Declan

It's the middle of the night here.  Declan is asleep, although he fusses when he moves around.  He is still fully dressed in the 3-4 layers of clothing he was wearing and has a little wrapped cake in one hand. His pockets are stuffed full of little treats including some sort of smelly snack I'd like to throw away and several fresh dates.

He is making sure he is ready to leave at a moment's notice.

We took lots of pictures, but they are all on the other camera, in the other room.  We will try to load those today but it will probably be after we get back from doing paperwork this afternoon.

This has been a very different experience from Eden. The people that brought her to us seemed as though they had never met her before that day.  They were excited to be in the city and anxious to be off for their vacation.  Yesterday, we met two people who love Declan very much.  They knew all about him and even gave me an e-mail address and pleaded for pictures as he grows up. It was a teary good-bye on all sides.

Of course, the first thing we do when we leave the official's office is go to get pictures taken for his passport and paperwork.  I carried him through the streets into the shop.  He wasn't fighting me, but he was crying, "Go find Mama." over and over.  Apparently, in some orphanages, the children call their nanny's "Mama".  This little guy's cries would break even the toughest heart.  It wasn't easy getting pictures, either.  They needed a front face shot and Declan had his head thrown back, mouth open,  howling at the ceiling.  Several adults were holding noisemakers and kept shaking them in an effort to get him to look at the camera.  Right.  The photographer was sweet about it, though, and eventually snapped a shot as he pulled his head upright in preparation to fling it backwards again.

So far, Declan doesn't seem afraid of us.  He wants me to hold him (no one else) and has put his arms out to me to be picked back up several times.  He cried for hours, still saying, "Go find Mama" over and over, but allowed me to hold and cuddle him the whole time.  He did finally accept a yogurt drink from Billy, then sat on the bed and stared until Billy laid him down.  Much like Eden did the night we adopted her, he closed his eyes instantly and was asleep.

Declan's sorrow is actually a very good thing.  It shows he has been loved and has loved and been attached to those people in his life.  I suspect his transition to our family will be a solid one.  For those of you that wonder why he cannot stay here if there are those that care about him- there is no future for him here.  He needs surgeries he cannot get in this country.  Also, even though these people care about him very much, they are limited in how much they can do for him. He needs a family. He needs us.

He is a cute little boy with an adorable face.  He is bigger than I expected and proportionate for his height.  Declan is a solid boy and a lot to carry around.  I hope the size 2's I brought fit him. He looks well-cared for and came wearing a brand new outfit which he refuses to take off. Declan's shoes are too small and I am hoping to get him a new pair.  Even more so, I am hoping he will wear them.

Please keep our little boy's broken heart in your prayers. The days that follow will be tough as everything is new and strange to him. Also, we will see one of the ladies from the orphanage again today.  I am concerned this will upset Declan all over again.

He is starting to wiggle around now.  I'll post more as soon as I can.