Visit with Grace and Court!

Anxious, excited, nervous, and ready to jump out of my skin, that is what I was feeling on the train ride to Voronezh! Just knowing we were getting closer and closer to our baby girl. It is a hard thing to say in words, the feeling of wondering will she remember us, has she thought of us, will she love us and will she know that we are her parents. Will she feel how much we love her and how much we want to take her home and give her the life that she deserves.
We got to see her the first day we arrived and to our surprise she honestly didn't seem to remember us. My heart kind of stopped, i was just so ready for her to run to us and hug us but the opposite happened. Now.... some factors played in to her probably being like this, there were a lot of people in the room, and she is in a new orphanage(she has been in there for a week). But it still broke my heart a little, but the joy of seeing her out weighed  any other emotions that i was feeling. She is beautiful and perfect! My heart melts at the sight of her...beautiful blue eyes, chubby cheeks, dimples that could melt the coldest heart, and that is the precious baby girl that God has given us to take care of.  Ohhhhh...how blessed and honored we are and no matter how challenging it gets, God will only give us what we can handle and He promises to never leave us or forsake us! What an amazing promise to cling to.
The dr. left the room after a while and of course Grace began to cry, i picked her up and she laid her head on my shoulder and that is a feeling I can't describe, but i took in every minute. At the end of the visit she was laughing a little more and stealing kisses from mommy and daddy and that made both of our days!
COURT!!!!!!
WENT AMAZING!!!! JONATHAN WAS NOT NERVOUS BUT I WAS BEFORE COURT!!!! ONCE WE ENTERED THE COURT ROOM , I FELT A PEACE AND KNEW GOD WAS FOR US SO WHO COULD BE AGAINST US!!!!!  WE HAD A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO CHAT AND THEN THE JUDGE ENTERED AND WE ALL STOOD AS SHE WALKED TO HER SEAT AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM. FIRST, WE ALL HAD TO STAND ONE AT A TIME AND SAY OUR NAMES, BIRTH DATES, AND WHERE WE LIVED. OUR FRIENDS HAD TO SIGN PAPERS AND THEN THE QUESTIONS BEGAN. SHE ADDRESSED JONATHAN FIRST AND HE DID AMAZING!!! HE ANSWERED WITH CONFIDENCE AND BOLDNESS. THEN IT WAS MY TIME. IT IS PRESSURE, KNOWING THAT WHAT I SAY CAN MAKE OR BREAK US TAKING OUR DAUGHTER HOME. THE HOLY SPIRIT SPOKE THROUGH ME, I DID NOT RAMBLE. I WAS DIRECT AND LOOKED THE JUDGE IN THE EYE THE ENTIRE TIME. I CAN'T IMAGINE NOT HAVING GOD WITH ME EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, WHAT A LONELY PLACE THAT MUST BE. I AM NOTHING WITHOUT HIM AND I WOULD HAVE MESSED UP EVERY WORD UP WITHOUT HIM!!!! AFTER QUESTIONS, OUR FRIENDS ON OUR SIDE HAD TO TELL ABOUT GRACE AND WHAT SHE WENT THROUGH AND WHAT THEY THOUGHT OF US. IT IS SAD KNOWING THIS BABY GIRL WAS NOT WANTED, ONE COUPLE EVEN  LOOKED, BUT THEY READ HER DIAGNOSIS AND SAID, NO TO HER. BUT WE KNOW THAT IS GOD, SHE WAS TO BE OURS!!! THANK YOU GOD FOR THAT, AND WORKING OUT THE DETAILS. AFTER EVERYONE SPOKE THE JUDGE LEFT. WE WAITED 5 MINUTES AND IT SEEMED TO ME TO BE A VERY LONG 5 MINUTES! THE JUDGE ENTERED THE ROOM AND SHE READ HER NEW NAME, GRACE ALINA TAYLOR AND THAT SHE WAS TO BE OURS. OF COURSE I TEARED UP, WHAT MOTHER WOULDN'T. WHAT A RELIEF TO KNOW THAT PART WAS OVER. WEIGHT LIFTED OFF SHOULDERS.....CHECK!!!!!!!