Family 2013

Family 2013
Ohana means family. Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Tuesday -Thursday :)

Wow. What a whirlwind this trip has been. Ok we went to the sda on tuesday, with the warning that they may not give us the referrals for both children on the same day. which meant either a day delay or having to take the train out to the children's city to accept one child, then go back to the sda and do it again
:( well luck was on our side and Serge works miracles so they did give us both referrals! But they mentioned that there was a problem with Benji's paperwork, and if it can be fixed they will fix it quickly but if it cant......well then he will be unadoptable! My heart stopped . Not just for us, but for HIM he would live out his life in a very scary place-then cementary (that is exactly how it was explained to me )
2nd lucky break was the paperwork was fixable and cars zoomed all over the city to make it happen ! Amazing folks who work so very hard. From Andrea all the way across the ocean to this team. Dedication.
Wednesday we picked up our referral packet with Lacey and her hubby, after having lunch with Becky and her hubby :) So cool to meet so many Reeces Rainbow families bringing home kiddos I have prayed over and advocated for . We took the train wednesday night, thank goodness for Nicko , I wouldnt want to navigate that train station alone..busy busy and people move FAST. Our train car was nice , sleep a few hours but was up for most of the trip.Very loud, rumbling and shakey. Michael took motion sickness meds which were a life saver for him.
Thursday- Bright and early we were met by Fr. Andrew picking us up. From there we dropped our luggage off and zoomed to the orphanage for an 8:30 meeting with the director. She was very sweet and started to cry at the end . She said we made her so happy adopting children with Down syndrome when we have all healthy children because she believes they are angels of love and see's that we do to. It was so nice to see she loves the kids and is so happy to see them go to families.
After our chat, we ran (seriously, have you seen how fast Marina walks? :)  to see BENJI!! My sweet boy peeked out of his room and waved at us, then they told him "mama" and he walked right up to me and wrapped his teeny arms around me. OH MELT MY HEART ! We are so in love. He is tiny, more like a 2-3 yr old. I kissed his cheeks and he smiled and closed his eyes, then leaned in for more kisses. What a sweet baby. The head doctor and the caregiver said he is the most loving special sensitive boy there and they all love him so much. They are so happy he is going home to a family . I gave him his stuffed monkey, he sat it down on the floor and when it fell over he scolded it and sat it back up then patted its head. Too cute. I brought a tiny backpack with little toys, and he quickly unzipped it and sat to play with the cars. When he was done he put them all back in and zipped it up. I left a little plane with him, the cargivers said they would remind him mama and papa gave it to him and are coming back soon.
Then after goodbyes (paka!) we ran thru the rain to Taya's baby house. She was squeaking and fussing when they brought her out, and they said she doesnt like strangers.I could tell her nurse didnt want to let her go, but slowly gave her to me, and as soon as I gave her a baby einstein toy that plays music she smiled and giggled and just played it over and over. Oh she loves kisses on her neck. She laughs then waits for me to do it again :) She is small also, both the kids hair is cut really short :(
But they look healthy just tiny. Benji seems to be developing well but Taya is delayed. I would guess more like a 18 month old then a 4 year old. I was right they did think she had a heart condition at one point but she was cleared of it, due to the rules here they can not remove it from her chart for  4-5 yrs so she is stuck in a low activity /low stimulation group. Its ok I know she will just blossom at home with her siblings. AND Mama and Daddys kisses :)
After quick visits we spent the rest of the day running all over the city doing paperwork. Marina is an amazing little firecracker. She works so very hard, I am in awe of her energy. By 5:30 we were almost falling asleep in the car , so after the last paper was notarized we all went to dinner at a local place and the food was delicious!
Shower and bed for us now. Tried to skype with the kids, but alas the computer isnt on ....again :(

Love you guys! Miss you!! You will love your new baby brother and sister !
pictures later.
Hugs!

20 comments:

Mom2FourLittleEs said...

Oh my goodness! I am sitting here in tears! I am so happy for you Maria! Benji and Taya are so lucky...or maybe you are the lucky one! :o)

I can't wait to here more about them, and maybe we will be able to meet up somewhere, somehow!

Mom2FourLittleEs said...

Hear...not here...

See? That's how excited I am for you!

Lisa S. said...

Yay!

momof3 said...

Oh Maria....thank you so much for letting us be a part of your journey! I am so happy and excited for you all!

Tammy said...

Incredibly exciting! I'm so happy to hear that Benji's paperwork was dealt with right away!!!!
Hoping to get our SDA appt date ANY DAY NOW!!

Tammy (RR)

Debbie said...

What an awesome first with your babies. Brought tears to my eyes!!!! Can't wait to follow the rest of your journey.

"Are These Kids All Yours?" said...

AWWWWW......so happy you finally get to have your babes!!!! My heart would have literally come through my throat at the comment that he would be unadoptable- BREAKING hearts!! Praise GOD he redeems!!!! Can't wait to see pics!!!!!

Liz said...

Ooooh, I can't wait to see pictures!!!! Marina was our facilitator in the region we adopted Dasha and we LOVED her too! I'm so happy the paperwork issue was resolved for Benji. :)

Mel said...

Count me in on the tears too!! I'm so happy for you!! I can't wait to see pics!!!

heatherbrown said...

Oh, I am so happy! This made my day! So excited for your babies, and for you and your family. :)

Jodi said...

I felt like I was right there with you when I read that!

I have goosebumps and don't even know what to say, except ...THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT!

Thank God you're there and these babies have a family now!

OK...so when am I going to see pictures of Alexander??? I miss him :)

Lisa said...

So excited about all of this! The kids sound so sweet :)! Isn't Marina unbelievable? Please tell her hello from us! Can't wait to see pics!

Stephanie @ Ralphcrew said...

Oh lovely!! The kids sound wonderful and sweet! I read the whole post hoping to be rewarded with photos. Can't wait to see some! Say hello to Marina from the Nance family.

Nan and Dan said...

so so happy for you guys!!!!
Can not wait to see pics!!!!
hugs.

Marianne said...

OH, I'm so happy for you all!!! It sounds like a whirlwind of an adventure so far! I don't think we'll be able to meet up in country, but definitely when we're both back in Florida!

Lauren said...

I have loved following your blog! Can't wait to see pictures of them and hear more about the completion of this part of your life long journey with them. I pray one day i will be on your side of the blog, blogging about 2 we can bring home. Thank you for your encouragement!

gaby said...

Oh this is just what I needed to read today.. I'm sitting here with happy tears running down my cheeks. I just can't wait for ALL of you to come home. I was so worried about Benji's paperwork. So glad it's all ok. I love you guys and miss you. Now, bring home my niece and nephew (please)

Libby said...

I am so happy for you and your family, Maria! Relieved that everything worked out with Benji's paperwork! Thanks for sharing your wonderful journey to your two new children...Libby

KSL64 said...

Maria,

How exciting that you finally got to meet Benji & Taya, YOUR kids! I'm also thankful that the paperwork was correctable and was fixed quickly. I still remember the first time I met Sophia in Guatemala. It's quite the moment. I'm going to be on vacation for 4 days without a computer. You can bet that one of the first sites I hit is your blog to see pictures and catch up. Enjoy your trip!

Nan and Dan said...

where are the pics?!?!??!
FB said to ck the blog?!?!??!
cmon, you are killing me!!!!! hugs,

"...Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows that we know, and holds us responsible to ACT..." Proverbs 24:12

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -(Mahatma Gandhi)