Feast or Famine.

So it seems as though we end up sending many, many posts when we have the chance, and then leave you all in much suspense when we can't access the internet! Mario's WIFI is up and running again so I (Shona) sit here writing to you today. Darren is back at the apartment and Jonathan, who was here with me, has gone to the store to get food for supper. :) Have I mentioned that I REALLY like this place (especially when the internet is working!)? Anyway, to let you know about today (I need to think and write as briefly as Darren (good luck) as I've been given a curfew to be back at the apartment by 6PM. The boys are taking good care of me! :)). So, this morning, Darren and I were picked up around 9 to head out to Boyarka to spend some time with Ivanna. She was brought up to us wearing a heavy snowsuit again so Slava told me to take it off of her and they would bring her a lighter jacket (it was a lovely day today - mid teens). She started to cry again (like yesterday) when we took off her snowsuit - again I think she thought she wouldn't get to go outside. She settle relatively quickly (with the help of her teddy bear) and we waited for the deputy director to present our gift to the orphanage. Eventually, we delt with the formalities (we still haven't met the Director to present our papers permitting us to visit Ivanna!!! - apparently that's not as big a deal as we thought) and got to go outside to play today. It was a beautiful day and there were many children playing outside (some with nurses and some with adoptive parents - mostly Italian and French). It was fun to see her explore and take everything in. She is a fairly tentative child and pretty calm compared to many of the children at the orphanage we've obsered. She seems alot like Darren was as a child - quiet, introverted but curious. She watches and notices everything. We discovered that she likes swings! We spent much of our time with her pushing her gently on the swing and each time we tried to get her to go somewhere else she would cry. Eventually though we could tell she was falling asleep as she swung (head bob - sure clue!), so I picked her up and sat her on my lap on the swing - she cried a bit until I put her hands on the ropes and then within minutes she fell asleep as we swung together. Words can not express how that was for me. We eventually extricated her hands from the ropes without waking her (by the way, as I write and look out the window the demonstrators with the blue/yellow flags are walking by outside - on their way home, I presume) and went to sit in the shade while she slept. It was a lovely morning with her. The rest of the day for Darren and I (frustratingly) was spent sitting in the car while Slava delt with some of our paperwork (stopping at many places)- we were hoping to submit everything to the social worker today, but a snag has appeared. Prayers would be appreciated as it seems that there is a document missing that is 'vital' - something related to the person who submitted a request for her birth certificate when she was born (to prove she was abandoned we think). We, of course, immediately worry that something will stop our adoption of her, but are trying to trust. Trust in God, and trust our facilitators - that they will sort it all out - because we sure don't understand this system and process. Your prayers for finding this document or sorting out how to get around it would be greatly appreciated. Anyway, I should sign off for now. We have had a good morning, a frustrating afternoon and hopefully will have a good evening to come (how can it be bad with Jonathan cooking?)!!!! We love you all - thank you for your support and comments - they mean more to us than we can express.