THE DAY-FINALLY! OK this is very detailed for my friends/family who want every detail. Here's the short version (aka as the Todd Lewis): Great Day. She's awesome. We have custody. Visa Tomorrow. Pick up Visa Wednesday. Fly home Thursday. The end. If you want the long one here you go. I don't want to forget a detail so this is for me and my detail obsessed family and friends:)
We woke up at 4:45am wide awake and ready to meet Shaunti. Of course we had to wait until 11am...LONG WAIT. We left for the orphanage about 10:45am and Delhi traffic is INSANE people. I mean: hold your breath half the ride insane. A ZILLION people everywhere insane. At any moment you are going to cream someone insane. As we wound through roads and streets our driver had to stop 3 times to ask where the orphanage was located but he was efficient and we were thankful he wasn't too proud to ask! Finally at the end of a dirt stretch on the road there it stood, Shaunti's home for the last three years. It's by far the worst area we have seen to date. Basically a trash pile beside the orphanage filled with cows and dogs all searching for food. It was slightly overwhelming to know our dear girl has been living there 3 years and extremely humbling.
We were greeted at the gate (thank goodness there's a gate) by an elderly man who asked for our name. He seemed frail and tired but nonetheless I was thankful for his kindness and diligence. We made our way inside and were greeted by a lady at the desk. Right away she took us in to meet Mrs. K the director. We did the usual greetings but Mrs. K wasted no time and told us right away that "Shaunti has been feeling a bit low" and that it seems all the kids come down with sickness the week their parents come! She informed us that Shaunti had been given antibiotics and glucose intravenously and would have the IV still in her hand. Of course the moment she walked out we started anazlying! We weren't concerned about TB because the test was negative just last week. It was alarming and unexpected. Mrs. K said she is fine now and this all apparently happened over the weekend. When she learned that Todd is a doctor she said we can wait for the doctor to arrive at 2pm to speak with her directly. Thank goodness. We wasted no time in asking for custody of Shaunti today. We were shocked when without any discussion she said that would be fine if the doctor approved, which she felt confident she would. That's it?! That easy? We weren't expecting that at all. GOD'S GRACE-YOUR PRAYERS! No other explanation. She came in and out of her office several times until the door came open and trailing behind Mrs. K was our sweet girl, grinning from ear to ear! Right away she came over to me. She was smiling and saying Mama and Papa. It was crazy and all happened in an instant! There's no way to explain that moment except to compare it to the two other moments I've had when Pryce and Knox were born. Todd was snapping pictures and grinning. I was crying. Shaunti-smiling:)
We spent time in the office finalzing all the papers and then Mrs. K offered to take us on a tour. We saw the baby area where we met one of our friends 3 daughters waiting be adopted (Kristian--sister is adorable-grinning from ear to ear!). All of the babies were so smily!!!! They were eating and the caregivers were bustling all around them. Even the wee ones in the crib were smiling. Todd and one baby locked eyes and he instantly had tears (not the baby, Todd:). Nothing like seeing that man cry out of a heart of compassion. For a moment I thought we might end up bringing home two! Finally we made our way upstairs and met Shaunti's adorable teacher and all her friends! We gave them tootsie rolls, carmel candies and all the girls got some new hair accessories. They all looked exactly like the pictures we had seen of this little crew. They were all there and accounted for just like the pictures have spoken over the past few months. All of them except the ones now adopted by our friends! YES! In many ways I felt I knew this little crew. Shaunti was proud to pass everything around but honestly she seemed eager to get the show on the road, ha. The workers and a few select children watched videos of Tarana (the Crutchfield family lives in our town and their daughter and Shaunti are friends). Right away upon seeing the video each caregiver and Mrs. K had the same reaction: they couldn't believe how different she looked. They all gazed at the video with such joy and commented on the difference the nurturing of a parent can make in a child's life. It was touching to see their reactions.
After the tour we went back to the directors office and she finished giving us our papers and had to leave for an appointment. We clarified that we could indeed take custody and she again said yes. Just like that she was gone. We spent the next few minutes painting Shaunti's finger nails and toenails. Loves purple. Tarana told us that her favorite color is purple, she was right! The doctor arrived before 2pm. She was a spirited woman who sat and talked for some time. She said there was no good explanation for the fever such as disease etc. Of course our minds want to wonder about what could have caused the fever but we will have to investigate all of that in US. Thankfully she doesn't seem to have symptoms except possibly some congestion (she's snoring and her nose appears to be a little raw from being runny maybe) and we aren't overly concerned at this point. . Please pray for her continued recovery and health. It's slightly worrisome to have no answers concerning why but after asking numerous people, all separately, no one had any good reason other than fever. So, in comes the unanswered questions with adoption. It's just one of a many questions we won't be able to answer about the days prior to this one. It's just another area in which we have to trust God and rely on Him to reveal whatever is necessary to care for her the best way possible. Pray we get out of here with no more sickness and pray for continued healing! On to the car ride...
