Whew!! What a whirlwind this trip has been so far!
Yesterday we flew from Bangalore to Delhi. The flight went smoothly, though getting Deena safely on and off the plane was very nerve-wracking. Her little bones are so bent and I'm so nervous to hurt her. Thankfully we got on and off safely. Next we got checked in to our hotel. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and then ate at our hotel. We found the little chocolate shop in our hotel too, and Deena was SO excited. She said, "Mom, I eat sweets!!"
We also discovered that Deena enjoys experimenting and mixing together all her food. Then she enjoys trying to feed it to momma. Yuck!! She did enjoy dinner though so that's good. Oh, and potatoes are her new love.
Today we had to head to MaxMed for her examination by the international doctor. The doctor was the same doctor who saw Ramya, and it was nice knowing what to expect and where to go. The guy at the front counter wasn't understanding why were there and kept trying to turn us away, but I knew to keep asking/explaining and then he finally understood and got us to the right spot. Deena did NOT like the TB test and I hate that they had to prick her. She clung to me and yelled, "momma, big pain!". I held her, though, and comforted her, and at least now she knows that I will be there when she is hurting.
I asked the doctor if he knew where I could get a wheelchair with Deena. Mostly I hold her like a baby and we do fine. We want to go see the Taj Mahal, though, and I worry about her getting bumped and hurt. She can't spread her legs to get in the toddlerhawk carrier I brought, so I can't use it at all. I got her in my ringsling ok, but her legs stick out sideways and I'm nervous about her legs getting bumped. I also thought it would be good to have in the hotel and the airport. The doctor told us of a place that had affordable wheelchairs, so we headed over there to buy one. It cost only $85 US dollars for a brand new wheelchair! It's totally worth it to know she will be safe and won't get hurt!
After leaving with the wheelchair we had to head to the FRRO office and figure out the new requirements that were needed for an exit permit and how to obtain them.
I'm not going to lie, it was a big mess. To begin with, they wanted some documentation from our hotel saying we were staying there, but it had to be a very specific form. After about an hour and many, many calls, they were able to e-mail it from the hotel and we were able to fill out the rest of the paperwork. My phone bill won't be pretty, but we got what we needed, so all is good. We then figured out I needed passport photos for myself, as the exit visa is apparently for me to leave with Deena, but gets registered under me. I had gotten some passport photos of Deena taken by a friend of our driver in Bangalore, but didn't realize I needed some of myself. Luckily there was a random guy that sets up close to the FRRO office and takes and prints passport photos on the spot. Smart guy!! It only cost 60 rupees too, so that was nice and convenient and cheap.
After I got the photos we were able to complete the paperwork. They made an appointment for me to come back tomorrow to apply. When I went to the front to ask a question, though, they sent me inside to go ahead and apply right there. They went through my paperwork and said they thought I was good to go, but told me that I couldn't get everything until we had Deena's visa, which we get after her TB test gets read and then we go to the embassy. Then they told me I better not book travel yet. I informed them I already had travel booked and cannot change it. After showing them the date and time of travel, they decided that should be fine. Next, and this is where I almost had a mini-heart attack, they told me because David's name is on the CARA NOC paperwork, we couldn't leave until David came to the office in India too. I started praying immediately and told them that he was with my other girls, one whom had seizures, and could not come to India. I asked if we could talk to CARA and find a way for me to be able to leave with her so they went in another area to talk to CARA for me. They came back and said that it would be ok, David would not have to come to India. Thank God!! We go back Wednesday to finish the documentation and then pick up the exit visa we need. Please be praying this goes smoothly! This is all new and we are one of the first adoptive families to need this documentation. The kiddos were so bored as the whole process took a few hours, but they were so cute and funny together. I took a video because they were cracking me, and each other, up! Conner just thinks Deena is the best and she has him wrapped around her finger.
Next up was eating. Our driver took us to a super yummy, clean restaurant. The kids gobbled up their food! It was so good! Deena thoroughly enjoyed washing her utensils in her cup of water. She cracks me up!
After eating we went to a little indoor market to look around and then decided to head back to the hotel. Deena wanted more sweets and happily picked a chocolate ball on a stick. Here she is proudly holding our bag of chocolate...
I took a cute video of her with her chocolate. She is hilarious and so precious!
Deena is so smart and hilarious. She is very animated and says the funniest stuff. Yesterday Conner was being crazy and she said, "Momma, Conner is too much boy!". She can recognize numbers, say her abc's, count to 100, write her name, and so much more. She has a feisty streak too, but of course, she wouldn't fit in to our family if she didn't. We are really enjoying watching her explore and experience so many new things. She's such a joy!
