We Are The World

We are the world... we are the children.

Today started off with fun and games with Tamara. Here she plays with Daddy.

She makes him lay down on the floor so she can cover him up with a baby blanket. Every time he tried to get up she pushed him down. And then finally she helps Daddy up.

Pretty cute action shot I thought... these two are really starting to bond.

Soon after Anna came over to serve our lunch and then Nina our translator came by.

Great news... Tamara's test results all came back negative.

Another few days and we should know when we're coming home.

Hopefully tomorrow we get the written judges decision and then the birth certificate, Georgian passport and then we're off to the US embassy again to get her Visa to the US of A. ;o)

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After lunch we left with Nina .. met our driver downstairs and went to the bank to cash and convert the fundraising money into Georgian Lari. In Georgia American Express travelers checks are treated as checks and not cash as we had experienced in other parts of the world. So every time we do this it's an hour long project especially when we require substantial amounts of cash.

After the bank we were taken to the Bazaar. A very interesting market / primitive shopping center.. which I'd actually like to revisit. Since it isn't very kid friendly we left Tamara at the apartment with Anna. We also didn't want to take her to the baby house / orphanage as we felt it might be too disturbing for her.

Below is a picture of the shop we purchased items to donate to the baby house.

Our driver and translator box up 79 packages of baby wipes.

You can see the case is wiped out... pardon the pun. ;o)

Nina & I box up cases of baby bottle nipples.


And more nipples

The shopkeeper called her supplier and they met us in the back alley with a truck filled with diapers. I'm pretty sure we made their day. ;o)

Taxi

Had to hire another car to help us deliver the goods.

The Baby House Entrance in Tbilisi

Inside wall of fence which surrounds the baby house gated property.

Unloading the donations.

Over 4,000 disposable diapers ( I lost count)

Cases of bottle nipples, baby wipes, baby powder and safety Q-tips

Our facilitator Mariza on the phone. She arranged our visit.

An amazing woman who is not only efficient but has great leadership skills... her team is in constant contact with one another and seem to know what our needs are even before we do. She is also genuinely concerned about all the children as is the rest of her team.

We're in Good Hands. ;o)

Bruce helps unload the cars.

The special needs ward.

I decided not to post most of these pictures as I felt it might be upsetting to my young nieces, nephews and friends children who are following our journey. There are several children who need very special care. Two need surgery. One little girl has a feeding tube. Has had surgery in Germany and needs another. Her father is hoping to be able to do this for his daughter but is unable due to his financial situation. Very sad. Cute little girl with mile long eye lashes. Another little boy needs hand surgery. His hands are deformed and he'll need the surgery to function.

I know there are many of you with soft hearts and deep pockets. If anyone is interested in sponsoring these children so they can get the surgery needed please contact me. I will put you in contact with the right people.

Bruce in The Baby room... he's really getting the hang of this baby stuff...lol

Kids are adorable & healthy.

A cute little cutie pie. About 6 months old. Just started teething.

One of their wonderful Nannies holding another cutie.

Toddlers... so cute

This sweet little boy has a wonderful attitude and is so cute. Unfortunately he was born with no arms. When he smiles the room lights up.

Feeding room

Perfect little baby girl ... abandoned at birth. There are several like her.

The opportunity to adopt one of these is usually reserved for natives of Georgia as it is in most countries.

Infant cribs. Most have been a donation. Very pretty in person.

Really neat swinging cradle... housing two twin boys. Going into foster care soon.

The twins.. 2 boys.. don't let the pink fool you. They put on whatever is clean. Colors are not gender specific in orphanages.

World's largest crib... well not really but it's really big.

Little boy with ball.. very sweet.

More babies

even more babies...

And more

Lollipops were a huge hit.

Nina gives a pop to a little cutie in the changing room.

Play area and equipment.

Entrance to 3-5 year olds.

3-5 year olds main entrance.

It was suggested that I bring 300 lollipops. I wasn't really sure why until now.

This was probably the most bazaar experience of my life.

The children all came running with hands out.

The children all sweet and beautiful. Candy is a rare treat for them.

This little girl is 5 years old. She is about the size of an American 1 year old.

She has a growth hormone deficency. Very cute... very intelligent and has a great personality.

I was called Dah-da (mommy) about a dozen times.

As these children get older they understand the concept of family.. It's heart breaking that they may never find theirs. :o(

cute little boy

Cute no?

Their toy shelf

A sister for Tamara?

Dinner time. Cereal and water. All the children drank out of the same cup. Eeek!

Little girl needed help with her overalls.

Nina helps put the bibs on.

7 kisses and a dozen Mama(s)

Although the staff is working very hard to make a difference in their lives.

We were actually surprised ... Very limited resources but they do the best they can with what the have.

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We'd like to Thank ALL the Friends, Family and The United Methodist Church of Andover for your generous contributions towards making this day such as great success.

It was a lot of fun doing this. As you know I'm a shopper and nothing is more fun then walking into a shop and watching the expression on someone's face when you say... we'll take it ALL. :o)

Nothing is more fun then seeing the expressions on on the baby house staff and children's faces when they realize you're not kidding. The joy is priceless.

So I would like to personally Thank each and every one of you. We brought joy to the world together... something we need more of. Something that seems to be harder and harder to achieve these days. It was an opportunity to reach out to children half way across the world and let them know that someone far away thinks they're precious.

They truely are precious!

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When we returned to the apartment... Tamara was thrilled to see us. She wouldn't let me put her down for at least an hour. After seeing where she spent the first 2-1/2 years of her life is really hit home. What we were able to do for her... how many people saw that special something she has that made it all possible. We are truely blessed to have found her.

