FINALLY!!!

Well, Mark and I are officially the parents of four wonderful children! We received Lily today and it went as well as could be expected. When we arrived at SWS, she and her foster mother and sister were already there. Lily was weighed and measured (yes, she's still a big girl) and the doctor gave the healthy stamp of approval. We played together, got instructions and formula and other stuff and about 40 minutes later, we were on our way out the door, back to the Guest House. While there, it was time for Lily's bottle and it was a great opportunity for Mark to hold her. She had been rather standoffish yesterday to both of us, but moreso to him; however, once he had food in his hands, he was much more appealing to her!

Of course I cried. And of course they were tears of joy. But my heart aches for these women who so graciously care for chilren as if they were their very own, knowing that when they leave, they may never see them again. As we were escorted to the elevator, Lily's foster mother and sister waved goodbye. I was glad to see them wipe away tears as well. This girl has been loved...just as she will continue to be. The social worker said that Lily is somewhat of a celebrity around the office and is very well liked by the workers there. I promised to send lots of photos and keep them up to date on our return and life back in the US.

We got back to the Guest House and settled down a bit. We took 2 of Lily's layers of clothes off of her and got her settled for a nap. She fussed a little but is sleeping quiety now. Apparently she is a very picky eater, so we will do our best to get some food in her. Right now her main nutrition is formula but she needs to be on some solids so she will sleep through the night. I guess she hasn't heard about Reynolds boot camp for all-night sleepers. (We may need to have a refresher course for some of our previous students.)

Now we will just pray for a good night's sleep and a happy wake-up at 5:30am. We can't wait to get home and see our kids and introduce them to their sister so keep the prayers coming for no delays and smooth travel through customs. Now it is time for Domino's!!!!