Her name means 'Hope'

What a beauty! Got to meet little Nadiejda yesterday... blue eyes, brown hair, amazing smile. She interacted beautifully, smiling and even giggling a little bit. We are taking her a stuffed kitty cat today and a banana. They said to make sure and get her some vitamin-rich food while we can. She's only a year old, so banana is pretty easy to mush up!

It is a little surreal being here. We are in a microcosm in the room, just the three of us, so it can feel like we're in the states. Then we step outside where everything is in cyrillic (and I squint at every word as if that will help me translate it) and remember we're in Russia. It is a bustling, busy place where you are certain that a traffic accident is waiting around every corner. We are driven around at 1,000 miles an hour listening to Frank Sinatra and looking at the amazing architecture and statues of Peter the Great. This is Nadiejda's history... this is where she comes from, so we are trying to drink it all in. OH! And the coffee here ROCKS!! Need to try and find some to take home with me, for sure.

I'll update tonight after our visit with our little one. We may be able to tour the Kremlin, Red Square and St. Basil's Cathedral this afternoon as well. Love to all - we feel so incredibly blessed to be here.