What issues/challenges can we expect with a 2 year old

Congratulations on receiving a referral! I am glad to hear the process is moving! I adopted a 2 year old girl from Bulgaia in April 2003. She was very delayed due to some medical issues that have since cleared up. (She could not walk, could not stand without assistance, had no language). She has completely caught up now. It took about 1 year. The orphanages in Bulgaria are really pretty good. I would look for the following things: On the video - does it appear he can hear and see? Does he react when he hears a noise, or his name is called. Honestly ask yourself: does he look normal? When you visit him, bring a toy, and see if he learns to play with it. This was my big thing with my daughter. She was obviously delayed, but she learned how to play with the toys, which told me her brain worked. Another list I belong to recently had a discussion about doctors who specialize in evaluating referrals. Following are 2 doctors that were discussed. I have never used them, so I cannot comment on them. Dr. Jane Aronson in NYC, [url]www.orphandoctor.com.[/url] Dr Dana Johnson at the Univ of Minnesota, Good luck! Kay

Crew - when did you submit your paperwork to Bulgaria? Just wondering long you waited. Thanks, Kay

Crew, Congratulations on receiving a referral. We adopted our son who is 6 from Bourgas Bulgaria in July 04'. He has only been home two months but has really done well. He too had some more significant medical issues but has not let that slow him down!! His english is good for such a short time here. What region is your child from? What are the medical diagnosis? Any hospitalizations?I agree with Kay on what to look for in the video but sometimes it is not a great indicator as the children can be overwhelmed by all of the attention, frightened, or just not cooperate. Trust your heart! I have learned through my adoptions that it is all about faith! Keep us posted! Vicki oh what agency/facillatator are you using?

My daughter was adopted from Russia, just days after her second birthday. She is totally caught up now. She has been home just over a year. She could walk, but like a 16 month old. She is now strong, takes gymnastics classes and can climb anything. I literally could see her legs getting stronger each day. Language was her slowest development area. She was tested three weeks after coming home and could comprehend english like a 16 month old. Comprehension was never an issue. She learned a couple of words immediately, and then slowly added to her vocabulary. At about 6 month of being home she had a big improvement and was only two months behind in language. Once she realized that she could communicate, she was more willing to learn new words, sentences etc. Now she speaks in full sentences, she shares her thoughts etc. The final step in catching up was going to preschool 3 days per week this fall. I have counted sentences that were 12 words long. She knows 3 and 4 syllable words. Her teacher is saying that she speaks better than half of her class. Going straight to a two year old has its moments, but it was fun too. I did put her in a crib, we are waiting for her new bed to come any day now. (Never thought that I would get away with it for this long). She is potty trained, but I didn't push that until she was about 34 months. I wish you a lot of luck with your little one.

Hi Crew, We adopted our 2 year old from Sofia just this past April. First of all I wanted to say how much I remember the fear of all of the "what if's" even after we had met our son. What if he never walks, talks, etc. It is a really scarey thought. I recall the day before we were to go to the notary and gave him his name. I called a good friend back here in the US and I will never forget what he said. He said, Do you need this little boy? I of course said yes. He then said Does he need you? I thought and answered, YES. He then said, Ok then it is settled, Congatulations, you have a son. There is no guarentee even with your biological children. I have to agree with Kay. The orphange care in Bulgaria is amazing. Our son was born at 29 weeks and weighed 2lbs and 2 and a half ozs. It was a miracle that he even lived and now he is a well developed little boy who is thriving! The doctors at Duke Medica Center here in NC could not beleive how well developed he was considering his first two years of life. We, like Kay, took colorful toys with sounds to see how well Danny reacted to them. At 15 months he could not walk, talk, etc. Looking at my son Today, I can not beleive at how well he has done. Words could never say how proud I am of him. He is a healthy, ACTIVE 2 year old that keeps us going 24/7!!!! I wish you the best of luck with your referral. May God bless your journey to bring your child home. Jan Peloquin Mom to Danny B: 2/25/02

Thanks for all your encouragement. It's nice to hear your sucess stories. It reinforces our desire to become parents. We'll be lining up tickets for Bulgaria. My wife, Roumi's, brother who visited the orphanage in Sofia, returned a positive report and promises to get us a picture. We are excited. As to the adoption agency, we are doing it differently. My wife is Bulgarian, I am from the US (and until three years ago had never been to Europe). She will be adopting as a Bulgarian citizen. We completed a home study in the US AND a home study in Bulgaria. We then got on the national registry earlier this year. If you want to share more individually with us our email address is crewcrew@juno.com. Now I'm (Crew) really going to have to learn Bulgarian! Thanks again. Crew & Roumi

I am sooo happy to hear that you have gotten a referral(the meeting must have occurred) and that you have accepted. We are hoping for a 2 year old as well and hope to be following in your footprints shortly. Best of luck and keep us posted. Any movement is encouragement. Did you have to have your FBI prints updated every 6 months?