FIRST VISIT- DAY TWO

This morning started wonderfully with a little breakfast and then skyping home with my parents and Rowdy!!! Oh how I love our sweet happy joyful boy!! He was so happy to see us...and show us all the toys he has been playing with.  We sang a coupe songs and enjoyed a few minutes of interaction. We miss him, but he is having so much fun with Gpa and Gma and that definitely eases our hearts.

Our coordinator picked us up at 9am and first stop was to pick up the district social worker. This is a person who needed to evaluate us and our interaction with our girl because she will be present in court hearing to give an account of our meeting and her opinion about our adopting. I was slightly nervous about this meeting as I had heard that there are some district social workers in this area that are VERY anti American and anti- adoption. But as soon as she got in the van she was all smiles and so excited to have the opportunity to meet us. She interviewed us on the way to the baby house..."Were the grandparents supportive of our adopting? You work part-time, what do you do about childcare while working? Asked if Rowdy would be jealous, how would he deal with new situation?" She seemed to be very happy with all the answers we provided. Before I knew it, we were pulling up to the gate of the cheerful baby house.

We entered through the same side door, up the stairs to the landing to put our scrub booties on. We were led upstairs to LARGE playroom/music room....it was a bright cheerful room. Windows lined both side walls...so there was beautiful like peaking through the white lace curtains. We were told to wait and they would bring our sweet girl up to us. 

A couple minutes later up the stairs and into the room walked the most beautiful little, our love...hand in hand with a caregiver. Today she was wearing a cozy little pink dress, with tights, and same SUPER cute piggy tails today! She had the sweetest fuzzy mess of bed head in the back today too. She walked right over to me and let me pick her up. She gives some GREAT bear hugs...so loving. 

Lance and I had almost two full hours with her this morning!!! It seemed wonderfully long! :) Soaking up every moment with our little girl...she is just so perfect. We were shocked that after about 3 minutes the social worker had seen enough, and was ready to leave, I think there was absolutely no question that we love this little girl...she said, "She is very lucky to have parents like you...I will see you again at the time of court!" My heart was spilling over with joy...the social worker seemed genuinely excited about us, about her, and about this adoption, which was much relief!!!

Today we played with giant foam shapes (think gymnastics colorful foam blocks). Lance the master of fort building, was coming up with all sorts of combinations, having her climb through tunnels and around pillars. This is Lance's element, he is known to build quite the fortress! We brought out the musical toy again today, and confirmed...she LOVES music!!! Dancing, laughing, cooing...just loved it!

There were also MANY stuffed animals in the room and she was so sweet walking up to them petting them, hugging them, and kissing all of them...SO SWEET!!!! We had MANY more smiles from her today, and even some chuckles. She is quite ticklish on the knees/thighs and has the CUTEST "Smizing Eyes" when she smiles (this is a term we have lovingly called an expression of Rowdy's, when he smiles with his whole face, and his squint into little lines and his eyes literally do the smiling!) 

She loves to be down on her feet, she is very independent and will let you know what she wants and what she doesn't.  She is VERY loving, giving hugs and kisses, and just extremely easy going...go with the flow baby. She wanted to badly to play the piano in the room, she kept going over to it again and again.

Half way through our meeting today...two caregivers led a groupa of about 7 children into the room and had them sit on the little red chairs that were lined in a half circle around the piano. They were all SO beautiful, all sneaking sideways glances of us...I can imagine they were very curious to who we were. We held our girl on our lap and were able to participate in the music lesson...there was a music teacher at the piano tells stories and singing songs and made the children giggle and sing along. At one point, the teacher passed our some little wooden spoons that you would bang together on rhythm with the song...and then brought our little her own spoons to participate and to bang along with the music...you could see her light up when the piano started to play and away she went with the banging of those spoons! The children were soooo sweet, I snuck in kind smiles at every opportunity to each one of those children who would sneak a look in our directions, this typically caused them to return an embarrassed smile. It just seemed like a sweet little class, a sunday school circle time...but these sweet children were orphans...no mommy or daddy...no visitors. I tried to just hold our sweet girl while they were present and not be too overly lovey dovey in front of them, i could see the questions in their eyes, in every expression...after about 15 minutes, they all stood up, and were instructed to wave and tell us goodbye...Das Vadanya (written how it sounds!) they said it over and over again waving and waving as they walked to the door that would take them back down to their groupa room. 

We also went through Rush's medical history with the doctor/director of the orphanage. Learned in detail any information they had or test conducted from the beginning.  How she came to be at the baby house....information about her parents...All of her height, weight, length, head cir at all the all her milestone check ups. Most importantly we learned that she was born with a hole in her heart, she was being monitored closely, but at the two year check up an ultrasound was performed and showed that the hole had closed!!! SO the only medical diagnosis currently in her file, is Down syndrome and allergic dermatitis (sensitive skin)!!! This has been another specific prayer...her health...her heart...and again the Lord walked before us, showed up in this moment, her health and her heart were covered by him. 

We just enjoyed all of the time that we were able to spend with her today...she is very methodical and precise, she was moving the lined up baby chairs from one spot in the room and re lining them up at another spot...making sure they were all lined up right and in the right position before moving on to drag over the next. Near the end of our meeting, she was pushing one of those baby chairs, and it toppled over and she biffed it pretty hard...instant tears...she let us pick her up and sooth her, and not that I was happy she fell, but I was happy for the opportunity to show her that we can comfort her, and she can trust us to sooth her when she is hurt. We were able to distract her and calm her down quickly with the beloved stuffed animals...she was back on her feet in no time. 

We took many pictures on my good camera and video today, all of which can't be put on the computer until we get home...we are teasing you, i know, i am so sorry!! :) She is just the most squeezable squishy chunky monkey ever...OH I LOVE HER SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!! Soon it was time to let her go back to her groupa for lunch...

We left with our hearts full...not of sadness...but just filled with joy and hope of this beautiful future with her as part of our family. Just day dreaming about her and Rowdy playing...their mutual LOVE of music...their sweet personalities, always full of hugs and kisses...they are going to be two peas in a pod I am sure of it!! 

Our coordinator took us to lunch where we each enjoyed a slice of meat pie (i had chicken and rice...Lance had ground beef) and a slice of YUMMY cranberry pie with a cup of hot tea. It has been so nice to get to know the woman who you know has worked so hard on your behalf for months. I love her already!! 

Last on our to do list today was to go to the notary's office and sign the official acceptance of the referral to proceed with this adoption. 

Today, jet lag is catching up with me and I am so sleepy...laid down at 4pm and woke up at 7:45pm very groggy...needed to wake up just enough to get this blog post up (I know how excited I am checking every hour when families are in country, so I wanted to give the play by play) and now plan to go back to sleep! :)

We are being picked up and starting our day off early at 7:00am...we will not be eating breakfast as we will be heading off to do our medical appointment. and then will hopefully be able to visit Rush again tomorrow afternoon.

THANK YOU LORD FOR CREATING THIS SWEET LITTLE GIRL, WE ARE BEYOND HONORED AT THE GIFT OF BECOMING HER PARENTS...

WE LIVE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE FRIENDS...

ITS JUST SO SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL...