Our little girl

We finally figured out today that our little girl is just that. A little girl. Natalya came with us to the orphanage today and had all kinds of deliveries. She's kinda like a Mrs. Clause delivering clothes and letters to the children. It's an awesome feeling to watch the children smile when she arrives and even more so when she has something for them. Well we have been trying to get Sophia to try on the clothes we brought from NC for her to wear to court. With Natalya's help, we managed to make that happen. We bought a size 12 as she is going to turn 13 later this year. She is more like a size 10. Luda can probably fit into a 12. Anya and Yulia would more likely be size 8. We took a couple of pictures for our own memories, I will not do that to my daughter. She is still getting over her illness and sleep looks like it might not be the best for her right now. I can imagine the bedtime chatter between the girls who are going to the states.

I had a few treats myself to dole out while there. I managed to ask Luda what she really wants to do when she gets to Ameriku (this is how they pronounce it)...her answer...play. I told her that Her host family's daughters and the neighbors daughters all do hair and nails and crafts. She beamed!

Next up was Yulia. I asked her if she would be interested in getting her hair styled while there. She promptly said her hair is so short and hid her face. Poor thing really does not like her hair right now. I told her she was still beautiful and they would make her hair look beautiful too. She smiled, though she didn't raise her head.

Lastly, I found Anya and showed her pictures of her host family. THAT GIRL IS READY! She had me show all her friends in the orphanage their picture and our driver. I love big families and her host family is no exception. She dang near jumps into my arms now!

A cool surprise of the day was I came across a boy I had not seen here yet, and come to find out, he was away at camp. Vanya came strolling down the sidewalk and I immediately asked him to pose with Natalya. I had a special message for him from a family trying to adopt him...I've had it since we got here. I showed him pictures and relayed the message. He's a cool kid and I had fun playing with him at the lake last summer. It was great to see him again and to share the news with him.

Tomorrow will be bittersweet for us as Sophia's friends will be leaving for the hosting program. Bitter from a selfish standpoint of living in the moment and wanting to spend more time with them. But I also understand the potential outcome for these children and seeing them grow up in the states would be even cooler.Now a piece of advice for how to deal with anything, but particularly, an orphan. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. It's a short chapter, only 13 verses. I pray it guides you all through the coming weeks.