All Systems Are A Go....Hopefully :)

So I just sat here typing that we hadn't heard anything about interpol and how I was preparing myself for bad news since we hadn't heard anything yet when I heard the phone ring.  It was our facilitator who said that our interpol clearance has been printed and we have the SDA approval that we have been waiting for!!!!!!! As long as they can get the paperwork from Kiev to here (about 5-6 hour drive) by court tomorrow at 3:30, then it will be possible to have court tomorrow and finish court tomorrow (that part is up to the judge).  It looks like all of our prayers for interpol clearance problem have been answered....just in the nick of time.  I tell ya, I've always been a "meet the deadline way before the deadline" kinda girl.  I'm finding out during this process, that is something God and I do NOT have in common.  His timing is always the best and he knows way more than we ever could, so little by little, we are learning to trust more. Our prayers now turn to the judge and hoping that he will be kind and only request one court date from us.  Please pray for us! We heard that the Italian family I wrote about earlier (the ones who were on their FOURTH court date) finally got the judge's approval but now the prosecutor plans to appeal...I didn't even know that was possible! Oh that poor family...they also need prayers!

This morning we got to the orphanage and the ladies told us to take Zoya outside.   I think they like to get us out of there. Her "new" coat they gave her was 3 sizes too big and didn't zip either.  We made do with it, but I can't wait until we can clothe her!  Big suprise...once we got outside she fell asleep in about 3 minutes flat...record time.  We found a good hiding spot and stayed there for about a half hour and watched her sleep!  Shawn stood guard and shielded her from any eyes that came our way....hehe. 

Another family arrived at our orphanage today...we are so excited to meet them and have a conversation in English! They met up with our friend Shelly in Kiev and Shelly gave them a bag full of goodies for Zoya to give to us!  This was one BIG bag! Clothes, toys, snacks for us...Shelly is so kind to think of us while preparing to come here and adopt THREE, yes THREE children! Thank you Shelly! Shawn said, "I feel like we live out in the wildnerness and this is our drop off." I had to laugh, because that is pretty accurate.  How comforting it was to receive this special bag of goodies! If we stay now we are all set to bring Zoya home with us! 

Zoya had her usual appetizer (fruit, bread, juice mashed up) except this time it also had noodles in it...interesting.  We gave her a bottle before we fed her today and I think I will do that once we are home to make sure she is getting her liquids.  She drank the bottle right down, as opposed to drinking the bottle after her huge meal....which she never wants to do.  Her main course for lunch was....mashed potatoes and stuffing (big suprise) with......BEETS.  I thought it was a little weird but I know beets have a lot of good nutrients in them so I was thinking that was pretty good.  On the positive side, I just kept thinking....well at least I don't have to change this diaper! Today was not a good day to wear a white sweater to the orphanage either! Oh well. 

Here is  a picture of her delicious lunch.  (Shawn almost had to leave while I fed her he was so grossed out). 

Here is her face before she saw her lunch:

Here is the lunch she saw:

(all mashed together....yuuummm)

And here is what she thought of it:

Seriously Dad? I have to eat THAT?

Moma feeding her the bottle before her yummy lunch.

Here is a vibrating teether that Shelly brought for Zoya.  She LOVES it and it calms her down right away! This will be a good "tool" to have on the airplane!  Anything oral/motor with Zoya seems to be calming...oral/motor self stimulation seems to be the way she has been able to comfort herself during her lonliness in the orphanage. 

Shelly also sent a sparkly pink ball (that matched her outfit perfectly today) and Zoya loved it! I had been saying to Shawn that I wish we could find a ball for her so this was perfect! She loves to throw her toys and this is one she is actually supposed to throw.  She loves watching it bounch and trying to catch it.  Thanks Shelly!!

Please keep praying for us.  Tomorrow is the big day....the next big milestone.  We are really hoping and praying that we will only have the one court date (one-because we only brought one nice outfit, and two-well that would just make things so much easier!!).  This journey has not been easy, but the reward is beautiful.  For the first time I let myself imagine taking off from Kiev in the airplane holding Zoya in our arms.  I will likely cry (if not from joy, then from pure exhuastion! hehe).  We can't wait to be home and let our guard down finally.  Maybe one day I will be able to put into words how difficult and emotional, but at the same time, absolutely exhilarating, this journey has been.  We have invested our trust in our God and jumped out of the airplane....we are still free falling...I can't wait to see what it feels like to land safely with Zoya in our arms.