It’s Wednesday night, I’m worn-out but wanted to post an update before I crash:
That girl can put it away. We’ve had four meals with her and she’s cleaned her plate every time. And they were adult portions. It grossed Beth out tonight when she was pulling a lamb bone apart in order to get every piece of meat or fat on it. We understand her background, so we aren’t totally surprised. We know that when she sees food, she’d better eat it while she has the chance. I’m sure that there were plenty of times in her life when one meal had to stretch for a long time. So tell her cousin Anna that she’s met her match. And Kenneth, next time we come over & you are cooking, you’d better have your game face on. She might give Caleb a run for his money. Ha ha.

Last night went very well. After dinner we brushed her teeth, put on her new pajamas, washed her face, helped her use the restroom and laid her in her bed. She went right to sleep and slept for 10 hours. We couldn’t believe how easy that was. This morning was good too. She was playful and we had lots of fun.
At noon we went to the US Embassy to apply for her visa & passport. It was crammed, unorganized & really frustrating. Beth & I were the first ones in the waiting room (there were 10 families in our group and another 75 or so people that quickly arrived). But we didn’t even get our named called for 80 minutes. Fortunately, we were prepared for the annoyance. Shurabe (yes, we’ll stick with this spelling for now) fell asleep on us, which was nice – yet became pretty uncomfortable. We finally left there at about 4:00.

On the bus ride back to the Guest House, Shurabe got very quiet. Beth could feel her heart racing. We think she was scared of where we were or were not going. She went from pleasant, to somber & still, to copping an attitude (especially with me) most of the afternoon and evening. She had a few short cries but nothing like yesterday. She’s bonding really well with Beth but isn’t loving with me like she was yesterday. It’s sad, but I know it’s not unusual and it’s all part of the process. I did get to stroke her hair for a while and kiss her good night several times, so that was a plus. And as I type she’s in our bed. She refused her crib and we decided to let her sleep in ours. I’m going to move her when I head back to our room. Beth & I talked about it for a long time, but decided to try this and then go from there. It’s so tough to know where to draw lines when abandonment/bonding issues are at play. She did willingly take a shower tonight which was cute. She didn’t especially like it, but didn’t fuss.

Tomorrow, I’m going to visit the orphanage where she lived for a short while. I’ll be taking some gifts (including some from some of you), talking to those who knew her, and loving on kids who will mostly be in pretty bad shape. We saw a picture today of Shurabe when she was first taken there, and it was pretty heartbreaking. We are thinking that Beth will stay here with Shurabe. We think that taking her will not be healthy right now.

We have a great group with us. They come from all over. There is a family with 2 adopted boys from China who are here (the boys are here too). They are adopting 3. Ages 11, 7 & 4 (I think). They also have 2 older daughters in college. There is a family that we've bonded with a lot who live in Canada. The husband just left a preaching position to go back to school and to work in a center for Autistic adults. The wife and Beth hit it off from the first moments. There is a military family who now live in Naples, Italy. This is their first child. There is also a family here who is famous in their state. The dad is the Athletic Director for the Univ. of Tennessee. They are a great family. He was so excited to see a Vols shirt for sale at a local shop. They are also adopting three.

Two of the families have children who cannot return with them due to possible TB. They have no symptoms, but a chest x-ray showed that it's still a concern. It's maddening because the CDC and US Embassy are not following medical science with this concern. It's also sad because 2 kids will have to stay here (where they can't get the best treatment) for anywhere from 8 weeks to 9 months before they can go home. We are all sad for them.

Beth and I have both stayed healthy & now we are anticipating being home (not necessarily the journey though). Thanks so much for your prayers. Love you all. Cole & Levi, we love you so much!