Day 1 in Sofia

We've had a pretty nice day so far. Annie has been doing well with us. She LOVES Daddy and right now wavers between liking me and tolerating me. Lol. She LOVES to eat. At breakfast she had scrambled eggs, bacon (more like a ham steak, but it was bacon), some sort of sweet bread, orange juice, and a few bites of my unsweetened cocoa puffs with milk that tasted like water (low fat maybe?). Lol. She ate more than Evan and I, but considering Evan had a sick stomach, that's not surprising. We got ready to go out (we added a layer of fleece to what she is wearing in the pictures, then a heavy coat).

We stopped at the front desk for a map and directions. They pointed out some parks, a zoo, told us where KFC was (we asked). It seemed like it was going to be a lot further, from looking at the map, than it really was. We were a bit nervous at first about crossing the street, but we quickly learned to stay with a group of people and cross when they did. Lol. We each held one of Annie's hands, which was a good idea because in some places the sidewalk was so uneven (on the side streets mostly) I'm surprised none of us fell. I almost did. ;) But I'm a klutz, so maybe that isn't saying anything about the sidewalk. Lol.

We walked around a bit first. My friend, Denise, had given me directions and although it seemed confusing to me at first (I so need directions and a map and possibly a GPS all at once ;)), everything made perfect sense once we were out on the street. We went in a store called Ugly Fox. There was a skirt I really wanted, but I didn't feel comfortable trying anything on, so we went on our way. Once we got down near McDonald's, we crossed the street and came back the other side. We were pleased to see that we recognized the street from yesterday, as the immigration (or migration as is written on their cars) office is there. We stopped in a toy store, where Annie asked for a doll. I wanted to find with a soft body and when I pointed out Cabbage Patch dolls, she practically screeched with delight and declared that she wanted the blond haired blue eyed doll. LOL. I showed her a brown haired doll, but she wanted the blond. She calls her doll Coca Barbie. I am not sure what that means, but it is a small Cabbage Patch doll dressed as a fairy. I am not sure that I've ever seen CP dolls that small in the US. It's like a mini one.

After we got back to the intersection where KFC was, we crossed back over and went into KFC to eat. Right next to KFC there is a place called Papaya's. All they sell is desserts from what I could tell (totally my kind of place!). Evan said he wanted to go in the first time we passed it (note to self- NEVER turn down the offer to go in a sweet shop again! lol), but by the time we'd walked around and eaten, he no longer wanted to. Darn. We stood in KFC for a few minutes, debating who would order (because I know a few more words in Bulgarian than Evan, literally only a few though!) but I don't like ordering, but we weren't sure if Annie would throw a fit if I tried to go sit down with her... So we eventually went up to the counter to order and the lady spoke English. Afterward I told Evan she was probably thinking we were pretty stupid, thinking no one could understand us. LOL.

The food tasted just like KFC back home, except they had real fries, not the nasty potato wedge fries that US KFC serves. The only bad thing was they charged 50 leva cents per ketchup packet, so Evan made do with 2 packets, which cost about 70 US cents (35 US cents a packet). We shared a large chicken strip meal between the three of us, plus a small fanta for Annie. Evan LOVED that they served the Pepsi without ice, but the large size wasn't very large at all and I don't think they give free refills. Next time we will ask when we order.

