Kahlia has her VISA!

We haven't had a chance to take any new pictures of Kahlia today - we were busy all morning and now she is sleeping, so here are a few pictures taken before we went to the orphanage. This picture of Scott and I was taken right before leaving for the orphanage. I was nervous, scared, didn't know what to expect. A lot of unanswered questions. The next pictures were taken while we were driving. Cars were everywhere - honking, coming from left, right, in between! There might as well not have been lane lines - no one seems to use them...I can't believe I saw no car accidents! The green and yellow car is a taxi - they are every where!! Motorcycles are really common here, and they weave in and out of the cars with no fear. It was not uncommon to see 4 people on one - we even saw 5 once, but didn't have our camera ready in time!! The last picture of me was taken from the roof top of our hotel our first morning in New Delhi.

I wish everyone could have the experience we have had. It makes our 3 1/2 year wait all worth it to have such an amazing experience here in India. We have been SO VERY blessed!!! Today after breakfast, Rajeev took us to the US Embassy again. This time to get Kahlia's VISA. This was the final step to bringing her home with us. With out that, she couldn't leave the country. It was a big relief for both Rajeev and us to hear the word "congratulations". It took longer then we expected - we were there over 2 hours, but in the end - it just doesn't matter. We have the paper work we need, and that's all we care about. At the Embassy, we met another couple from Chicago also from IFS. They were adopting a little girl from a different orphanage who was only 1 month older than Kahlia. Comparing their sizes - she might as well have been a year older. Kahlia has a lot of catching up to do. When I try to have her stand on my lap with help, her legs don't even try to stand, she just goes limp and sits on my legs - there is absolutely no muscle in her legs. Her brain is working though!! We have taught her sign language for drink - and in less than 24 hours, she can tell us she wants a drink - that's really cool! :-)

It's amazing to think that we have only known Kahlia for just over 2 days. We both love her SO much!! I feel bonded to her already. I guess it's easy when you have a child that is happy, loves to cuddle, and sleeps a lot!!!

Scott hasn't been able to take a good look inside her mouth, but from what we can see - her cleft palate is not toward the front of her mouth - it's more toward the back. It doesn't seem to effect the sound of her voice - it does not have a nasal sound to it like we thought there would be. From what we can tell, it's not as bad as we thought it might be - Praise the Lord!

I am definitely not getting enough sleep here. This experience has put me on an emotional "high" - I can't seem to sleep through out the night - just thinking about her next to me still amazes me. It seems to good to be true. All is well, I sit here feeling content, happy, and amazingly thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ for all He has blessed us with. Four beautiful children - a loving husband - a family of six. My heart is full. :-)