There are so many pitures I want to post but internet access is excrutiatingly slow and sometimes does not even work. I will keep trying but I wanted to make sure I got this video on here and filled you in a bit on our whirlwind... That is the only way I can describe it... an emotional, amazing, tiring and unbelieveable whirlwind. Today we got to meet our oldest daughter. Hard to put into words... I didn't know how I would react. The whole ride to the orphanage I was trying to imagine it. When we got there, we were lead to an office in the back of this huge building full of never ending halls. It was a very welcoming place... seemed very organized and lots for the kids to do. That was great to see... When we (Ben, myself and the interpreter) got to the office, we got to ask all kinds of questions and got to hear the full history of both girls. The youngest 'Vika' as she is called now (short for Victoria) is currently in the hospital for a case of 'chicken pox'. She is nearly healed and we are told we'll get to meet her tomorrow. After hearing lots of information, a women came in holding the had of this tiny child.. and there she was. There are no words. She looked at us skeptically and immediately Ben held out his hands to her... without much thought she came right to him. They sat together and looked at a book we brought. I just kept looking at her. We've had her picture on our fridge for months now and here she was. We were struck and how tiny she is... and her hair is much shorter than the picture b/c they cut it. They typically keep kids hair short in orphanages. To say she bonded with Ben is an understatement. The amazing thing is that these kids don't even see men so people prepared us that they may be very scared of us because they don't know us but especially Ben because he's a man. She went to him almost immediately. After looking at the book, we walked her outside and she held both our hands. She's an amazing walker. She wants to be moving. As we walked outside, we brought her to the toy area. She didn't have much interest in that so we kept walking... then she noticed the bright yellow dandelions of which there were many. She and Ben began a game of her picking the flowers and giving them to Ben one at time. It was precious to watch. I just kept snapping pictures... its what I knew to do and it helped me to take in what was happening. The interpreter got tears in her eyes and I was on the verge, but mostly I was in shock. Its such an amazing experience... to be in this foreign country and to be meeting the girl that will soon be in our home. She is very sweet natured and her eyelashes are the longest I've ever seen. We had only 30 minutes w/ her because the kids are kept on a strict schedule. When we came in, she immediately sat on a bench and began to take off her shoes- all by herself w/ no one telling her. Then she walked them over to a locker to put them away. She just turned 2 on April 26th so to see this tiny little being taking care of herself was quite something. The orphanage said they get all the kids dressing and caring for themselves immediately. We get to go see her again in about a half an hour. We'll be her two more days and we'll get to be in the orphanage twice a day till we leave. Its been a big day. A big BIG day. Very dear to our hearts.

I'll keep posting as often as I can and hopefully the internet will cooperate and let me do pictures. If this video does not work, I'll try again.