I woke up to the sun rising early in the morning. Our guest house (small hotel) is in a residential area, so I began to hear people talking, cars passing by and the familiar sounds. While I didn't sleep the best (my sinuses were bugging me), I felt rested and excited to start the day. Today we would meet little "A", my daughter. All kinds of thoughts ran in my mind about our first meeting.
I went to pay for our room and order breakfast. We had omelettes and toast. I got hot water to put my Starbucks Via in (yay!) and we also got pineapple juice. Delicious! Emmi's sinuses were starting to act up and after breakfast she decided to nap. I was too excited to do anything. I sorted out donations some more, organized around the room waiting for our in country coordinator to take us to see our little one.
After a short while there was a knock at the door. It was time to go to meet our soon-to-be daughter. We checked in at the office of the orphanage and sat down to wait for her. Her auntie (care taker) was getting her ready for us. Then we saw her: she was wrapped in a blanket and taken to the office and then to us. She was placed on my lap and she gave me the biggest smile. I saw her try to look at me, but due to her eye condition she had to look at me sideways. So we sat there, getting to know each other while I studied her features and tried to remember it all. I didn't want to forget the way she would focus on a feature on my face and then attempted to reach it. Or the way she blows bubbles with her lips. Or the sounds she would make when I got her really excited. She loved being outside and would stop to listen cars go by or the goats that were roaming near us. I knew once i got home, i would want to remember each little detail of her face, each expression and every little noise she made. We had her until her next meal, which went by too quickly. She was smitten by Emmi too, and the girls were getting to know each other a little bit. I was so thankful that they could meet each other and begin to bond here.
Then it was time to say goodbye for the day. We headed next to Fern House, which is nearby our hotel. I learned that they had 3 very small babies there and of course I would have the opportunity to love on these babies. We arrived shortly and was greeted by the entire staff. And both Emmi and I received twin baby boys to hold and love on. Little ones began to emerge from the rooms and we had a lovely visit. Mary and I learned more about each other, our lives and about the Fern House.
This Thanksgiving Day has been full of things to be thankful for: family and friends. Old ones and new ones we met today. Our daughter who is perfect just as she is and the potential I see in her. And experiencing this all with my oldest who loves this country as much as I do also.
No comments:
Post a Comment