So you head off to China with all these thoughts of how it might be. How you will blog about all the things you see, the day you meet your child and all the bonding that is happening and then reality sets in. Internet can be sketchy in places, your jet lagged and you have all you can do to keep up with everyone you left at home (especially if you have children at home). And for us you are given a VERY sick child. I have so much I want to say about the day we met Addie and I have gone over it in my head so many times. We met her just like our other 3 children at the Civil Affairs office. There was one other family there who was adopting a 5 year old boy. We chatted and of course we forgot to get their names. Addie came in first in a red jacket, jeans, sneakers (tied to her ankle with yarn) and the fancy hair we always saw in pictures. She was tiny but we new she is SMALL for her age and scared, who wouldn't be. Being our 4th time I was all set! Guide was video taping and Ken was taking pictures. The Nanny was sad to give her to me and I had to reach for her she wasn't handing her over. Addie didn't cry just looked around with her big eyes.
A few things we knew about Addie: She had been having seizures, she had repaired CHD, she has a repaired cleft lip, unrepaired cleft pallet, she was on Topamax for seizures and given daily enemas for bowel movement.
So I start talking to the orphanage person who was translating and ask her about Addie's seizure meds. Did they have them for us? As Im holding her and talking quietly and rubbing her back. Here is the conversation that follows (or as much as I can remember so much has happened)
No No she doesn't always take them. Give her this (I'm being handed a BAG OF OXYGEN about pillow size) if she has an "episode". ME: You mean seizure? No No not seizure. ME: what is an episode? You will see in her face. ME: will she get blue? (Ok by now Im a little concerned about what is going on . Gotten Ken and our guides attention that I need HELP) No you will see. This is all I'm getting our of her. Oh and take it on the plane.
We ask if we can talk to the Nanny she is looking concerned and upset. We are told this is just one of her Nanny's nothing special she has lots and they make her leave. By now the other child has arrived and they are asking questions and we are left standing there. None of our questions were answered even the simple ones like when did she last eat? when was her last bowel movement? what does she like to be called?
We head back to our hotel with a pale scared tiny little girl, a bag of oxygen, her bottle, some formula, diapers and a roll of toilet paper. We are so happy to finally have our little girl.
1 comment:
Oh my heart goes out to you! My questions were not answered either--well some were but were not accurate at all. But the joy you must have felt finally holding her :)
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