Joys AND Trials, but mostly Joys

To avoid confusion as you read this, note that this is Chris writing today under strict supervision of Cindy.

Yesterday morning was the most wonderful experience, because around 6am a precious little girl opened her eyes, looked at her mama and papa, and smiled. She then reached her little hand out to touch mama's face, as if to make sure that she was real. It was simply amazing, and two rough diaper changes later, it is still amazing! Despite all the changes that Allie is being put through, she is really adapting well. Most of the days she has been wearing a big smile and wanting to play. The only problem is that she would rather keep playing regardless of how exhausted (she and her parents) get. So, for all those wondering how our entry to parenthood has been, we have experienced some fights but we have seen enough joys to know that the fights are worth it.

I am able to write now because Allie passed out for a nap, which is a first for this trip. Yesterday, we tried for the afternoon nap, but that got nasty quick. Eventually, she fell asleep along with us around 3:30. She woke up again at 5:00am this morning!

We are learning quickly about her. Like how she loves to mimic adults, and that is why everything is a phone to her (even her baby doll!). She loved Cheerios, couldn't get enough, until she had goldfish. Now, nothing compares for her. She will eat our other treats that we brought, but apparently baked cheddar is a flavor that cannot be denied. Lotion time is still a big hit, but bath time before lotion is still up in the air. She loves to splash water in her face, but us pouring water on her head to wash out the shampoo is terrifying.

I don't think that our Almaty experience will be remembered quite as fondly as Ust. The hotel still claims to only have the most expensive room, and the staff is less than excited to be hospitipal to us. Allie will remember Almaty as the place of the first time that her parents subjected her to the doctor. The doctor was fantastic with her, but she still hates anything that resembles a doctor's office. Random enough, the doctor was a foreigner as well, he was from South Africa.

The one thing that we do have at this hotel is a truly fantastic breakfast buffet. Still a lot of beef and onions for the morning, but the spread is quite impressive. Allie loves the apples and oranges, but she is not a fan of grapefruit. Potatoes seem to be her favorite food thus far (well, it is probably a toss up with goldfish), so she is definitely Cindy's daughter. If that wasn't enough, Allie has not paid any attention to cartoons that we have for her, but she stopped and watched several minutes of The Princess Bride. For those who do not know, this is Cindy's all time favorite. Inconceivable!

We have not heard otherwise, so it looks as though we are set to have our embassy appointment today at 2:30. That means that we will be flying out in the morning and be home as planned around 5:45pm. Allie did well during the flight from Ust, but that was only an hour and a half. Please pray for the other 15.5 hours of flights, and 10+ hours in layovers. Thankfully, the plane itself does not scare her, so it is really just our responsibility to entertain her. Cindy's biggest fear is changing the "fun" diapers on the plane. We shall see tomorrow!