Ups and downs

So for the most perfect part….we’ve got Ap*le!!!!!  Woo-hoo!!!  I will fill you guys all in on the details of the rest of the trip later, but we met Min*l at the hotel after breakfast to do a little (ok a lot, long story) shopping so we had suitable clothes to wear to the orphanage and court, just in case our lost bags still didn’t arrive in time (nope, still not here), and the whole time, we’ve got tons of anxiety and butterflies just longing to get to the orphanage.  After what seemed like an eternity, we finally were able to get a couple of items (um, yep, I’m definitely tooooo big for India shopping, at least in the South!), and run back to the hotel to change.

After a quick freshening up and a couple of pep talks for each other, we were finally on our way to meet our baby girl!  About 30 mins away, Min*l gave us the heads up that we were nearing the orphanage so we should start snapping pics away…you know me, I took that seriously!

Sitting in the little front room of the orphanage, we were able to meet a few of the Aunties.  Some of those ladies had the most beautiful energy about them, and you could see the excitement in their eyes when they were told who we were the parents of!  Watching them interact with a few of the children, you can see the genuine love they have for these kiddos!

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity with this internal dialogue going on saying, “Heath*r, be still thy heart for this is a life changing moment, yes, but you must not float away or give into the anxiety; instead, be ever present and aware and full of love and joy, for this is what she needs to see from you and Mr. G for the first time she meets her parents.”. Oh how thankful I am for that little pep talk, as I did calm, and when I looked back up, here was an Auntie walking with my baby down the hall!  She was so tiny, so timid, and so curious all at the same time!

As she had seen Min*l so many times, she released the Auntie and went straight to her.  In perfect Min*l fashion, she moved slightly over (we were sitting on a bench behind the little coffee table so Ap*le couldn’t walk straight to us anyhow), and reminded her who we were.  Now, we could tell she recognized us but as I’m sure I would be too, she was a bit cautious in approaching us, but did so anyhow.  After about 5 seconds of sitting in between Mr. G and I, and us holding her hands and patting her back, she smiled!  Oh that smile!!!  I so wish I had someone else there who could photograph that moment, for it was just like the first time our son opened his eyes after he was born, such a precious moment in life!!

However, as there are very many traditions to follow, we weren’t even able to take but just a few pics after some time.  They are apparently very strict about the pics now, which is so hard for me!!  I just wanted so deeply to be able to document every move she made and every piece of her life before us, but I will just have to make lots of notes in my head and on paper so she can know her story.

So here we are, two days later with court tomorrow.  Our daughter is truly amazing!  She has warmed right up to us and even now calls us by name, Mommy and Daddy!  Never expected that to happen, let alone for her to sleep so happily with us, run to each of us and hugs our necks so tightly, or for her to grab our hands at such unexpected moments just to be held.  The first time she referred to Mr. G as “Papa” when she wanted to know why he wasn’t sitting with Min*l and me, I almost started crying out of sheer joy!  And the first time she yelled for “Daddy” as I was getting the iPad set up to Skype our son and my Mom, my hubby almost burst with excitement!  As with our son, Daddy’s name was spoken first!

Seeing the joy in my son’s face as he was talking to his baby sister for the first time, absolutely priceless!  We will be forever thankful for all the prayers and positive thoughts from everyone!  The days continue to be amazing, and we have court tomorrow.  Please pray and keep good thoughts that all goes well and the judge actually shows up and we are granted verbal guardianship tomorrow!

Oh, and for the not so fun stuff, Mr. Gearhead himself ended up with an infection and had to see a doctor today; one shot, three prescriptions, and a handshake later, and he’s already on the mend!  The staff at the Taj Deccan have been absolutely AMAZING!!!! From laundering our clothes ASAP, to calling Singapore Air several times (on their own!) to help us find our luggage, to sending a doctor at a moment’s notice for my hubby, and to the attendants at the restaurants who adore our daughter almost as much as we do (they cooked her separate food, brought her special smiley face utensils, and cater to her every whim…as my husband says, she and I are two peas in a pod…we are so proud of our little princess!).

Next update, I will give all you moms out there who are concerned their kiddos might not understand them….not to worry!