The Orphanage Visit Photos

I don't even know where to begin......so much to look at and process and think about.
As I mentioned yesterday they have been moved out of the group family foster home, pulled out of school and sent back to the orphanage.
Not a surprise, we expected that.
To know that they have each other, as well as the company of two little girls around their age that are also about to meet their families help's tremendously.

By all accounts they are the bubbly, energetic, smiley little boys that we think that they are. 
And if you think the boys smile a lot you simply must meet sweet Lilly whose family will be with us our entire stay in Guangzhou. The boys ain't got nuthin on this precious girl in the smile department!

Here's a synopsis from the family that met them and their observations about the boys taken from their blog.

......."We had a special bag of gifts from Jack(she means John.....whose dumb idea was it to name all these kids with the same initial anyway...) & Sonia M* for their future sons, Lu* & Lu*. They will have 4 older brothers when they get here. The boys were awoken from their naps and brought to the office so we could give them their gifts. They came bounding in, full of joy & energy, repeating "Hello" over and over. They kept begging to have their picture taken. You can tell these two boys are craving for some family bonding. They are going to do so well when they're adopted!

Lu*, who will be Joey in the United States, really clung to Brock, eventually riding Brock piggyback style, laughing & chattering away the entire time. After nearly 10 minutes of this, Brock confessed to me that his back was starting to ache. At about that time, one of the caregivers let us know that Joey had been asking to get down for some time. He ran after us when we went out the front door and even posed with us for our family picture in front of the orphanage. If we could have adopted him on the spot, Jack(John) & Sonia would have been minus one boy when they got to China."


And then she posted the following series of photographs


and I gotta tell you.....

my heart is broken and rejoicing all at the same time.
I was unaware that this was possible....but trust me....it is. 




 Do you see Joey?

I know you see him but do you really see him?

Do you see the dynamics here?

 Do you see him clinging to her husband Brock?

Do you see how desperate our little boy is for a family?
It couldn't be more apparent if the picture was of him holding a sign that said,
"PLEASE SOMEONE LOVE ME."
Our sweet boy has virtually never had a daddy to cling to and in the absence of one he will willingly go to anyone not having any discretion in who he will snuggle up with.
I think we'll have some attachment work to do with our littlest guy.

On the flip side I am so over the moon happy that these two families took the time to love on my kids.
Brock I cannot thank you enough.
To know that at least for that one short period of time someone made them feel special and someone made them feel loved is something I am incredibly grateful for. 
It's photos like this

which is a picture of all the nannies that made it really hit home for me.
As far as Joey and Jacob can really comprehend at the moment we are just another set of caregivers in another revolving door.

A shift change if you will.

Kinda like in a factory when the day time staff leaves and the night crew comes in.
It  makes me wonder how long until their hearts can fully take hold of the fact that
there
is
no
shift
change.

We are the day crew.
We are the night crew.
(Ok in truth, I am the night crew as John sleeps so deeply he may as well be in hibernation....until of course his tiny little barely audible alarm clock goes off.....that he hears...not a crying child....but a tiny...and I mean tiny... beep-beep....beep-beep....but alas, I sense I am getting off track here...ahem....back to the story at hand..)

We are their family.

And this shift,
is in it for the long haul.

On a lighter note I was ecstatic to learn that they sell this over there



That's right folks.
Eat up.
It's chicken feet.
It's chicken feet in a bag.
It also happens to be Joey's favorite food.
I plan on purchasing this by the case load to feed him when we get home.
Cuz I'm cool like dat.
(and cuz I refuse to prepare/touch/de-leg a chicken)
A big shout out and thank you to the Chicken Feet in a Bag people that have done it for me.
Holla!


Jacob's reaction coming up tomorrow.