Tuesday, April 26, 2011

May 23, 2010 - A Day of Rest

We had told our friends the night before that we would not be attending church in the morning as we just needed to rest and bond with Alesha.  The day before had really taken its toll on our family.  They totally understood and decided that they would stay home with us and do a few fun things with the boys.  The boys went swimming with their children in the early morning and then Uma took Darin, Martin, Luke, and his two children to go and see Shrek 4 in 3D at the movie theater.  The kids had a blast!  How cool to see a movie in a foreign country, right?  While they were gone it was just Yaman, Alesha and I.  I so enjoyed just spending time with Yaman.  She is such a Godly women and so sweet and comforting.  I remember watching Father of The Bride 2 with her as I held Alesha.  At one point I decided that I would try and feed Alesha a mixture of formula and the cookies that the Children's Home had given us.  Alesha, actually took a few bites and Yaman was so excited to see her eat.  We both celebrated this moment together.  Since Alesha had been with us she refused to eat anything other than Gerber stars or a bottle.  It felt good to see her eating some food.  After a bit, Alesha, fell asleep and Yaman and I tried to get the beautiful anklet and bracelet set that they had given us on Alesha.  The problem was her little legs and wrists were SO tiny that they just slid off.  I was so sad because I wanted her to able to wear them, but I was not going to risk having this precious gift getting lost.

Yaman and I finished our movie and the boys arrived home from their movie.  Since this was really our last full day left with our friends the boys wanted to soak up every last minute.  They promptly went down in the heat of the day to play a few hours of cricket.  I still don't know how they lasted that long in that heat, but they had a blast!  Alesha, Darin and I took a nap and tried to gain some energy and strength for the last push of our trip.

Upon waking up, Yaman asked if I would like to go shopping with her to pick out some outfits for Alesha. She was on her way to visit her dad in the hospital and made time to take me shopping.  While we were in Kolkata, Yaman's father underwent open heart surgery, quadruple bybass if I remember right.  This is another BIG thing that happened during our time in India.  Despite all that Yaman was going through with her dad in the hospital they still welcomed us into their home, cooked for us, transported us to our appointments, and encouraged us with our daughter.  They were truly a blessing to us the entire time we were in India.

Uma, Yaman, Alesha, and I headed off to FabIndia.  The clothes were amazing and high quality.  I picked out several adorable outfits for Alesha and a shirt for Martin, Luke and Darin.  I didn't get anything as I would have to try it on and Alesha would have NO part in me putting her down even for a second.  Next, we dropped Yaman off at the hospital and headed home with Uma.

I then began the overwhelming task of reorganizing and repacking all our luggage and got all the paperwork in order for our Embassy appointment that would take place tomorrow.  This was a difficult assignment when you are holding a baby in your arms.  I could not put her down or let anybody hold her as she would just start crying/screaming.  We called her cry/scream the "air horn".  It was just that LOUD!  I could tell that yesterday had really taken a toll on her and she just needed extra holding, hugs and kisses.

Our dinner was fantastic as usual.  Yaman, is a fantastic cook and we enjoyed every meal she prepared for us.  I felt so spoiled having 3 meals a day served to me.  It was delightful!  I remember how Yaman would comment how she just loved to watch our boys eat what she cooked.  Her children were pretty picky eaters so it brought great joy to her to see our kids gobbling up her delicious meals :-)

We settled in for the night and prepared for the long awaited Embassy Day!

2 comments:

Julie & Patrick said...

Since you have been recounting your trip, I have not been able to access your blog properly. So today, I read the whole story in one sitting. My oh my, you guys had your trials and tribulations! What a wonderful story to tell Alesha one day and to have it all down here for yourself to relive those wonderful and difficult days from time to time. Your attention to detail helps to bring back the memories for the rest of us too.

Thanks for sharing the journey!

Julie

Peter and Nancy said...

Whew -- I'm glad you had a day to catch your breath. Repacking the suitcases sure is a chore -- deciding what to bring in a carryon for your new daughter, not to mention packing all the grungy clothes!! I wish we had gotten more outfits while we were there -- the biggest size we bought will fit her this year. Good thing we're going back!
Nancy