for her. The only thing that we didn't get back was the doll that we gave her, but we bought two of them and an identical one is sitting at home waiting for her on her bed.
Yesterday she told Rosi that her friend Emanwewe was not at the orphanage anymore because her parents had come and picked her up, but then Grace told Rosi that it was okay because her mama and tate had taken her, too.
We were able to talk to Adam, Blaise, Larry, and Sara on Skype video tonight which was exciting and really got Grace worked up. Vince is just on his way home from school. She kept laughing and trying to feed the computer images crackers and water. Everybody cooperated and opened their mouths on the videos to take her gifts. The boys even made silly faces and tried to talk to her in Bulgarian...They remembered to say, "Tova e brat" which means "I am your brother." She talked to them like they understood her, too, and she laughed and played while Mark played the chasing and tickling game with her. She was so worked up at bedtime that it took her a long time to go to sleep.
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