Debutant

Elaina made a splash onto the social scene Monday night, in her first appearance since coming to the States last December. The elusive debutant could not be reached for comment, but we managed to get these exclusive photos of Elaina on her way to the Wide Horizons Waiting Families Meeting. Here we see Elaina playfully shooing away the camera...or maybe playing with a toy on her car seat.

Later, in a moment of quiet thought, Elaina reflects on the frantic shaking and jittering of Retracto-Mouse as symbolic of the hectic life of the child socialite. For tonight's event, she's chosen an understated white polar bear hat. A solid choice for any youngster, the bear is particularly effective on Elaina, its stark whiteness contrasting with her beautiful skintone and black pearl eyes.

For her indoor ensemble, Elaina's chosen a jaunty red jumper with dalmations, worn over an ivory blouse with dalmation accents.

We wondered how Elaina would handle her first time among a lot of people. The Waiting Families Meeting, coordinated by Wide Horizons for Children (our adoption agency), was a great first outing for Elaina. It's full of lots of very supportive, welcoming people, eager to share information and encouragement during the long wait of the adoption process.

Elaina was surprisingly outgoing--not overly smiley, but not shy either. She let several people hold her and seemed unfazed to be the center of attention. She also stood more often and more confidently than she has before, and a couple times seemed about to walk off--which was surprising, given that she'd only managed up to three or four steps before. That confidence has carried through to today, when Elaina's started really walking in earnest--walking halfway across her "corral", and now some of the walks don't end in a fall. I have a feeling things are about to change again....