A Visit From Baba and Diado

Gracie loved church today since Daddy was singing on Praise Team! She liked watching him, but really she liked seeing him on the monitor more. There is something about his face on the screen that she found fascinating.

She is so good in church! She sat on my lap most of the time and drew on the bulletin until she got the idea that she could leave early if she went to the bathroom. Mommy has figured this one out now, though, so for the first time I told her "later" and hoped desperately that I wouldn't end up with wet corduroys. Yippee! She made it. The trick is going to be to figure out when she really needs to go and when she is just bored. Good luck with that...

Since Mark had to sing in the next service, too, I decided to take her to Sunday School to see how she would react and she loved it. It was obvious that she is used to being around lots of children and even though she didn't understand much of what was being said, she copies the actions of the people around her very well. When the other kids sat on the rug for the story, so did she (as long as I sat next to her). When they went to the play area, she loved the slide and followed the helper to try to catch the kids coming down the slide who were twice her size (even though we went to the 3-4 year old class.) When they said it was time to go back to the room for the snack, I interpreted for her and she went right to the table and sat down. Boy was she confused and disappointed when they passed out a paper and crayons first. She asked me where the snack was, too, but she sat and colored until the leader started collecting the crayons. Then she was finished and walked around the table to "help" collect the crayons. When it was time to leave, all of the other children left the toys on the floor, except Gracie. She walked around and picked up all of the fishing pole toys and put them back into the little treasure chest container. I think she is going to love going to school once she gets over being scared of being away from me.

After going out for Chinese, Grandma Baba and Grandpa Diado came to visit and brought her belated birthday present, a wagon filled with blocks! She liked pushing, pulling, and sitting in the wagon and the blocks were a real hit because she can build these huge (gulyam) buildings with flowers on the top. She loves Baba and Diado and even started calling them both Grandpa...Oh, well, she also says "There she is!" anytime she looks for and finds something...She is really picking up English more everyday. In fact, she is mixing English and Bulgarian so much that you have to really listen carefully to see if there is anything deciferable in her speech. It goes something like this: Blah, blah, blah, tomorrow. Blah, blah, shoos (shoes), aaaaaa, blah, blah, bath ootray, later. Oh my goodness! Blah, blah, blah, molia pleeeeeeeease...nahsdraveh, bless you...Blah, blah, washing machina, dah? Ootray? Dah? Blah, blah, blah, blah, Blaise ee Adam ee Vince otivame in the car, Baba Diado, to dom Gracie Daniela, potcorn? Neskum (no more)? In fact, I just read this aloud to Blaise and Gracie said, "Ne, potcorn...Baba Diado, ne potcorn..."

I'm 5!

Even the winter storm warning and the 7 inches of snow didn't keep us from celebrating Grace's 5th Birthday! I'm not much of a party person. The boys will testify to the very few "friend" parties that we ever had as they were growing up. Just like I remember from my childhood, birthday parties are family affairs. Grace's first party was no different. Vince was going to leave on Friday, so we had to have the party midweek, which excluded my sister's families since both of them are teaching. The storm kept Grandma and Grandpa away, too. We just didn't want Vince to miss it, so we had a small group...Mom, Dad, Adam, Blaise, Vince, Aunt Terri, Uncle Larry, Aunt Sara, and Rachelle.

Mark picked up the cake and called me from Walmart...the face on the cake doesn't look like Mickey Mouse. Somehow, the lady (who said she could put Mickey Mouse's face on the cake) thought that Mickey had pointed ears like a rabbit. I wish I could have seen Mark (who hates conflict) trying to explain to the lady that he wanted her to make the ears round. Mental Note: Don't get a cake from Walmart next time...It really didn't matter, because when we asked Grace who it was, she told us "Mickey Mouse" so at least she recognized him.

