Someone Stole My Heart

What happens when a two year old grabs your heart?

I got the answer to that questions a couple of days ago when I met Tati.

 
We had walk about a mile to a little daycare inside of Dondo. The outside is neat and cleaner than most of the places around here.

We wait outside as Ana, our translator, knocks on the door to the small building. We are greeted and welcomed inside by a one of the workers as little babies surround her.

They all have huge eyes and inquisitive stares, we are new.

We aren't like most people they see and the whole team is smiling like goons as we stare back.

We quickly gather around the children as they prepare for break, basically a snack. We are asked to help pass out a bowl of some sort of grain and water. I quickly help pass out the snack to all the little tables as the children sit patiently at the tables.

Once done with snack, the children begin dispersing back into playing with toys and anything provided on the little sandy area they have for their daycare.

I notice a little girl, with a green dress, playing with a toy by herself. One of my teammates points out that we look like we are wearing the same dress.

I notice that we are kind of twins, and so without knowing here name I call after her, "TWINSIES."

She doesn't look, probably because thats not her name, but I still try to get her attention.

I ask Ana for her name. She is told that her name is Noemia.

So for the rest of the day I get to play with her, love on her. But this little girl is a free spirit and likes to play. She doesn't find it fun to play with me.

Near the end Ana helps us tie babies to our backs with Kapalanas. When it comes my turn, Ana finds a cute little girl, but before she places her on my back. She tells me to wait.

She then comes back with Noemia in hand and places her on my back. This begans the process where a two year old steals my heart.

Noemia and I bond together for about half an hour, her cuddle next to me. By the time we leave, she is a sleep, head pressed against my back.

The next day I found out that Noemia had a twin and that Noemia had been sick for two days, who I really bonded with was Tati. I also found out that her mother died giving birth to them and that their father had passed recently.

And again the next day Tati was there.

I followed here around as she played, and really she didn't want me to hold her, but she didn't mind if I was there.

She began to warm a little, she began to look at my watch on my wrist and to come up to me a little on her own. But she still wouldn't speak to me.

A little later on, while playing with a bouncy, she fell and bumped her head.
I instantly stopped what I was doing and picked her up.

She cried and cried as I walked around and silently whispering "shhh."

Her sobs began to stop and subside, and she silently fell asleep in my arms.

And as I held her in my arms, her breathing began to calm, her head was nestled in my neck, and I just let myself be in that moment with her.

In that moment I told God I wanted to adopt Tati and Noemia. That I wanted to be there for them.

Unfortunately, its not my time to adopt…a lot of things have to happen before that can happen, I have a lot of growing up to do before I can raise another life.

But Tati, a little two year old, stole my heart and made me realize that adoption isn't just something I could do, its something I so desperatley want to do when I can. Its a major desire on my heart.

I know in the next 10 months, there will be other babies, and other little two year olds who are going to take my heart and wrap it around their finger. I mean I have heard stories before about this, I just never thought it would be mine.