Well, there is a beautiful fluffy white blanket on the snow on the ground, but my girls have yet to play in it. Meagan has strep throat and an ear infection. Alina has pneumonia. Thank God for really strong antibiotics, Immediate Care centers and a nice pediatrician who treated both kids when I only made an appointment for one (free of charge). So, the last 3 days have consisted of the usual sick kid routine....mommy and daddy taking turns going to work, the washing machine running almost constantly, and 2 AM rocking, refilling humidifiers, taking temperatures, giving tepid baths, etc. But they will feel better soon. As Alina's fever reached almost 104 degrees last night and all she could do was whimper miserably, I couldn't help but think of the kids who don't have a mom and dad to hold them when they are sick. The kids who learn that crying is of no use because no one comes to the rescue. The kids whose only concept of "parent" consists of a person who comes and goes according to shifts and holidays. I'm sure that other adoptive parents agree that once you see orphaned children, it changes your perspective on most things. For example, I can't watch the movie "Annie" without crying. We have the DVD and probably watched it a hundred times before going to China. Now I can't even get past the opening song where Annie is dreaming about having parents: "Maybe now it's time, and maybe when I wake, they'll be there calling me baby. Betcha he reads, betcha she sews, maybe she's made me a closet of clothes. Maybe they're strict, as straight as a line. Don't really care, as long as they're mine." I recently heard about a little boy who is 5 years old and blind. His file has been sent to a number of different adoption agencies and returned. Now he is considered "un-adoptable". Another agency is graciously sponsoring his education at a school for the blind. But, apart from an act of God, he will grow into a young man, never having a mom and a dad. I often think about some of the kids at Alina's orphanage. I wonder if they have found families or if they are still there... about to celebrate another birthday as an orphan. I know, there will always be orphans and suffering and hunger in the world. It's true. It's also true that many people have the means to add one more child to their home. Chris and I bring in a middle income, live in a small 3 bedroom ranch, and have a staggering amount of student loan debt. The last thing I want to do is elicit more "Look at you, you're doing such a good thing!" comments. It's not that we are so special or saintly. It's just that we've seen the needs with our own eyes. If more people saw, they would feel the same way. I know that many people want to adopt from China and are discouraged by the ever increasing wait times. It doesn't seem fair that there are children who need homes, couples who desperately want a child, yet it takes nearly three years to match them! I would often say this to myself when we were going through all that we went through with adopting Alina and Mayah...God is more powerful than the Chinese government. Things can definitely change. At the same time, the wait for special needs children is still considerably less...about 7-8 months from log-in date to travel the last I heard. Most of my friends who read this blog have already adopted. And of course my family has heard this spiel before, but maybe this can inspire some ramdom person that comes across this blog. If not, I still feel a little better for putting it into words.
I had yet another of what I like to call "bad mommy moments". Nini was playing with some picture frames I had on the floor (don't ask why they were on the floor...I think I had been debating for a few weeks where I should store them) Anyway, Nini decided to put her hand through one of the frames, breaking the glass. No stitches, but it bled a WHOLE lot. And the nice folks at the Immediate Care center only charged $141.00 for a dose of Tylenol and this fancy bandage. What a bargain. Nini is pretty ticked off about the whole thing because these just happen to be her "sucking" fingers. I hate it when my sucking fingers have owies on them.
