Amy Medina

First, a little about Forever Angels Baby Home. I wrote about this wonderful place when I first got to meet Lily. That time you got to hear about it with my words; now I’ll let you see it through Gil’s camera. Be prepared to be impressed.

Their capacity is 50 children.  They are always over capacity.

Every child is treated with love, respect, and individual attention.

Rows of individually labeled toothbrushes and cups

Something like 400 diapers a day…..

And then there’s the children.  The beautiful, amazing, resilient children.

Tuckered out

Skinny Little Sweetie.  Sigh.  Gil and I really fell in love with him.

I have no words.

The children hang all over anyone around. 

He needs a Daddy, doesn’t he? 

Grace was almost offered a job.  She pushed kids on swings, gave them piggy back rides, and chased them around.  Such a fantastic big sister!

 Just one of the many reasons I love this man

 Amy H., the incredible founder and director of Forever Angels.  She helped us in so many ways and is such an amazing advocate for these children (not to mention, she’s adopted 5 of them herself).

 One of the qualifications for being a Forever Angels volunteer is a willingness to be a human jungle gym.

Now….

More about our Lily.

So many have commented on the beautiful pictures of our precious Lily.   But I must admit, they are not entirely realistic.  Coaxing smiles out of her has been hard work.  Since we came for her, she has been pretty solemn and quiet….certainly trying to process everything new in her little life.  She’s smiling in the pictures in the previous post because I had just given her some sparkly pink shoes, not because she’s happy she has a family!  I know that many more smiles are in her future, but I don’t want to give you an unrealistic picture of toddler adoption!  This picture is much more representative of the Lily we see.   

 Sisters getting to know each other

 Josiah kept “petting” her and saying, “She’s so cuuute!”

And here’s the Lily we are just getting glimpses of….a prelude of what is to come! 

I asked her, “Where is Daddy?”

And you can see the response. 

God is good. 

Well, what do you know.  She told me we would have the letter today, and we actually did.  Wonders never cease.

 Interestingly enough, on August 22, 2008, exactly three years ago, we received our final-final letter for Josiah.  Guess that’s a good day for us. 

I am so thankful for Mrs. A today.  She went above and beyond the call of duty to get us our letter today, willingly working with me as we crisscrossed town to track it down.  It was an extremely, long, tiring, emotional day, for many reasons, but in the end I came home with a letter.  I would write in CAPITAL LETTERS, but honestly, I’m too tired to talk that loud.  

And now it’s 8:00 at night, and I am persistently working with a travel agent to try to get us tickets to go to Mwanza tomorrow.  If it works, we’ll leave here at 7 am.  Yikes.

It’s ironic, because this weekend I told Gil, “If we get the letter on Monday, maybe we should wait until the weekend to bring her home.”  It’s the first week of school, Grace’s first week of kindergarten, and it would be better for her to come in over the weekend.   Yeah, right.  We got the letter on Monday, and we’re taking the next flight out of here. 

Common sense sometimes disappears where love is concerned.  We’re coming, baby girl.  I don’t care how tired I am. 

But Gracie deserves her own post about today.  So that’s what’s next. 

I think you will get your letter on Monday.

That’s what she told me yesterday. 

But I’ve learned not to get my hopes up.  I know from experience that even when they tell you the letter is ready, that doesn’t necessary mean it is. 

But one thing I know for sure:  She’s coming into upheaval, and I’m worried. 

Oh, but I’m not supposed to worry about Lily, right?  Consider the lilies.

Monday is Grace’s first day of school.  It’s also Gil’s first day of school.  Today, this very day, we have an 11th grade student moving in with us for the year.  We have a tick infestation.  And then there is Josiah, who for the past three weeks has been having “stress issues,” which is a nice way of saying a general increase in kicking, hitting, stealing, lying, being mean, and peeing in unusual places.  Since he is three and can’t tell me what is going on in his little brain, we’re just chalking it up to him trying to process his older sister starting school and his younger one still not with us (and Romans 7, of course).

And I’m not anticipating that bringing Lily home will be a walk in the park.  She’ll have to process the loss of everything she has ever known.  She is accustomed to screaming to get what she wants.  And there is only 16 months age difference between her and Josiah. 

It’s funny–there’s a part of me that wouldn’t mind at this point if we have to wait another couple of weeks.  But I’m keeping my mind and my heart on those lilies. 

And I’ll keep you posted.