In my last post, I had the opportunity to share a bit more detail about Chelley, our time with her, what she knows and understands about the process, etc. Now it's Naika's turn. Naika's birthday is December 2, 2010 so she just turned 2 1/2 on June 2nd. That means that she is 8 months younger than Livie so they will be the same age for a few months each year. They'll definitely keep us on our toes during some of those years! Naika was 6 months old when she and Chelley were brought to GLA. So, while Chelley had 5 years of knowing what it was like to live in a family, the only family Naika has ever consciously "known" is her family at GLA.
Naika attaches well to her nannies and to others that she has known for a while, but she's pretty reserved with most volunteers and with other children until she has reason to let down her guard. The orphanage staff anticipated that it might take her a while to warm up to us and to be willing to open her heart to us, but it appears that God had prepared her little heart for her new Mama and Papa because it didn't take long at all for her to be comfortable and affectionate with us. When we arrived at GLA that Tuesday, May 21st, Naika was waiting with Chelley and some of the orphanage staff up on the balcony. Just a reminder though, that Naika has only seen Chelley 2 or 3 times since arriving at the orphanage and so she really has no idea that they are indeed sisters. Chelley may have more of a memory of Naika being her baby sister since she was 5 when they arrived, but the two of them will need to connect and bond with each other just as much as with the other 3 when we finally bring them home. Since they have spent so little time together, this is actually the only picture we have of the two of them together without anyone else. This was taken just moments before we arrived...truly a priceless gift from our orphanage's photographer and monthtly update coordinator!
Naika had received her gifts from us back in October...the digital photo book of our family, the recordable storybook, and the recordable lullaby bear. We'd also sent down the dress that Naika was wearing that day...a dress worn by all 3 of our biological girls. It was so much fun to see it on Naika!! We've heard in our monthly updates that her favorite possession in her little world is the photo book of our family. She carries it around with her whenever she is playing on the balcony and if a new volunteer is having trouble getting her to open up and feel comfortable with them, they are told to get out our book and that will help her to warm up to them. Ironically, it was also very useful in getting her to warm up to us that morning as well! As we walked out on the balcony that morning, it was hard to know who to touch, hug, and talk to first as we were so anxious to meet both of them! Matt went to Naika first and I went to hug Chelley. After a couple of minutes we switched so that we could each love on both of them.
Naika was understandably reserved and uncertain and looked around for any familiar face as we greeted her for the first time. She even got down off the bench and went for a reassuring hug to one of the GLA staff members that was there. However, it really only took 15-20 minutes before she was willing to sit on Matt's lap and during the rest of that hour and a half that we had with them that morning, she continued to open up more and more. While I was giving Chelley her gifts and playing with her and her new toys, Matt was working on helping Naika to feel more comfortable. For a while, she sat in Melissa's lap and looked at the photo book with Matt nearby. (Melissa is the adoption coordinator at GLA...the one who makes sure our paperwork gets through all the right stages and to all the right people. We love her!) I love the progression of the next pictures where Naika's keeping her distance from Matt, then she's willing to get a little closer, and finally the lure of the fruit rope is enough to actually get her onto Matt's lap. Once she got to that point, she was far more comfortable and would go willingly to either one of us for the rest of the day and the rest of our trip!
We had some snacks and presents for both of them and that definitely helped to break the ice. Naika especially loved the fruit ropes and suckers...and I'm not above buying cuddles with suckers if that's what it takes! :) For the record, they were "organic" fruit ropes and suckers. :) Those first moments holding and playing with our girls were so surreal. It was such a gift to my heart that by the end of that first meeting with them, we'd had hugs, giggles, smiles and lots of wonderful playtime. At one point, I mistakenly thought that Naika wanted to get down and play. However, as soon as I put her down, she turned around and reached for arms up for me immediately. It was such a joy to hold her close at every opportunity!
There are 70 children under the age of 3 at the Main House where Naika lives. They are all very well cared for...they are clean, fed, and their selfless and hard-working nannies are ALWAYS there to take care of them. However, they spend the vast majority of their time in their nurseries because of the logistics of all those little ones! There are wonderful volunteers who come to GLA just to hold babies and toddlers. For the duration of their stay at GLA, they are assigned 7 children and they spend an hour each day individually with each child on the balcony, playing with toys and giving them that one on one attention that they so desperately need. If there aren't enough volunteers, then that means that some weeks, they don't get that balcony time. Our orphanage is AMAZING and they do so many things for the kids that are so rare in that kind of setting. However, it still means that even on a week that the kids have an assigned volunteer, they are still spending 23 hours of each day in their nursery. So, it was clear that Naika craved and enjoyed the extra time and attention that we were able to lavish on her that week that we were there. It's part of what makes me so desperate to be able to bring her home and give her the individual love and attention that she needs. Later that afternoon, before nap, I had another chance to rock her for a few minutes and play blocks with her with the most breathtaking "playtime" view I've ever had!
Here are a few other glimpses of our sweet girl from our time with her that week. I couldn't get enough of her big chocolate brown eyes, her long eyelashes, the cheeks, the lips, the button nose, and of course, her dimples!! She was generous with her giggles, hugs, and kisses and we soaked up that precious time with her. She would light up when we came to the nursery to pick her up and even though she didn't say much, her actions and her willingness to make eye contact and be close to us spoke volumes. One of the GLA staff commented to us that it is a miracle from God that the little ones just somehow know the difference between the volunteers and their adoptive parents. She said Naika was soaking up the sound of our voices, the feel of our hugs, our smell, and everything else about us and that she would store that up and be that much more bonded to us when we came back to bring her home. What a blessing to hear that and to think about her understanding in that way. She may not understand as much as Chelley, but God can and will prepare her heart for that time when she will finally learn what it is like to truly be a part of a family.
OK, I know that was a lot of pictures of her, but seriously, which ones do you leave out?
Saying goodbye to Naika was just as heart-wrenching as saying goodbye to Chelley. We had just about one hour with her on that Friday morning and she seemed to know what was happening. She clung to Matt and I tightly that day and was not in the same playful mood that she'd been in on other days. We treasured those last cuddles and I hummed lullabies to her and prayed that God would comfort her little heart. Looking at these pictures makes me so anxious for the day when we can go back there, hug her and not have to say goodbye again for a very, very long time.
Please Lord, let us bring these girls home soon!! Cover them with your wings and protect and prepare their hearts for the big changes to come. Thank you for the gift you've given to us in these precious girls!
2 comments:
Beautifully written! Thank you for sharing such a special time.
Praying your babies get to come home to you soon!
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