This little girl is loved. All we're missing is a picture with Katie... very soon Kate!!!!
Well, today proved to be the most difficult of all, not with Lexie, but the orphanage trip and seeing the site where our baby was abandoned was a life changer. I am overwhelmed with emotion. I wish I was a writer, because today is the day where I would say something so beautiful. There is no way I can express what I feel today.
We pulled up to the Nanchang Social Welfare Institute and saw the front gate where Lexie was found in August of 2006. It was a beautiful sign from her birth mother that she knew where she wanted Lexie to be taken care of, and she knew this was the place. I stood on the same ground where that beautiful woman made what was probably the hardest decision of her life. How did she walk away? We were given the note she left, and before I tell too much detail - we are sure now that she did it because she had to and with much regret. We are told that it was early in the morning. I imagine that she bundled her up, even though it was probably very warm outside, she turned the little corner and placed her down and prayed that it was the right thing to do. How her feet took those next few steps evades me. Anyhow, we were able to see this spot where Lexie was left.
We walked into the orphanage grounds (and yes, it is the same orphange from the movie China's Lost Girls), and Lexie ran to the playground and started to play. I don't think she remembered much because she probably left here when she was 4 months old. She comes here to see the doctor though, so she freaked out a bit when we walked up to the baby unit. Anyhow, all these children ran out of the building, and Billy was gone. They were hugging him, saying nee-how, which is hello. It was so sad, and Billy just hugged them. I love the man more than I ever did - he was so moved that he couldn't even speak. Again, neither of us will be the same, ever.
Many of the older children had disabilities and they will never leave this place. There are group homes here which Holt funds as well - in these places, a woman and a man will raise 6 children, ages 2 through 18. Their apartments were very nice, and one woman allowed us to tour her home and even gave Lexie a little cupcake. These children will stay until they are 18 when they have to leave to find work.
Inside the orphange we saw the baby unit where Lexie would have spent the second month or two of her life. This is another area that Holt (our agency) supports financially. It was really very clean and nice - the ratio of nurse to baby is 1:2, so they are all very well cared for. We saw several babies with a cleft pallette, and I think all of them were girls.
Lastly we went to an area where disabled adult women live and they sew these little quilts and make these beaded figurines. We all bought one of the quilts as a momento of something that came from the girls' orphanage. The women never leave here. They play cards, watch tv, talk, sew, etc. but Lisa said they are all too scared to leave the confines of the institute.
The kicker of the trip was as we were leaving. Lisa came up to us with the birth note and translated it for us. I don't have the exact translation as of right now, because Lisa's going to write it out for me. But, basically it says that Lexie's father left Lexie's mother (possibly because she had a girl?). She says she has no work, she wants to keep Lexie, and she regrets leaving her; but she knows that she cannot raise her. She hopes that a kind family will be able to take care of her and tells her birthday and the year that she was born. We couldn't contain ourselves for quite awhile after that. But it felt so good for us to get out all of those emotions that were bottled up inside all week. All of our friends here were so supportive, and I thanked God for answering Katie's prayer from 2 years ago, before Lexie was even born.
