My 5th day in country was the last day I was able to spend with both Chance and Callie. I started off the day at the orphanage visiting with both children. The visit was short but Chance was such a happy and giggly boy that it was OK, even if i was not able to spend much time with him.
After the quick visit I went to the Ministry to sign paperwork stating that Jason and I were in agreement and that we would like to pursue the adoption of both Callie and Chance. The other adoptive mother also had to go to the Ministry that morning. I was called in to sign the paperwork first, afterwards my translator said I would have to come back in for another meeting in a minute. That had me nervous to say the least as she said she would explain later. I sat anxiously waiting for the other mother to register and was then called back in, with the other mom there. We were then told that we were being asked to essentially provide an information session to the workers of the office. So many people cannot understand why people want to adopt children, especially ones who have special needs. It was a privilege for me to be able to share Claudia's story and to explain to everyone the capabilities of people with DS and the opportunities that they will have in America. I also discussed how advanced Callie was and how well she speaks her Native language. I was nervous to speak, as I'm not a public speaker, but it went really well. I hope that our speeches will help the people in the office understand more about people with differing abilities.
After the quick visit I went to the Ministry to sign paperwork stating that Jason and I were in agreement and that we would like to pursue the adoption of both Callie and Chance. The other adoptive mother also had to go to the Ministry that morning. I was called in to sign the paperwork first, afterwards my translator said I would have to come back in for another meeting in a minute. That had me nervous to say the least as she said she would explain later. I sat anxiously waiting for the other mother to register and was then called back in, with the other mom there. We were then told that we were being asked to essentially provide an information session to the workers of the office. So many people cannot understand why people want to adopt children, especially ones who have special needs. It was a privilege for me to be able to share Claudia's story and to explain to everyone the capabilities of people with DS and the opportunities that they will have in America. I also discussed how advanced Callie was and how well she speaks her Native language. I was nervous to speak, as I'm not a public speaker, but it went really well. I hope that our speeches will help the people in the office understand more about people with differing abilities.
After the meeting I went back to the orphanage to eat lunch with Callie. We had a nice meal of pasta, lentils and a warm slaw-type of salad. Callie put plain yogurt on top and mixed it all together... Um yum? She eats well, but very slowly. She likes to be helpful and kept trying to give me more food and drink because I had finished before her. She has a very sweet heart.
After lunch it was time to bring Callie back to her orphanage. It was about a 2 hour drive on VERY rough roads and it was snowing. Callie slept on my lap and help my hand for much of the ride.
There was a huge welcoming party waiting for us when we arrived to the orphanage. I LOVE all of the people there. Callie lives at a home run by the Sisters of Charity, it is a home for adults with special needs that are fairly independent. There are about 25 residents including Callie and two other children her age. The rest of the residents are older. They all have the most amazing hearts. I was welcomed by all of the residents, given lots of hand shakes, hugs and kisses. I was even given gifts by a couple of the residents. They were truly amazing. The residents wanted to know if I was Callie's mom, if I was taking her back to America with me, and when I was taking her. They quickly learned that I would hopefully be back in the late summer and would bring her to America after that. When I had to leave, the residents told me they would watch over Callie for me. She is truly loved by all there. At least I know she is being very well taken care of.
I can't show the children's faces until after we pass court, so for now enjoy the pics that I can show!
 |
| Callie dancing <3 td=""> |
No comments:
Post a Comment