PART TWO: THE FAMILY GROWS ... AND GROWS!!

Chapter Seven:

I. The Lucky Seven Finally Arrive!

It seemed that The Day would never get here.

Both Bill and I were on pins and needles as we motored our way to the airport.  We were not picking somebody up in the traditional sense: we were picking up not only somebody, but several somebodies.  We were picking up seven children from abroad; the children were joining our International Family, swelling the number of children we already had by seven.

Luckily, we got to the airport in one piece.  The 11 children we had already adopted previously were with us; they felt/sensed the tension/excitement as well.  They were unusually quiet and/or reserved; it wasn't like them to be so silent.  Bill and I hoped that they weren't getting sick: that would have been the LAST thing we needed!

We sat in the airport terminal, watching people disembark from planes that came in or watched them walk to the boarding area as they boarded the planes to take them to their destinations.  Most were talking or laughing. Bill and I tried to keep the children entertained, which wasn't an easy thing.  Ronee' kept trying to wander off, Johnny cried continuously, Barbara and Steffi complained, Michael was bored, and Mariko was bored; she wanted nothing more than to sit on Mommy's lap, which was already occupied by Jae Mee (Jodie).

Suddenly, we heard the announcement from the overhead speaker that Flight #415 from New York City, New York, was on the ground and that the passangers would be disembarking shortly.  We quickly gathered up the children and made our way to the correct gate.  People were staring at our family as we went by.

This was a normal reaction.  We were used to it.

II. We Meet The Lucky Seven!

At the first sight of the seven new additions to our family, I burst into tears.  They were even more beauitful than we could have imagined.  Tri Tich Anh and Enriquesa were absolutely adorable, and I could see the film that covered Sun-Hee's diseased eyes; the sight of her impaired, cloudy  eyes made my heart break.  She was a tiny, unsmiling peanut, unlike the other two babies, who were grinning up a storm.

Sunshine and her twin brother, who were only three, looked just alike, excepting that Sunshine had long, flowing, silken black hair (plus Andre' was a boy; there was no way that they could ever be identical).  Their older sister was small for her age; she wasn't that much taller than the twins, but she had a beautiful, round olive-gold face with full cheeks and a wise, knowing little smile.  She stared shyly at us, her new family, but she accepted our hugs and kisses.

Finally, there ws Bapsi from Iran.  It broke our spirits to see her.  She looked no older than two/three.  Her legs were bent, withered, and paralyzed.  Ugly steel and leather braces encased them.  She had a pretty flowered dress on, but where there should have been arms or hands, her sleeves were strangely empty.  She was wearning oxygen tubing underneath her small, perfect nose, and her eyes held a combination of fear and confusion.  She didn't know what to think.

We didn't know what to think either.  How were we going to handle a child who had such severe special needs??

III. We Get The Kids Settled In!

We got the seven new kids home.  We were surprised at how crowded our house was quickly becoming.  From a family of just two children, we had swelled markedly, to a family of two parents (and eighteen children) seemingly overnight.  Our family tripled in size.

 We weren't sure as to what we had gotten ourselves into, but God had a reason for bringing these children into our lives.  It was not our will, but His, and His alone, and we had to try to do what He would want.  The situation was totally out of our hands; all we could do was trust in Him, completely and fully, and try to be the best parents that we could be to these children.