Day One

Although I didn't have internet (which I have at my house now, halleluia!), I started keeping a little journal when I first brought Frankie home. That happened the first four or five days but has petered out some but I thought I'd post them anyways. Just a little inside peak at what it's like to adopt a youngster and bring them home.

I already think that bringing home a two year old is ten times easier than a three year old, which most people just don’t understand. They always assume that the older the child the easier. Not so!! I have SO MUCH respect for folks that adopt four and older year olds. Wow! You guys are brave and much stronger than I!! I don’t think that I would adopt again over the age of three, if I could help it. But if you commit to a younger child and can’t get them until they’re older you really have no choice.

October 23rd - Brought the little feller home at around 11am. This was after leaving EBB at 7:30am, weaving our way through Kampala traffic (but avoiding the jam!), picking up Justine at the babies home, and then waiting at the probation officers for ten or so minutes until he came. Papers were signed, shuffled and sorted and we headed out from there at 9:45am when there was no traffic! Ella was fairly good but borderline. Justine made the apt observation, “Ella is quiet but stubborn!” Oh Justine, if only you knew! Ella can be quietly naughty/disrespectful and most people don’t notice – they just notice the “over reacting” mother!

Made it back to the babies home where we found little Frankie in big, dirty clothes, munching jack fruit. After a bath, lots of Vaseline and his new clothes (well, his shirt was a hand me down from his sister but it was BLUE!), we were on our way home! It hit me as I was buckling him into his car seat, “This is it Grace, you now have TWO little people that you are responsible for!” Wow. Sometimes I barely feel like an adult!

When we got home I tied Kayo and Sanyu up – when Bridger saw what I was up to he split. Frankie did awesome, only letting out a squawk when he was sitting on the couch by himself and Bridger wandered in and tried to lick him. Oops! Just being friendly! Bridge settled down and Frankie did to. Bridger wandered back outside and Frankie sat and sweated on my lap for about an hour.

I took off all his clothes but his diapers and gosh is he chunky! He’s built just like our neighbor, Hannah, and I’d say he is maybe as old as 24 months. But not much more. They say that he was just starting to talk (in Luganda). It’s estimated that he was around 15 months old when he came to the babies home and he’d been there nine months.

We plan on total English immersion for the little fellow. My linguist friends will probably frown but I want my family speaking all the same language. And lets face it, if I haven’t learned more Luganda in 4.5 years it’s highly doubtful that I’ll start now! Plus, my friends kids are monolingual in English (although I’m sure they understand at least some Luganda) and their parents are Ugandan (although not all Baganda), so we’ll be in good company.

After an hour of sitting and sweating on my lap, I plopped him on the floor with Ella, who was playing with her tea set, to make them lunch. I could hardly believe it when he started happily playing with her! Thank you God! This is such a huge thing to me because the first two weeks that Ella was home she would not play at all. Meaning that I couldn’t do anything without her – I could barely cook dinner! They played for over half an hour before we wrapped it up for them to eat lunch. I was also encouraged because Frankie is responding to Ella now, which she loves! She helped him wash his little hands and he is letting her. Not being snarky with her at all for which I am very grateful. Thank you God for such a good start!

The two ate their peanut and butter sandwiches and fruit together, then off to the bathroom to, um, take care of business before their naps. I got a little plastic potty for Frankie last week since I knew that hauling his 30 lb body on and off the toilet would kill my back in no time. I was hoping that he wouldn’t actually poop in it, but would save that for the big toilet but that didn’t really pan out. I was just glad that it wasn’t in his diapers! Ella LOVES the fact that she has company now when she’s in the bathroom taking care of business! A real “first” – pooping together ;)

After that it was into their beds. Ella’s on the top bunk (which she loves!) and little Frankster in the bottom, both under homemade quilts made by extended family. True to a babies home up bringing, little Frankie plopped his noggin down on that pillow (that his Granny embroidered the pillowcase for) and didn’t move. All you could see for a while when I kept checking him was his little eyes peaking over the blanket :). It didn’t take too long before they closed and he slept an hour and a half. Hopefully this keeps up. Ella screamed bloody murder at nap times for the first two weeks she was home.

After his nap he mainly snuggled on my lap while we sat outside on the porch watching Ella play. He’s still nervous of the dogs but doesn’t scream or cry anymore. He played on and off throughout the rest of the afternoon and after a bath (we washed his hair so he was smelling really nice!) he fell asleep on my lap while I was reading him and Ella some books. He was pretty whipped.