Hope: One Less: Day 9

Last night went well and we may be on a roll with no tears:) After her long and hectic day yesterday, she slept later than normal. We got up and around and headed to Chicago for another Christmas. She did pretty well in the car considering the long drive. She was not interested in doing any of the activities I brought along in her backpack. She did make quite a few gagging noises, but she never did get sick. We put her sea band bracelet on but it was pretty obvious she was not feeling like herself. We were hoping she would nap in the car on the way, but she had other plans. Her eyes got heavy and she was quiet but she never had restful sleep. We arrived at Glen and Steph's house and she made herself right at home. She was greeted by cousins Jordyn, Peyton, and Maddux who have been anxious to meet her. Our dog, Bessie, was already there with Nana and Smitty. She was still scared but she would stay in the same room and no screaming or tears. One time we even petted the dog with a lot of convincing. Hooray for small miracles.

Luckily, we brought along our own food and she immediately wanted noodles as soon as we arrived. She immediately went to Glen and wanted to sit on his lap to eat (three times). She was also a big fan of Steph and wanted carried around by her. Her new BFF; however, was Miss Peyton. Peyton would help her escape to the upstairs (Peyton's room) away from the dog. They had all sorts of fun making bracelets, playing with stickers, eating skittles, and playing with lip gloss. It is hard to believe that Peyton is nearly two years old than her. Occasionally, she would request that "mama" or "bah bah" would join them to play. She does not like skittles, but it is so fun to throw them in to each other's mouths. She ended up with four or five in her mouth and wanted to spit them out but with a little convincing she finished them. She also had lots of fun popping bubble wrap. We took a late afternoon nap and she was much more comfortable after she woke up. She mainly ate her chinese noodles and chips. I lost count of how many "meals" we had today. She wanted to take a bath and Peyton helped. She wanted Peyton to help her get dressed. After eating her bedtime snack on Glen's lap, she requested that he help to brush her teeth before bed. It was the cutest thing. It was another fun-filled day with family.

There are 25 other kids all over the U.S. All of these kids are here in hopes of finding there forever families. We had no expectations when we went down this journey. It has been unbelievable. If you are interested in finding out more information about hosting in general or want to learn more about one of the kids wanting to find their forever family, please let us know. This is such a great opportunity to learn about a child and really get to know their personality before taking a leap of faith towards international adoption. Such a cool program, and grateful that we learned about it. Feel free to email us at christopherswing@yahoo.com or kelslading@hotmail.com.