We came prepared for the car ride--we brought barf bags. To date almost all the children have gotten car sick upon that first ride with their parents so I had gallon Ziplocs ready to go from the moment we rolled away. Within about 10 minutes she got quiet, not very responsive, not even the ipad was doing it...I've seen that look before. I told her if she was to be sick to do so in the bag (me demonstrating barfing in a bag) and she is a great student! She indeed barfed in the bag! Right on target. Our driver was very kind and understanding. She focused on a point until we got back to the hotel. Within about 5 minutes she was smiling again. Car sickness forgotten. Immediately the employees at our amazing hotel were greeting her. She was wide-eyed. This place even makes our American jaws drop. Our guide/travel agent got it for us at a wonderful rate and we have been spoiled here! We aren't doing the typical Delhi experience, we know that, but we are thankful for these accommodations under the circumstances. Right away we brought her in and introduced her to the beautiful huge tub. We sprayed the water, let her put in some bubbles. No she did not hop right in. As a matter of fact she was ready to put up a fight but I firmly communicated that the bath was happening:) We had some business to take care of. I hauled her into the bath (after letting her observe and giving her some time to explore) and within 5 seconds she was loving it! Ha! She went to town with the bar of soap and I had to go to town on that beautiful very thick black hair. Let's just say we had to do some hair care and I'm not referring to a hot oil treatment! Mothers who have done this absolutely know what I'm referring to. I put on my bathing suit and we worked half the time in the bath, the other half watching Pocohantus while eating cookies. Again another reality of adoption. A child in an orphanage deals with things on a daily basis that we only occasionally deal with. We get ticked when we have to wait for our A/C man to show up but they live with little to no A/C at all. She's never been in a bath tub! That's the easy stuff that's been a void in her life. Dare we bring up all the unanswered questions. It's too much to take in, hard to comprehend. It will be a lifetime of processing for her and our family but God's peace can be overwhelming amidst the mysteries. He can heal wounds and bring into existence healing and hope that we can't dare fathom. His peace can be incomprehensible in her life among the unanswered questions. I've prayed it would be so many times before.
So on to dinner. She kept doing the sign for eat. Her English is decent. She can rattle off the ABC's and 123's no hesitation! She can say many words but not sure how much she understands. We are working with lots of body language signs and Todd even drew an airplane today to be sure she understood we are going to American on an airplane. Amedrica as she says:)
The servers at the hotel restaurant were instantly smitten with her. All young men and many looking at her with hearts filled with compassion and joy for her life to come! It was a moving sight. I didn't expect such a reaction. Our server in particular really catered to her. He translated and spoke to her in Hindi about what she would like to eat. He went right to work getting her order back to the kitchen. She was cold (again not use to A/C) and the manager ordered up a shawl for her. Ha! Princess! Our server said he's waited on many Americans who had come to adopt. He spoke about it with pride and happiness. It was a special first dinner. By the time we walked back to the room from dinner she was shaking hands with the doorman and saying "tank you" when they opened the door for us. They all looked at her with wonder. I will never forget their faces.
After dinner we attempted the pool but she just smiled and wasn't quite ready. Honestly she missed her nap and was getting tired. She did a Stevie Wonder pounding on the MacBook (banged on it like a piano) about 10 minutes before bedtime and that was the moment I realized that she was ready for bed:)
So far we've figured out that she really likes bread, rice and cookies:) If she's offered something she doesn't prefer whether food or clothing (like the first time with bath or changing into another outfit, typical 5 year old stuff:), she will sort of give a whiny sing song and crinkle her nose. Testing....ha. Todd and I are gently correcting her and making her do it properly with a no thank you. It's amazing how you just start being mama and daddy right away! We've heard about typical behaviors among kids in orphanages so this little bit of testing came as no surprise. Right now I would describe her as joyful, slightly shy, clearly has an opinion! She reminds me a lot of her sister:) Before bed we made the quick video then laid her in the middle of her bed. I explained as best I could that we would sleep on each side of her. I told her it's time to sleep. She held her doll, closed her eyes, occasionally opening them to check things out and was breathing heavily within 2 minutes! She snores and grinds her teeth a bit:) She hasn't moved since 8:30.
That's it for now. Your prayers mean the world to us! Please pray for the Visa appt to go well and again for health! I'm on the tail end of a cold and again for Shaunti to be completely well from whatever "made her low". We will blog again soon!
