First Steps...

Last night Edward and I witnessed a first for Gabriella. She took her first independent steps!!! We couldn't believe it. She doesn't like to do it if she's aware that she's not being supported. For as brave as she is, I think she's more timid when it comes to walking. We were so proud of her. She just beamed. She has the greatest expression when she does something wonderful.

I do have pictures to post of the last couple of days, but I'm not posting from my computer. I promise to get them on when she goes down for a nap.

Final Hours in Antigua

Ed, Gabi and I went traipsing around town today. We were going to go swimming but opted instead to hit the market, if only for window shopping. Then we hit our favorite crepe eatery, Luna de Miel, for a delicious lunch. Ed and I developed a serious addiction to crepes after living in Europe for four years. We LOVE them. It's deep. It's difficult to find an authentic crepe place in the Midwest. Needless to say, it was a necessary stop.

We were so hot and we decided to let Gabi have some squirm time in Central Park. She is getting really good at standing on her own. She can even stand on her tiptoes and maintain her balance. And of course, she can dance without holding on to anything. So she climbed and walked and finally we decided that she needed to head home for her nap. We bought her a special gift for her 16th birthday and down she went.

Gabi's other new trick is that not only does she point at things that she wants, she now points directly at the object and "requests" it verbally. She's come a long way in this respect since I got her. She used to just ignore something she couldn't reach. Now, she demands it. It's very cool that she can communicate her wants and needs.

We are off to dinner with some adoption friends before this beautiful city. I will miss it. I will miss these amazing people. I know we will return but I will miss it in the meantime.

New Feats

Gabi learned how to drink from a straw today. Thanks to her SLP mother, she is a genius. She also spent much of the day hugging her mommy and daddy. That's her new thing. Hugging. It's very sweet! We love to watch her learn something new every day. I guess that won't ever get old.

Apparently there is some sort of "stealing my thunder" thing going on in Illinois. They were so jealous of my three earthquakes in Guatemala that they went and fashioned their own. Actually, there were 7. We hope everyone is well and safe. Our friend, MK, who is dogsitting Izzy, said that Izzy woke up early this morning whining, shaking and barking. MK was mad at her at first. She couldn't figure out what had gotten into her until she realized that their world was shaking. Poor Izzy. She's so misunderstood. (Although frankly, we would have reacted the same way.)

GOTCHA DAY!!!!

First, I've added pictures from the post yesterday. Blogger wasn't allowing me to upload, so here they are.

We had our visa appointment this morning. It all went like clockwork and we were out of there in a little over 2.5 hours. It's a good thing because we were up very early and Gabi was finished. She is sooooo busy now that she is so close to walking. While we were sitting in the chairs, she stood on the floor and cruised between us. Several times she took her hands off and stood (rather, danced) without holding onto anything. Her balance has improved significantly over the last few weeks yet, I don't think she's aware of it.

Anyway, up to a couple of windows, back down again, up again and we were outta there. Today is our GOTCHA DAY!!! We will celebrate this day for at least the rest of our lives, even if Gabi loses interest as an adult. What a special day in our history as a family and her history as an adopted child. We adore you, Gabi!!!

Cameras are not allowed at the Embassy, as you might expect. Nor are phones or anything else. So we took pictures early this morning and later today. Gabi was beautiful in her pink dress and new shoes. I hate to say it (not really) but she received many admiring glances from other parents.

Ed and Hector will pick the visa up Monday afternoon and we'll be on our way Tuesday. Please pray that we are able to get Gabi to sleep on the flight. We aren't worried about her crying since she is a pretty happy kid. We are worried that she is so busy that she won't sit still unless she is asleep. The funny thing is-- paybacks are hell. My mom says that I was exactly the same way. Two speeds-- 90 mph or dead asleep. We'll do our best to wear Gabi Sol out before we get on that plane. Lord, help us!

Pics

Sorry but the pictures can't be posted right now because Blogger is acting crazy. I'll have to post when we return.

New Pics and Video

Gabi went swimming today with her friends Jessica and Maria. Daddy was there too. That's a lot of fun. Here are some pics from last night and today. Also a cute video of Gabi with her Daddy.

Headed out of town...

Gabi is taking a great morning nap. She woke up extra early this morning. I guess she was just so excited that Daddy was here to play that she couldn't sleep anymore. They enjoyed the morning together and Ed let me sleep in a little. Aaaahhhh!!!

We are headed to the pool when she gets up and then we'll head out to the Marriott in GC. We'll spend the night there and go the visa appointment in the morning. We have to be there at 7:15 in the morning and that is simply too early. We don't want to add an hour of drive time to that.

Ed made me promise to add pictures today before we leave because Gabi's Grumps goes into withdrawal if he goes too long without her. So I promise to upload a few pics before we head out of town. We'll be back in Antigua after our appointment tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Daddy's Here...

Gabi has been showing Daddy the ropes. He arrived right on time and has been so excited since he got here. He is loving on his little girl. Right now they're outside playing in the backyard. There is quite a conversation going on out there.

Earlier this afternoon, Gabi got all of her toys out and showed them to Daddy. Then she climbed all over him and now she's sort of sizing him up. Please excuse the quality of these pics. And Ed's wifebeater. We all tried to take a nap, but Gabi didn't cooperate. See Robin-- Gabi's naps aren't foolproof.

Waiting for Daddy!!!!

Gabi woke up happy this morning as usual. When I got her out of the crib, I told her that today is the day-- Daddy is coming. She grinned from ear to ear. She had breakfast and then we got her dressed for her big day!

I'm including pics of her new shoes. Today she's wearing her boots and she'll wear her new white T-straps to her visa appointment with her gorgeous pink dress that Auntie Li picked out. She's quite the trendsetter.

Art Projects and Chicken Legs

Today Gabi and I joined some friends for breakfast in town. Then we went shopping and bought young Gabi some new shoes. They are lovely. This afternoon we joined several other families for art projects and Pollo Campero chicken.

We made gratitude drums and Gabi helped by ripping the paper that we put on the sides. Then we decorated them with sayings from magazines that reflected our experience here. The idea is to keep it positive. Ours turned out wonderfully.

We then picnicked on chicken and french fries. Gabi had her first real chicken that wasn't out of a can or jar. I've been afraid to give it to her because she doesn't have any molars but she did fine. But she was not the star of the show. That would be Jessica. Jessica is about a week younger than Gabi and has not a single tooth. But she can eat ANYTHING!!! It's one of the most fascinating baby things I've ever seen. She eats pizza, whole sandwiches, bowls of pasta, whatever. Not a single tooth. She just gums everything to death. And it doesn't require that it's torn into little pieces. She'll bite pizza right off the piece. But the real killer was today. She ate a chicken drumstick!!! I almost wet my pants. Jessica is tiny like Gabi. That drumstick was almost the size of her head. But that didn't stop her.

In other news, the earthquake from yesterday was a 6.1 off the coast of Guatemala. It wasn't just our imaginations. Since I've been here we've had a 4.6, a 4.8 and a 6.1. I think it might be time to go home.

And finally, Gabi has been up to some of her own tricks. She stood by herself several times. She was so proud of herself. She just lights up when she does something great. It's a riot. Humility is not her strong suit. So cute.