Oh well.
Other than the computer charger debaucle, things are good. We had our court date on December 29th & it went great. Lena is officially our daughter!! however, we don't get the court decree saying so until January 11 & we won't have lena with us until quite sometime after that. But she is our daughter & court hearing went great & we are so so thankful!!!
The big holiday here is new years & everyone celebrated big. Fireworks, food, families & lots of merriment. On new years day it dumped snow, making our twice-daily trek to visit Lena in the orphanage look quite different. We love it. All the snow is so beautiful, but it's also very icy on the walkways & I walk sooo slow. Matt's new favorite pastime is joking with me about how slow I walk:)
Lena is doing great. Her favorite things during our visits lately are::
1) being tickled...the anticipation of it is her favorite part
2) standing up by herself by holding onto the side of a crib. We started putting a chair under her bottom & she sits down then stands back up (by holding on to the crib still)...over & over, by herself, while giggling & squealing.
3) playing in a little car. She sits in it on her own & we pull her forward then she pushes the ground to make her self go backwards then bangs into the wall. This also will make her erupt in giggles & squealing:)
4) banging on the therapy ball in her room & pushing it to dad. Back & forth, over & over & again, loving the anticipation.
She's wonderful, so much fun, so full of life & seems more & more used to us every day. We are missing her brother & sister like crazy...every second of every day...but so thankful for all these days with Lena.
I'll leave you with this unrelated statement::ROLL TIDE!!!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to post even though it's hard! Praying for your time there.
ReplyDeleteLove! Sweet pictures. Sweet update. And of course, Roll Tide from all of us!!! Hugs from around the world!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI check EVERY day to see if you have posted any news or pictures. So sorry about your computer. Lena is just precious!
ReplyDeleteYou guys are troopers!! Your paper race will be here before you know it! Praying for you!
ReplyDeletePhil and Tara
Thank you for posting. Lena is beautiful and we are so excited that your court hearing went great and is behind you. Praying for you all!
ReplyDeleteHey Matt and Ginny:) We met you guys at the SDA about a year (ok, maybe it was 4 weeks) ago. I think about you guys all the time and read both of your blogs. It's not stalking, it's relating:) We are still here, too. And we are ready to go home, too. But, we are coming to see that our time here has been so necessary. God is teaching us so much, and since we are bringing home older kids, we NEEDED to understand their world, their life. The time here is giving us so much of that. When we met you in the SDA, we told you I think that we were adopting two. We were wrong. Jan 4 was our court date, and we adopted 3 amazing siblings!! Court went well, but very very long. We are now in the 10 day waiting period, then will go to the city for a few days for passports, etc. Then on to Kiev for a few days for US Embassy. Hoping to go home around Jan 27. Just wanted you to know that I am thinking about you and can relate to every single blog post and hotel pic that you have. Except the salsa. WHERE DID YOU FIND SALSA?????? God's sweetest blessings to your family. Lena is beautiful. Rod and Lisa Smith
ReplyDeleteI had been checking your blog on my phone and refreshing religiously to see if you had updated....well it was just refreshing Dec 15 over and over! I have had a great night catching up with you guys. Oh man that Lena is sweet! She just looks better and better with each pictures. You guys have such great instincts to getting her up and moving. Thinking about you and praying every day. Can't wait until your family is reunited.
ReplyDeleteAmanda
PRAYING FOR YOU GUYS!!!
ReplyDelete