las trillizas

Today in church I was thinking about the date as I held E. and realized.....the "triplets" arrived six months ago today! Same day volunteer Sarah arrived, one month to the day since Baby F. had arrived. (I tell ya, I don't know if July and August are particularly full of special dates or what, but almost every day there's at LEAST one anniversary or birthday of something or someone! I try not to bore you to tears with my constant "date remembering" as I do my family, LOL.)

I'm not sure if they've changed more in this time, or us...

February 16, 2009, picking up our new little charges the same day they were removed from the street by police
(Sarah w/ A., Katrina w/ E., Jen w/ D. ....although it was over a week before we had names sorted out - long story!)

It was quite the influx of children, particularly since baby D. brought two siblings with her and later E. too, but we couldn't imagine the Baby Home without them! Getting three one year old girls at once, a first, made quite the impression on the daily rhythm of the home, particularly when the first month or two they couldn't see me without clamoring for me and they still take turns being all clingy (apart from E., who is still the nosiest and always jealous of my attention).

August 12, 2009

S. (D.'s sister) brings such life and joy to our family! She's the classic big sister (bossy and caring, by turn) and our little "tia in training".

Dancing, with brother A. right behind her as usual

It's been great to watch the original three become favorites of others...

...learn to pass on the same love we've shown them

...and receive love

...and their personalities bloom!

To remember now how our social worker and I "insisted" that only one child come, then I gave in to receiving three, who turned into six.... God knew! Who would we not want now?! They are a part of us.

J.K. at CDA II has even taken to following me around when I visit and calling me "mami"...makes my heart melt every time!!

For various reasons, five of these six are top on my list to go into foster families and it will be so hard to let them go, although it's for their wellbeing.

But right now, today, they are 25% of the Baby Home and a huge part of our joy at Casa de Amor!


Update...

I couldn't resist.

I wrote and posted this, then went outside to join in the afternoon playtime, one of my favorite times to be with the kiddos. Within about a minute the "triplets" were following me around wanting to be held. So there was no choice but to have a seat. This is very common, but since I'd just written about it, I had to get my camera and a tia snapped a picture.

(E's hair was really cute earlier today but she pulled out her hair things during naptime. She was also crying here, jealous that I was paying attention to the other two...my life the past six months!!)

And then I took some of the three siblings, S. (5), A. (3 1/2), D. (almost 2), since I don't have many of the three together although they often are. (I wished I had a camera with me the night of S's birthday when I had all three in a grocery cart together - S. driving the little "car" and D in A's lap in the top basket - a store employee told me I could! Then we were just wishing for the father to push that heavy cart, ha!)