One and a half more days until court! I'm starting to get nervous and excited all at the same time! We were unable to meet with the doctor today because our translator was sick :( Hoping for tomorrow! And pray our translator is better by our court date on Wednesday!! Can't do it without her! We did however secure some train tickets on a later train (7pm) Wednesday after court back to the capital. This time the train ride will be almost 17 hours.....pray for us!!! And according to our translator "this train rough...not like train you took here" (Ummm wait I thought that train was rough...oh boy). The good news is that our tickets only cost $47 US dollars for the two of us!! We paid almost $200 for the train tickets on the way down here, which really has me wondering just how "rough" this $47.00/17 hour train ride will be. AIY! It will be a story to tell Mila in years to come I am thinking.
Anyways, Mila was still pretty warm today but acting more like herself. She is now trying to pull herself away from a leaning position on me (when her back and head are resting on my chest) and lifting her head purposely away to be able to see things in her environment. I couldn't believe I was seeing her do that today! This girl could not even hold her head up well with support and now she is starting to do it all by herself! She is tolerating being held upright for longer and longer. The first week she could not be held upright, she simply couldn't tolerate it because she was so used to laying flat. She looks like such a big girl upright. Some of you have commented that she looks like she is plumping up....I don't think the pictures are deceiving...I really do see a change and she is getting some nice pudge around her cheekies and starting to look less newborn-ish. I truly believe she is gaining weight since we've been here. It is probably partly due to the fact that we take time to feed her the entire bottle and give her breaks to let her digest here and there....but I'm thinking a whole lot of these changes are because Mila has finally experienced what it feels like to be loved and nurtured. I keep asking myself if it's really possible to see all these changes after only 2 weeks of visiting her 3 hours a day. Just three hours a day. It just seems like it can't be that easy but you can't underestimate the power of love. We have a long road ahead of us, of this I'm sure, but seeing so much progress in these last couple of days....oh it gives my heart strength to know that our precious jelly bean is going to be just fine. I truly must have underestimated the power of prayer because seeing her so sick just two days ago to seeing her like this today is truly something only God could have done. I know so many of you have been praying your hearts out, please don't stop! Don't get me wrong my heart still worries sick about her and about leaving her, but I needed this peace. I needed to see Mila's strength that the Lord has given her despite being so fragile. I can't wait to see the personality our little "j.bean" (as one of you so dearly called her) a year from now. God has big plans for this little girl, of that I'm certain.
Can you believe today appeared to be the first day Mila has ever seen outside? We visit every day in this room, but it never crossed our minds maybe she hadn't seen outside before. She was mezmerized just looking out the window. Her eyes were so big and so wide. It was adorable. I bet she will like trees as much as her big sister! I remember when we took Zoya outside for the first time she just stared at the trees in awe...she still loves them to this day!
Thanks again for all your sweet comments and your continued prayers!!! We continue the trek uphill but it's a beautiful thing to stop every now and again and look down and see how much of the mountain we've already conquered!
Anyways, Mila was still pretty warm today but acting more like herself. She is now trying to pull herself away from a leaning position on me (when her back and head are resting on my chest) and lifting her head purposely away to be able to see things in her environment. I couldn't believe I was seeing her do that today! This girl could not even hold her head up well with support and now she is starting to do it all by herself! She is tolerating being held upright for longer and longer. The first week she could not be held upright, she simply couldn't tolerate it because she was so used to laying flat. She looks like such a big girl upright. Some of you have commented that she looks like she is plumping up....I don't think the pictures are deceiving...I really do see a change and she is getting some nice pudge around her cheekies and starting to look less newborn-ish. I truly believe she is gaining weight since we've been here. It is probably partly due to the fact that we take time to feed her the entire bottle and give her breaks to let her digest here and there....but I'm thinking a whole lot of these changes are because Mila has finally experienced what it feels like to be loved and nurtured. I keep asking myself if it's really possible to see all these changes after only 2 weeks of visiting her 3 hours a day. Just three hours a day. It just seems like it can't be that easy but you can't underestimate the power of love. We have a long road ahead of us, of this I'm sure, but seeing so much progress in these last couple of days....oh it gives my heart strength to know that our precious jelly bean is going to be just fine. I truly must have underestimated the power of prayer because seeing her so sick just two days ago to seeing her like this today is truly something only God could have done. I know so many of you have been praying your hearts out, please don't stop! Don't get me wrong my heart still worries sick about her and about leaving her, but I needed this peace. I needed to see Mila's strength that the Lord has given her despite being so fragile. I can't wait to see the personality our little "j.bean" (as one of you so dearly called her) a year from now. God has big plans for this little girl, of that I'm certain.