Lay down Daddy. I want to play.

Bath time

Can I come out now?

The End to another perfect memorable day.

~~~

The Night the Lights went out in Georgia

The Night the Lights went out in Georgia...

Yup.. we had a blackout late last night as I was finishing my post.

Only our block.. no power, no lights, no Internet, no phone.

Luckily we still had water.

Lasted about 10 hours... just enough to mess me up a bit.

It's amazing how we take such simple things for granted until you lose them.

Anyway... it came on as I was doing my makeup to natural light...

that too I found a little scary. ;o)

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OK.. a quick briefing and we get to it.

First off we're having email issues. We do receive your emails but are not able to respond

through my leek account. So keep them coming and I'll try to respond via the blog.

We do have Skpe and are able to call when we're here during our day time. Evenings are a problem as it wakes Tamara since we have to practically yell for you to hear us.

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OK.. let's get to it.

Today started out with no coffee :o(

So I was a little grumpy until baby girl woke up. She's a morning person. So sweet and cheerful you forget you're supposed to be grumpy. ;o)

We had breakfast... cereal for Tamara and hum... what did we eat? I don't think we did? Anyway Tamara was so cute.. even with a power outage. She wanted to watch TV this morning and of course it didn't work. So she brought Daddy the remote and grabbed his finger and dragged him to the TV.. pushed the power button on the front of the TV... put her little hands on her non existent hips and looked at Daddy as if to say "Fix it Daddy". Too cute.

Some how we managed to explain to her that there was no power and she understood. I guess she's familiar with power outages?

We had an appointment with a US embassy appointed Doctor to examine Tamara this morning so after breakfast we had to boogie as our driver and translator were waiting.

The Doctors visit went well so far. Her vital organs are all fine and she appears to be healthy.

Still waiting for the HIV and TB blood test results... probably tomorrow. Although Tamara has already been tested the US Embassy insists on another set of tests by their Drs. before issuing a visa. This is pretty standard for all international adoptions.

Tamara is very small for her age. Her 2 T clothing is falling off of her... especially the pants. Tiny Tush... no hips. Right now I would say she is probably 18 mo size.

She also has a tiny head... today we found out her skull is still not fused as it would be on a regular 3 year old. This could actually be good news as it still has room to grow.

When we return we will have to seek out a specialist in this field. She may have to wear a helmet for a while? Don't know?

The Doctor was amazed at her intelligence and how bonded she was to me. He couldn't believe she's been with us for only 4 days. He said that adopted children in this age bracket are very sensitive to their environment and that she must have sensed that she belonged to us?

She cried briefly during the exam and when they had to draw blood.

All in all a good visit.

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After the doctor's visit we went back to the apartment for lunch.

Anna made our lunch and then again we went out (driver and translator in tow) shopping for souvenirs. I learned a lesson today about 3 year olds. Don't give your daughter an expensive doll to see if she likes it. Within 10 seconds Tamara pulled some bead work off the doll's costume (repairable) but 140 Lari later we owned a doll ;o). LOL... the shop keeper didn't expect me to but it's only fair so I did. If you break it you own it right?

Tbilisi's main street .. sort of like their 5th Ave?

Today's goodies

The Doll... well made hand painted.

We purchased two paintings today... still not sure how we'll get the bigger one home? Doesn't fit in the suit case. Met the artist. I wanted this one because of the Pomegranate ... which Georgia grows and exports. Not in season now but the juice is great.

A full size hand made Georgian instrument... can't remember what they call it (starts with a P)but it has a nice sound and the women who was selling them played for us.

Drinking horns and daggers... both traditional and a must have if visiting Georgia.

So as you can see they have some pretty cool stuff. Not cheap but neat.

I wanted to pick up some decorative Georgian items to incorporate the Georgian culture into our lives. It's important that Tamara takes pride in being of Georgian decent.

Still have to visit the gold market. Want to get Tamara her name charm with the Georgian alphabet spelling. Also looking into getting her name done in Georgian for her room to match the Tamara letters we have on her wall in English. Just waiting for a quote.

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Our apartment is well stocked with many, many book shelves filled with all sorts of books in Georgian and English. Not much time to read but Bruce is hopeful.

Cutie Pie has mastered the sippy cup. She loves it and her light up sneakers. Which by the way are great for blackouts. You can tell where she is. I guess they lighted her path as she was fearless in the dark. lol . Who knew? I should have gotten a pair for Bruce and I.

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Tomorrow after lunch.. Anna will babysit Tamara while Bruce and I go to the Bazaar to buy orphanage supplies and then visit the orphanage. This I know will be a difficult day seeing all the children that are left behind. But Bruce and I both feel very strongly that we need to see first hand where Tamara spent the first 2-1/2 years of her short life. It will help us better understand her, her development and see what else can be done to help the orphans not only in Georgia but the rest of the world.

Again I'd like to Thank ALL of you who have sent checks and contributed to this cause. I should be able to take some pictures for you. Georgia does not do many international adoptions. Most orphanages around the world depend on adoptive parent contributions to help with supplies, food, repairs and such. I'm sure they are looking forward to our visit. I was told we couldn't go today as they we doing a massive cleaning? Hope it's not on our account. Anyway.. tomorrow will be a heart breaker for sure.

Many people have suggested that we skip this tour. That it will somehow haunt us forever? Perhaps it will... perhaps if everyone took this tour and was haunted by it "we" would all do something about it?

~~~