On October 21, we woke up pretty excited. Knowing that today was the day Dorothy was meeting her mommy and daddy for the first time, all of us were pretty antsy to get the day going!! I headed to Eric and Tisra’s room before going down to breakfast and we prayed for today and that God’s hand would be evident in everything we experience, for Dorothy’s heart to be prepared for the disruption in her day, and for her to accept Eric and Tisra as people who love her and care for her forever.
We got into the car…
and drove to the orphanage…
It’s a very beautiful facility, with nice, lush grounds.
The hosts brought us to the Guest Waiting Room while they prepared Dorothy to meet her parents…
The anticipation was pretty tough to bear, and the five minutes was much longer than that, making all of our stomachs tighten every time we heard the sound of a child outside…
And then, the caretakers brought this beautiful girl around the corner…
and she got to see her mommy and daddy for the first time!
She was very timid at first, clutching to her nanny and wondering about the strange people in front of her…
and finally, even though it broke their hearts a bit, Eric and Tisra picked her up and soothed her cries…
And after a few minutes the cries gave way to trepidation and she stared at her mommy and daddy intently, wondering who these people were and why they were there…
Eric and Tisra spent several minutes alone with her, just comforting her, bonding with her, and easing her fears…
And little breakthroughs started to come…
she was all decked out for the big day, with her nails and hands painted and her feet dyed red…
and we got to take the very first family photo of Eric, Tisra, and Dorothy…
A camera crew was at hand, filming a documentary about the 25th anniversary of the facility, and they interviewed Eric and Tisra about their feelings on adoption. It was hard for them to do this interview, as they had only met Dorothy a few minutes prior, but they did great.
So we took another family photo outside… she was still not sure of the situation…
But, finally, after about half an hour, there was a BREAKTHROUGH! Dorothy learned about lollipops… and through the lollipops she started to trust her mom and dad.
It was beautiful.
Then it was time for Dorothy to have some lunch…
and she hung out with her friends…
and we finally saw a smile…
Afterward, we had lunch, hosted by the facility…
and Tisra’s feet were ceremoniously painted to match Dorothy’s! I got mine painted, too! All the people in the facility were calling me “Auntie” and they loved that I was taking pictures.
Still more to share, but this is enough for now… so happy that Dorothy is with us! ♥ ♥ ♥
by jessie
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