Love,
G and T
We woke up at 4:45am wide awake and ready to meet Shaunti. Of course we had to wait until 11am...LONG WAIT. We left for the orphanage about 10:45am and Delhi traffic is INSANE people. I mean: hold your breath half the ride insane. A ZILLION people everywhere insane. At any moment you are going to cream someone insane. As we wound through roads and streets our driver had to stop 3 times to ask where the orphanage was located but he was efficient and we were thankful he wasn't too proud to ask! Finally at the end of a dirt stretch on the road there it stood, Shaunti's home for the last three years. It's by far the worst area we have seen to date. Basically a trash pile beside the orphanage filled with cows and dogs all searching for food. It was slightly overwhelming to know our dear girl has been living there 3 years and extremely humbling.
We were greeted at the gate (thank goodness there's a gate) by an elderly man who asked for our name. He seemed frail and tired but nonetheless I was thankful for his kindness and diligence. We made our way inside and were greeted by a lady at the desk. Right away she took us in to meet Mrs. K the director. We did the usual greetings but Mrs. K wasted no time and told us right away that "Shaunti has been feeling a bit low" and that it seems all the kids come down with sickness the week their parents come! She informed us that Shaunti had been given antibiotics and glucose intravenously and would have the IV still in her hand. Of course the moment she walked out we started anazlying! We weren't concerned about TB because the test was negative just last week. It was alarming and unexpected. Mrs. K said she is fine now and this all apparently happened over the weekend. When she learned that Todd is a doctor she said we can wait for the doctor to arrive at 2pm to speak with her directly. Thank goodness. We wasted no time in asking for custody of Shaunti today. We were shocked when without any discussion she said that would be fine if the doctor approved, which she felt confident she would. That's it?! That easy? We weren't expecting that at all. GOD'S GRACE-YOUR PRAYERS! No other explanation. She came in and out of her office several times until the door came open and trailing behind Mrs. K was our sweet girl, grinning from ear to ear! Right away she came over to me. She was smiling and saying Mama and Papa. It was crazy and all happened in an instant! There's no way to explain that moment except to compare it to the two other moments I've had when Pryce and Knox were born. Todd was snapping pictures and grinning. I was crying. Shaunti-smiling:)
We spent time in the office finalzing all the papers and then Mrs. K offered to take us on a tour. We saw the baby area where we met one of our friends 3 daughters waiting be adopted (Kristian--sister is adorable-grinning from ear to ear!). All of the babies were so smily!!!! They were eating and the caregivers were bustling all around them. Even the wee ones in the crib were smiling. Todd and one baby locked eyes and he instantly had tears (not the baby, Todd:). Nothing like seeing that man cry out of a heart of compassion. For a moment I thought we might end up bringing home two! Finally we made our way upstairs and met Shaunti's adorable teacher and all her friends! We gave them tootsie rolls, carmel candies and all the girls got some new hair accessories. They all looked exactly like the pictures we had seen of this little crew. They were all there and accounted for just like the pictures have spoken over the past few months. All of them except the ones now adopted by our friends! YES! In many ways I felt I knew this little crew. Shaunti was proud to pass everything around but honestly she seemed eager to get the show on the road, ha. The workers and a few select children watched videos of Tarana (the Crutchfield family lives in our town and their daughter and Shaunti are friends). Right away upon seeing the video each caregiver and Mrs. K had the same reaction: they couldn't believe how different she looked. They all gazed at the video with such joy and commented on the difference the nurturing of a parent can make in a child's life. It was touching to see their reactions.
After the tour we went back to the directors office and she finished giving us our papers and had to leave for an appointment. We clarified that we could indeed take custody and she again said yes. Just like that she was gone. We spent the next few minutes painting Shaunti's finger nails and toenails. Loves purple. Tarana told us that her favorite color is purple, she was right! The doctor arrived before 2pm. She was a spirited woman who sat and talked for some time. She said there was no good explanation for the fever such as disease etc. Of course our minds want to wonder about what could have caused the fever but we will have to investigate all of that in US. Thankfully she doesn't seem to have symptoms except possibly some congestion (she's snoring and her nose appears to be a little raw from being runny maybe) and we aren't overly concerned at this point. . Please pray for her continued recovery and health. It's slightly worrisome to have no answers concerning why but after asking numerous people, all separately, no one had any good reason other than fever. So, in comes the unanswered questions with adoption. It's just one of a many questions we won't be able to answer about the days prior to this one. It's just another area in which we have to trust God and rely on Him to reveal whatever is necessary to care for her the best way possible. Pray we get out of here with no more sickness and pray for continued healing! On to the car ride...
