To Have and To Have Not

So, going along with Saturday's post... We had an interesting experience with Lexi when she was finally feeling up to eat solid foods.

I'd ordered some spaghetti noodles for dinner. Since there wasn't a lot of sauce, I figured it would be a safe bet for her to eat. I fed her some and sure enough, she chowed them down! Since she's 2 1/2, I assumed (never assume) that she'd want to feed herself. I proceeded to shovel some of the spaghetti onto a smaller plate for her.

And she started to scream.

I had no idea what was wrong and she was VERY upset. Our friend Chareyl (with Wasatch International http://wiaa.org/ ) said, "Feed her from the big plate again." I looked at her funny and she said, "just trust me." So I gave her another forkful from my plate. She immediately was at peace again. Like a switch had been flipped.

I looked at Chareyl, baffled as I couldn't explain what had just happened. She said, 'We see this all the time with kids that have been put in orphanages. She knows what it's like to be hungry and she wants to be sure she can have ALL the spaghetti if she needs it."

This mommy's heart broke.

I've heard parents who have adopted internationally say that their children will go to the pantry multiple times per day and just LOOK at the food - to make sure it's still there.

I pray and pray that we can get these children home soon, that their bellies may be full, their health may improve, their minds may be comforted as they learn what "home" means.

It's been 20 days since we've been able to hold and hug and kiss you.
Mommy and Daddy love you, Lexi and Nathan. Come home soon.