Music in My Heart

So we were on the plane and Ariah was leaning over onto my chest, snuggling up. She is the one who was sure a baby was coming to us from Rwanda . She knew it was a boy. She knew the Minister said yes the day before she informed us of our approval. The girl is in touch. She is leaning on my chest on the airplane, so quiet she could easily be asleep or just barely there, and I hear her say, "You have music playing in your chest."

Course she also told me I had a parade in my belly, which was accurate as well, seeing that I was as bloated and gaseous as could be from the airplane food that they serve every two hours.

Back to the music... turns out, Ariah has been right all along. I do have music in my heart. Pacifique is a blessed boy, he smells good (once you get the orphanage smell off him) and he is ever so soft on the skin, he has beautiful brown skin and eyelashes that go up to his eyebrows. He smiles and coos and, well... spits up incessantly. I'm wishing I brought a lot more clothes for him tahn I did, cause we need to change outfits constantly.

So yesterday was successful going thru the first step with the adoption, the sector. Apparently here we get a fancy Act of Adoption filled out where we were required to show lots of detailed papers for Pacifique. We walk into the halls of the sector which are dark and gloomy, and Pacifique startles and flexes his back. His eyes open wide and he becomes tense. It wasn't until today when I was outside the orphanage with Pacifique and walked into the halls of the orphanage to the baby room that I realized what he was reacting to. He did the exact same thing with his body as we entered the orphange, so I am guessing the dark hallway reminds him of his residence, which while they really do a marvelous job considering the situation taht they face, really isn't where any child should have to grow up. Looking in the baby room this morning, seeing Pacifique's bed and roommates was quite shocking. I do not think I have processed it at all yet- a dark, stuffy room filled with cribs so small side by side by side and filled with very small babies. Pacifique really does not cry with us, and he has had a life of un-attachment parenting so far. He is in his crib all day I suppose, gets fed when he is lucky. So he has learned to roll with it, not cry at all, and be tough.

Our document was ready yesterday, our swell lawyer went to the serious court today and was able to obtain a court date for us tomorrow at 8 am! Holy moly! Then I guess he is officially ours, although we cannot leave the country until a few more important steps are done, which could take a while.

We have checked into a hotel tonight after having stayed with dear friends the last few days... the hotel is very nice and accomodating, has wireless, a swimming pool, a fire at night, breakfast in the morning, and is at a very nice location. Right across from the famous Hotel Rwanda, the Mille Collines. Tonight the front desk man helped with my computer. A young Rwandese man, who when he bent down to type in our internet code revealed a mass amount of deep scarring to his skull. It took everythig I had not to reach out and run my hand along the criss crossing 8 inch scar lines, weeping.

So tomorrow we have court! Cross you fingers, and hope we don't have spit up (which this kid gives new meaning to) on the judge like we did on the passport photo equipment today. Reading all your messages and seeing you all write has been amazing! Truly a highlight of our days. Keep it coming and God Bless!