Last update BA (Before Aidai)

Well the title pretty much says it all! It is officially Gotcha Day, just after midnight here. In about 10 hours we will be at the orphanage. We've got all of the gifts sorted out (they made it in the luggage) and have the shoes and vitamins ready to go. More shoes will show up tomorrow and we'll have to get them into bags to take over to Tokmok. We also need to pull apart the luggage when it gets here and grab Aidai's clothes. We have to leave at 8:45am, the luggage getting here around 7am would be awesome. It's going to be a tough turn around if it comes at 8 or later.

I think we will be getting back around lunch time so the first order of business will be finding something for Aidai to eat and then she normally naps but I don't know if she will be able to settle with all the excitement. We aren't going to give her all the toys at once, well we are going to try not to but we are running out of hiding spots. I may have to stash some stuff in Maria's hotel room since her child isn't mobile yet!

I'm definitely starting to get butterflies about going to pick her up. I just have no idea how she is going to react to everything. I'm hoping that Aliya can explain where her Papa is and that she won't be too confused about where he is. I hope that she accepts me as easily as she did on trip one. I'm so grateful to have my mom, Maria and Jennifer here with me. I definitely haven't laughed this hard in a long time. Perhaps some of it could be because of jet lag and emotion, we are all punchy. But I also think that we are just a fun foursome who have all been brought together on this journey. It is so neat to me that Maria, Kevin, Josh and Jennifer will be part of Aidai's story now. It's funny how we just happened to be thrown together, I think a bigger plan is at play with this pairing!

I guess I should probably try to go sleep or something. I'm really excited. I can't wait to see Aidai again and it will truly be an honor to be her mother. I am the lucky one.

Elizabeth