After KFC, we went back to the Ugly Fox, where I got the skirt I'd had my eye on. The lady gestured for me to try it on, but I said no. I was feeling more comfortable, but not enough to try it on (I have no problem trying stuff on in US stores, so Idk why I was so uncomfortable). So we just bought it. (Just wait, there is a funny story coming later.) Then we stopped at a stand to get soda, water, and snacks for the hotel room. They sell huge bottles of Coke and water here. The waters were like 90 leva cents (not sure what you call cents here), the cokes were 2 leva and are 1.25L. Evan carried all of that, although by now we were wishing we had a backpack. Our next trip we will look for a black backpack or something that will blend in. The only backpack we have, besides Annie's little princess one, is Evan's Army one and he doesn't want to wear it in public because it is basically advertising that he is in the US Army. We stopped briefly in Dunkin Donuts, only because I said if we did, I would carry the donuts, the skirt, and Annie's doll. Lol. We made it back to the hotel, a bit proud that we'd made it without incident. Lol. You can laugh. I am. ;) I noticed on the way back that the price of soda and candy in the shops on the same street as our hotel was a bit cheaper than we'd paid at a stand, but we couldn't see the shops from the side of the street we'd been on coming out. Oh well, we know for next time and it wasn't that much cheaper, although the closer proximity is definitely a reason to buy there instead.
Now for the funny skirt story. I had held the skirt up to my hips and it seemed like it would fit. It is a long skirt, ankle length, which I have been wanting. It really is a beautiful skirt. It has pleats sewn in the top, opening up to a full skirt and it is denim. When I went to try it on at the hotel room, I couldn't get it past my thighs. Hmmm.... Evan asked if I had tried putting it on over my head, like a dress. No.... So he helped me. And guess what? I got stuck. ROFL. Or I might have been if I hadn't been stuck in the skirt. We managed to get it under my chest, but it was not going down any further.... Thankfully my husband doesn't lose his head and he was able to ease the skirt back up over my chest and shoulders and get me loose. Before we'd slipped it over my head I kept saying, WHY doesn't it fit, it is the same width as my jeans! Well, once we had it stuck on me, I realized why! In the US, you rarely see jeans made for women or girls that are not STRETCH denim. Seriously. Besides Wranglers, I haven't even been able to find any for the last few years. So even though I registered that the skirt was heavy, it never occurred to me WHY it was heavy. Even if I had realized why it was heavy, it might not have occurred to me that I would need a larger size since it was "regular" denim. I'm dense like that. Lol. Not only that, but even if the store had an exchange policy, they only had the one skirt. But I told Evan that is okay- I am going to keep it and maybe it will encourage me to lose the weight I have been wanting to lose! :) And I will always get a chuckle when I think of getting stuck in it.

Annie is really doing well. She is currently making Evan dance and she is shrieking with laughter. The funny thing is, half the time when we ask her something in English, she will reply appropriately (da or neh) in Bulgarian. If I didn't know better, I would swear she understands English to an extent. Lol. We are having to teach her many things you wouldn't think about- like to take ONE bite of food and chew it before taking another. If left to her own devices, she will shove everything on her plate into her mouth. At KFC, she tried to shove a whole chicken strip into her mouth (and we aren't talking about dainty little chicken pieces). I would tell her no and have her take a bite, then set the strip down. One fry at a time. By the end of the meal she was eating how we wanted her to, but I suspect it is something she will need to be reminded of for awhile.

We didn't find Annie a coat, which I had wanted to. Actually, we did find one I wanted, and if we can't find one that fits well, we may go back and buy that one (and I just won't think about the price because it was almost $30 usd). It was Adidas, I think that is why it was so much. It was the only jacket I saw that looked remotely her size, but it was several sizes too large. The others we saw were all too small.

Lol. Right now Annie and Evan are woofing at each other and she is shrieking and yelling and ordering Evan around. She keeps pointing at him and telling me various things. She is so delighted to have his attention! I think she is calling him a peesa or beetha (maybe dog? maybe I don't want to know?. Lol! I thought maybe she called a dog on the street the same thing. Every time we saw an animal, I pointed it out and told her what it was- dog, cat, etc. She was very excited. She had a conversation with a lady in a store that we went to, but the only thing I understood was that we were her Mama and Daddy. Lol. We do have a piece of paper that says we adopted her, just in case. And yes, we carry it with us everywhere. ;)

And now, what everyone really wants, pictures. In the pictures, Annie is wearing a 24 mos outfit. She really needs 3t for length, but waist she is probably an 18 mos. The weird thing is, she doesn't seem skinny or starved at all, she is just tiny. She is solid. Not thick or fat, just petite but solid. And in case you are wondering, yes she is wearing tights under her leggings and no I did not purchase them here. I got them at Walmart in AZ. ;) It's only supposed to be in the 30-40's today, but it didn't seem that cold, maybe because it's not windy. To go outside she wore more layers than in the picture. I wouldn't want her to get cold- or to have a babushka scold me. Lol.