July 13, 2006 continued from Part Two...

We were at the orphanage for a very long time. It was so hot! There isn't any air-conditioning or even fans. Tim wasn't feeling too great and had to use the bathroom. He finally ended up having to use one without running water (they pull water from a well-type thing and carry it in buckets to flush toilets and other uses). A little two year old boy was in the bathroom and he would not get out, so Tim had an audience while he used the bathroom. I had to guard the door, because people kept trying to go in. I was holding both girls and felt like I would die. It was so miserably hot!

Georgia probably weighs between 16 and 20 pounds. Talley probably weighs somewhere between 10 and 12 pounds. They are so small. Little peanuts. They are both beautiful! Their photos do not do them justice.

Georgia can definitely hear. She seems to take it all in, but is very withdrawn and unemotional. She is like a limp noodle. She will stay wherever we put her and won't move.

We finally left the orphanage and went to check-in to our hotel. We waited in the lobby for about two hours while all the families checked in. For awhile it seemed like we wouldn't be getting an air-conditioned room. I nearly freaked out. I do not handle heat well. In the end, we did get an air-conditioned room. While we waited, I fed the girls a blueberry muffin I had in my backpack and some water. They both ate well.

Talley really started opening up to me in the hotel lobby. She is a little pistol--very happy and expressive. In a way, I feel guilty about how happy I am that she is ours. I feel disloyal to Ruth. But, I cannot help myself. I feel instantly connected to her and love her strongly. Talley plays with toys, babbles, sits up from lying down, and crawls across the beds. She is almost always smiling. She usually sticks her tongue out, but I was able to notice that she has two teeth on the bottom coming in. I later notice that her top gums are soft and look ready to pop teeth out at any time.

Georgia is so beautiful! We really start to worry about her, though. She is very scared of us and will not do anything on her own. She is also very small. She is three years old, but looks like an 18 month old. She can barely walk.

I found myself crying off and on all day long. Our girls have scabies (Talley's are quite bad). They are small. I just want to take them home with me now. I do not want to wait a whole year for them to come home. I feel upset that we are not staying through the 18th like the other families. I want to spend every minute I can with my girls. I am going to be sick with worry until they are home with me. I already dread leaving them behind. I find myself choking on my tears every time I think of it. My precious girls! They need to come home with their mama!

We took naps after we settled into our hotel room and then we ordered room service. Georgia ate a lot. I was afraid she would be sick, but I didn't have the heart to stop her. Talley drank a couple bottles and ate some of the blander food. We had Creole chicken with rice and beans and a club sandwich that was very weird and grossed me out. We also had fried plantains, which tasted fine. I only ate a couple of bites. I was too busy feeding my girls, taking their photos and playing with them.

After we ate, we went and hung out at the open air restaurant with the other families. Some of the babies are very sick. One will probably need an IV, she is so dehydrated. Everyone is in a somber mood.

We talked to our adoption coordinator, Crystal about Georgia and our concerns. We decide to move Georgia to Talley's orphanage and Crystal agrees that is probably the best thing for her and talks to Guesno, the director of Foyer de Sion.

After we visited with the families, we went back to our room and gave the girls a bath. Talley hated the bath and it scared Georgia, too, though she didn't make a peep. I slathered them with scabies medicine, put them in jammies, and put them to bed. I took a shower and then held sleeping Talley while I stroked Georgia's back. I felt so upset that we couldn't bring them home with us, so I just cried for awhile.

A long day.

Continued...