...GOTCHA! Yes, it was one year ago today that we first met our little Ella and she was shoved (literally) into our arms. I won't ever forget that day. Our suitcases arrived mere moments before we had to leave to get Ella so at least we had clean clothes to wear and the doll that I had brought special for her (which she hated).
We got to the civil affairs office early and the officials that were bringing Ella were stuck in traffic. There were several children their with their nannies, awaiting the arrival of their new families. We got to play with them and hold them as we waited. Then the families arrived and total chaos broke out. God I remember that moment with Mary. Some of the kids had tears. Some went willingly without much of a fight. It was nice to see the creation of all those families from a different point of view.
It was about then when our guide, Evelyn hung up her cell phone and said "they're here". We stood there, staring at the door. She kept going out in the hall to look. Then she came running in "Here she comes!". The chaos behind us sort of disappeared. The first time we saw her face, it was like seeing an angel. We crouched down (while Canaan snapped a bunch of pictures) and the nanny tried to explain to Ella that we were her Mama and Baba. They tried to get her to walk to us on her own, but in the end, they gave her a good shove and we picked her up. Then the tears started! She was scared. She didn't understand. It was very hard. She let each of us hold her. She seemed to like Canaan and she liked the snacks we whipped out to try and get her to settle down. She wanted nothing to do with the toys we brought! Then she clung to Rob and wouldn't let go. She wouldn't let me hold her. She wouldn't even let me touch her. That hurt me so bad, although I knew it could happen. I guess I still hoped for the "perfect union".
Back at the hotel room, she would not let Rob put her down. He finally sat on the floor with all the toys and she sat on his lap. Canaan and I sat on the floor too. We played with some of the toys then tried to hand them to her. We must have sat there for hours, slowly moving closer to Ella. Little by little, she let us touch her, then eventually play with and hold her. She was still unsure of us, but it was a BIG milestone. We had a couple of potty accidents because we didn't understand her, but nothing major.
Now, bath time that night was a MAJOR production! She had several layers of clothes on which she did NOT want us taking off. She screamed as we peeled away layers but settled down once we put her in the tub. She played with some of the toys and let us wash her (a little). She preferred to wash herself which was still a sight I won't forget. She scrubbed her skin, then would scratch it to see if it was clean enough. She did that all over her body. Then, something else I will NEVER forget, she washed all the toys and set them on the edge of the tub, THEN washed the tub itself. It was the strangest thing we had ever seen!
I remember some of the giggles and smiles she had once we got her in her pajamas. I also remember laying her in the middle of the bed and laying down next to her. She scooted as close to me as she could get, put her hand around my arm and fell asleep. She never took her hand off me that entire night. I guess she wanted to make sure I wasn't going to leave her. Unfortunately from then on and for a few weeks after, she wanted nothing to do with Rob which hurt his feelings quite a bit. At least now I know how he felt when she first wanted nothing to do with me. It hurt. I empathisized with Rob after that.
Today, she is almost not the same child! She is vibrant and energetic! She lights up a room with her crooked little smile and she is STILL (after a year) fascinated with everything in the world around her. She finds enjoyment and content in the oddest places and truly appreciates everything she has. She is one amazing little girl who is destined for greatness in this world.
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