It's 6:10 AM....

It's 6:10 here and my daughter woke up around 5:15... I must have gotten up 10 times during the night: go to bathroom, go cough where Abi wouldn't wake up, take cough medicine, drink more water, etc. etc. TO say my brain is on overload is an understatement. I'm sitting here with my stomach churning, eating my upteenth peanut butter and tortilla roll-up (they now officially make me gag- but thankful to have food) , watching Abi rock out to the music coming out of my iPod, and thinking about how in the world I'm going to get through the next 30 hours...

Hold on- must go feed  my daughter...

Okay, I'm back. Food eaten WITH a burp.  Oh how quickly the things that get me excited have changed :)

Today is important.

I have an appointment today with the visa department at the embassy.  If Abiella's visa is printed then we're heading to the airport immediately after to go get on a plane and begin the 24 hour / 3 flights home... These tickets were NOT easy to get, and my husband worked for countless hours finding a way to get us home before the "next available seats" (Next Week!) Praying we get the visa and can USE THESE TICKETS.

It's been a good trip, a hard trip, a great trip, a memorable trip, an incredibly special trip, a blessed trip, a scary trip, and an EXHAUSTING trip.  This mama is SO ready to be at home and begin our life as a little family of 3 I can hardly stand it.  I'm scared to let my mind wander too far (will I be home by Friday?) b/c you never know what will happen.  But for now, I'm praying my daughter will poop (Hey, Milk of Magnesia- live up to your hype won't ya?), taking my 2nd Excedrin,  packing bags, charging all my electronics, downing some eggs that were just delivered to our room, gathering my paperwork for my visa meeting, figuring out how to pack everything I need for myself and a baby in a backpack for 30 hours, and praying the visa is printed and the day goes smoothly and we're given super natural peace and STRENGTH.  I'm also trying to remember to be THANKFUL. We have SO much to be thankful for, and the great people I've met here have reminded me that life is FUN and that you can enjoy the ride and lean on God, even in the challenges.  As my new friend Paul put it, "God brought you here.  He brought you to this baby.  You must let Him bring you through it all. Do not worry.  We're not made to worry."

So right now my rock star mama is giving Abi a bath and handing me gatorade bottles and peanut butter roll-ups with a look that says, "Eat this, or else."

So thankful she is here.  So, so thankful.  I don't know how I could have done this without her.  It is a true blessing and gift from God that He made it possible for her to come with me.

And...Abi is HAPPY.  Very HAPPY.  She wakes up smiling... she laughs at loud noises... Sometimes I look over at her and she's just sitting there grinning ear to ear.  I'm so thankful for this 2 week "learning curve."  We've gotten through a lot together and I feel like the bonding has been so sacred.  Now I just need to show her Daddy all her new tricks :) For one, she laughs at Beyonce's song "Upgrade You" EVERY SINGLE TIME.  I'm sure it's the beat or the drums or Jay-Z's voice or something that resonates in her little ears, but the timing is hilarious b/c she laughs right when Beyonce says something sassy.  Looks like this little girl's a lot more like her mama than I realized :)

The power / internet here has been limited so here's a few photos I meant to upload earlier... More to come for sure...

Abi's first head scratch...

Our angels...Paul and Lawrencia. God used them to quite possibly save Abiella's life... They're love is unbelievable.  In fact, yesterday they sent someone to do our laundry for us and Paul came by last night to visit and pray.  He said, "We are your only family here.  We must do this.  You are our sisters and your baby is our baby. And one day when I meet your husband, he will by my brother. When you are a Christian you have family all over the world."

Practicing sitting up and using our neck muscles... (aka- playing.)

View from our hotel. (I bought a cute dress at one of the shops across the street and an incredibly special woman made my mom a scarf just for her...)

Okay, off to continue packing and perhaps change my daughter's poopy diaper... could we be so lucky?!???

If you think about it, please pray for a visa and a safe trip home!

mae