It's Been a Long Week!

Yes, I know - it's been over a week since I last posted :(. Let's just say it's been a long week :). Nothing horrible, we're just getting to the point where we are kind of ready to get this show on the road and get home. Grant headed back to the capital last Thursday and made it home on Saturday.  We were able to FaceTime with Grant on Sunday and it was so comforting to see him inside our home.  Gerry kept asking to see his playroom and toys, and his bedroom.  I think he felt reassured that everything really was still there, just as we left it. It was fun to talk to the cats on the phone, too, even though Spaghetti and Meatball weren't too sure what to make of the whole situation.  

Our facilitator showed us how to get back and forth to Big Sister's orphanage via the buses on Saturday.  On Sunday we were all geared up to venture out on our own but I just couldn't make it - some kind of bad bug got me.  On Monday, we were able to visit Big a Sister again - yay!!  We also had the privilege of meeting the woman whose blog led us to Big Sister!  What an amazing moment!

Then on Tuesday I traveled with our facilitator to get more paperwork for Little Sister and have a short visit with her. Hmm, on Tuesday morning either the bad bug came back or it was a bad hotdog from the market (but they smelled so good!).  Either way, 6 hours on a bumpy road through rural villages with very few gas stations with bathrooms just about did me in.  I think I prayed more on that car ride than I have this whole trip!  

It was worth the worrisome car ride to be able to spend some time with Little Sister. She looked right away for more Pez in my backpack (phew, good thing one of the gas stations on the way had a Pez dispenser since I had forgotten my entire "bag of tricks" at the apartment). She was so sweet and shared her candy again.  Even though I couldn't understand what she was saying, I knew she was asking me where Papa was.  Luckily I had a short video of Grant on my phone and she played it over and over again.  She is definitely a little camera bug and loves to push all of the buttons and turn all of the dials. Then of course she wanted to play with my phone!  I tried to show her some games but the problem is I don't know how to play most of them - Gerry is the expert in that arena!  As the other kids were getting ready for nap time and walked by the visiting room, Little Sister had to call them all in and excitedly introduce her mama :). Of course they all chattered away and I had no idea what they were saying except when they asked if I was "mama" and I just nodded. The caregivers shooed them to their rooms to sleep and Little Sister and I had another hour in a room with no toys or activities to do.  I did find out that she likes piggyback rides and can open a backpack, purse and camera case in no time flat :). Boy was I tired after this visit!  (Mom also had the pleasure of experiencing the bad bug/hotdog encounter, but thankfully we are all feeling healthy today :))

Little Sister's orphanage is a poor one but I loved seeing the way they tried to spruce things up with all of the flowers, and how nice and neat the grounds are kept.

On Wednesday and Thursday we ventured out on the bus, and found out the hard way that the bus doesn't always stop at the stop that you want, even if you yell "Stop!"  It's ok, we just got a little extra exercise :). It was awesome to have the ability to explore and get out on our own according to our own schedule without having to depend on someone else. It was at this point that our week started to take an upward swing.  We even found a park that had a kiddie area for Gerry and he had a blast (and was able to let off some steam). And we had lunch at McDonalds - with Transformers toys in our Happy Meals!! Who could ask for anything more perfect?!

The end of the week culminated with a special surprise - I was allowed to take Big Sister out shopping for a few hours! We looked and looked for a pair of shoes for her to wear with her court outfit that I brought (this coming Thursday!).  This is where not speaking each other's language can get pretty tricky - and I am not just referring to linguistics!  She eventually found a pair that she liked - platform high heels.  Very fashionable but I had to be the mean mom (at least I sure felt like it) and say no.  We eventually chose a pair of sensible pink flats, and then at the very end of our trip she found a really cute pair of sneakers - trendy but very cute!  Of course I had to let her get these too, especially since I had to say no to the heels :). She was sooooo excited to have two pairs of new shoes! (and I was glad that she had something to wear that didn't have big holes in the soles).  It was fun to finally get a chance to spoil her a little, and it was neat to learn a little more about her likes and sense of style. It was probably the best $28 I've spent in a long time (which is a ton of money here).

I have more to write, but it is a lot harder this time to spend the time posting. There is a certain 6 year old boy who needs lots of my attention, especially before his world is turned upside down. Only 5 more days until court, and 17 days before I am allowed to pick up the girls.  And 29 days left in May (a possible end date to our time here).  Can you tell that I am counting down?!  Hope to post again soon! Here's looking forward to a good week :)