Daddy's Little Girl

Since we arrived in Delhi, we've been on the go, non-stop. The first full day we had we spent most of the morning at the US Embassy getting Bela's immigration paperwork together. The package the embassy gave us weighs almost as much as she does! The good news is that her Visa and all other paperwork went very smoothly. The security here in Delhi is very, very strict. All cars are being searched before they enter major hotels (including ours) and the security to get into the US Embassy was even more strict. With India's independence day on the 26th of January, India is on heightened alert around all major sites and tourist areas here in the capitol. Bela has totally attached to Ryan. So much so that all I get to do is bathe her and get her ready in the morning - after that, she is totally clinging to Ryan. He has to feed her, put her down for naps, carry her as we go about town, the works! Needless to say, Ryan is going to need some really good massages when we get home!

Bela has done amazingly well considering she left everything and everyone she knew just 5 days ago! She is eating really well and is sleeping through the night. Her taste buds are continuously developing also - she tried chow mein (yes, in India) for the first time, had her first sandwich and even chowed-down potatoes wedges and her first hash brown. Ryan was thrilled that the has another potato fan in the family! Can we be this lucky! We are so thrilled and relieved that Bela has already started to attach to us (because that is such a critical part of her ability to feel secure. Bela even took her first flight from Pune to Delhi on Wednesday and she was a total gem - even with an ear infection. She enjoyed looking out the window when she wasn't sleeping during the flight. Bela has been pretty stoic up until now - not showing a whole lot of emotion except if Ryan leaves her sight -then she sobs like crazy and instantly is quiet once Ryan holds her again. Ryan and I were so excited that she yelled mama in her sleep - giving us a sign that she is capable of speaking. We know she can talk but she has been slow to speak with us. She has even regressed to requiring us to feed her even though she used to feed herself at the orphanage. All of this was somewhat expected given the trauma she has just experienced. But she surprised all of us in being so attached to Ryan - she is totally Daddy's little girl!!