What a day!
I went to visit Evangeline today like I have been doing for the last three weeks.
The visit itslef was very emotional and interesting...that will be the next post.
But at the end of our time our facilitator called me and asked me if we would like to take Evangeline home today. TODAY!
I said yes, of course, we'll take her.
Not that I was prepared...her cute little gotcha day outfit lay nicely back at my mother-in-laws apartment, I had no goodbye gifts for the workers, no diapers, zip.
But we stopped by a store and bough some chocolate and at the orphanage asked the workers for an outfit and within ten minutes out came my little girl, ready to leave the only place she's ever known forever with only the clothes on her back and her mother's arms.
She did well in the car, slept a little and looked quietly around. At home she was spooked a bit by the elevator but brightened up in the apartment when she saw Elaina and Babushka. We played for a while and then she ate cream of wheat and mashed up apple. She ate great!
After a while I gave her a bath and true to most Reese's Rainbow kids she did not.like.that.at.all.
Out of the bath she got a quick massage in order to get some lotion on her dry dry skin. I brushed her teeth a little bit, looks like for the first time ever. She hated that even more than the bath and right away her mouth was full of blood. She grinds her teeth badly I think and we are definitely going to have some dental issues when we get home.
At 8:30pm I laid down with her to try to get her to sleep. She moved away from me at once and started what I assume to be her orphanage routine to sleep. I was not allowed to be near her nor touch her. She rocked back and forth on her stomach over and over and after a while fell flat down on the sheets to sleep a little. After a few minutes the routine would repeat. She has a bump in the middle of her forehead and at the orphanage I've seen her bump her head against her crib. I was glad at least that she wasn't doing that.
I let her self soothe tonight after such a traumatic afternoon.
And tonight I will dream of the night when she looks to me for comfort instead of having to do it for herself.
Overall, I think our first evening went well.
Oh how I love this little girl.
