A roller coaster of emotions

Today was our last full day of visits with Alexis and tomorrow we will have to say a temporary goodbye to a beautiful little girl who has completely stolen our hearts. My heart is breaking just thinking about leaving Alexis behind.


Of course, it will also be an incredibly joyful day because Lily will finally be free to walk through the front doors of her orphanage and her new life will begin. I am so excited I can hardly wait!


The roller coaster of emotions continues.

The girls are blessed to be in a wonderful orphanage (as wonderful as an orphanage can be of course). The children here are well-fed, well-dressed, and very well loved. They receive therapy (physical, occupational and speech) on a regular basis and even celebrate birthdays and holidays (complete with gifts and goodies). The psychologist at this orphanage is a gift! She works primarily with the older children in the orphanage,but she also takes the time to hold the babies and provide needed stimulation for them which helps facilitate healthy attachments and development. The benefits of this kind of care are VERY evident in our girls. She has done an amazing job preparing Lily for the dramatic change that is about to occur in her life and, although I am sure the transition will not be without its difficulties, Lily is ready and excited to begin the next chapter of her life! Not only has the psychologist done a wonderful job preparing Lily for the transition, she has also anticipated future needs and has put together an amazing photo album full of pictures of friends and caregivers for Lily to take with her. This is a priceless gift!

While tomorrow will be an exciting and wonderful day for Lily, it is sure to be a difficult day for Alexis. Not only will she have to say goodbye to mommy and daddy, but also to her best friend. Although we have explained many times that we will return for her soon, I am sure that, to her, it will still feel as though she is being left behind. I will admit, although I have known since the day we committed to her that we would not be able to bring her home on this trip, after spending a week with our girls together, it feels very unnatural to be leaving one of them behind. They are "sisters", a packaged deal, two peas in a pod and, while my heart rejoices that Lily is finally coming home, it is aching for the daughter we will leave behind. It is a blessing however, to know that I will be leaving her in the loving hands of the psychologists (and caretakers) who have already promised to remind her daily that we will return for her and to prepare her for the new life that awaits her.

Showing Alexis how to use the camera

The results of those photography lessons :-)

Tomorrow morning we will visit with Alexis for the last time. At the conclusion of our visit, we will kiss our feisty girl goodbye, sign the necessary paperwork, change Lily's clothes, and walk out of the doors of the orphanage with Lily in tow. It will be a big day for all of us.