New addition to the family!

Today at 6pm, we - volunteers Molly and Melissa, and sister E. - picked up J. K. (5 years old) from the main baby home in Cochabamba. We requested his transfer a couple weeks ago since his little sister lives with us (one of the "triplets" of February 16).

J. K. and E. only lived together a few months before the mother abandoned J. K., and they don't have the same father, but it doesn't matter - we want them to be adopted together! And it's really ironic, because at least twice J. K. was supposed to come to Casa de Amor directly from his mother (on the street), apart from people requesting his transfer to us multiple times, but every time either she changed her mind or we were much too full.

To tell the truth, I knew him from the street and was a littttle nervous about his hyperactivity, and all the aggression he'd seen and experienced. So I find it quite ironic that God would send us his sister first so that, HELLO, we had no choice but to bring him here. =)

First sight of each other in 16 months (E. had just kissed him - she's a champion little kisser and yours truly taught her how!)

Saying bye to one of the caregivers


He had a rough start at CDA II, poor thing. I imagine he was pretty confused thanks to some odd things the social worker said as we left, and since he saw a picture the other home had of his mother.

Melissa let her heart be broken the first hour as she tried to comfort him in his sadness and confusion.

Hopefully he has a better day tomorrow and adjusts quickly! Kids are really resilient and I expect he'll be fine soon.

I told Molly and Melissa, we never know when receiving a baby if it's a two-for-one, or a three-for-one! Some might recall that we transferred siblings S. & A. over from the same baby home on March 2 & 3 so that they could be with their baby sister D., also one of the February 16 arrivals. And today while at Salomon Klein, they tried to pass off a one year old baby on us as an additional addition, yikes!

Other than a the little lost boy in December, this is CDA II's first new child in a long time. The kids there are really sweet and welcoming with new ones, so they'll have fun. I think this is also the first time ever they've had more boys than girls? It's been an even 6/6 since the last adoption from II in October.

I just realized that today I was in FIVE children's homes. All three of mine, plus a huge one for school age children run by the government (read: ridiculously overpopulated and few staff) and the biggest baby home here. That's heavy. That's somewhere around 300 children without the stability of a family and parents and pets and cousins and a home of their own to come back to when they're grown. And not much of a future for most of them. Lord, come quickly!!