Welcome to the Wright Home!

Not a lot of pictures from today because my camera battery is almost dead. I do have a video camera that is functioning somewhat, but not so great for inside pics.
Such an early morning for us followed by a frantic call from my mom that Buddy had called her to say they wouldn't let him on the plane, which left in 30 minutes. Off to call Giorgi at 6:30 am, which is EXTREMELY early for Georgians. While he was once again showing us what a hero he is, I was on the phone with the travel agency and searching my emails for the confirmation. Buddy had the email with him, but they didn't like it, for some reason. At 6:50, Giorgi called to let me know he's been allowed to board the plane. Whew!
So, I called my mom and we chatted for about an hour. I was so tired, but not sure I could sleep. Honestly, I wasn't pleased with Buddy's leaving and I hated that there was so much to miss out on together. It's just not the same. But sleep I did. When I got up, I checked on the Hauflers and found things were better, then realized I had 30 minutes to eat, shower, and get ready for the day. As I was getting ready for my first bite, the translator called and said they were there! Scarf it down, and off we went.
First stop, Hannah's house. New driver this morning, which meant trying to figure out the way to get there. I do believe we had the worst time today of all days, but we finally made it.
Hannah was sitting looking at some books and was happy to see me. We got to play a bit, then she wanted to get in the pool. Nika, Ilio, and Hannah all got in and had a very fun time. Nika really likes the water and kept putting his face in it. However, he doesn't like to be splashed.
I tried to sit by them, but ended up getting pretty wet. When she was done, I got to dress her and spend more time. She really likes my pen and we worked on drawing circles. I'm attempting to teach her to sign, since this will be a great cross language helper. I also got to see how Hannah is fed. We were able to stay for almost 2 hours. Again I was reassured that Irma has prepared her, she's ready to go with us, and that it will not be a problem for Hannah. Her Bae-bo (grandma) said she was so happy now and thankful for our family. She didn't want to die without seeing Hannah doing well. Again, thank God for technology!
This new driver was so kind- he went in with us to the courtyard, talked with the family and played with Ilio. He's in the middle of a fast, so at one point he was not doing so well and had to go lie down. After resting and some sweet drink he was good to go!
After lunch we were able to go visit the Baby House. And I forgot to get a picture of the outside. I may swipe from the Hauflers. At first they said it was banned for foreigners to enter the BH, but our driver sweet talked them into allowing us to visit. They remembered Hannah and took us to the room that her group had been in. The first picture we saw was of her on a couch with a blue blanket. It's still there! It's just a chair, but with tiny tots, it looked so big. I did take a picture in that. Tip your head and squint.
There was a cute little girl with microcephaly, with the best hair! Oh my it was great. She was crying and they let me pick her up- she was thrilled! She was a bundle of energy, and at 2 years, she had a lot of strength, despite her small size. There was also a little girl, 2, who appeared to have FAS. She was smaller than C at 1 year, and not smiling. I picked her up, snuggled with her and sang Jesus loves me. After a bit, she started making sounds and eventually smiled for me. There were some really sad children who were confined to cribs that really broke my heart. I thought of Hannah being there, needing much care and the great effort and love it took to care for 15 children of various needs. I brought some things, but it seemed so inadequate for what they'd done for her. We got to see them eating, which they did very well, and some play time. After about and hour, we left. Again, the driver was with us, playing with the children. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to have loved on those sweet babies. you know how busy it gets when you're taking care of business vs. when it's your own child? I wanted to pour all the love I had into those babies, because I don't know when or if it'll happen again. Pull out the tissue, again.
My translator and driver then took me all over Tbilisi to see some very old church, climbing part of what they call the "Holy Mountain" and viewing T from very high up. After that painful walk (again, poor choice of shoes) they took me to a park up on the mountain. In ways, it reminded me of SDC with it's rides, trees, restaurants, etc. However, no craftsmen, no shows, no 1880's dress. So what about it reminded me of SDC?
Another dinner with the Hauflers, looking at souvinirs, putting more money on our cell phone, and I was ready to get back to wash clothes- a front loader in Georgian! and talk to the kids. I got the camera to work for a few minutes, but then it quite. I'll try again tomorrow.
I forgot to mention a few things yesterday that I want to get down. First, I received 2 sweet, unexpected gifts. Alicia gave me a necklace that says "Boundless Love, One Family" and is a tree. That baby is staying on! Then, yesterday, I saw the foster family had pictures of Hannah on their computer (I know- not what I expected) and I asked if I could bring a cd and have them burn them for me. They did it right then. So thankful for that.
We got to go to a bookstore that had a book of Georgian history, pictures of the kings, stories of how it was founded. They also had books that were pictures of different parts of ROG. Absolutely beautiful! I got the history book and a little story book for H in Georgian. Not that I can read it, but we can make up a story as we look at pictures.
Saw 3 McD's, but also "Sunny Chicken" and "Lemon Grass" restaurants. Mary, Lobiani is correct! Christine- I did buy some spices in a small store, but I'd really like to check out the art market and the spice market. Thanks for the tips! Can't you tell from my posts that my English is getting worse!
I also learned that your skin color depends on the part of ROG you're from. Lighter skin and hair is from the West part, and darker is from the East, since the Persians mixed with them. In the book, it shows different faces that show different origins. I do believe that I have some strong European roots. My nose fits in with the best of them!
Giorgi got our court decree today, so the paper chase to the end begins! Looking forward to getting that underway and making flight arrangement to come home! I'll be patient, because it could be Thursday before they're finished.
Ready for bed. Hope you have a great day!