Nonna and PaPa's Last Day

Ever since Cydil and I have started coming to Albania, we wanted to share that experience with our family. Journalist Mami Jackson says it well: "Motherhood is like Albania - you can't trust the descriptions in the books, you have to go there." The best stories and pictures can't replicate the experience, so we were excited when Mom and Dad Waggoner were able to make plans to join us for a week during this trip!

We packed a lot into the days that they were here (maybe too much at times), but we enjoyed every minute. Our last day in Elbasan was no exception. When Duzi (Reni's favorite caregiver) was told that my parents were in town, she made a special trip to the orphanage to meet them even though she was in the middle of her vacation. Duzi was the one who picked the 'Christian' name David at Reni's baptism. And was named his God-Mother at the ceremony. We have nick-named her Reni's Albanian Nonna, and she really wanted to meet his American Nonna and Papa. Duzi has such a compassionate heart and showers one special needs child at a time with extra love and attention. Before Reni it was a boy with dwarfism who was adopted last summer to a family in Virginia, and now that Reni is being adopted, she has 'picked' a little boy named Joel who is partially deaf and has an enlarged liver and spleen.

You can tell that Duzi is proud of little Reni!

Nonna was great at making sure Ellie never felt left out.

Nonna never passed up an opportunity to hold Reni either. He looks pretty passive in this picture, but believe me, David is strong and active. When he really starts 'jumping' he is hard to hold onto.

The other kids in the orphanage are looking for love and attention too, so if you sit still your lap won't be empty long! I've heard people say my Dad is somewhat intimidating, but these kids sure didn't think so!


You can take Nonna out of the library, but you can't take the library out of the Nonna! Not understanding a word of English didn't stop these girls from enjoying a book read by 'Nonna Reni'.

You can't bounce David Reni enough!


Mom and dad were there for us and Reni, but there was enough love to go around. This little boy is nearly a year older than Reni, but is much smaller. He was having a rough day and needed a little love from a Nonna.


When the Sisters learned that my dad was a doctor, they asked for his medical opinion on several children. Here he is writing up his thoughts on one little girl who will need several surgeries just to survive. Even without instruments, his evaluation may help solicit support from churches and foundations to care for her, so she can live to be adopted some day! There are groups in Italy and the USA who have expressed interest in helping her. Pray that action will be taken soon!

Mom is holding little Eda here. She always wants to be in the middle of everything. She is definitely a little girl with spunk.

I'm not sure if David Reni sensed the sadness in us as we were saying goodbye Thursday morning, but he seemed a little melancholy at the very end of our visit. Here, Nonna is holding him for the last time in Albania. We are glad that there will be hundreds of more times Nonna will hold him when we bring him home!

Thank you Nonna and Papa for coming to Albania to experience all of this with us! What stories we can share!