Gotcha

We arrived at the orphanage, and walked straight into a room that was kind of like a lobby.  It was small and open, and had a long desk on the right side lined with some chairs in front of the desk.  The only light is sun light that is coming in from the door and a small window, and the open doorway past the long desk that leads to some sort of court yard we can’t really see.  I can make out some sort of greenery and a little bit of a building.  Everything looks very clean

There was a woman that met us at the desk and told us to sit down.  She did not speak any English, so we sat there in silence for about 20 minutes.  Of course, I am nervous and excited, so I was fidgety and kept asking Scott to take pictures…it was the only thing I could think of to talk about.

Then a young Indian man came and and said Mr. Pandit will be here very soon.

So we wait about another 10 minutes, and Mr. Pandit arrives.  Mr. Pandit is the overseer of the orphanage and he is an older man with a very pleasant disposition.

We spend about 45 minutes trying to understand each other and communicate about how we will get our daughter’s passport.  I personally think he thinks I communicate better than Scott, because he kept asking me to explain things. ha!  We ended up having to phone our agent and Dr. Rao (another agent) to make sure we are on the same page.  While Scott is on the phone with Dr. Rao, I am standing there listening to him on the phone…And Boom….she walks in….unsteadily I might add.  Thankfully I was told by the other adopting moms that have gone before me to expect them not to be able to walk completely well yet.  She  reminds me of Katy Pierce the way she staggers along.

Her entrance kind of shocked me.  I guess I had planned this big production in my head….like here she comes (add the fan fare here) and she would walk in.  But I just turned around and there she was… so tiny, and so confused, and so very serious.  I could not believe it she was standing there and looked just like her pictures.  Her hair is very short, she is dressed in a cute turquoise out fit, and she still has a solemn expression.  She was also carrying a cute stuffed animal that is very clean.

I could not move, I think I was in shock.  Again, nothing was going like the way I had planned.  Scott is still on the phone not aware she is even there.  I couldn’t take it any longer.  I walked over and knelt down trying to get eye level with her….it’s impossible.  She is tiny, but I was at least closer to her level now.  I had day dreamed recently about meeting her and in my day dream, I gave her a necklace off of my neck.  So, I wore one today, some pearls.  And I placed them around her neck.  It didn’t seem to phase her one bit.  She is not making eye contact at all.  

She still is so unsure of what is happening.  You can tell on her face she is scared and confused.  Her caretaker was holding her hand, and trying to make her kiss me and hug me.  I was okay with her just looking at me.  I want her to feel comfortable first.  I keep hollering for Scott, because he is still on the phone, and he finally realizes she is there.  He gets off the phone as soon as he can and comes and kneels down beside me and reaches up and touches her face. He talked to her all sweet…I don’t remember exactly what he said, but he told her she would never be alone again.  Her family is here.  Very sweet moments for me!  It was like when our children were born, a moment I will never forget.

Now Mr. Pandit is trying to force her to kiss Scott.  She would not…I was kind of proud of her.  I am glad she was bold enough to not feel like she had to do anything.  I know she will do all of that stuff in good time.  

Mr. Pandit then gives me the run down on her….what she eats, when she eats, when she sleeps, and how she does with the bathroom.

The caretaker is still there, and you can tell she feels better with her there.  One time the caretaker walked out of the room, and when she walked back in….it was the first time I saw her grin.  It brought me comfort to know she felt connected to someone there.  It gives me hope that she will one day connect with us.  The caretaker leaves the room for the final time.

We began to ask about our friend’s children that are there, Ajay and Smita.  We wanted to see them and take pictures of them for their parents.  We were told via email that the timing would probably not work because they are in school, but it turns out they don’t start school until 11, so we got approved to see them too.

Mr. Pandit then escorts us to another little room that is through the open doorway and to the left….we still did not make it to the court yard.  But from what I can see now the court yard is huge and open with several lush plants and trees.  If I had to guess it is about the size of a high school gymnasium.  When we get in the little room, he offers us Chai and cookies to which we gladly accept.

They tell us Ajay and Smita are on their way.  While sitting in there, we give her a sucker.  She is not quite sure what to do with it.  She just held it in her hand, and she was not going to let it go.   I sang to her, tried to play with her, but she just sat still looking away.  However, she does seem interested in Scott.  She is watching everything he is doing.  The longer we are with her I can tell she is starting to relax a little bit.

Finally we broke the ice, with the use of the iPad.  I showed her herself on the screen and she let out a little grin.  It is a funny grin, one where she tries not to grin, so you can’t see her.  But it just makes her look even cuter, because her lips pucker out when she does it.

Soon Ajay and Smita arrived.  They sang a song for us, and just stood there with beautiful smiling faces.  They were so precious and I was so excited it worked out for us to see them. We were able to hand deliver some gifts from their parents and sisters.  It was very special!  One of my favorite moments was when Ajay walked in the little room he walked right up to Lyla and patted her cheek and she smiled.  I was happy because they know each other, because we will definitely be seeing them again in the future.  I think Ajay will be an excellent brother.  Smita seems like a leader and she was very thoughtful of her brother, making sure he saw whatever she saw or that he had candy too.  They are going to fit right in with the Carrolls.

After they left, our chai and cookies arrived.  Scott signed papers with Mr. Pandit, as I played with our daughter and tried my best to break her tough exterior into a smile.  Got one!

We then got to walk out into the court yard and take some pictures.  I learned that they have a banana tree.  It was a really pretty courtyard.  Scott and Mr. Pandit exchanged some money and a hug.  Mr. Pandit was adamant that we did not leave until we met Mr. Patel.  He was an older gentlemen. I think he had something to do with founding the orphanage or he was the attorney?  Scott will have to clarify that, but he is asleep right now.

There is so much more to report on about our first day with her, but I need to get back to my sweetheart!

Scott leaning in because he can’t understand Indian English! Ha!