Yesterday we moved into our flat - not quite the Radisson (hard bed and bad internet access) but it's nice to be able to spread out a bit more.  We hope to bring Mara here soon but because of her fever and cough, we have made the decision to keep her at the foster mother's house until she feels better.  

Yesterday's major accomplishment was scheduling our final interview with the US Embassy for Mara's visa and finalizing all of the court paperwork which had to be translated and notarized.  Poor Nino had to sit at the notary's office for 6 hours waiting for it.  But, a July 3rd departure is looking more & more feasible! 

Once that was done, we were off to visit Mara at the foster home. 

Here's the entrance to the home.  It is about a 20 minute drive from downtown.

Mara still had a fever but as always was in good spirits.  She LOVED the abc flashcards and Clare singing the A-B-C song to her (while Nick fanned her).

Here Mara with her friend Vera, another little girl in the foster home who is quite fond of Clare (and yes the feeling is mutual!!)

 

 Never to sick for cookies!

 

And showing off her new hairclip, while writing in Clare's New Yorker.  With her long fingers, she meticulously turned every page and illustrated it (and Clare's pants) with a pen.

Every once in a while she would look up to smile at Clare (which melted our hearts) and to pull Clare's arm down around her. 

While we visited, the grandmother (Mara's Foster Mother's Mother) came to visit.  She obviously is also very attached to Mara and cried that Mara was leaving.  Honestly we have been so focused on our transition, we have to remind ourselves that it's a transition for the foster home as well.  They have been a loving and caring environment for Mara and we will be forever grateful for what they have done for her.

After leaving the foster home, we went grocery shopping at CarreFour.  While in the store, there was a torrential rainstorm which left the streets flooded and this beautiful rainbow - fortuitous for our future together as a happy family?

After enjoying a glass of wine in our flat, we set off for our nightly walk to dinner.  We loved seeing the Georgian way of towing a car illegally parked!

The storm left the sky clear and bright - a beautiful contrast to the lit government building in Freedom square.

Dinner at the Peace Cafe was uneventful - too many people smoking (especially young women) and over-salted food.  Too bad we didn't have a chance to read the TripAdvisor review "pretentious place for unfashionable people" before we went.  Nick researched other restaurants for tonight - hopefully we discover another gem that's a little more flavorful, with better ambiance!