I didn't sleep much Wednesday night. Stinking jet lag. Really though, I didn't care....I got to see the African sunrise and we were about to go get our baby! We ate breakfast with our new friends at the guest house and then our driver came. Our translator laughed at me because I was so obviously excited!
My heart started fluttering as we drove the short distance to the transition house. We went up to the family room and it felt like forever until they brought him in. Through the window, I saw a nanny bring him down the balcony. My first impression was that he had grown SO much and his hair was growing back out! I had a hissy fit when I received pictures a few weeks before and his head had been shaved. No one called me to authorize the cutting of my child's hair! I'm over it now...no lingering bitterness...really...
They put him in my arms and immediately he tucked his head up under my neck/chin. He was relaxed as if he remembered me and wanted nothing more than for us to hold each other. Beautiful. He quickly fell asleep.
He woke up a bit later and we decided to change his clothes so we could give them back and we could be on our way. He was wearing a 2T shirt, girls flared jeans, and a brown/white polka dot undershirt with purple flowers on it. I kind of chuckled as I took it off of him and our translator said, "Well, what colors do boys wear in your country?" Kind of cute. If it fits, they wear it. Wish life here were that simple sometimes.
We got his belongings (photo album, giraffe lovey, and blanket we left him) and went back to our guest house to get acquainted with each other. Our first van ride was scary, just holding a baby without seatbelts, carseats, or traffic laws. He enjoyed the ride and liked watching everything as we drove-there's LOTS to look at!
Playing on the bed is pretty much the only play space we had. He was able to crawl but not really aware he could do it since he had been confined to his crib for the majority of his life. It was nice to open up his world a little at a time and watch his discoveries. This little photo album we left him was worn, dirty, had been chewed on, and scratched up...made my heart happy to know he had been seeing our faces for 6 weeks. Made my heart even happier to realize that Silas knows his brother!! Later in the week I showed him more pictures of Cooper and he just squealed and laughed!
(VERY intrigued by the camera!)
The rest of the day we just hung out and let him nap some. I was christened once again as mom-of-a-boy when I was peed on during the first diaper change. Of course, right? We found out he likes to eat and drink his bottles! We also found out he is ready to be a good 'ol southern boy and loves his sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, we paid for that with nasty diapers ALL NIGHT LONG. He slept from 7 pm to 6 am and woke at least 4 times throughout the night for diaper changes but thankfully, he went back to bed easily. Poor baby, he moaned all night long because of his tummy ache and it just broke my heart. I didn't sleep at all but maybe an hour and a half. Bright side? Yet, another beautiful African sunrise was how I started the next day.
All day we just kept looking at each other asking if this is really real. If he's really ours. We couldn't believe it. He's so beautiful, so sweet, so smiley, so perfect. God has blessed us beyond measure. That day, all the waiting and hard work and frustration melted away. We could begin to exhale.
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