A Week Ago Today

A week ago today we were handed a terrified little girl, who wouldn't eat or drink and was only calm in my arms while I was standing. If she made eye contact with me or her Dad she started screaming and if we spoke, it only made matters worse.

After one week, it is hard to believe Maggie is the same kid. She cries only when she is tired, hungry or held by someone other than me, not that I am complaining. While she doesn't eat what I would expect a 13 month old to eat, she does eat and drink regularly, so definite progress. She plays with her Dad without me insight and today, even tolerated him holding her for a few minutes. She likes to hear English, and I think she is mimicking words already. Her transformation is amazing and magical, to say the least.

But she isn't alone. All 25 babies have made remarkable progress. Three are walking, almost all the others are crawling and many are ready to start walking any day. They are all very vocal. They are all blending into their families beautifully. The two big brothers traveling with us are great with the babies. They are gentle with their new sisters and careful not to knock down the others. It is really neat to see. Today, we went through the US medical exam. Maggie passed with flying colors. The medical exam process is kind of chaotic. The babies are weighed, their ears are checked and they are examined. Maggie really hated the exam. We had to wake her up from a nap, then the doctor was a man. It was ugly. In the end, she wet on my leg while I was trying to dress her, so I think she felt like she sent her message.

Tomorrow is a paperwork day. Maggie's Dad is going to handle the paperwork for our family. Then, Wednesday is our consulate appointment. We get our Visa to take Maggie home on Friday and fly out Friday night! While we are savoring our last adoption journey, we are really looking forward to getting home.