Goodbyes and Hellos

Yesterday was a long day, with a lot of emotional ups and downs.

We spent the morning with Denny, for our last visit.  We drove downtown to have his visa picture taken, and the orphanage staff had given him a haircut for the picture (it was so nice to discover that he has ears!).  We spent the rest of the morning in the two play rooms, but he is very big on having hands to hold, so a lot of our time was spent sitting together, with his hands in mine.  I kept promising him I'd be back, that he'd have hands to hold forever in just a few months. 

Normally, one of the caretakers would come in 15 minutes before we needed to go to tell us, but yesterday, no one came.  It was the last visit, the one none of us wanted to end.  My sweet boy was tired and hungry, and I didn't want him to be upset when we left, so when he walked me over to the door, we took that as our cue to leave.  A quick photo with his favorite caretaker later, we were off, and I did my best not to be an emotional wreck.  (Our translator assured me that it was good for me to be upset, which I know, but I was a little worried she'd think I was nuts... good for me that she understood.)

As sad as it was to leave him, I knew that leaving meant we got to meet our Tory, and I've longed for that for about nine months.  When we arrived, the director told us that Tory got dressed to meet us first thing this morning, and had been waiting all day for us to come! 

We first met with the director and the nurse, to go over her medical needs and her plan, since we now need to make sure we have everything in order to handle her diabetes.  (We're going to meet with doctors once we're home to go over current dosages, diet plan, etc.)

Then, the director asked if we wanted to meet her, and I couldn't hide my excitement!  "Yes!  Please, please!"  And in came a shy little thing, her chin tucked into her chest, and she sat next to Scott on the couch.  Our translator suggested I give her one of the toys we brought, and I reached down and handed her the doll I made.  That was all it took!  She hugged her and said she was never going to put her down!  Only seconds later, she was digging through the bag to see what other goodies she could find!

She absolutely loved the photo book we brought, and wanted to show everyone that she has a Mama and a Dad!  We spent another hour together, playing with the toys we brought, and watching her little personality come out.  When it was time for us to leave, she didn't want to walk out with us, and we believe she was crying.

Yesterday was emotionally draining, and I was physically exhausted.  I spent the evening wondering how Denny felt with us not coming back for an afternoon visit, and hoping that Tory didn't cry for long after we left.  This is definitely a roller coaster ride, but a few months from now, it will all be worth it!