First full day with our girl.

Gotcha Day went quite well.  We were picked up at 12:30.  We first went to a notary office to sign more documents.  Then to purchase the 2 cakes that the baby home was expecting.  Finally, we could go get our girl.  When we got there one of the caregivers came out to the waiting area to get her new clothes.  We did not get to go back in her group.  I was somewhat disappointed because I wanted to express my gratitude to those women.  I did include a card with our personal thanks, translated to Russian, in each of the gifts we gave the caregivers.  I only hope they grasp our sincerity.  Soon they brought Juliana to us.  All bundled up and ready to go.  We took her and out the door we went.  Seriously, we must have been in a hurry because we made it to the car only to realize we left our bag and my purse in the baby home.  I guess we took with us all we really wanted!

Juliana did great for most of the car ride.  A little fussing here and there, but near the end she lost it.  We could tell she was getting hot.  Bill understands.  He wears a short sleeve shirt every day because it is so hot in every building.  The locals look at him like he is nuts!  As soon as we arrived at the hotel and stepped out into the cool air, she stopped crying.  We got to our room, took off her knitted hat and her head was soaked.  So we stripped her down to her diaper and onesie.  She was a happy girl.  She has probably never been able to be barefoot.  She played, explored our room, and ate very well.  Of course, she missed her afternoon nap because of all the excitement.  By bedtime, boy oh boy, she was exhausted.  She struggled to go to sleep and was very upset.  Bill and I took turns holding her and walking her around.  After close to an hour, she surrendered to Bill.  And then she slept through the night.  11 hours.  We were so happy for her.  I , on the other hand, did not.  I slept but woke often to make sure I could hear her.  Fortunately, each time I did she would sigh or make a sound so that I knew she was alright.

Checking out the bed with Daddy.

Yummy lunch.

Today, was another good day.  She took a bottle with milk this morning.  We were not sure if she would since she has been off a bottle since 6 months of age.  She ate good at all her meals.  Bill has been her chef.  Preparing all her bottles, sippy cups, morning cereal, and yummy lunch too.  She easily took her morning nap.  She climbed up on my lap, put her thumb in her mouth and was out.  She slept in her crib for 1.5 hours.  Bill went to apply for Juliana's passport.  He was only gone a couple of hours.  Juliana and I played while he was away.

Who needs toys to have fun!

This evening we decided to get takeout.  We all went to get some fresh air.  Juliana did great!  She look bright eyed at all the people and lights.  It started to rain a little so she & I waited in the hotel lobby while Bill ran back to get the food.  The hotel has these very stiff security guards that Bill & I have been greeting cheerfully each day.  Well, Juliana jumped on our bandwagon.  She broke the guard down a bit and he gave us a slight smile.  That's our girl.  Full of charm!  Tonight was much better for sleeping.  She quietly played after her bath.  When she was ready, she climbed up on my lap and eventually fell asleep.  It looks like we are figuring each other out a bit more each day.