A Good Night's Sleep!

     We finished playing, went down to the lounge for dinner and then back to the room to see how to settle Lena down for bed. We had prepared ourselves for Lena to be homesick and cranky from being taken away from everything she has ever known. Trying to comfort her, we gave her a sponge bath and then a lotion rub down. Next, we put on the softest pajamas possible for her delicate skin. She did a little crying and fussing so I decided to Rock her and sing to her like we have with our boys. Amazingly, she tolerated my being off tune and in a matter of minutes was fast asleep in my arms. Such peace and serenity in that room, one of those moments we will cherish our entire lives. I laid her in the crib where she slept peacefully for the next 10 hours!

    Wow, so that is what a Good Nights Sleep feels like! That was the most sleep I have had on this entire trip. I didn't want to wake our little Princess so I head down to the Sub-Lobby to do some work. Christy says that Lena did wake up crying a little scared and bewildered, probably from the unfamiliar surroundings. She stops crying as soon as Christy picks her up and immediately melds in to her.

     We feed her breakfast and get prepared for our day. The Doctor is scheduled to come to our room at 8 so we don't have much time to play in the morning. He examines her and confirms that she is healthy and ready for travel. (This visit is required by the US Embassy) He also states that she is amazingly on track despite being from an orphanage. He even commented that she must have been an orphanage favorite, demanding attention. (What we have to look forward to :-)

     We get a call from Irene stating the she and Yuri are going to handle as much of the paperwork as possible so we can spend time with sweet Lena. I will always cherish the time of playing and getting to know our daughter better. Those of you that know me well know that I can't sit still for very long, however with Lena the next 6 hours just flew by.

     We get another call from Irene stating that the routes for her to get us are blocked by accidents. She recommends us to have the Hotel arrange for a Taxi to bring us to the Passport office. The next 30 minutes were both terrifying and nauseating. I'm sure the cab driver was very qualified but between his weaving in and out of traffic and his constant pushing and letting off the gas peddle; I thought that I might be sick! I appreciate Yuri's driving so much more now :-) We did make it to the passport office and were given Lena's Birth Certificate, her adoption certificate and Passport. Three major obstacles complete!

A Great friend of mine sent us this verse, what a wonderful reminder:

Galatians 4:4-7

⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons (and daughters – note mine).⁶And because you are sons (and daughters – note mine), God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"⁷So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

We were adopted into the King’s family. Brothers and sisters with Christ – sons and daughters of the Most High God, and heirs of His promise.

     We were able to head to their version of Wal-Mart to pick up a few more things for Lena (Picture Below)

 

     We get home just in time to wish Foster a Happy 7th Birthday on Video Skype. What an amazing kid to have his parents miss his birthday and not complain. We are so very thankful for our family for making it special to him. They will all be coming over to our house later this evening for gifts and cake.