July 13, 2006 continued from Part One...

The traffic and roads were very much like in Viet Nam and Ethiopia, in that it was chaotic. Lots of trucks and cars and exhaust. There did not seem to be any road rules other than try not to get hit. They use honking a lot, as well. There was a large truck broken down in the middle of the road and everyone just drove around it.

The streets of Port-au-Prince are super dirty. There were piles of trash everywhere. Some of the piles were on fire, as they seemed to be trying to burn the piles down. I saw a rat in one pile and there were pigs here and there, eating the trash. The markets were right on the edge of the roads and some were right next to piles of trash. The markets were loaded with produce (some looked rotten) and raw meat. It was so hot and humid. Between that, the exhaust, and the burning trash, my eyes were burning. It stunk so terribly.

Everyone was so excited. We went straight to the main orphanage where all of the children of the families in our group were brought to. It seemed like we would never get to the orphanage, but we finally did. We unloaded the donations. A lot of the parents went directly into the orphanage to look for their kids. I kind of wandered around feeling a little lost. Then I decided to go inside. I went into a room full of babies and asked for Talley. The nannies pointed me to another room. I went inside. It was also full of babies. I asked for Talley. A lady pointed to a little girl in a walker who was right in front of me, and smiled and told me it was my baby. I looked at her, but did not recognize her at all. I figured, "What do I know?" They picked her up and handed her to me. I felt nothing. Another nanny passed by and told me that was not my baby. I was relieved. I had not felt a connection to that baby at all. Crystal, our adoption coordinator, told me that our kids were not there yet, and should be soon. We wandered around a bit. I sat down on a couch to wait and then recognized the fabric as the couch Ruth was on her photos. I got up immediately and went outside, because I could not hold back the tears. Tim came outside, too and together we waited for our daughters.

Finally, we heard a vehicle at the gate and both went over to it. The gate opened a little and a couple of kids came through. One of them was a little girl wearing a white dress, holding the hand of a teeny tiny little girl in a brightly colored dress. I could not see her face as she was looking down. But I recognized the dress. It was one I had sent to Georgia that Claire had worn. I scooped Georgia up into my arms and she buried her face into my shoulder. I started to cry. She was real! After a little while, a truck pulled into the orphanage courtyard. I looked at the kids in it and did not see Talley. I looked everywhere and felt a little panicked. Then all of a sudden a baby popped her head up out of a lady's arms. It was Talley. I knew her immediately. I also noticed that she was wearing the same outfit she had on in the photos we had of her. Tim and I walked to the other side of the car where the lady who was holding her was getting out. I told Tim to grab Talley, but the lady walked right past us, ignoring us. One of the Haitian staff told the lady to give Talley to us. Tim took her and cuddled her. We each hugged and hugged the daughter we were holding. It was a surreal experience, like it always is when we meet our children for the first time. I try to swap Georgia for Talley, but Talley does not want me. Tim and I wander around the orphanage with our girls. I felt so emotional.

The kids in the orphanage are adorable. I notice my friends' two kids. Her son smiles and smiles once I call his name. What a cutie!

Continued...