Gotcha!!!!!

So that’s it! About 20 minutes ago, the judge decreed that we are the legal parents of Aliya Lucia. Better yet, the prosecutor had no objections, so while the 15-day appeal period is still required, it should be just a formality. I am so, so grateful that I cannot do it justice here.

And best of all, we had 2 visits with her today, about 1.5 hours apiece. She is so much bigger and more coordinated, and about 15-seconds away from crawling all over the room. When she first saw us, she grabbed our fingers and had a contented little look on her face. Shortly thereafter, she became more shy & reserved, but by the afternoon visit she loosened up and was laughing, smiling, interacting like a champ. She is such a precious little joy.

Other than that, the only other piece of news is that they changed our departure flight, so we have to leave first thing tomorrow AM (no visit with the girl), and will then have 13 hour layover in Almaty. I’m too exhausted to write more, so will just share some pictures from today. Merry Christmas, Happy Gotcha Day & lots of love to all back home!