A Beautiful Day

Today was a gorgeous day in our daughter's city. Temps were in the 50's, the sun was shining, and very little wind.  Perfect.

We enjoyed a stroll around the neighborhood

We had one more meal at our favorite restaurant.

We admired the trash cans that look like little cannons.

We visited a monastery.

But...the absolute best part of the day came later when Vika got to make her escape from the baby house. It was a hectic time as we signed her out, received some instructions for her, gave gifts to the director and workers, and dropped off diapers and a whole suitcase full of clothes courtesy of my MOPS group.  (Thank you ladies! They really needed them).Then it was time to go so we could finish up more paperwork before the offices closed. So we got her dressed and you would have thought we had never dressed a child before. All thumbs, both of us. We were a little excited.  But between the two of us, we got it done.

Before we left we also got to visit with her special caregiver which was wonderful. This lady loves these kids and is so happy for another of her little ones to have a family. And there are some more kiddos in Vika's groupa who need families.

And we're off!   See ya!

Vika taking in the sights of her city, maybe her only car ride, except for going to the hospital. She was so curious. So cute!

Vika and I had some good bonding time while we waited in the car so our staff and Gabe could get paperwork done. We played a kissing game. I gave her a big kiss on the cheek and said "kiss." Once. Twice. Just an intense, inquisitive look on her face. The third time I did it, a big smile spread over her face. You know the kind of smile where your whole face gets involved? We did that a few more times with Vika smiling and laughing. So fun.

This little girl is a quick learner! She has started imitating many of the things we do.  She's just so ready to learn.  I was tickling her feet in the car last night. She loved it. She kept taking my hands and placing them on her feet so I would keep doing it. And may I say she's mighty flexible, too.

She only got scared once that we could tell. We were driving and it was getting dark. The car headlights kept coming at us and she began to cry. You can imagine she has never experienced anything like that before. So Gabe quickly grabbed her blanket from the orphanage and we prayed for God to comfort her. Within a few minutes she was calm. God's been good to us.

 Thank you God for your overwhelming provision for us on our trip thus far.  And thanks to you all for praying us through. We have felt your prayers!

I think this last picture says it all. Happy Vika, happy parents.