We came prepared for the car ride--we brought barf bags. To date almost all the children have gotten car sick upon that first ride with their parents so I had gallon Ziplocs ready to go from the moment we rolled away. Within about 10 minutes she got quiet, not very responsive, not even the ipad was doing it...I've seen that look before. I told her if she was to be sick to do so in the bag (me demonstrating barfing in a bag) and she is a great student! She indeed barfed in the bag! Right on target. Our driver was very kind and understanding. She focused on a point until we got back to the hotel. Within about 5 minutes she was smiling again. Car sickness forgotten. Immediately the employees at our amazing hotel were greeting her. She was wide-eyed. This place even makes our American jaws drop. Our guide/travel agent got it for us at a wonderful rate and we have been spoiled here! We aren't doing the typical Delhi experience, we know that, but we are thankful for these accommodations under the circumstances. Right away we brought her in and introduced her to the beautiful huge tub. We sprayed the water, let her put in some bubbles. No she did not hop right in. As a matter of fact she was ready to put up a fight but I firmly communicated that the bath was happening:) We had some business to take care of. I hauled her into the bath (after letting her observe and giving her some time to explore) and within 5 seconds she was loving it! Ha! She went to town with the bar of soap and I had to go to town on that beautiful very thick black hair. Let's just say we had to do some hair care and I'm not referring to a hot oil treatment! Mothers who have done this absolutely know what I'm referring to. I put on my bathing suit and we worked half the time in the bath, the other half watching Pocohantus while eating cookies. Again another reality of adoption. A child in an orphanage deals with things on a daily basis that we only occasionally deal with. We get ticked when we have to wait for our A/C man to show up but they live with little to no A/C at all. She's never been in a bath tub! That's the easy stuff that's been a void in her life. Dare we bring up all the unanswered questions. It's too much to take in, hard to comprehend. It will be a lifetime of processing for her and our family but God's peace can be overwhelming amidst the mysteries. He can heal wounds and bring into existence healing and hope that we can't dare fathom. His peace can be incomprehensible in her life among the unanswered questions. I've prayed it would be so many times before.
So on to dinner. She kept doing the sign for eat. Her English is decent. She can rattle off the ABC's and 123's no hesitation! She can say many words but not sure how much she understands. We are working with lots of body language signs and Todd even drew an airplane today to be sure she understood we are going to American on an airplane. Amedrica as she says:)
The servers at the hotel restaurant were instantly smitten with her. All young men and many looking at her with hearts filled with compassion and joy for her life to come! It was a moving sight. I didn't expect such a reaction. Our server in particular really catered to her. He translated and spoke to her in Hindi about what she would like to eat. He went right to work getting her order back to the kitchen. She was cold (again not use to A/C) and the manager ordered up a shawl for her. Ha! Princess! Our server said he's waited on many Americans who had come to adopt. He spoke about it with pride and happiness. It was a special first dinner. By the time we walked back to the room from dinner she was shaking hands with the doorman and saying "tank you" when they opened the door for us. They all looked at her with wonder. I will never forget their faces.
After dinner we attempted the pool but she just smiled and wasn't quite ready. Honestly she missed her nap and was getting tired. She did a Stevie Wonder pounding on the MacBook (banged on it like a piano) about 10 minutes before bedtime and that was the moment I realized that she was ready for bed:)
So far we've figured out that she really likes bread, rice and cookies:) If she's offered something she doesn't prefer whether food or clothing (like the first time with bath or changing into another outfit, typical 5 year old stuff:), she will sort of give a whiny sing song and crinkle her nose. Testing....ha. Todd and I are gently correcting her and making her do it properly with a no thank you. It's amazing how you just start being mama and daddy right away! We've heard about typical behaviors among kids in orphanages so this little bit of testing came as no surprise. Right now I would describe her as joyful, slightly shy, clearly has an opinion! She reminds me a lot of her sister:) Before bed we made the quick video then laid her in the middle of her bed. I explained as best I could that we would sleep on each side of her. I told her it's time to sleep. She held her doll, closed her eyes, occasionally opening them to check things out and was breathing heavily within 2 minutes! She snores and grinds her teeth a bit:) She hasn't moved since 8:30.
That's it for now. Your prayers mean the world to us! Please pray for the Visa appt to go well and again for health! I'm on the tail end of a cold and again for Shaunti to be completely well from whatever "made her low". We will blog again soon!
Love,
G and T
I loved reading this, Gwen! Thank you for including us all on this journey with you. So thankful for a sweet first day with Shaunti! Praying for all of you...
ReplyDeletetears of joy in my eyes as I read this. what a long journey you have been on but the first leg is almost over. now the second leg begins filled with new experiences, laughter, soothing hugs, love, cuddles, kisses and so much more. the is lord with you guys every step of the way and we are honored you let us follow you on this journey as well. we love you guys so much!
ReplyDeleteLoved reading this. Held on to every word. Brought back so many memories for me. You will never forget these moments. Praying for all of you. Much Love, The Kalish Fam!
ReplyDeleteLove every detail! Praying for health and the meeting! Can't wait for y'all to get home!!
ReplyDeleteWhen you get home and things have settled into routine, make a book for her to read when she's older by printing this blog! I use BLOG2PRINT.
ReplyDeletehttp://blog2print.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html
Can't wait to meet her!