GOTCHA DAY!!! She's Ours FOREVER: )

What a wonderfully BLESSED day!!! Elizabeth Joy Rector is forever ours and we NEVER have to leave her again!! Today around 2:45pm, we went to the orphanage and busted her out: )

As we rounded the corner, the nannies knew immediately why we were there and one of them picked her up and laid her down on the changing table. She asked us to get out the clothes we brought. Oh, tears began to flow as I remembered Pastor David Shiflet recounting the moment when they took off the orphanage clothes and put their son's new clothes on and how symbolic it is as Christ does the same for us when we become His children!! That's what kept running through my mind as the nanny took off her clothes and we began dressing her in her new clothes. I had to keep from weeping and just kept smiling at her as she looked at us and we said over and over again that mommy and daddy are here now and she is going HOME!! 

Taking off the old...

and putting on the new!

Such a little cutie: )

As I held her on our car ride back to our apartment, I thought about all that it took to get here and how she is so worth all of the hard work it took to get us to this point!! I looked down and she had fallen asleep: ) 

Sleeping so peacefully!

We came back to the apartment and she continued her nap for a while. After she woke up and ate, we went to get some dinner. I put her in my sling and she looked so content all snuggled up. I have to say, it's quite a cute sight to see that precious little head sticking out and looking around! After we got back from dinner, she played and cooed for a bit. 


Then we decided it was bath time and thought she might not like it so we prepared for a quick bath with lots of protesting. But, much to our surprise, she loved her bath! I got her dressed for bed and gave her a mini-massage with some lotion. She smells pretty and clean now and looks quite adorable: )

I think she might be getting tired of seeing this camera in her face all the time which I think is why she's giving us her silly face: p

Ready for bed!

She's sleeping now and we're getting our bags packed to head to Kiev tomorrow for the first of our 2 day embassy appointment. We will board a small plane early tomorrow morning and will arrive in Kiev around 9am. Then our driver will head straight to the embassy for our appointment at 10am. We are supposed to have our medical exam, so please pray for a quick visit with the doctor's approval for us to leave the country on Saturday! We will then go back to the embassy to pick up her visa on Friday afternoon and Lord-willing, fly out early Saturday morning to come home!! 

 We are so thankful for our newest daughter and look forward to being reunited with our other children at home! She is so loved by so many and we are thankful beyond words for the love and support you all have shown our family while we worked to bring her home!