We found out this morning that we changed time just as you did last night, so we are still 8 hours ahead of you.
We had a wonderful surprise last night...the phone rang and it was the Hills Clan. I got to talk to my sister Holly, my dad, my sister Becki Jo, and my mom and then to Holly again. How great to hear voices from home. They all got together for lunch...without us....imagine that, lol! Mom assured me that they would make up for it when we got home. I told Holly that I wished we were there too, and she said, 'yes, we want to meet Elizabeth!' Huh...I have a feeling Tom and I will take a back seat to Elizabeth :-)
Machelle ~ The ride to and from the orphanage is 30 mintues each way, so far we haven't needed the Dramamine, but we are always thankful when we reach our destination so we can get out and stretch! Consetta ~ sounds like Miss Elizabeth (as you call her) will need a big, big toy box! I'm sure her daddy will be proud to take care of that :-) Wendy~ you are right...Tom will probably not let the boys near her until she's at least 25, lol! The whole family is enjoying your posts, Wendy, and being able to hear from you! The Woodalls ~ Thanks for reading, posting, and your words of encouragement....you are right...we never tire of hearing how beautiful she is!! Gary and Karen ~ We haven't seen any Harley's over here, just a few tiny motorcycles. Glad the weather was good enough for one last ride of the season. You are right about my smile, my face is beginning to hurt considering I haven't stopped smiling since we met her on Thursday :-) Mike and Jill ~ as someone else commented earlier a word of thanks to you, we wholeheartedly agree...it gave me great comfort to know that our little one isn't the only one who didn't attach quickly. We appreciate the suggestion of asking for a different time to visit, too, because it seems that she gets pretty tired, hungry, and thirsty by 6pm. We'll see if we can change that tomorrow. Thanks Again!
Jessica ~ so far she hasn't spoke, but it is obvious that she understands Russian when they speak to her, she will do what they ask. Traci ~ you are right about the little wheels in her head turning....she studies everything and appears to be a 'thinker' which is one more quality like her daddy :-) Margie ~ We were so glad to hear that you were following our adventure! We have some great pictures of Tom smiling real big, but the one we posted was the best one of Elizabeth. David, Lindsay and family ~ We cannot wait until the day we step off that plane in St. Louis. Hopfully you won't be working and Halle will be able to give her that hug!! Lennie ~ Thanks for posting. I still cannot get over how much she looks like Tom. Actually now when I look at Tom...I see Elizabeth....to cool! Nancy ~ Thanks sooooooooo much for showing our beautiful Elizabeth to my nursing students and Anne (the instructor who is covering clinicals for me while I'm out of the country). That was awesome! I know you must be on pins and needles about your upcoming trip...won't be long now! Tom says to tell you we'll wave as you fly over. Ha! Ha! Lora ~ You are so right.....what a wonderful Thanksgiving this will be!!!! Brenda ~ thanks for sharing your experience that you had with Meredith...that is very encouraging and we hope that our daughter will turn out to be just as cute and lovable as yours! Beth ~ Thanks for posting...my heart is feeling awful warm and fuzzy lately too!! Becki Jo ~ How awesome that you were able to post from Holly's! I've been wishing you had the internet at your house, but now I have Joe's address so we'll be able to keep in touch.
Last night after talking to my family, we watched the video of Elizabeth. Tom had taped about 30 minutes and it was SO CUTE! She would look at the book, look at me, look at Tom and she did really good for quite a while. Sometimes she would start to cry and watching it on the video was so precious! It was reassuring to me to see that of all the times she started to cry, a majority of the time I was able to calm her or distract her. This video will be precious for years and years!
We are going out to see the city, find a few toys, and wait the hours until we get to see her again. We love you all and miss you greatly but are happy that we can share this wonderful experience with you!!!
Love, Tom, Valerie, and Elizabeth :~)
Also...someone asked once if they celebrate Halloween over here. So far, we haven't seen any decorations or any mention of it, so I don't think they do.
1 comment:
How nice it must have been to speak to your family last night--I'm sure it was very comforting and reassuring. The pictures you posted looked like Elizabeth was enjoying her time spent with her parents. Tom probably better get used to being behind a camera. I think it looks like the book from Machelle is the perfect diversion for her--pictures are universal--from your description she seems very observant and smart--I've always loved literature and reading--maybe she will too. Which reminds me of something I read years ago--about another family bonding with a child--they were instructed to wash the child's clothing, bedding, special blanket, etc. with a little shampoo, aftershave, colonge, perfume--not all at once of course--but pick one and use it--the reasoning was as they slept, played, whatever--the scent of the parents would always be close to the child and the child learned to identify the scent with a sense of security--but I'm sure you've gotten lots of advice. Enjoy your time with her--I can't imagine how quickly your visiting time must go--and how long the hours between must seem--but at least you have the opportunity to explore some of her cultural heritage and will be able to answer her questions as she grows. Give her a hug from the "other Hagan's"--Carol
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