This girl learns really fast. At Christmas time, she only wanted to throw away the wrapping paper. But this time she saw the stack of presents and wanted to unwrap them. We had been singing the Happy Birthday Song all day and practiced so that when you asked her how old she was she would tell you 5. She liked the "Happy Turay" song and even blew the candles out one at a time to applause. Adam looked up in the phrase book to see how to say "Happy Birthday" in Bulgarian and we tried to explain to her that it was "Chestita rhazden den." She always smiled, but we don't know if she just thought we sounded silly or if she understood. Grace liked blowing into the party favors and spit through about 4 of them during the party. I'm sure she will finish off the other tomorrow.

She loved her presents: Beanie Baby turtles (in honor of her first English word, "turtle) a fancy sticker book and an Alvin toy, Duplo blocks, a wooden puzzle, a new matchbox car (to replace the car from Dustin that she lost for a couple of days and finally recovered), a play Leap Frog cell phone, and a push popper. She is so expressive, so her facial expressions in the pictures really tell the story. She loved everything from her outfit (she tells us she is beautiful all the time) to blowing out the candles one at a time. She pretended to vacuum with the popper while she was multi-tasking and talking on the cell phone. The cake and ice cream were okay, but she really doesn't love to eat a lot of sweets.

She traded her play phone for Terri's real phone during the party and figured out how to call Penny on her own. Then she babbled on and on in Bulgarian, put her hands on her hips, said "ummmmm," and walked around like Mommy. What a hoot! No, boys, she won't have her own real cell phone at age 10...

After everyone left and Terri almost got stuck in the snow getting out of the driveway, Adam helped Grace build a "structurally sound" building that allowed for the lego man to stand on the balcony. She loves playing with her brothers, but she really didn't seem to care whether the guy fell and crashed down 10 stories. He is made out of plastic, you know...

I hope she has happy memories of her first party.

First Haircut

I just couldn't stand those uneven bangs, so we got a hair trim. Even in pink, she has been mistaken for a boy a few times, so we want to grow out her hair a little bit. Hopefully this will help it to be more manageable. She has a really thin spot in the back where she rubs her head on the headboard of the bed when she rocks that gets tangled easily into a knot, so we will have to see if we can get it to grow out. I wanted to save some locks of hair, but there was so little cut off, that we couldn't put together a lock. It does look a lot better, though. What do you think?

The Urologist and Pictures

Grace had her first pediatric specialist appointment today in Springfield. Dr. McKenna's nurse practicioner met with us and did a quick examination of Grace and reviewed her urinalysis and blood work. This is the specialist we were most concerned about seeing because the Bulgarian reports about Grace's kidneys were conflicting. The orphanage director said that she had a laser procedure, but no surgery and the Embassy physician said she had reconstructive surgery on her urological system. Big difference! We may be getting more tests later on, but the NP said there was no urgency at all. She said that all of the tests looked good. In fact, she said that from the x-rays and tests results from Bulgaria and the US show her kidney is functioning well. She thinks that Grace had a kidney stone in the middle of the kidney that required surgical removal. She is going to consult with a surgeon and the doctor and will get back with us for a follow-up appointment.

I feel so relieved. She suggested that Grace refrain from boxing and football, but said that other sports were fine. She also was really pleased that Grace is doing well with toilet training and said she did not expect that she would be dry at night now anyway because of her size.

Well, to celebrate we went to the mall for Italian food and stopped at the play area. Grace loved going down the slide and kept putting her hand out for other mothers to help her and pay attention to her. When we told her it was time to go, she said "bye-bye" to everyone and walked away with us without a fuss.

We also finally got her some more clothes (I love sales!) at the Children's Place. She was really tired of having clothes pulled on and off over her head, but we actually found out what fits her: She needs a 3T in a blanket sleeper because she is fairly tall, an 18 month size in a skirt, and a 24 month or 2T in a dress. She really needs 18 month size pants, but they are all capris on her, so maybe dresses are the best bet. She has started being very opinionated about what she wears and begs for "roklia" which are dresses. Maybe she is sick and tired of tugging on her pants, too.

