Day 13 - Daddy sings

Our day began again with another visit to the orphanage to see the girls. It was a cool, drizzly, foggy morning today. I'm thinking this must be what it's like in the Pacific Northwest... I think we've only had 2 days of clear skies and full sunshine since we've been here. Having lived in Texas all my life, this is different for me. Rain doesn't last this long, and I'm used to sunny days almost all of the time. We still haven't seen any snow here, yet. All the local people keep telling us just how unusual and warm the weather is for December.

We can tell that the girls are recognizing us when they come out from their room. We are greeted by big smiles now, rather than the confused looks we got the first couple of days.

These are a couple of pictures from the many attempts to get a decent passport picture for them.

 Lindsay was full of energy again and on the move again today. I can't wait to give her the space to get down and play and explore. She really wants to get down on the bare floor and scoot and play, but we know that it's frowned upon here. So we have to keep picking her up and trying to entertain her on our laps, in our arms, or on the chair.  It is acceptable to sit on the floor, but only if  there is a carpet or other covering on the floor. We don't have one in the visiting area we have.

Shawna was her usually quiet, cuddly self - kind of like a little koala cub.  Lindsay was trying to kiss her and play with her, and I finally heard an audible laugh! She seems to have a very low muscle tone across the board, so I think physical therapy will be our first goals for her, once we get all the medical exams for both of them out of the way.  The name we chose for Shawna means "beautiful, gentle" and I think it's very fitting for her sweet personality.

Shawna and Mom

At one point, Lindsay seemed to be getting overexcited. She just could not sit still anywhere. Daddy was finally got up to walk around with her in his arms. He began singing to her some worship songs from church and eventually she settled down and laid her head on his shoulders and relaxed in his arms. It was so sweet! Her eyes were open and you could see that she was soaking it in.

Daddy is singing to Lindsay.

Eventually, it was close to lunch time and the girls' attention was directed toward the caretakers as they brought in the crocks of food from the kitchen. We took them back to the group room. I set Shawna down on the floor and said goodbye. I turned to leave and another little one reached out to me. I reached over to shake his hand as I passed by, but the little guy leaped out of the chair to hug me and wanted to be picked up. My heart ached.... these sweet little ones just crave hugs and attention. The nanny pulled him back and returned him to the chair. I apologized to the nannies in case I had done something I shouldn't have. I had to hold back tears as I left.

With how tiny and frail that Shawna is, I feel certain that she would have a difficult time surviving in a mental institution. That would have been the next "home" for both girls. Because she isn't mobile or walking, it's very likely that she would have spent the rest of her life in a crib or bedridden.  I'm just thankful that we are able to be here now to welcome her into our family. I look forward to seeing what all she and Lindsay will be able to do in another six months with therapy and loving care.

Oh, how I wish things were different here and that each of these children had the opportunity to grow up in the care and love of their own mothers and families. I pray that things will begin to change and improve in their country so that children with disabilities will one day have more acceptance in the community, more educational opportunities, and better medical care. I pray that any child would be able to live with their families and outside of an institutional setting.


The little 6-yr-old girl that is also being adopted here is so, so very happy to have her own family. I wish you could see the pure joy that lights her face when her new parents and brother are visiting her.  It warms my heart! She also points to our girls and then to us saying that we are their Mama and Papa. I think she's happy we are there for them, too. I hope I'll be able to get a picture of her soon.

Afterward, we came back into the city and had lunch at a restaurant that offers traditional foods from this country. It was very good and only cost us about $11.00 US total for both of us. We'll definitely go back there again.

Paka (bye)!
Carrie