Orphanage visit

I have better pics on my big camera but no way to get them off ugh!

We went to the Kunmi!ng Orphanage today. We had heard that we would be disappointed by the trip so I went into it expecting nothing.  The end result was truly a blessing.  Tristan and I took cameras and we snapped pics of everything possible.  This is a very closed orphanage but for some reason we were given access to all areas.  The lady giving the tour helped car for Griffen the first year of his life, as they did daily PT etc to strengthen him ( dwarfs are by nature developmentally delayed.).

We found out he stayed in the orphanage until a year and then went to foster care.  He only returned back to the orphanage 2 days before we arrived.

Once babies are found they go to in processing and then stay in a separate building for the first 30 days.

Then the second room until a year I believe

The third room is for children 1-3 years and this where Griffen went when he returned from his foster family.

Each baby has their own specific crib.

It also looked like in the older kids room they had their own cupboards to keep personal possessions.

It was fun to see the nursery with it's very familiar bouncy chairs.  (All the babies referral pictures are taken in them).

Griffen cried as soon as we walked into the building and luckily we were expecting this - so we quickly placed him in the ergo and he sat quietly for the rest of the visit.

I do have to say as charming as this baby has been the few days we have had him, we had no idea this visit would be the nail in the coffin of his old life.  Some way it spoke volumes to him that we would not only protect him, but would leave WITH him.  He has been a talkative, giggly little dude since we got back to the hotel.

This orphanage keeps children until 18 years old and either tries to find them employment or if they are not able to work they move onto an adult nursing type home.  All of the healthier children over the age of about 6 months are in foster care (total about 500 kids).  The kids remaininginthe orphanage are pretty significantly delayed although one little girl reminded me of Cav's SN and used a wheelchair to get around.  There are about (200 still in the orphanage) although we only saw about25-35.

Each crib also had a toy, the orphanage is about 15 years old but well kept.  There was a huge playground int he center but I am not sur how much use it gets.  They use cloth diapers for the babies.  And had a lot of nannies for the few children we saw.

As far as Griffen's finding spot, it was nice to standing the spot and say a prayer for a mother who had to make an unimaginable decision.  He was left along the front gates to a hospital and after being there I can see how this is possible.  There is a bit of a garden right there.  The hospital is huge, and behind it has numerous huge skyscrapers.  We are not sur if he was born at the hospital but something the orphanage lady said made us think so.

Regardless, we have tiny bits of his past to share as he gets older.  Until then we treasure our new little blessing, and marvel at him.  We were thanked profusely by the orphanage workers, and how can you that we are the blessed ones!