After shopping and the playground, we decided to go ahead (since she was all dressed up) and see if we could get some photos at the Sears studio. No one was waiting and we didn't even have a comb, but the photos are really cute. This is what she really looks like. Of course we bought so many photos that we now own the copyrights, so I can share. Don't bother trying to print your own copies, because we bought quite a few to pass out anyway.

New Year's Eve

Everything our family does seems to involve food, and New Year's Eve was no different. We had cheese soup, two kinds of smokies, pickle wraps, mexican tortilla roll-ups, and party mix. Larry, Sara, Rachelle, and Terri came over and we ate, talked, and played Sequence. We finally gave in to Grace's pleas for a bath and tried for more than half an hour to get her to sleep with no success. Finally, she just sat on my lap and "helped" me play Sequence. At least I have an excuse for our team losing...

She is going to be really tired tomorrow. Hey, maybe she'll sleep in...

Grandma's 99th Birthday

We took our first road trip today to Grandma and Grandpa Swaar's house for Grandma Wharram's 99th birthday! We got great news on the way there...Grace's urine and blood tests looked "good." They didn't get the chest x-ray results back, but so far her health report is positive.

Grace just made herself at home, looking in every room and going up and down the stairs to the basement. Grandma Wharram loved her, but kept calling her the little boy. Grace loved Grandma's meatloaf and kept getting another piece and another. I can't figure out how she can possibly be so small with the way she eats all the time.

Grace also loved Paige and Mark. Poor Mark was so sweet. Grace kept kissing him and he just sat there and took it. He didn't know what to do when she told him that she loved him. Paige rolled a ball with her and you could tell she really wanted to pick her up, but she didn't. Maybe next time...I think Grace has really missed being around other children. Mark is only 8 months older than she is, but he is much bigger and more mature. She was playing hide and seek with her hands over her face and Mark was designing a light bright picture using a pattern. Wow! Still it was amazing how she just made herself at home. She went up and down the stairs by herself and explored their entire house without worrying about where Mommy was all the time. I think she is starting to understand that we aren't going anywhere without her.

Baba and Diado with Grace

Cousins

Just like my grandpa...

I love grandma!

McDonald's

Well, today we decided to go to McDonald's for lunch. From now on, I'm sure the golden arches will bring squeals and pleadings for french fries. Grace, of course, had no idea what was coming...She actually ate a couple of bites of a cheese burger (not her favorite, or mine) a bag of apple slices (yum), and most of a box of french fries with ketchup. Then she enjoyed talking to all of the people who walked in..."Hey" is how she greets everyone and the senior crew hanging out in the lobby loved her.

When we went into the playground area, she didn't even seem to know what it was and walked right past the slides. Once we helped her up the first steps, she climbed around and around the lower section, always checking to see where we were. Since she was the only child there at first, she sat and tried to fly the "semolet" which was actually a helicoter. Then another family with a girl who was about 8 arrived. The sweet little girl pulled Grace up to the platforms for the upper levels and helped her go down the slides. She had a ball. You could hear Grace yelling, "Ella, Lelita" as she tried to tell the other little girl what to do. I'm sure we will be going back to McDonald's soon. The pictures tell it all.

A Christmas to Remember

Grace slept until nearly 10:00 this morning, so she obviously doesn't understand how exciting Christmas morning usually is for children. I made my usual breakfast of egg casserole and monkey bread and then it was time for presents. Grace loved throwing away the wrapping paper and passing out the presents. When we told her who the presents were for, she carried them to the right person and made a stack of presents for herself, too. She just didn't really care whether she opened any of them. In fact, we had to help her to get through her stack. She was content to sit with Mommy and watch everybody else.

She got a green turtle necklace, because "turtle" was the first word she said in English, coloring books, stickers, books, snap beads (which are too hard for her), the movie Cars (from her brother Blaise who know how much she loves the colata), a picture Bible (from Vince), and a butterfly ring (from Adam). She really liked playing on the slide/play gym that was added to the living room, too.

