Noemi . . . Amazing

This post may be a rambling one with lots of typos, so bear with me. Let me update you on the past two weeks -- oh, wait, it's only been 48 hours since our last post! It feels like we've been with our little cacahuate (peanut) forever, and it already feels unthinkable to know we only have hours left together on this visit. Here are just a few snippets from our last two days:

* As cute as she is in the photos, she's a gazillion times cuter in person. I literally couldn't go to sleep last night because I was so excited about waking up and seeing her little face and hearing her coos. When she wakes up, she kind of coos and gurgles for a bit until we go to get her out of the crib, and when she sees us coming, she blinks and those huge eyes open even wider (they remind me of cartoon eyes they're so expressive) and a smile just explodes on her face. I'd gladly wake up at 5:30 am every morning to see that! (yes, Lia actually typed that)

* Can't remember if I wrote about the razz or not on the last post, so I'll write it again. Lia made razzing sounds to Noe the first day and Noe picked up on it immediately and now would spend the entire day trying to master the art if she could (her lips seem to go a bit numb after about 15 minutes and then she gets frustrated). It is so unbearably cute to see this little 10 1/2 pound bundle all squished up in concentration, squeezing my thumbs, finally making the big bubble/drool razz and then looking up into mommy's eyes with this huge excited smile. It just cracks me up. (series of pics down below illustrate this)

* The second night was tough for all of us. Noe was a bit constipated (she pooped a Lincoln log the next morning), and was just incosolable for a few hours in the middle of the night. Now I know what all of you meant by how hard it is to listen to your baby cry and not being able to do anything about it. By 3:30 am, I was bawling too and poor daddy had two of us to comfort.

* Because the second night was such a challenge, we wanted to start off on the right foot for the night yesterday, so we got the room all dark and quiet for her afternoon nap, nice and toasty warm. Then she bawled for nearly an hour and wouldn't give it up. We finally did, and popped her in the sling for a jaunt around our floor. She was asleep in seconds. So we took her down to the bar for a beer (us, not her) and she slept through an hour and a half medley of 80's music videos (Christopher and I were glued to the screen, absolutely no resolve at all to pry our attention away), wrapped up like a little peanut against my tummy in the sling. Go figure. Then, after Christopher and I worked out about 18 contingency plans to get through the night (including sleeping with her in the sling), she went down like clockwork and slept like an angel.

* We've learned that Noe is totally content in the sling . . . until she's not any more. She's perfectly happy entertaining herself propped up on the couch . . . until she's not any more. She loves watching people in the restaurant while mommy and daddy eat and talk . . . until she's not any more.

* I can't even write about leaving yet. It's just too painful. Making it worse is hearing more stories about what a wild card this PGN process is (the next and final hurdle to being able to bring her home). We met a lovely couple here picking up their son, Chester, and heard how painful it was for them to go through a 5 1/2 month ordeal with PGN. Ugh. So we'll just keep re-reading that excerpt I posted about waiting and try to remember that these next few months are still purposeful, even though they'll no doubt be more painful too. (my chest hurts as I type those words)

I'll leave you with some choice photos of our little girl. Thank you all so, so much for your enthusiasm and love and prayers and support and excitement and advice. I can't tell you all how great it is to feel like you're all here with us. We love you.