December 21st.

So this morning my kids were up bright and early. Giuliana woke up once last night and I went in and patted her back for a second. Lera woke up but was fine and went back to sleep.

When I went in her room this morning she had her Barbie. I went and got her the Russian kids books and bible I bought her. She sat and looked at them for about an hour. Grego was either on the foot of her bed or in her face. He loves her so much.

I got everyone ready and teeth brushed. I bought an outfit from American Girl and she loves it and put it on. I noticed when she took off her PJ's she still had her tshirt and stockings on. I am having a hard time getting her to take off those stockings. Even though they didn't match her new skirt, she wanted them on. These are the kind of things you don't fight in the beginning. It's usually some kind of security blanket. I just want to wash them!

We headed to the dentist to get Giuliana's teeth cleaned. They took Lera on a tour of the office and gave her a toy. She got to see Giuliana get her teeth cleaned with no fuss. Her appointment is next month. We have THE BEST pediatric dentist. He does all the work for my host kids for free. He is a blessing and a gift from God. He is the nicest guy and great with the kids. He could not believe how beautiful she was.

We came home and I pulled out Lera's bicycle. She was so happy and rode it with a huge smile for an hour. Then she got on the swing set and we played for a while. Then we just started walking through the vineyard and decided to head over to my mom's. Grego kept putting her arm around Lera and Giuliana would hold the other hand. Whenever Lera can she runs next to me. She is very bonded to me already and prefers to sit or walk right next to me.

We got to my mom's and she fed the kids snack and gave Lera a couple of her small Christmas presents. A Justin Beber CD and pillow pet. She cherishes her gifts. It's so precious.

My mom gave us a ride home. When we got in the car Grego looked at Lera and commented how beautiful she was. I told her what he said on Google translate and she blushed her sweet smile. We got home and the kids went crazy playing. I was so happy to see Lera cracking up. Giuliana and Lera hold hands and run around the house. Grego gets super jealous because he wants all of Lera's attention. Lera definitely is a girly girl and loves Giuliana.  

Giuliana passed out and we put on a movie to take a break. Gary checks in all day and Lera really seems to like him. He fixed her bike seat and is coming home later so I can take her shopping. She needs everything. She brought a ton more clothes than I have seen from an orphanage but most are way too small for her. She needs pretty shoes, leggings, and a lighter jacket. I also just ordered her a cute outfit for Christmas. She loves it. She will definitely be in style!

I already can tell it's going to be a major heart breaker when she leaves. We have bonded fast. I bought two angels from the winery Christmas fair. I keep telling Lera and Giuliana that these are my two little angels sent from God. Their names are Lera and Giuliana. Lera loves this and gives me her puppy eyes and shy smile. So cute. These are the flowers we gave her at the airport.

I'll report more and post pics about today in a bit. It seems to be nap time at my house to need to take advantage of cleaning.