We headed to Aunt Terri's house for supper and she was showered with piles of gifts there, too. She is going to be the best dressed person in our family! She loves to look at herself in the mirror, so these new clothes will help her to keep her "Princess Grace" nickname from Daddy. We found out today that Grace loves Mommy's green beans. In fact, when everyone else was snacking on cookies and candy, she had an extra helping of green beans...She also really liked Aunt Terri's cat, though, Missy didn't return the affection and hid out in the back bedroom.

Grace was definitely our best Christmas present. I still can't believe that she is here. I get hundreds of kisses everyday and Grace says, "I love you, aste obichem" starting with the first moment that she sees me in the morning. She is a mommy's girl. Sometimes, Mark has to be very creative just to give me a few minutes alone in the bathroom. Usually she is talking to me through the door even then. She loves playing with the Leap Frog alphabet and numbers game that is on our refrigerator. Right now she sings the ABC song with the beginning and ending parts correct. We pray all the time, too, because she loves saying "God is great...and Amen!" We just stop everytime she puts her hands out and say the prayer over with her. She says please, thank you, nasdrave/bless you, panties, bath, hot, cold, orange, milk, juice, Mickey Mouse, telephone, I love you, and slippers. We have figured out a new Bulgarian words too: "Vees" means look, "die" means give it to me, "neskimato" means no more, and "askimato" means more. At least we think these are right.

Christmas Eve 2009

Today we hung around the house, played in the snow, and had our annual "Baking Day" at home. Kelly Fox loaned us some clothes that included a snow suit that fits Grace perfectly, and we got her all bundled up to go outside. She loves putting on her boots, but she hates the cold on her face and the snow. She just stands there confused when we make snowballs. She really needs to see her brothers play tackle in the snow or we need to go sledding sometime so that she will understand that snow can be fun.

We really scaled back on the number of treats we baked this year, and Grace napped through much of the preparation, but it was really nice to feel like we had fully recovered from jet lag and returned to normal family life. Adam and Vince prepared their world (or at least family) famous pumpkin bread, Blaise made his yummy banana bread, Mark made oatmeal cookies, I made orange fudge. Then for the second round Adam made peanut butter cookies and Vince made molasses cookies. Well, actually, Adam baked all of Vince's cookies because he mixed up the batches and didn't realize he had the wrong dough until after the entire batch was baked.  Of course, Adam says that they turned out even better because he baked them all. All I know is that they are all delicious.

After the baking was finished, we got dressed up and headed to church for the 6:00 Chrismas Eve Service. We took the mechka (backpack) and were loaded up with water and saleties (pretzel sticks) just in case. Gracie did great, especially considering that she has never been in a service like this or anyplace where she is supposed to sit and be quiet. I even took her up front for the children's story reading, but all she really cared about was the peppermint stick that they gave her to eat. She loved it. During the service, she enjoyed listening to the music and tried to crawl back and forth across Mark and I to give pretzels to her brothers. All in all, it went great. She looked so cute in her red plaid dress, too. We told her today that tomorrow was "Chestita Koleda" and she said "Merry Christmas" to people when she was prompted. I'm sure she doesn't really understand, but when I told her "Chestita Koleda" she started singing a little song that had those words in it, so someone in Bulgaria has told her about Christmas before.

She was very proud of her "boli" today and wanted to show everyone the bruise on her arm. What a cutie! I was so surprised that she was very clingy at church tonight. She was so active and outgoing at the airport that I had anticipated that she would want to go to every woman she saw, but she didn't. She wanted Mommy and only Mommy to carry her all night. Maybe we are starting to bond.

A snow princess

My banana bread is amazing!

Nothing compares to our pumpkin bread.

