Nikolina Day Three

So, this morning's visit was amazing. A very different little girl. She was more interactive and wanted to be held most of the three hours. I would put her down every once in awhile when she would get squirmy because I thought she might need a break from being touched and seemed like she was tired of being held, but as soon as I would sit her in a chair she would put her arms up to be picked up.
She made more eye contact this morning too. At one point she lay down on my lap with her head on my knees and her legs up on my shoulder and she had the best eye contact. Several seconds where she was really looking at me before she would shift her eyes away. Then she would look back for another several seconds and look as though she was studying my face. At one point I looked straight at her then looked away so she wouldn't look away first and I could see out of the corner of my eye that she was studying my face. Very nice progress of connecting.
And then the best progress of all is when I took her back to her room for the lunch break she started crying and hanging on so I couldn't put her in the crib. When I gave her a last hug and sat her in the bed she cried and hung onto my arm, trying to pull herself up. It was sad, but a great sign that she is connecting.
This afternoon we are going with the other American family and their translator to the photo shop to get the girls visa pictures taken. Then tonight after the visit we will all have dinner together. A very nice couple adopting their first child. Alexandra is two and "typically developing". A very beautiful little girl with black curly hair and big brown eyes.
But my heart belongs to this little girl.