Merry Christmas from Tirana!

We continue to try to introduce Ellie to new foods. We're finding she's not super adventurous in the area of trying new tastes!

Since installing high speed this last week, we didn't waste any time setting up a Skype account so we could call the States! We found a webcam and have been doing video conferences with family in Ohio and Vermont today! Ellie was fascinated with the green light on the webcam and cried if she couldn't hold it. Nonna and Pappa Waggoner got some up-close-and-personal views of Ellie's face.

Ellie enjoyed getting some new toys to play with!

It reads, "My first Ohio State T-shirt"

This morning we woke up to the sounds of jack hammers operating outside our bedroom window. Down the alley way I could see that our neighborhood food shop was open for business. It sure didn't "feel" like Christmas day! Though there was little evidence from the behavior of our neighborhood, we nevertheless took the time to set the day apart. After a Christmas breakfast which included Mom's traditional swedish coffee bread, we had a very short-lived attempt at opening gifts (only gifts for Ellie this year)! We put Ellie down for a morning nap and when she awoke in better spirits we tried to see if we could get her to cooperate for some video conferences so family would have the opportunity to see her live and in action. We still can hardly believe that it's a FREE service to anyone with a Skype account! And with the ability to view video at fullscreen size, we saw on the computer monitor that Ellie should be getting a cousin in Vermont any day now!
We are so grateful that though we're thousands of miles away from home, we're enjoying the opportunity that we have to be here with my parents and sister. And, thanks to modern technology, be connected to family so far away!

***We ask that you continue to lift up Ellie's passport situation. First the printer was down, then the office staff closed the office to attend a Christmas party, then we learned they couldn't print it because the technician was ill. Supposedly it's "guarenteed" to be ready by 10AM tomorrow morning. If it's ready tomorrow, we may possibly be able to change our tickets to come home earlier than planned. If it's ready Wednesday, we should be able to come home on January 5 as planned. If it's not ready until Thursday, we will have to postpone our tickets to return sometime around January 10. As you can see, every day makes a BIG difference!

Thank you for praying! We pray you have had a special Christmas with your family!