First Hospital Visit and Sickness

We anticipated taking Grace to get some basic medical tests this morning, but she had other plans. When she first woke up, she coughed a couple of times after drinking some water and spit up a little bit on Mommy. She laughed and acted fine so we had milk, french toast, and bananas for breakfast. She acted really tired and a little bit out of sorts after breakfast and climbed onto my lap. She started sucking her thumb (she takes turns sucking either thumb) and started to go to sleep. Mark and I commented on how she seemed sad, then suddenly she sat up and looked at me like she was scared, and threw up all over me. I called for Mark while she hit me the second time. Who would have thought that so much could be in one tiny stomach...I was drenched. Mark picked her up and she threw up two more times on the way to the bathroom. After clean up, she acted happy and kept wanting something to eat...Ne, ne...We opted for some apple Pedialite and after another hour, a piece of toast. She seemed fine the rest of the day and had some chicken noodle soup for lunch with no problem. Maybe the spicy food last night was too much for her.

Well, about 4:30 we decided to go ahead and take her to the hospital, but by the time we arrived, we couldn't remember which urine specimen was from the morning and which was from right before our visit. The hospital said we needed one that was less than an hour old, so we just got a new sample. I had forgotten that blood work was also ordered. As soon as the nurse looked at Grace's arm, she sent us to pediatrics. The nurse was sweet and told us that she was going to wrap Grace in a sheet so she couldn't move, one nurse would hold her arm, another would draw blood, and we would just try to comfort Grace. I was already wishing that we had not decided to do this today as soon as I saw her terrified face when they wrapped her up. Her eyes got big and she looked so confused. (I'm sure this doesn't help us to bond with her!)

When the nurse put the needle in her arm, and missed the vein, Grace didn't make a single sound or move at all. The nurse holding her hand commented that she didn't even flinch or try to pull away. She just layed there looking at me with huge tears running down her cheeks. As she blinked away the tears of pain, she didn't even make a sobbing sound. It broke my heart. She was so brave.

The nurse in pediatrics also pointed out two scars on her upper arms that she called "lines" where they sometimes make a cut and insert needles when they are out of usable veins. Apparently these had been used during previous hospitalizations. Grace certainly has been through her share of doctor and hospital visits. Today I am sad that she has experienced so much pain alone. I wonder whether there was anyone who she trusted standing by her bed when she woke up from surgery. Did she feel like she was all alone so it didn't matter whether she cried or not? I never want her to feel that way again.

After they were all finished, Gracie just looked at her arm and told us "boli me" which means "they hurt me" and kept pointing to her arm in confusion. Mommy kissed it and just held her to try to reassure her. The nurses then brought her two TY full size stuffed animals, a dog and a panda, and told her she was so brave. It was all she could do to carry them to the car.

As soon as she got home she wanted to take the bandage off of her "boli" and wanted to show us and get kisses for her "owy."

Making a Family

Grace has been amazingly resilient. On our first day back she woke up with a smile and climbed right into bed with Mommy and Daddy. She was certainly more rested than we were. She knows the names of each of the boys and gives them all kisses, except for fuzzy-faced, Vince. She will lean over to give him a kiss and then turn her cheek at the last minute. She just doesn't want to be near all of those whiskers. (She is really smart.) She really likes Mommy, but isn't as sure about Daddy. She wants him to cheer every time she goes to the bathroom and wants him nearby, but she wants me to carry her everywhere. This is probably healthy and understandable since she is used to female care-givers. We read that children can only bond with one person at a time, so hopeful Daddy will get his turn soon.

Aunt Terri, Aunt Sara, Uncle Larry, and Rachelle visited today. Grace immediately put her hands up to have Rachelle pick her up. We really hated to tell them that they couldn't hold her, but she needs to attach to us, first. Larry had fun playing "Where's Gracie" with her and she kept covering her face with her hands and laughing. I was really surprised at how quickly she warmed up to everyone. At first she seemed shy and wanted me to hold her, but soon, she started talking and looking around. She really likes to look at the cars in the driveway, and wants us to pull the mini-blinds back so that she can wave and say "bye-bye" as people drive away.

