Marina's new smile

This is it! This is Marina's beautiful new smile!

She is learning to eat solid foods now, and has almost mastered the use of a spoon, despite only having four fingers on her right hand.

She is crawling around like a little speed buggy, and will get her new prosthetic feet in a few weeks! We are going to have to get some new jogging shoes to keep up with this little girl. It is hard to believe that this is the same little girl who could not sit up or even hold her own bottle 9 months ago.

We are happy to announce that Marina is turning four years old the last week of March! Congratulations, Marina! After fighting for your life for three years, you deserve the happiest birthday in the world!

We love you, Marina!

The Mother's Care team

News from Marina

Dear Marina fans,
We are pleased to announce that Marina had her cleft lip and palate surgery on Tuesday at St Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, Florida and she is doing great!
I am attaching a picture so that all of you can see how she is doing. She has some swelling and some stitches that will have to stay in for a while, but she is recovering great, eating, playing and adjusting to her new mouth.
Breathing was a real challenge that first night, with the swelling and the new roof to her mouth, but she came through beautifully and is doing great. We even get a little smile now and then.
She is on blood thinners because of her blood clotting disorder and will need to be in the hospital to be monitored for a few days, and she is really wanting to go home, so pray that she will be at peace until she is released from the hospital.
Thank you so much to all of you who have called and written to let us know you are praying and thinking of us.
We appreciate you so much!
After the stitches and tubes come out, I will send a new picture.
Blessings,
Rebecca and Marina

The lost and found

Natasha's mom received an unusual phonecall in December.

"You should come and sign papers concerning your daughter that you left to the hospital a year ago."

She had given birth to a tiny baby girl (only about 1kg or 2lb), who according to the experts was not going to live. So she left, grieving over her lost daughter.

Miss-Gobble-the-Hut has been with us since year ago February. In the beginning we did not see much but cheeks and eyelashes. She has done a lot of growing to catch up with her cheeks and has turned to a charming and surprisingly plump little girl (how she does it with the orphanage food, we don't know). She loves attention and can hardly wait to have her own mommy to love her all the time! For this is as true as rumor can be - mommy went to court and should be coming to pick up her lost baby any day now. Looks like this story might have happy ending.

Update February 27th

I asked today at the hospital. Mommy came to take Natasha home. Fair well!