Five of My Own

It has gotten really cold here in the last couple of days. It is hard to imagine it getting much colder but I am promised it will. This afternoon we had lunch in the sports bar here at the Shiny River. We watched last weekend's LSU Alabama football game while we ate. Later we went to a minor league hockey game at the Palace of Sport just a short walk up the road. Dart of course was in his happy place. I am sure he felt right at home. Right now we are reading, checking emails and enjoying a pot of tea and Russian cookies. We are not exactly roughing it.

More importantly though our visits with Nina are improving. I think we have crossed the midway point, in that she cries less than half the time we are there :) We brought her a new toy, a snail that plays music and lights up in bright primary colors. She and all the children in her room loved it. The Caregivers did not. Who can blame them-toys that make noise are always sort of a love hate thing for adults aren't they?

The highlight of our visit today was when Nina interacted with another boy in her group. He found a little blue rabbit that she is apparently fond of. Nina lit up a huge smile. It is the first real smile I've seen. My God she is beautiful. I can't wait until she actually smiles at me but for now I am happy to know she can smile!

BTW: we have to take pictures everyday to prove to the court that we visited with Nina. Since Nina is still afraid of Dart this is our family pose in most every photo. I'm starting to feel like Wilson from Home Improvement.