Life in Miskolc

Hungarian adoption law requires families to stay in the country for 30 days, which started last Thursday for us when the kids came into our custody. After the 30 days, we have to travel to Budapest and stay there a few more days for final appointments regarding important documents, doctor visits, and passports.

The kids have been doing great adjusting to a new life in an apartment with two people who don't speak their language. So far, they've slept through the night, going to sleep at 8:30 and waking up around 6:15 a.m.. (This morning we heard little feet at 6:00 a.m.) The first two nights we slept upstairs with them so we could learn their routine and be there in case anything happened. After two full nights of sleep, we came back downstairs to our area.

So far, they have eaten everything we've put in front of them. The cooking situation is somewhat complicated. I enjoy cooking but there's a twist here since I can't read the labels or directions on any food items. We've had pretty basic stuff for lunch and dinner like sandwiches, pizza, and spaghetti. We found some white, mushroom sauce and made a casserole for dinner with pasta and veggies. Gareth made ham and cheese omelets one day for dinner. The kids loved it!

Each day our goal is to plan something “fun” away from the apartment to do. We need one thing, other than the games and activities at the apartment, to look forward to to help pass the time and keep us occupied. On Saturday we rented a paddle boat on the lake at the park for about $5. Everyone got a chance to drive and get wet under the fountain in the middle of the lake. Sunday we went for a walk to get ice cream. Yum! Today we got really brave, bought bus tickets, and rode public transportation (by ourselves with the kids!) to a different park. I'm happy to report that we all made it there and back in one piece! :)

Tomorrow, Tuesday, we will ride to Budapest for our 1:00 p.m. appointment at the U.S. Embassy to apply for the kids' VISAs. It's a 3 hour trip one way, which isn't a lot of fun, but it's a change of scenery and we're kinda excited about that.

Wednesday is our 3 year anniversary! Is anyone available to come babysit so we can go out? (haha!) I'm so thankful for these past 3 years. We spent half of it trying to get here! It's kinda cool that we get to remember our wedding while we're here. Most likely we'll all go for a walk back to the ice cream shop to celebrate...I have a feeling we'll be at that place a lot.

Your messages and comments of encouragement mean a lot to us. We look forward to reading them when we can. The past couple of days have been a huge adjustment for all of us. We wish we were home so you could meet our kids already and be with our family and friends, but we'll be there soon!

4 official days down, 30 more until home!