We took long naps today and are recovering from jet-lag. It really has not been as bad this time. Taking an evening flight was much easier than taking the morning flight on the first trip. We all slept better.

It is really hard for me to watch Grace rock herself to sleep...I know that she learned to comfort herself, but I want to show her that we will provide that comfort. I sat by her bed and gently rocked her back and forth to get her to sleep tonight. I hope that this old behavior will disappear. We also figured out why her hair is thin on the top of her head. As she thrashes back and forth, she wiggles her way to the corner of her bed and rubs her head on the headboard. We are going to try to put a bumper pad on the toddler bed to protect her. This is on the list for tomorrow.

Meeting Baba and Diado

Once again, Grace woke up happy and wanting to snuggle with Mommy. She likes to push her face into Mommy's in the morning and lay on my stomach as she wakes up.

This morning we took Grace to see Dr. Dan. Kay had told us not to rush the doctor's appointments, but with her medical history, we really wanted to have a physician here with some medical information in case she gets sick. Dr. Dan was so great and, of course, didn't scare her at all. He told us she was 10 times better than he had anticipated from her medical records and that he was sure she would thrive in our family. He gave her a little book from Max Lucado that he had written a special note into the back. He is such a wonderful doctor and friend. He made sure that she wasn't scared at all. She also got a big sticker as she left and we took her picture with Dr. Dan in front of the Christmas tree.

Then we headed to the grocery store. What an adventure...riding in the cart.

After her nap, Grandma and Grandpa Swaar visited today. Grace knew them as Baba and Diado from the photo album and she seemed to recognize them. She even called them "baba" and  "diado."They brought her a little pink jacket that is really cute and some coconut cookies for the boys. Grace still doesn't understand presents and we had to show her that the tissue paper didn't get pushed into the sack like trash. She did think she looked great in the new jacket! I think that Grandma and Grandpa like having another granddaughter. Blaise and Vince had fun playing with her today, too. She always seems so happy and spunky.

I made soup and grilled sandwiches for supper, but the soup was really spicy. Grace ate a few bites, but she really didn't seem too hungry tonight. That is amazing because she usually eats so much that we can't figure out how she could possibly stay small for long. Bedtime came a little earlier. We all are tired.

Brothers are fun!

I like Dr. Dan

I look beautiful in my new jacket from Baba and Diado!

Day 7: Heading Home

Breakfast and packing took most of the morning. Ivo called and wanted us to head out early because it had snowed more last night and he was concerned about making the trip in time. We made it by leaving around 11:45 with no trouble. I think our heavy luggage probably helped with the traction since the roads were snow-packed. Grace was really excited to leave and ride in the car again, so she put on her own scarf and hat. Every day she has been asking us if we were going on the airplane and we kept telling her no "later" or no "tomorrow." It was nice to tell her we were going today.

On the way to the airport, Ivo told us about his visit to the US and said that he envied Grace because her life was going to be so different in the US, and that she was going to have so many opportunities. He said he sort of wished that someone would adopt him, too. When we arrived we took a photo of him with Grace and he took pictures of us. We were glad to hear that the flight was not going to be delayed because of the snow. Grace took off her shoes for the security check without any complaints and our baggage all made the weight restriction with no extra fees. So far, so good. When we were getting ready to board the plane, we noticed a gift shop with traditional Bulgarian costumes in the window, but there were no children's clothes to be found. We had really hoped to find a traditional dress for her while we were there... We did find some beautiful plates and a little hand woven purse, though. If you know us at all, you know we aren't much into souvenirs, but we do want Grace to have a few things to keep that are from her birth home. Someday, they may be very important to her.

Grace really liked looking out the windows at the airport, but she preferred watching the trucks and cars since they moved around and the only airplanes we could see were just sitting there. She is so small that she couldn't see out the windows at all, but she sat perfectly in her seat for the entire first flight. She ate "soleties" which are pretzels and drank water to help her ears, but didn't complain a bit. I don't think she ever realized we were on an airplane until we landed and had to walk down the steps next to the plane to board a bus at the Warsaw Airport. When we turned her around and she saw the airplane, she was really surprised and confused.

