Thank you

As soon as we received Makena's referral, I purchased two disposable cameras and put a care package together that included them along with, a couple of small toys, gifts of cash to the orphanage and to the Foster mother, and other small items. I had a letter translated into Mandarin asking that pictures of Makena be taken with her foster mother and where she lived and I mailed it off with my fingers crossed, hoping against all hope that the postal worker who kindly translated the address into Chinese letters for me, did it correctly.

The cameras were returned to us the day we got Makena and I didn't get them processed in China because I wanted them saved to disc.

I finally had them developed. Of course I cried as soon as I started leafing through them, because it was obvious that Makena was well taken care of. All the pictures showed a very content baby (I'll post more later).

The detective in me now wants to go to Qianjiang and figure out where the apartment complex she lived was, and see if I can't track the woman down. They won't tell us her name. I already know that I will have to get special authorization to visit the orphanage but I definitely want to do it. I'm thinking November or April as good months that can't possibly be as hot as the inferno we lived through.

Obviously not this year but when Makena is old enough to understand things and young enough so that a visit like this doesn't become a huge emotional deal. Maybe when she is five or six. I'll have to put some serious thought into it.

In the meantime, I'm sending out a huge telepathic thank you to Qian Li han's foster mother. I'm also going to send her copies of the pictures via the orphanage, along with new ones and I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that she gets them.

I feel so lucky to have one piece of Makena's past to show her when she is older. It's a far cry from completing the puzzle but it's a step in the right direction.

Isa -grateful.