Tuesday Evening

Hi Shirely! You must be so proud of Liz! I know I am of Charlie! It's such a blessing to me that they volunteered to stay with the kids while I was gone. I feel so confident with them there!

Tonight I had to practice saying goodbye to Myia. She had to go back to the hospital because tomorrow they're going to do a bronchioscopy and check out her lungs. They needed to have her there tonight so they can sedate her right away in the morning.
She is learning so fast! She now can say, "Please, thank you, more and bye bye and Myia and no" (don't they always learn that one fast?!. IN ENGLISH! She didn't really even have any discernable words in her own language! She's pretty amazing.
Yesterday she had to go to the hospital and get checked. The doctor that saw her, came into the room with such an attitude! She didn't like the idea that I wanted to adopt this child. "You know what about Syndrome Down?" (She knew some English) Luckily my attorney was with me to help us both with tranlations. By the time we left, she was smiling and had totally changed her tune. The final smile on her face was when she asked me "where in United States you live?' When I told her that I live about 20 minutes from Seattle Washington she was glowing. It seems her Uncle moved to Seattle from this country and she has been there. "You know Hospital Childrens?" I told her that all my kids receive care there. She was glowing. One more victory in the battle to get our kids with DS into families!
Yesterday the social worker came for her first visit. She was one of the women who was at the Orphan Court Hearing.( I thought she was one of the judges, or jury or board of directors or something. She is so nice. The girls were sleeping when she got here. (I only had 20 minutes notice that she was coming) but she said let them sleep. She spent about an hour asking me what I did with them during the day and what I was feeding them and did I feel capable of handling the language issue. I told her there is no language issue with the baby and Myia is handling the language issue between us! Before she left the girls woke up and came out. This social worker is the first person on this journey that I felt that understood that I love these girls not only in spite of the Down Syndrome, but also because of the Down Syndrome. The only negative thing that came out of it is that she doesn't like the baby sleeping in my suitcase! Ha! and here I thought I was so creative! She asked Bruno to find me a baby bed. Victoria was put on that task and we should have one in the next day.
I woke up this morning to snow! It was so beautiful. But the people over here are so worried about children getting cold, I decided to not even show Myia. I wasn't sure if she has ever been out in it and I would have loved for her to have that experience, but there's always next year at home.
Molly Jane (I've taken to calling her Molly Jana "Molly Yawna" Yawna is how her name is pronounced here) I kind of like it. But for her birth certificate I think Molly Jane will be less confusing once she's back home. She has really come to life today. She is babbling and smiling and even laughing out loud. She is touching my face and my hair and really starting to figure out that I'm someone to reckon with! lol. I just can't imagine leaving them in less that two weeks. This is such a good process having to live with them, but then they should just let us have court and then do the Embassy Dr. and all and let me take them home. This is going to be so hard on all of us to be together for two weeks and then not see them for a month or 6 weeks.
There is a family here from France that is adopting a boy that is 6 and a girl that is 8, healthy typically developing) They can't speak any English and I didn't remember that I knew a few French words until last night the dad came to my door and brought me a nice jacket that he pantomimed was too small for his kids and he motioned to Myia that he was giving it to her. Suddenly out of my mouth came, "Merci" That surpirsed us both! Then tonight he just knocked again and brought me an arm load of food. They leave tomorrow. I had gathered a few things I had brought thinking I was getting the older girls, some color crayons and tablets and some punching balls, and had bagged them up to give to them when I saw them next, so I gave them to him for his kids and he kissed me on both cheeks - just like in the movies! Actually, the orphanage director at Molly's orphanage did that when I left with her too...so continental!
This whole thing has been such an amazing experience for me. Going through customs, being in a foreign country - at least two of them. Getting left at the Frankfurt airport and then having to get new flights, getting dropped of in Berlin - oh so foreign. Then living here with no one I know any closer than half was around the world. I'm really blessed to have had this opportunity...and I'm done now. I'd like to take my new babies and go home. I'm all done with being a jet setter. I can totally commit to these two girls and I'd like to have my life back now. 10 more days with the girls and then back on the airplane. I guess I can make it.