China
Guatemala
Russia
Vietnam
Brazil
India
Hi, We are back. I did not
get to writing this letter as soon as I had hoped because I am being held
captive by 16 pounds and 26 inches of sweet joy. She is so warm and cuddly. Each
time I walk by her or hold her I can hardly believe she is ours. I have not been
able to concentrate on the every day things that need to get done.
Today I am a little better and am beginning to come back to my senses and was able to write this email. What a little darling, it is as if God said to her, "take it easy on these people, they are now your parents, pretty inexperienced, kind of old, but they will love you very much." She must have been listening to God because she is a happy baby, she doesn't cry much, she takes at least two naps a day, and sleeps through the night in her crib.
Our story begins in Guatemala. We arrived Sunday afternoon and Elaina's foster mother, Graciella, and Graciella's daughter, Marcella, who is about 18, and her cousin arrived with Elaina at our hotel. Marcella and her cousin spoke enough English to translate. We found out about Elaina's schedule, her likes and dislikes, and during the process really discovered how well and how much Graciella cared for Elaina. She had cared for Elaina since she was one day old. We took them out to dinner and afterwards after a tearful good-bye they left. It was bittersweet as Graciella and her daughter were so sad and I was so happy to finally have Elaina with us.
The first night Elaina was fussy and cried and cried and cried until we discovered that she was comforted by her favorite toy, which happened to be a soft photo cube with pictures of us. We had sent her that toy when she was 3 months old. She fell right to sleep and through the night in her crib. The next day we got up early and went to the American Embassy. Here we had to be interviewed and go to get a visa so she could come into the U.S. That took about 4 hours and required a lot of waiting. She was a little trooper. The next day we lounged around the pool, went swimming, shopping, and Elaina took it all in stride. Wednesday morning we went to the airport and I must say I was concerned about how she would take the plane ride. She had a little bit of a cold and she is heavy duty into teething. I figured I was about to become the person no one wanted to sit next to on the plane. Someone with a crying baby! Boy was I wrong. Barely a peep out of her on almost a 3 hour flight from Guatemala to Houston. She then promptly fell asleep 10 minutes before boarding the plane in Houston and slept almost all the way to Indianapolis. She woke up a half hour before landing, long enough to have a bottle and comb her hair so she would be ready to meet her new family.
What a wonderful home coming. There was a welcome home banner, balloons, and her Grandpa, aunts, uncles, and cousins were there to greet her.
She went to each one of them quite happily. Afterwards we went out to dinner and finally we were home. Since then she seems to be quite content with us although I did discover her penchant for tacky soap operas in Spanish. I suspect her foster mom watched them and she may even recognize some of the voices. She will sit there mesmerized as she watches. She went to the doctor on Friday and was given a clean bill of health and the doctor said she is up to date on her immunizations and that her size and actions are exactly what she would expect from a healthy 6 1/2 month old American baby.
This past weekend she was visited by her Grandma and Grandpa and her Great Grandma and she was very happy to meet them. She really is a trooper, especially since there's been a stream of family members she has met over the last few days and she is happy to cuddle with them all.
So here we are in the middle of parenting and I already can't imagine what it would be like without her. When she gives me her toothless dimpled grin, Larry and I just melt. She and Larry are a lot alike, they are both able to fall asleep anytime, anywhere.
Thanks to all who have encourage us during this long process of having a baby. We love you all.
Larry & Sandy
