How we found Ellie Thursday after lunch...
Friday morning with Natasha, one of the caregiversFriday Night
Hello everyone! It has been a long and full day and I am writing once again from Tirana – I hope I don’t fall asleep before finishing this! It’s nice to have internet just a dial-up phone call away instead of lacing shoes up to hike a few blocks on weary legs to an internet café that may or may not have internet service. Though we’ve been able to post each night from Vlora except one, we’ve frequently had to wait several minutes or leave altogether and return at a later time to log on to the world-wide-web as various parts of the country are on rationed power.
Today we were able to visit with Ellie for the better part of the morning. It’s nice now to be able to read her body language and understand her signals. We usually arrive around 9AM, after she’s been fed and changed, so she’s generally happy until about 10:30 when she begins to tug at her left cheek with one hand and put her other on her right temple (or insert her right thumb into mouth which = REALLY tired). At this point she’s ready to sit in her walker where she can be a bit more independent than she would be in our arms or in our laps and where she can also position herself for a good vantage point to see when the caregivers might be bringing in lunch (they start next door in the <1 year-olds, which you can see into through the plexi-glass divider above the half-wall. When the food comes in, the feet kick and the hands rapidly wave while she whines or cries for attention. When the food’s brought over in the traditional plastic cup she quickly inserts a finger to test the temperature. Dad was quick and snapped a photo Thursday night of this little survival mechanism that you may not even notice if you’re not looking for it. Thursday evening’s supper was so hot I could barely hold the cup in my hands. In spite of this she still cried impatiently while I tried to cool it off any way I could. After lunch is consumed we lay her down for a nap while we go in search of our own sustenance. When we return around 2:30, she’s a different baby. Very smiley and less squirmy (more relaxed). Sometimes it’s easy to introduce too much too fast during the afternoons while she seems more agreeable. When she’s overwhelmed, though, or wants something to stop she’ll place her right palm on her cheek to signal “enough.” Knowing these signs is obviously helpful, especially at this pre-verbal stage.
But today we left her at lunchtime and walked back to our hotel to pack up, eat, and wait for our ride back to Tirana. It was a good week with Dad. I can’t remember if we ever spent such an extended time together, just the two of us! Obviously you read the fun we had writing some of the blogs (we’ve still got a few more ideas for future posts), photographing sites along our walks, and getting to understand Ellie and orphanage life. While I would entertain Ellie, Dad would have his notebook and pencil ready to right down the names of the caregivers, take their photos, and ask questions about their lives. Soon they were bringing him cake, pulling out chairs or blankets so he wouldn’t have to sit on the floor, and otherwise finding excuses to work in Ellie’s room. Yes, it was a memorable week and now Aunt Hannah is chomping at the bit to have her turn next! Then Nathan will return and the countdown to custody will be nearly over! He has a very full plate right now and could use your prayers as he tries to take care of a lot of details before he flies back to Albania Thursday afternoon.
Hello everyone! It has been a long and full day and I am writing once again from Tirana – I hope I don’t fall asleep before finishing this! It’s nice to have internet just a dial-up phone call away instead of lacing shoes up to hike a few blocks on weary legs to an internet café that may or may not have internet service. Though we’ve been able to post each night from Vlora except one, we’ve frequently had to wait several minutes or leave altogether and return at a later time to log on to the world-wide-web as various parts of the country are on rationed power.
Today we were able to visit with Ellie for the better part of the morning. It’s nice now to be able to read her body language and understand her signals. We usually arrive around 9AM, after she’s been fed and changed, so she’s generally happy until about 10:30 when she begins to tug at her left cheek with one hand and put her other on her right temple (or insert her right thumb into mouth which = REALLY tired). At this point she’s ready to sit in her walker where she can be a bit more independent than she would be in our arms or in our laps and where she can also position herself for a good vantage point to see when the caregivers might be bringing in lunch (they start next door in the <1 year-olds, which you can see into through the plexi-glass divider above the half-wall. When the food comes in, the feet kick and the hands rapidly wave while she whines or cries for attention. When the food’s brought over in the traditional plastic cup she quickly inserts a finger to test the temperature. Dad was quick and snapped a photo Thursday night of this little survival mechanism that you may not even notice if you’re not looking for it. Thursday evening’s supper was so hot I could barely hold the cup in my hands. In spite of this she still cried impatiently while I tried to cool it off any way I could. After lunch is consumed we lay her down for a nap while we go in search of our own sustenance. When we return around 2:30, she’s a different baby. Very smiley and less squirmy (more relaxed). Sometimes it’s easy to introduce too much too fast during the afternoons while she seems more agreeable. When she’s overwhelmed, though, or wants something to stop she’ll place her right palm on her cheek to signal “enough.” Knowing these signs is obviously helpful, especially at this pre-verbal stage.
But today we left her at lunchtime and walked back to our hotel to pack up, eat, and wait for our ride back to Tirana. It was a good week with Dad. I can’t remember if we ever spent such an extended time together, just the two of us! Obviously you read the fun we had writing some of the blogs (we’ve still got a few more ideas for future posts), photographing sites along our walks, and getting to understand Ellie and orphanage life. While I would entertain Ellie, Dad would have his notebook and pencil ready to right down the names of the caregivers, take their photos, and ask questions about their lives. Soon they were bringing him cake, pulling out chairs or blankets so he wouldn’t have to sit on the floor, and otherwise finding excuses to work in Ellie’s room. Yes, it was a memorable week and now Aunt Hannah is chomping at the bit to have her turn next! Then Nathan will return and the countdown to custody will be nearly over! He has a very full plate right now and could use your prayers as he tries to take care of a lot of details before he flies back to Albania Thursday afternoon.
2 comments:
HI Cydil, Showed your site to my mom-in-law. Amazing how much I love checking out how things are going everyday. Thanks so much for letting us join you in this journey. It's such a joy and makes it that much more exciting to meet Ellie. Can't wait! Really praying for you and Nathan. His grace is sufficient! Love, Steph Hogan
This blog is going to be such a precious keepsake for Ellie. Thanks again for making it a priority to tell her story and your story to all of us in the States (and, I'm guessing, other parts of the world) who are part of your community! Perhaps Ellie's story will even help bring other adoptive parents or at least loving visitors to her orphanage roommates in the future. I'm still loving and praying for your family from here in Nashville! :-)
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