In the Warsaw terminal there was a lot of confusion, and Grace decided to throw a fit. She was whining, wiggling, and obstinate. Finally I figured out that she was telling me that she wanted to go to the bathroom, but of course we couldn't until we cleared security again. I found a spot in the corner of the crowded room to hold and rock her, because we couldn't leave this tiny arrival area, and we couldn't pass through security until Mark had gone through a line to receive dinner vouchers and travel information because our next flight was going to be delayed...five hours. Apparently the plane we were supposed to take was delayed in New York because of snow and had not yet arrived in Warsaw, so we would not take off until 9:00 PM. Finally, we got to the bathroom and were going to head to lunch. Of course, we all had to go to lunch together to avoid another security clearance, so we spent another hour in line at the restaurant.The food was good, and I am glad to say that we ate Polish sausage in Warsaw, Poland...

Grace really needed a nap, but we thought it would be best if she slept on the flight instead of right before it, so we walked, and ran, and played as much as we could in the remaining 4 hours. The airport had small play areas with little tables, play houses, and teeter-totters so they were a huge help. Grace really liked it when other children came to play, too, but watching her demonstrated how difficult "bonding" is going to be for her. After a week of clinging to Mommy, we had thought the bonding process was well underway, but it really has just barely begun. When other mothers were around, Grace immediately felt compelled to get to know them and gain their attention. Understandably she went to them, tried to climb in their laps, wanted to smile at them and kiss them, and did anything she could to endear herself to them. The women all thought she was cute and sweet, which is how she has thrived for almost 5 years. I found it to be so heartbreaking, not because it hurt my feelings, but because it showed how insecure and afraid she is under that confident exterior. Her world has been one of many caregivers where survival required that she find a way to be noticed in order to have her needs met. She is great at being sweet and lovable to get what she needs. She also said, "Hey," to everyone who passed and waved "bye-bye" as people moved through the airport. Because she looks like a little doll, several people commented on how cute she is. She is really good at this attention-getting, sweetness routine. We were told that no one should hold her, feed her, or meet any of her needs except us for a while. Bonding is so important for her development. It is going to be really hard to tell people that they can't hold her when she is trying to crawl onto their laps...

Grace stretched out between Mark and me on the final 10 hour flight from Warsaw to Chicago. She didn't even play with her toys except for the glow bracelet that we brought. She loves anything that lights up. Mark and I both slept intermittently. With this new schedule, we arrived in Chicago around midnight, but we decided to try to make it home anyway. We easily found our van where Tom and Kay had parked it for us. It was nice to only have to pay for 2 days of parking at O'Hare, and Grace seemed to enjoy riding the train to the long term lot. I slept for the first hour of the drive after trying to get french fries at two different stops. Then Mark slept and I finished the drive. Grace loved being in the carseat (and playing peek-a-boo with her feet) because she could see out the windows and pointed out all of the cars and trucks on the road before she went to sleep.

The boys had the house in tip-top shape when we walked in the door. They even burned candles and Blaise made seven-layer cookies for our homecoming. It was so nice to see all of them and to come home to a clean, sweet-smelling house.

Grace looked around a little bit and met the boys...She really doesn't care for Vince's beard (which shows she has good taste. Mommy doesn't like it either.) Then we gave her a bath in hopes that she would sleep for a few more hours. Mark and I needed some rest. She loved her little toddler bed right next to Mommy, and I could actually sleep since she wasn't flopping next to me. It feels so good to be home!

Our precious cargo and some luggage

Sofia Airport

Ivo was such a great translator and guide!

Me and my mechka (bear)...

The flight from Sofia to Warsaw. When do we go on the airplane?

Playtime at the airport...Hey!

What's so hard about sleeping on an airplane?

A new American citizen!

Peek-a-boo in the new carseat