Day 2 with Eliana

Today was exhausting. I have been up since about 3 a.m., not because of Eliana, just jet lag lingering on. Eliana actually just lay down to sleep at 9 pm last night and woke for the first time at about 4 a.m. She didnt cry, but just played with her feet, played with the crib bars and then went back to sleep without ever making a sound 25 minutes later. She woke for good at 5:30 and I was happy to scoop her up. After a quick breakfast we began the many tasks of today. We had three government appointments. First was registration where we finalized our adoption with the Chinese government. Second, we went to the notary's office and last we went on to apply for Eliana's passport. It was a rainy day, thankfully, as it was only in the high 80s instead of hitting the normal temp of 110 with 80% humidity. It was crazy hot in the offices and Eliana was sweating like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

Eliana Day 2

We arrived back at the hotel after about 3 hours, to then meet with the directors of our childrens' orphanages. It was interesting although not quite as informative as I had hoped. We did find out a little more about Eliana's foster family and the circumstances of her return to the orphanage. Apparently, they moved to another city, so she returned to the SWI in Xinyu. I was thankful for that bit of information. The orphanage staff were very accomodating, but I believe the questions that we couldnt have answered were really dependent upon the knowledge of the nannies. We did find out that Eliana was in the SWI with about 50 other kids and 16 nannies taking 2 shifts. With many special needs children, Eliana spent a great deal of time in her crib. She needs to strengthen her neck and trunk muscles as she hasnt spent much time sitting up. She also doesnt bear any weight on her legs yet. I can tell she has musculature, but she just has never been introduced to the concept of standing. We are seeing little improvements already with her coordination. Never having fed herself anything, she had trouble grasping small things and really didnt even try to pick up a toy yesterday. Today she is picking up the toys and even trying to get Cheerios to her mouth. It is amazing how quickly she is learning. Milan taught her to clap (which she couldnt do last night) and she is full of smiles and giggles. I am trying to send just a little bit of video and a few photos your way tonight as I am exhausted from the day.
I am having some trouble here with dropshots tonight. If I doesnt come through I will try tomorrow when I am more lucid.

We continue to covet your prayers for our little jelly bean. (My new nickname for her as she has her little jelly legs... jelly roll was ruled out as a personal foul that may come back to haunt me in the form of some sort of eating disorder in her teen years) We couldnt be more thankful for how quickly she is bonding with us and truly she has been a little angel baby with very little fussing except for when tired or hungry. We do miss our boys and we cant wait for next week when we will have our family all together again... just as it should be. Eliana is in for such a treat! We love you, Noah and Elijah and we are sending big kisses across the ocean. We will call you later tonight, for now we are off to bed!