SHE'S HERE!!! 6/25/08

Today we met Yelena. We were at the airport an hour earlier and we met up with the rest of the group. They told us that they arrived 1 hour early and should be out to greet us any minute!!! When they came out we looked and looked and then saw this little girl staring at us and our sign we made with her picture on it. She did look a little different than in her picture (just like in a dream I had about her) and she stared at us, and we at her. We called her over and hugged her and she just smiled. She tried to speak some Russian, and she nodded and smiled. I was good and didn't cry. We used sign language and told her we were going in the car and she nodded. She was quiet for about 15 minutes, maybe 20 and that was about it! Craig was driving and she took her stuffed bear and placed it on his head. She then made a "pisssssss" noise, as if the bear was ....yes, peeing. We weren't sure how to take that, but we laughed and she laughed, and we figured she had a sense of humor. She played with Jeremy and talked some more. and then fell asleep.

When we got home, we woke her and introduced her to our dogs. She was scared and reluctantly petted Maggie. We showed her her room and some new toys and she immediately rearranged it and made it her own.

We ate hot dogs and burgers, which she enjoyed and then we were all exhausted! I asked her if she wanted me to sleep in her room, and she said, "Yes." I blew up the bed, and fell asleep, Lainey and Jeremy at my side!