What Day Is It???

YaYa is amazing, and we are told he is being made adoption ready!

Each day is beginning to blur into another, but it was another successful busy day. Typically we go to the orphanage in the morning, leave for a couple of hours at lunchtime so the children can eat and rest, then we go back to the orphanage for a few more hours. This is followed by a quick cleanup before dinner, then off to church, shopping, or hanging out in the square until time to go to bed and start over again. Overall exhausting, but so totally rewarding.

Courtney and Jing aka Diva

Today was such schedule, and we got right to work as we got there. Bubble blowing was the first thing on today's agenda, which is always a hit. The kids love it, as well as the adults, and it makes for some great photos. The only challenge was the breeze that was going on, so you had to choose your bubble blowing position carefully:)

Always the Happy child, but this time an extremely proud one!

While this group was outdoors, Britta and the others that have been helping her prepare the physical therapy equipment were busy demonstrating some of the lifts, etc., for the nannies. That is the main goal, that these things continue when we are gone. They are also making simple posters using photos to help them remember. For the most part I have not been working with this group, but swing by frequently to check on their progress. Having seen these kids from the beginning in 2007 to now, you cannot fathom the joy it brings me to see these children out of their cribs. These are kids that have basically been written off in the past, but yet would light up in the room when I would come in and sing to them (no, not because of my angelic voice, but because someone was showing them love and attention!). As I stand back and watch different team members work with them, it literally brings tears to my eyes.

Keeping Grace warm, inside and out

More smiles

This girl barely responded when we first met her in 2007. Now she
is up walking with a walker and laughing hysterically when Courtney
tosses her in the ball pit

I've been giving this little guy a lot of arm time. He can't even
hold his head up, but you should see him smile and coo when we have
him up and out of the crib.

We ended the morning with some good old fashioned face painting. At first a couple of the kids were frightened, but once they got the hang of it, they kept pointing to new places on their face to get painted (kind of like being addicted to tatoos!). Even the toddlers and some of the kids who are typically unable to sit still joined in.

He wasn't so sure to begin with, but once I showed him his
picture he embraced his lionhood

The calmest she was all day!

Was barely a blank space left on his face when Rebecca was finished

After lunch we did some shopping for the kiddos. I found some wonderful butterfly wings (making me miss my own girls) that I am going to take this morning. Creative play is always lacking here. Sa, the gal we met at the airport, has been working with us every day and is an amazing contact. Her mom is a doctor and she has connections at a local university. She is trying to establish a way to get volunteers from the college working year round in the orphanage. A lofty goal, but a worthy one, so please be remembering this.

Courtney and Angela dancing with the locals

After more playtime in the afternoon and a delicious dinner, we headed back to the public square this evening. We joined in by playing a form of hackey sack (only more like a badminton) with some locals. Courtney and Angela did some swing dancing. A local man must have liked Angela's skills, because he then asked her to dance. He was incredibly good, and she was a quick learner. The song seemed to go on forever, as a crowd of 100 or so gathered around. I think Angela's been watching Dancing with the Stars!

This morning we are heading to a park with some of the children. Should be fun!