Can you believe today appeared to be the first day Mila has ever seen outside? We visit every day in this room, but it never crossed our minds maybe she hadn't seen outside before. She was mezmerized just looking out the window. Her eyes were so big and so wide. It was adorable. I bet she will like trees as much as her big sister! I remember when we took Zoya outside for the first time she just stared at the trees in awe...she still loves them to this day!
So this is where she pulled her head away from my chest and totally started checking out the maitenance guy who was trying to fix the broken crib that was in the room. She was staring so intently at him!
Tracking his every move, turning her head all on her own and everything!
Then he started banging REALLY LOUD and she looked to her Daddy for comfort :) I think it's safe to say she didn't like the banging noise! Check out the pouty lip!
She discovered her foot again and started wiggling it like crazy just staring at it in amazement! It was so funny to watch!
Really cute pout face! Priceless
ReplyDeleteSorry you didn't get that medical meeting. Praying the translator feels better soon.
So happy to hear that she seems to be feeling better and that you see such changes in her already! Of course all the loving attention, 100% on her makes her open up to life! How could she not :-) Though maybe some of the changes also are due to the fact that she is getting adopted; that is, the caregivers care somewhat more about her because they know you will notice and ask about her? Maybe she gets more to eat from them too? Maybe the mere fact that they get her ready for you each day make her "stick out from the crowd" of little ones so she gets more attention from them too?
ReplyDeleteShe is so sweet. What a gift to bring her into your family when she is still so little and less affected by "the system". Her eyes are so much like Zoya's too. Just meant to be sisters :-)
Oh sweet Mila - what FUN awaits you at home with your family!
ReplyDeletePraying!
Brooke
www.TheAnnessaFamily.blogspot.com
OOOOh that little pouty lip just did me in! Now I am a puddle! Praying for your translator!
ReplyDeleteGlad you seem to being feeling better J.B! (thats short for jelly bean!) ;)
I love that picture with the hand and she's definitely looking rounder in the face. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI love her Louth lip!
ReplyDeleteOk that's what I get for posting from my iPad with auto correct. I should have posted that I love her pouty lip!!!
ReplyDeleteThere's the Kewpie Doll pose again in pic #4!!! I LOVE when she does that! I am so glad to see Miss J.B feeling so much better and back to being so alert today. It makes the news of not getting to meet with the doctor much easier to hear. I hope the translator is better tomorrow, but I really will be praying she is well on Wednesday. I'm sending lots of positive energy prayers from Texas!!
ReplyDeleteHer coloring looks so much better here! Way to love her back to good health! Praying for court!!!
ReplyDeleteMila looks so adorable and she does have some pretty cute facial expressions going on :) Praying that court goes well (although I don´t see why it shouldn´t!) and that all else goes well.
ReplyDeleteYep - she's got the pouty lip face down - what a doll! So glad she's doing better. . . I have so loved following your story. I wonder if it's possible she just "runs hot." I know that 98.6 is the "normal" temperature - but I looked here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_human_body_temperature) and there are sources more "reliable" than wikipedia that say the same - it's possible to vary. Also possible is the fact that they keep her so bundled, her body might not yet know how to regulate her temperature well on its own. . . just thoughts - trying to find things to reassure you!
ReplyDeletepraying for ALL of you!!!!
ReplyDeletehugs!!
be safe!!
DON't use the blankets on the train!!!!!!!!!
this too shall pass!!!
love the pics :)
hugs!!
love,
Nancy
I love her pouty lip too! And I think she is changing too. I love to see her holding her head and looking around.
ReplyDelete